A reader wrote:

Where can I get those Steve Madden knitted boots featured in your article about not getting your best shoes ruined?  Love them!

I love them too! I got those Steve Madden knitted boots three years ago from DSW. Obviously they don’t have those exact ones anymore, but I found their latest version, as well as a few others.

This seems to be the latest version of the Steve Madden boots I have, at DSW in black for $44.95 in limited sizes.

Here is a cute, similar pair from Target, also in black, for $34.95.

This pair from Amazon is available in black, gray, and brown, for $21.99.

I would definitely weather proof these boots before wearing them out in the elements—I just used Scotchgard. Oh, and these are NOT rain boots, even if they are weather proofed. I wore them all over Chicago and other wintery places in the snow. They scrunch down when you’re wearing them, and are super warm and cozy. Hope you enjoy them!

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Hope you all have had a fabulous holiday!!

For some reason, I don’t have the patience or temperament for dramas right now. I used to watch Grey’s Anatomy religiously, but have no interest in it now. Maybe it’s because I have less time, or maybe it’s because they killed off a bunch of people I like. Either way, I seem to want to watch happier, shorter shows. The Home Warrior and I have been catching up on past episodes of Parks and Recreation, watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory, and I have found a new show that I love.

In full disclosure, I am a HUGE Friends fan, have seen all the episodes, and can pretty much relate every issue in life to a Friends situation.  Now that that’s all out there, I have to say: I love Go On. Matthew Perry is hilarious, and not in an entirely Chandler-esque way. The story lines are funny, but go a little deeper than your average sitcom. The basic tenet is that Matthew Perry is a sports talk radio host who lost his wife recently. In order to get back to work (which he desperately wants to do) he has to go to a loss support group full of interesting personalities. Shenanigans ensue.

I look forward to the show every week, and caught up on several episodes during my recent trip to El Paso (hooray Hulu Plus!). Hope it stays around for a while!

Here is the beginning of my favorite episode:

The most recent 5 episodes are available on regular Hulu, and the whole season is on Hulu Plus.

Readers, what are you watching these days?

A while back, I did a couple of polls about whether it’s rude to recline your seat while flying. It was pretty well split—some people thought it was super rude and others thought it was mostly okay. In the past, I’ve always been of the mind that it’s perfectly fine to recline as long as you do it slowly, and don’t do it during meal service. Well, after my recent flying experience, I’ve had a change of heart.

A few weeks ago, I was flying home from Charlotte. I had some work that needed to be done, so I got out my laptop. Just as I set it on the tray (but before I opened it), the guy in front of me threw back his seat. Had my laptop been open, he would have broken it. I tried to open it, but couldn’t get it up enough to see the screen, and so gave up.

It’s not that I think that reclining your seat is always rude. In fact, I still think it’s not rude in most cases. However, unless there are extenuating circumstances, I don’t plan to recline anymore. I just don’t want to cut into someone’s space that much. (Of course, if the seat behind me is the exit row, well, I’m totally reclining.) I think people who have a medical condition should definitely recline as needed. I also think that anyone who reclines should do it slowly and mindfully, and try very hard not to just throw their seat back.

Anyone agree? Disagree? Had a change of heart as well?

Technically it’s winter. Even though here in Texas lately it’s been in the high 70s and even 80 some days (sigh) the typical winter colors are everywhere—dark and somber grays, blacks, and other neutrals. I woke up needing a shot of something bright and happy, and not much makes me happier than looking at purses! Looking around, I found a bunch of amazing bags in cheerful colors and prints. I seem to be in a “pink” mood, as many of the ones that popped out are in the hot pink family. Here are my favorites!

LOVE this Mobile Edge pink and brown TSA checkpoint-friendly laptop bag. It’s great because of its cheery striped lining and multiple pockets, it will fit larger sized computers, and you don’t have to take your laptop out at security! Win. (On sale right now too!)

This Kailo Chic Pleated Laptop Tote is available in multiple colors, but I love this brown and turquoise version. It has a specific pocket for the laptop, plus additional pockets for all of your items. The lining is adorable, and it has gotten great reviews.

With spacious pockets, sturdy straps, many color options, and at 50% off for a few more hours, the McKlein USA W Series Briefcase has a lot going for it. The turquoise is my favorite, but the other colors are lovely.

The most interesting bag that caught my eye was this Maggie Bags seatbelt laptop bag. I can’t decide if I like it or not, but it sure is different!

Readers, have you seen any great bags lately?

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According to NBC News (by way of AP) the big three US airlines-Delta, American, and United- are going to start offering wifi on international flights. They already offer it on many domestic flights, but starting in early 2013 will also have it on overseas flights. One of my coworkers is not excited—she says these are the only flights she has where she doesn’t have to be available to clients. However, I am super stoked—it will allow me to be more productive and maintain contact with home.  Of course, it might cut into my movie time…..hmmmm……

Readers, would you use wifi on an overseas flight?

Inspired by the poll a few weeks ago about what makes a road warrior, I am very curious about how much you guys travel for work. The general consensus seemed to be that a road warrior is someone who takes 1-4 business trips per month. I think that’s accurate, especially when you’re going by averages. There have been times when I didn’t travel for an entire quarter, and then traveled every week for months after. On average, though, I travel about twice per month. The past three weeks I traveled each week, and now I am home until January. Hooray!

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I’ve decided there are two types of people in the world—those that carry tissues with them all the time, and those who don’t.

