Technology has come a long way these days!  Can you even fathom a world without cell phones?  If I leave the house without it these days, I feel unsafe being on the road!

Technology in the medical world has advanced so much as well.  My mom tells me that during her pregnancies, there were no ultrasounds that determined the gender of the child.  It was always a surprise when they were born.  Also, she didn’t know she was carrying twins until she was about 7 months along, and that was because of how much larger she was! (for the record, my twin sister and I were nearly 8 lbs, each!)  Nowadays, by 8 weeks, a mother can know whether or not she’s carrying two fetuses, thanks to the advanced technology.

What if there was a way that you could track the progress of your own baby on your own smart phone? (i.e. the growth, development, countdown to the birth, etc.) Believe it or not, there’s an app for that.  Intermountain Moms has created a free app for your smart phone that allows you to stay connected with the progress of your pregnancy.  For FREE.

And if that’s not enough, it also offers other options, like an entire glossary of baby names, questions for Nurse Dani, a hospital finder, and a checklist for getting prepared for your impending arrival.  Brilliant!

And don’t forget about the diary section, where you can keep track of how you’re feeling, what you’re craving, or how often you’re puking.  Basically, anything you’d like.

And, of course, with this free app, it provides convenient access to the Intermountain moms Facebook page and community, which provides you with support from Nurse Dani and other parents either during your pregnancy, or after your baby is born.

The app is available on Android and iPhone.  Download it today!

It’s obvious that the creators have put much time in mastering the app to provide exactly what expecting moms will need.  Being pregnant right now, this app would be so handy to have!  Now, if I only had a smart phone…

It’s that time of the year, the sun gets warmer, the days get longer, and the kids want you to take them to the pool.  Are you ready to put on your swimming suit?  Or has the hibernation period during the winter made you want to stay indoors, fully clothed?

What if I were to tell you there is a way to lose an average of 1 inch from any body part? And only within 1 hour?  And not only lose the fat cells, but tighten the skin at the same time?  There is a new technology that has opened it doors in Salt Lake City, UT (and soon to be surrounding areas) called Ultrasound and RF (radio frequency) Body Contouring.  You can read all about the scientific process on TruShape’s Facebook Page, but the gist of it is this:

* Ultrasound breaks down fat cells under the skin, which turn to liquid and exit the body through the urine
* RF tightens skin by accelerating the production of collagen and elastin fibers
* No pain
* Non-invasive
* Similar to an ultrasound procedure
* Procedure only lasts for 30 mins to an hour
* Immediate, visible results!

I thought it was too good to be true as well!  So I tried it myself.  I chose to have my torso done.  No matter how much I exercise, there is some loose skin that I just won’t be able to get rid of (I have 2 beautiful girls to show for it)! 

TruShape not only offers a comfortable atmosphere, but friendly and experienced aestheticians as well! Here’s a little footage of what the procedure is like – from the time I walked in to the time I walked out:

A couple of disclaimers:
1) I look like Xena the Warrior Princess in comparison to Serene (the aesthetician).
2) They really DON’T use PhotoShop with the before/after pics
3) I AM wearing a shirt…

Not only was it a comfortable, pleasant experience, but I was amazed with the results! Check out the side by side pictures. The proof is in the pudding.

And that’s only after ONE treatment!  Imagine what difference 2 more treatments will make!

If you have some “problem areas” you want to target, or cellulite you want to erase, or would love to rejuvenate your face, call TruShape NOW!  Their schedules are filling up fast, AND they’re currently running a special on their pricing.  Very reasonable!

TruShape
1830 S 300 W Ste #114
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
801-871-3709

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been self-conscious of my derriere.  I think it started ever since attending my first extended family reunion, observing the genetics of second-generation aunts with back ends that were so wide and perky they could have been used as coasters for the drinks!  I don’t feel it’s proportioned to the rest of my body and I swear I hear a faint beeping sound every time I walk backwards.

That self-consciousness started to diminish after I spent some time with Alicia Richmond, learning that it’s all in the jeans!  I loved the way the jeans fit, and slimmed down (or gave the illusion, at least) my wide load!  My eyes were open to a new wardrobe possibility! The only problem?  The price tag of these name brand jeans!  I felt I was doomed to the “mom jean” for the rest of my womanly career.

Enter The Jean Girl!  Stephanie is a young, married college student, with an eye for fashion, and a connection for discounts! She has started an online retail business, selling name brand designer jeans at affordable prices!  The quality of the thick denim fabric, decorative stitching, and large back pocket sizes all make for a pair of pants that accentuate and embellish the backside.  Finally, a pair of jeans that I can feel confident wearing!  Behold:

Each pair of designer jeans are sold for $65!! Compare that to the retail value of $340 and that’s quite the savings!   And they come in a variety of styles and stitching:

And just in time for summer, she also sells capri length for just $55 a pair!

Want your chance to own a pair? The Jean Girl is giving away

a pair of jeans (or Capri’s) of your choice

to a random Make It Work Mom reader!

To enter: Visit The Jean Girl’s website and tell me which pair of jeans/Capri’s you’d choose if you won.

This giveaway is now closed.  Random.org chose Brittany Davis as the lucky winner of the jeans!

