Operation Tubetop

As I have mentioned before, I am hooked on Pinterest. But having so little time, I am unable to do, like, all of the things I have pinned on my recipe board and craft board. But, come December, I will have a lot of time and these are the things I will be trying. Stay tuned for updates. Pinterest Attempt 1 This bow on a sweater. Looks easy enough. I think I will try to make that next Wednesday. Pinterest Attempt 2 Redesigned t-shirt. Might have to steal one from the Husband. Might get in trouble. Pinterest Attempt 3 Apparently dubbed the best chicken enchiladas ever. We'll just see about that. Making those on Tuesday.... yeeeeahhhh. Tomorrow is my last day of work for a few months. I am a little sad to be leaving a great place but am pretty hopeful that I will be back come Spring. But I am also grateful to have all this free time to do shit and what not and be a lady who lunches, in front of the TV, drinking, alone. Tonight I am heading to a friend's pla...

I'm a rookie parent. My son is just under 2 and I have just one child so I am by no means an expert on parenting so don't think I'll be offering advice. I know shit all. But I was thinking the other day about what I imagined life would be after the Kid came a long and realised even though I thought I knew what to expect, I really had no idea. And so, here is my list of what to really expect. Expectation: Exhaustion . For years I have heard friends and countrymen go on and on and on about how tired they are due to their children's sleeping habits. I knew, that once the Kid came along, sleep would not be as available as before but I thought, how hard can it be ? Reality : How hard can it be? How hard can it be?!! I am a mother loving zombie. I sometimes even wonder if I remembered to put on a bra before going to work. Or even pants. There are moments on the subway when I will look down and thank the deities I am wearing shoes. I shit you not. Bone tiredness...

It was a rough weekend. I had a stomache bug, then the Kid got sick (and he is still sick) and the Husband was sick and oi vay. Need a holiday. The best part of the weekend was the Thanksgiving dinner we attended Saturday night. Even though I could barely handle any food, I had a great time and enjoyed a fireplace, good company, some fine wine and a chance to drool over an Hermes belt. The Husband and I are comfortable financially... Not in a I can buy whatever I want and ha ha take that Lindsey Lohan  but in a oh! A sale at H&M! I shall purchase a couple of things today. Yay . And to be honest, I feel very blessed. But, when we win the lottery soon, I have pagemarked 3-4 things that I must own. After I give money to charity and go to a dermatologist for a little microdermabrasion/wrinkle zapping/caviar-gold facial, of course. And here they are!! Dream Purchase: A Burberry Trench Such a classic. So perfect for European weather. I promise to...

I told the Husband that I was in need of a new winter coat. I haven't actually worn a winter coat in a couple of years and I felt the time was right for one this winter. 2 years ago I was knocked up and couldn't justify buying a maternity coat so I lived in layers and a cape: the look was a mix of European chic and Kathy Bates in Misery... more Kathy Bates, though. I was aiming to spend around 180 Euros on a new coat and set out yesterday morning in search of one. I stopped in at Mango and found not one, but two COATS that I FELL IN LOVE WITH AND I NEEDED TO TAKE THEM HOME WITH ME SO I COULD LOVE THEM AND BRUSH THEM FOREVER AND EVER. The best part of this story is that one coat had been reduced from 99 Euros to 79 Euros and the other coat was a laughable 39 Euros! And so I bought both and explained to the husband Tovanomics: Tova has 180 Euros to spend on one coat. She buys two coats which comes out to 120 Euros. Ergo she made a profit of 60 Euros . Tovanomics. Whenever...

So I did this in two steps. First, I darkened my hair last night. Then, I slept with a coconut oil hair mask. And then this morning applied the lightening agent. I am actually pretty happy with it. I didn't use foils or a brush, just my gloved hands and blended it in starting from the middle length of my hair and bringing it to the tips. I added a couple of streaks in my bangs to help blend it. Here are the products I used: Total cost: around 15 Euros And here is the goofy vintage-style My Space shot And here is the money shot I give it an 8 out of 10. Not bad....