My trip this week was initially pretty uneventful. I went to several offices, got some good work done, and ate a tasty steak. However, yesterday about twenty minutes before I was slated to leave for the airport my nose just randomly started bleeding. I guess the dry air and pollution were just too much for it. Of course, I am not of the “always carrying tissues” type, and so had to frantically hold my nose while asking the lady at the desk next to me if she had any. Thank goodness she did, and so I was able to eventually get it stopped. And OMG how freaking embarrassing. Ugh. So the first item that I will keep with me always: tissues.

On the way to the airport I stopped at a gas station to get tissues just in case it started bleeding again. Well wouldn’t you know , it happened again while I was in there. I ran to the bathroom to grab some tissues, and frantically searched for a place to put my purse. There was nothing. No hook, stand, table, counter, nothing. I hate, hate, HATE putting my purse on a bathroom floor but in this case had no choice. Again, I got the bleeding stopped, but I have now added another item to keep with me always: sanitizing wipes.

Needless to say, I was super glad to get home last night!

Readers, have you ever needed something desperately that you didn’t have while on a trip? Did you start carrying it with you on future trips?

When I was a kid, I spent hours at the library. I read anything I could get my hands on, and there was no where I would rather be. Fast forward about twenty years, and I still love to read. But I don’t ever go to the library anymore. The combination of less time to read, plus buying so many books at the airport, plus using my Kindle for so many years, has led me to not visit a library in longer than I can remember. However (and I may be the last person in the world to know about this) I just found out that you can borrow ebooks from many libraries! It’s free—all you need is a library card. (Pictured: The old school Kindle with the ink display, starting right now at $69!)

I also recently learned that another way to get free books to read on my Kindle is to join Amazon Prime. Of course, you have to pay around $80 per year for the membership, but the ability to borrow one Kindle book for free each month is one of the perks.

There are also frequently ebooks available for free or significantly reduced price on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. But I still think the best way to read books for free is the library. So I will be heading to my local branch this weekend to sign up. Then I will be able to download books to my Kindle any time of day, no matter where I am, for free. Of course I don’t get to keep them forever, but that’s okay. I’m just glad to be able to read a variety of books again!

Readers, have you found ways to get ebooks for super cheap or even free?

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A few weeks ago I went on my first trip in five months. I was pretty anxious, but had a plan in place. I was going to re-read some key blog posts, give myself extra time, figure out the “new-mom” stuff, and make a very specific list of what to pack. I was only gone for one day, so didn’t actually need that much clothing. That made it way easier than it could have been!

Suitcase:

• Outfit for work (black pants, nursing shirt, cardigan, black coat, pink flats)
• Travel outfit (jeans, sneakers, gray tee, maroon long sweater)
• PJs (yoga pants, tank, long sleeved tee)
• Toiletries, makeup, curling iron
• Jewelry (turquoise necklace and earrings)
• New-mom stuff
• Pump
• Tablecloth for trade show
• Chargers

Purse stuff:

• Pashmina
• Knitting
• Thank you notes (sigh, still trying to finish them)
• Book
• Wallet, keys, lip balm
• Computer
• Cooler, bottles, ice packs
• Office supplies (notepad, pen, usb key, headset)
• Comfort items (tea, Splenda, Emergen-C)
• Magazine

Honestly, it was a tight fit. My pump took up half of my freaking suitcase, and I had to fit the cooler in my purse. If I have to bring clothes for more than one day I will have to be super creative about getting everything in. My trip this week is two days, but since I’m wearing my work clothes on the plane I only have to pack enough for one day. We’ll see what happens on my first longer trip….

Last week was my first trip away from home since I had my baby. One of my big concerns was traveling with breast milk. The TSA rules are pretty straightforward, but I’ve heard that in practice they are not super consistent (shocker right?). The rules from the TSA website are:

• Breast milk is exempt from the 3-1-1 rule (because it’s considered a medicine).
• You can travel with freezer packs, and they can be frozen solid or partially frozen.
• Separate your breast milk from your liquids toiletry bag.
• You do not have to be traveling with your child to travel with breast milk.
• You may be subject to additional screening.

Sounds pretty straightforward right? When I got to my home airport I did all of the stuff I normally do, pulling out my laptop, taking off my shoes, etc. I also pulled out my cooler full of empty bottles and freezer packs. I told the TSO that I was traveling with medicine and had a freezer pack. He said, “No problem, we’ll just have to check that the freezer pack is completely frozen.” Uh, okay. Since I had just left my house it was completely frozen, but it likely wouldn’t be the next night when I flew home. As I was waiting for them to check it (holding up the line, of course. Cringe.) I asked what would happen when I flew back home and the freezer packs were only partially frozen and repeatedly told that they had to be fully frozen. I said, “On your website it says that when traveling with medicine they can be partially frozen.” And the lady quoted the 3-1-1 rule to me. Ugh.

So I was pretty anxious about what would happen when I flew home. At that point, I had the mostly frozen gel packs, plus a quart sized bag of ice, in my cooler. I let them know I was traveling with medications, they said, “Ok thanks for letting us know,” and then slid all of my stuff through. No waiting, no extra screening, no questions about the gel packs or the ice. All that worry for nothing.

When I traveled again this past Monday, it was the same thing. I let them know, they slid it through the X-ray machine, no waiting. Easy peasy!

Obviously YMMV. I have a print out of the TSA’s guidelines in my pump bag just in case. It sounds like it will never be consistent, but that doesn’t surprise me.

Also, be sure to check out Corporette’s post about how to ask for a place to pump during travel.