Category Archives: Uncategorized

Wanted: The InnoTab 2S

Last year, I reviewed the InnoTab learning tablet from VTech Toys because we knew how much my son loved my sister’s iPad (see review here).  After talking it over with his grandma, she bought it for him for his birthday this year.  Dominic adores his InnoTab and takes it most everywhere.  These are pictures of him with it at a restaurant (above), and at a party (below).

Dominic asked for my headphones so he could concentrate on playing his Cars 2 game (his exact words were “I can’t hear my game, it’s too loud in here!”).

According to Dominic, this is a golf ball, a golf club, and a hole on the golf course.  Do I sense a future career?

Earlier this month, Dominic came to me and said, “Mama, I want the new InnoTab.  It has a camera now!”  Initially, we didn’t think that Dominic wanted the camera.  But after he’s been playing with my Acer Iconia, he has come to love the camera feature.  After seeing the new commercials and checking out the official site, I think we will be getting the new InnoTab 2S for him for Christmas.  Not only does it have a photo and video camera that flips front to back, but it is also Wi-Fi capable, allowing secure downloads.  This new version is $99, which is $20 more than the earlier version.  At least the price point is much better than any regular tablet on the market.  Ah, to have a tech savvy three-year old.  Since Black Friday is coming up, I think I know what I need to shop for!

As this posts, my husband, son and I will be en route to Las Vegas to be with his side of the family, so I wanted wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

(Last photo courtesy of VTech Kids.)

Happy 4th of July!

Typically we spend this time of year in Las Vegas with my in-laws.  But because the holiday fell in the middle of the work week, we decided to stay home and enjoy fireworks locally.  Hope you have a wonderful & safe holiday!

(Thanks to Lindsay for directing me to this photo, courtesy of Party City. You know I’m gonna make that cake pop flag sometime soon!)

Coffee Snob

My husband calls me a coffee snob.  I don’t think that I’m a snob per se, but rather I have certain expectations when it comes to my coffee, which became very apparent when we returned from our honeymoon.  We stumbled upon a coffee shop called Castroni Caffe while in Rome, and I swear I had died and gone to coffee heaven.  I am a dark roast fan, and I want my coffee to taste like coffee, and I often drink it in espresso form because I need the boldness, adding just enough cream to take any bitterness away.  The Castroni coffee was bold, strong, but smooth.  I needed little cream and no sugar.  I had found my coffee.

I bought two tins straight away.  I gave one of the tins of coffee to my mother-in-law and kept one for myself.  When we came back to the US and I had run out, I vowed that I would find a coffee here that was the equivalent of the coffee I had in Italy (I kept the tin, in case I was able to search and find this brand out here).

After our honeymoon, my husband and I missed the food that we had in Italy, so we ventured out to Little Italy here in San Diego.  Mona Lisa Italian Foods not only has a great restaurant, but they also have a wonderful little deli.  I asked the workers there if they have a recommendation for a coffee that equalled the coffee we had in Italy, as they did not carry the Castroni brand.  They recommended Illy, and I have been buying this brand since then (see my post on Espressamente, their cafe in Las Vegas here).  I had found the bold yet smooth taste I originally discovered in Rome.  It does however come at a price:  any regular supermarket that carries Illy prices their tins at $14 to 16, and Mona Lisa has theirs at $10.99 (the last time I checked).

For everyday use, I find it difficult to justify paying that much for coffee, which I go through very quickly.  So I set out to find a more inexpensive alternative for my daily use, and then I can have my Illy on the weekends.  After trying about a dozen or so brands, I had just about given up on finding a good, cheap roast and resigned to the fact that I just have to put up the cash for the coffee that I want.  After standing for over 20 minutes in front of the coffee aisle, I saw a tin with a price of $4.99 called Cafe Bustelo, a Cuban-style coffee.  I decided to try it, and if it wasn’t great, then I would have only spent about $5 and that would be the end of it.  I ended up enjoying this coffee for the bold taste.  Although it wasn’t as smooth as my first two choices, it tasted much better than the others I’ve tried and I could add just a bit more cream to take the edge off.