Tomorrow the Husband is out so I am going to use that alone time to Ombre my hair. As you are probably well aware, I have no fear when it comes to experimenting with my hair. I am now a brunette but I feel like I need to "lighten up". Ombre hair is big right now which is probably a sign that it is totally untrendy now. Whatevs. Here are some examples of ombre that I like Also, my friend Alix suggested to check out Kandee Johnson's video tutorial. If you haven't heard of Kandee (Alix also suggested her other videos) you should really check out her make up tutorials (she is adorable and talented. Bitch). Link below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPVsWpC0wps And so dear friends, wish me luck! I will most likely post pics on Wednesday... well, only if it turns out well! Stay tuned

It is a dreary day and we've decided to stay in and eat croissants and watch reality tv. We were expecting the mother in law and her visiting cousin to come by for coffee but the cousin is sick so the apartment is already clean... awesomeness. Sundays are great days to look at magazines and dream and ignoring all the things that say "Price Upon Request". I hate that crap. If I have to call, I probably can't afford it. Stupid beautiful things. In other news, I've been having a blast with the Pinterest boards I have been making for friends. I'm on to my 7th Board and it keeps getting more fun. I am trying to look for clothes that are flattering to their body types and will match their lifestyles, ie. stay at home mom, working woman and everything in between. As well as finding affordable pieces. My offer still stands! If you want a board follow me on Pinterest at Tova Marr-Spatz and send me an email at tmspatz@gmail.com and I will virtually build you a look. ...

We had guests over today (an old colleague who I became friends with pretty much immediately and her boyfriend). They are Italian and crack me up to no end and the 4 of us always have a great time. Hosting has become more challenging now that we have the Kid but I was happy to see that we are able to have people over between the hours of 2:30 and 5:30 without any meltdowns (this includes me). The reason I mentioned that our guests were Italian is that I always have to avoid making "Italian" food when they come over. I can cook Italian but I can't cook chest-beating, Armani wearing, Sophia Loren in a tight dress Italian, so I always have to find alternatives to my lasagne, pizza, pasta, caprese salad specialities that I oh so love to make. This time I decided to make Moroccan chicken, saffron cous cous, tandoori potatoes, falafel, pitas and hummous. It was a mixture of several cultures and hot damn, Moroccan chicken in the crockpot is just amaaaazing. Here is the healt...

I love Mad Men and it will always remind me of my son as a baby. The night before my C-section, I was checked into the hospital and had my mini-DVD player. I watched the first season late into the night, nervous as hell but anxious to meet the little man in mah belly. I also had a Mad Men themed baby shower. When my son was about 4 months old, the show was finally shown on this side of the pond, and on Monday nights the Husband and I would watch two episodes in a row and we were hooked for months. But I digress, because today I want to talk about Joan. Joan Holloway, aka sex on a stick. Men want to be with her. Women want to be with her. Her figure is outrageous. Her clothes are to die for. And now I want to be a redhead... again... for like the 10th time. So here are some pics of my absolutely favourite looks that Joan has worn on the show. Gawd I was born in the wrong decade (kind of). I am very grateful for moderner medicine and somewhat equal rights. Vive the 21st Century! Dres...

Yaaay! 5,000 views since June 5th! Thank you to everybody who has checked out Operation Tubetop over the past 5.5 months! Even if you clicked it by accident, thank you to you too!!

I wear foundation everyday. It isn't because my skin is a wreck, it has more to do with the fact that I blush or get overheated and turn very very red. I hate it. Ever since I was a child I have had the curse of blushing skin. Ergo, I wear foundation all the time. I am on to my third favourite right now and have to suck it up and buy my second favourite since I am out. Here are my top 3 favourite foundations: Number 3 Revlon Colorstay This stuff is good and really really really lasts long. The only problem is that if my skin is dry (as it usually is in the winter) this foundation tends to seep into the lines. Stupid lines. Hello Botox. It is a good cold weather foundation. Heat and Colorstay is not a great combo. The best thing is that this foundation is reasonably priced and fairly easy to find. Number 2 Chanel Lumiere My friend suggested trying this one and I am hooked. It is light and liquidy but not greasy. It provides good coverage but not as heavy as the R...