Extra Entries:
*”Like” The Facebook page of The Jean Girl
*Update your Facebook status to share about this giveaway
*Tweet about this giveaway

Giveaway will close at midnight MST on July 16th, at which point a winner will be selected at random and notified.

You know I love cupcakes.  You probably do too… or you wouldn’t be here, reading this, salivating on your keyboard, and all of a sudden craving said cupcakes.  Yeah, that’s how my brain works too.

It also tries to picture how those cupcakes came to fruition – WHO created them?  WHEN are they baked?  WHAT does the kitchen and industrial-sized mixer look like?  Then I’m mentally transported to elementary school and the “lunch ladies” days, visualizing overweight, sweaty, well-endowed, hairnet-clad, bitter women hunched over a steamy vat of refried beans, slopping the mess onto my plastic tray as I slide it past.

Imagine my surprise, when I was invited, along with a friend,  to visit the kitchen of Cupcake Chic and meet the women responsible for my addiction, and realized it was NOTHING like I had visualized!

First of all, the women: Definitely more attractive than the lunch ladies!   Trista Millette and her mom DeAnn Shields are the owners/founders/creative minds behind Cupcake Chic, who decided to start the business after having visited New York City in 2005 and on a “cupcake kick”.  

Each recipe has been created and perfected by these ladies, with years of trying, testing, and tasting.  Standing in the back kitchen of Cupcake Chic, I tried to stay out of the way while taking pictures, but found myself just watching this crew in amazement.  Everything worked like clockwork.  Trista systematically went from one bin to the next measuring and pouring ingredients, then over to the mixer, then back again. 

At the same time and right along in sync, DeAnn pulled cupcake pans from the oven, and filled others with liners, ready for Trista to fill with her readily mixed batch of cupcake batter.  (I was *this close* to asking if I could lick the beaters when she finished.)

And on the other counter, Lizzie, one of their employees was preparing the batter for the carrot cupcakes, grating fresh carrots, and preparing the other ingredients.  The trick to making a dense, flavorful cupcake that everyone loves? Recipes from scratch!  You won’t see any cake mixes in their kitchen.  Every egg is cracked by hand, ingredients are measured by hand, liners are filled by hand, and frosting is swirled by hand!

And this isn’t light work, folks.  We were mesmerized by Trista’s pipes flexing as she lifted large bins, managed the industrial mixer, and squeezed frosting from what seemed like a 200-lb pastry bag!  Yet, every swirl is perfect, garnishments added, and finally displayed to flaunt a prized cupcake, ready for the partaking.

You can find Cupcake Chic on Facebook, where they offer giveaways, and keep you informed of their “flavor of the month”.  (By the way, June’s flavor is salted caramel!)

But the best place to find them is where you can actually get a hold of the tantalizing cupcakes and experience the fresh goodness yourself:

Cupcake Chic
727 E 1000 S
Orem, UT 84097
801.607.2968

When you think “romance”, almost always it’s synonymous with flowers! Am I right?? An entranced stranger presents a bouquet of fresh flowers to an unexpecting, beautiful woman on the street and they fall instantly and madly in love. A husband arrives home from work with an arrangement of aromatic flowers for his wife “just because”.  The Bachelor tries to woo one of his 25 female potentials vying for his attention, so rose petals are strewn about to create a romantic environment. See? romantic!

So, what could top that?? How about frolicking in an environment where you’re SURROUNDED by beautiful, aromatic, vibrantly colored, flowers! To be more exact: 13 acres of grass, a quarter million tulips, seventy (70) varieties of roses, and the largest manmade waterfall in the Western Hemisphere. And within the large “garden” are 15 separate themed gardens including the Butterfly Garden, the Rose Garden, the Fragrance Garden, and my favorite, the Secret Garden.

What’s that you say? You’ve already visited the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point? Well, have you experienced the Gardens travellig 12 mph, withOUT moving your feet?

My friendand I were invited to do just that! Nothing says loving like watching each other wear oversized helmets, and question their individual self-confidence as they teeter forward and backward on an unstable pogo stick with wheels. My only saving grace was the fact that our training on the Segways followed another couple whose “female half” of their team spent the first 5 minutes screaming uncontrollably at her inability to maneuver the machine without getting bucked off. I figured any fear, or embarrassing acts I exhibit would be completely acceptable!  Luckily, finding our balance and comfort level on the Segways didn’t take long at all!  And soon, we were zipping through the beautiful gardens on the paved, cobble-stoned, and “not-so-paved” pathways with ne’r a care in the world.

208, an extreme snowmachiner, and avid outdoorsman, raved about this activity. As for myself, an uncoordinated, pridefully clumsy woman, I felt that finding the necessary balance on the machine was pretty simple. And once that confidence kicked in, I took off! Now that I’ve experienced the Gardens atop a Segway, I’ll never go back to walking!

Video credits go to 208 for multi-tasking a Flip video camera with one hand while balancing the Segway with the others! Jeans credit goes to The Jean Girl, who provided me with my now favorite pair of True Religion designer jeans (all jeans are $65 or less). And romantic/fun-filled evening opportunity credits go to Thanksgiving Point for inviting us to spend an evening with them!