Recently, I found this article on Shine from Yahoo and promptly showed my husband.  The article was called “Brew a Cheaper Buzz with the Best Budget Coffee“.  Lo and behold, my cheap choice of Cafe Bustelo was one of their favorites as well, which I felt proved my uncanny ability to distinguish good coffee, therefore solidifying my refined coffee tastes.  My husband just looked at me and said, “Snob…” then walked away. 

Whatever. I won.

(Middle image courtesy of World Harvest Foods)

Deal of the Day: Free Stuff for Tax Day!

As many of you painfully or joyfully know, today is Tax Day.  To make the day sting a little less for those of you who are paying, I found a site that offers some freebies and deals that are only good for today.  My sister and I are seeing Madness tonight in concert, so we’re going to take advantage of a few of these freebies prior to the show. 

Click on the link above to get your goodies.  Happy Tax Day!

(Image courtesy of Tax Day Freebies)

Deal of the Day: Must Have Shoes Club

I posted about this deal previously from Must Have Shoes regarding their shoe club (post seen here).  I’m sharing this deal again because I think it’s so very worth it if you are a shoe fanatic like I am.  Must Have Shoes already offers great prices for shoes from one of my favorite shoe brands, Poetic Licence.  But when you add the discount you receive from joining their club, the deal just gets sweeter (I have included examples of prices from recent purchases that I have made).

I bought these earlier this year for just a bit cheaper (I had an additional discount from an email).

Here is what you get when you join:  For $20 a year – Members save 20% off of every Must Have Shoes purchase; receive exclusive discounts from the e-newsletter; are eligible for their “Oops Discount” (if they are unable to fill your order, they give you the value of your order towards free shoes); receive a 30% discount code towards your entire order on your birthday.

Just bought the pair above and below last week. Check out the prices!

The money I saved in the 20% discount and free shipping have already paid for the club membership in just my first two purchases.  Additionally, I receive great emails about secret deals and exclusive discounts on featured shoes and brands.  I’ve even discovered brands I had not been exposed to before like Axxiom, and continue to see deals on the brands that I love like Poetic Licence and Irregular Choice.  I highly recommend checking out this awesome shoe site, and joining the club if you like what you see.  Have a great weekend!

(Images courtesy of Must Have Shoes)

Restaurant Week San Diego: January 15th through 20th

Ah yes, it is Restaurant Week again here in my fair city. If you are a foodie, this is a great time to sample lots of great eateries for great prix fixe deals for both lunch and dinner.  I had a great dinner at a French bistro called Hexagone for the most recent Restaurant Week  (post here), so we are always excited when we see indications that the next one is approaching. 

I received an email from The Cohn Restaurant Group on which of their establishments are participating this week (see the picture below).  From this list, I’ve already been to Melting Pot, La Jolla Strip Club and Indigo Grill.  Although I would go back to those places again and again, my friends and I always use Restaurant Week as a way to try places we have never been to.

So what I’ve suggested to the other two of my trio (Janice and Regi), is that we try Analog this time around.  Their prix fixe menu is a steal at $20, and they sound like out-of-the-ordinary choices.  I’m especially drawn to the lobster corn dogs minis and the Twinkie tiramisu.  Although, we may save Analog for later this month since they will actually have this menu (and price) throughout the month of January in celebration of their new menu that will be introduced in February.  Whatever our final choices will be this week, I will be sure to post a review of each of the places we visit.  Click on the pictures for either additional links or an enlarged menu for better viewing.  Happy dining!

Images courtesy of San Diego Restaurant Week and The Cohn Restaurant Group

Mode of Inspiration: FTF Blog Event for 8/17/2011

This month’s Full Time Fabulous August blog event is all about inspiration. Kristy Elena asked that we think about what inspires us and explain why. My recurring theme is and will always be Depeche Mode. I connected with their music at a very young age and have always identified with them because of their dark but hopeful lyrics. As I got older, I learned to appreciate the irony of their sexual and religious themes. Their inspiration is evident in the titles of many of my posts, and more importantly in the name of my blog. I can be mentally fighting for a title to an outfit post or an article. Then suddenly a lyric to one of their songs will pop into my head and I’m inspired.  To see evidence of how much they have influenced me, check out posts here and here, including outfit posts here and here.
But really, I derive much of my inspiration for everything I do in my life from the loves of my life: my husband Deon and son Dominic.
What inspires you? Check out what inspires other bloggers in the Full Time Fabulous Community.