I love sweater dresses and I just realised that I got rid of a few of them last year due to wear and tear. I bought one last night and I'm wearing it today and hot damn I feel comfy. What is so great about the sweater dress is that they are flattering and comfortable and versatile. If only they could do the dishes. Then I would marry one. I live in them on the weekends when I go shopping or to the godforsaken playground for a variety of reasons: a) I can pair them with comfy boots and a vest and look somewhat put together. b) If I am trying on clothes, I don't sweat as much in the changing room getting undressed and dressed again. c) Comfort. Just comfort. Here are a couple of examples I found on the interwebs. Adorbs. Now I must go shopping!

Oh happy happy joy joy! This show is back! I absolutely adore this show! Here is a quick summary of the ladies that make up the cast of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. If you haven't seen this show, go forth and watch... It is truly a work of genius  and by genius I mean if Snookie received tenureship in tanning. First up is a relatively new housewife. Name: Brandi Glanville. How you maybe perhaps know her?: Her husband cheated on her with Leanne Rimes... LEANNE RIMES! wtf. My opinion (like it matters): I don't mind her. She sometimes comes off a little declasse (I so just used that word and don't know how to apply an accent) but the fact that she hasn't lost her mind after a very public cheating scandal makes me applaud her. Brava Brandi, brava. Name: Kyle Richards. How you maybe perhaps know her?: Aunt of Paris Hilton. Was a child star and starred on the Little House on the Prairie. My opinion (like it matters): Her husband is hot. And Jewish. And ...

The Kid has had a cough the last couple of days. And for the past couple of months he will wake up at 2 in the morning desperately searching for his bottle of water. You would think that he would calmly do a search on his own instead of wailing at the top of his lungs which wakes me up from a deep sleep to only find that my heart has leapt out of my chest and onto the floor. I get it, our place is dry and the kid needs liquid. Sunday night he kept us up all night with his hacking. At one point I carried him onto the balcony to clear up his congestion and when he saw the street lamps he yelled "LIIIIIEEEESSS!!!" which sounds like "lies" but in fact means "lights" which in the end is pretty hilarious at 2 in the morning. But I digress. I decided that I couldn't go another sleepless night and decided to buy a humidifier. Who knew there were so many different types? I did what any good mother would do and bought the cheapest one. It is the Vicks humidi...

I don't always have time to wash my hair and so I am a big fan of dry shampoo. I found out about dry shampoo from none other than Heidi Montag. Pictured below. She cracks me up. A natural beaute. I wonder what ever happened to her... it has been a couple of months since her last magazine article. Dry shampoo was especially useful after my c-section in the hospital when I couldn't shower and needed my hair to not look like I rubbed it in a vat of oil. But now I have found another product that gives my hair volume and hides some of the grease. Sexay. Got 2 Be Powderful. This little bottle here is awesome! You pepper (love that word) your roots with the powder, massage it in, and voila, you get a couple of extra centimeters. Awesomeness. It also cuts into grease. It's like the Cillit Bang of hair products. I effing love Cillit Bang too. So if you are looking for a pick me up because you are too lazy/stressed/whatever, pick this product up. Trust me.

I loved wedged shoes. They give me height and don't kill my feet. I also don't fall through grates or get stuck in cobblestones. Living in Europe is so hard... wah wah. Anyway, every Winter season I end up buying a couple of new pairs of (im)practical boots and it fills me with joy. I have my Uggs for snow but otherwise I will be rocking these pairs for the next few months. Pair Number One I was walking home the other day and saw these in the window. I had to have them. They had a navy pair that I absolutely adored but I don't have much navy so my dream was crushed.. But aren't they adorbs? Squeal! Pair Number Two I like to call these my JLo boots... They are so circa 2001... I actually wear these with a fake fur vest. I'm so Tova from the block. Used to have a little now I have a lot (of stretchmarks) Pair Number Three I bought these about a month ago and I have been living in them. They are so comfortable and give me a horse like appearan...