A Thank You & A Giveaway From LuLu*s!

Dearest lovelies, have I told you lately how much I love you?  Did you know that LuLus.com loves you, too, and were gracious enough to provide a $50 gift certificate to one lucky reader?

Here’s what you have to do to win:

1.  Go to the Lulu*s site and pick out your favorite item.  There are SO many awesome things to choose from!  For example, here’s one of my favorites:

Qupid Bikini 153 Red Velvet Color Block Peep Toe Wedges

2.  Come on back to Any Second Now and post a comment listing your favorite item.

(Note added 8/8/2011:  Please post your comments by midnight PST 8/10/2011.)

3.  Next Thursday (August 11, 2011) one lucky reader will be chosen at random to win, so please check back to see if it’s you!

LuLu*s was the first site to give my readers a discount nearly a year ago, so I’m very excited that they wanted to help me bring you this awesome giveaway.  Thanks ever so much for reading, following, commenting, and for being YOU. Cheers and good luck!

Deal of the Day: Rebecca Minkoff Online Sale!

If you haven’t noticed already, my latest designer obsession is Rebecca Minkoff.  I attended the sample sale in LA a couple of weekends ago and was able to get some great deals.  For those of you who couldn’t make it, there is an online sale that starts today and runs until June 17.  Click on the picture below to take you to the Rebecca Minkoff site.  Happy shopping!

(Image courtesy of Minkette.com)

Friend Friday: Vacation, All I Ever Wanted!

Ah, summer always remind of vacations, which reminds me of The Go-Go’s.  But vacations also mean lots of hurry, scurry and of course, packing!  This week’s Friend Friday asks us to think about how we mentally and physically prepare for that quick get away.

When it comes to packing for vacation what’s your mantra?

I don’t really have one, because I’m always contradicting them in some way.  My tendancy is to overpack, which is ironic because I always go shopping no matter where I go.  One thing that really has helped me in a few situations was something my mom taught me:  make sure to have an extra outfit, underwear, socks, and toothbrush in your carry-on.  In times where my luggage was either lost or delayed, this has been a lifesaver!

What are your must packs?

Other than the essentials (underwear, socks and toiletries), I must always have a casual outfit which includes jeans, a t-shirt and pair of shorts, a swimsuit, a business casual outfit, an outfit for an evening out and a very light cardigan or jacket and blazer.  I must also have at least 4 pairs of shoes to match these corresponding outfits.

What are you happy to leave behind?

Heavy jackets or coats, unless I’m knowingly traveling to a place with inclement weather.  I did pack a coat when I went to London because I wasn’t sure what the weather would be like.  Then ended up buying a coat there and we had to buy another piece of luggage to accommodate our purchases, mainly the coat.   We were smarter when we went to New York last year and packed lighter because we knew we would shop.

Any packing secrets that help you get everything into one suitcase?

Put things in shoes and purses and roll stuff around things like hair straighteners.  Generally, try to pack essentials or things that can be mixed and matched because you know can always going shopping at some point (well, that’s my excuse anyway).

Beach reading…what are you taking with you to read in the sand?

I don’t have an iPad, Kindle or any other reading device, so I’ll be hauling the latest hard or soft cover of Sophie Kinsella’s latest “Mini Shopaholic”.

Fashion Beauty Friend Friday is a Google group for bloggers to converse on a given topic each week. Katy from ModlyChic sends the questions, bloggers post their responses and then add their post to the list of people sharing their thoughts on the subject matter. To get started, check out this great tutorial on Grit & Glamour here.

(Image courtesy of Chartstat)