This One’s For the Moms

Let’s face it.  Perfectly styled hair and flawless makeup become a thing of the past once you have kids.  If I get a shower and clean clothes I’m happy!

But it sure is fun to dream about my former self…

When I found the Beauty Riot Virtual Makeover site I was instantly hooked. You can upload a picture of yourself and try on different celebrity hairstyles. Add some makeup and I could hardly tell I was the overworked, underpaid mom of two.

If only I could just push a couple of buttons standing in front of the mirror in the morning and actually look like that.

Isabelle

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Eco Friendly Lunch Packaging

If you send your child to school with a packed lunch, or take one yourself, you know how much waste is generated just by this one meal every day.

I applaud the schools that have started programs to limit the amount of garbage going to the landfill. But there is more we can do. And the people at Plum Creek Mercantile have a great solution.

Check out their website for reusable fabric snack bags and other great environmentally friendly products.

Isabelle

A Great Craft for the Whole Family

Since I’m on a role with crafts lately (thanks to that big list of 50 I’m still working my way through!) I thought I would go ahead and post about another fun craft idea. Over at The Sweet Life they call them “poppets”. Basically what they are is magazine cutouts glued together to create some very interesting characters. This is great for toddlers and parents alike! Imagine the fun you’ll have. For an even strange effect, use cutouts of your family members and pets and see how silly you can get.

Check out all the details now and once you’ve made your own poppets, email me some pics and I’ll add them to this post!

Isabelle

A Great Gift for a Mom-to-Be

At the Bella Photo Jewelry site (where they offer more than just photo jewelry) I spotted a great gift for a newly expecting mom. Their “Belly Jingles” are sterling silver balls that make a beautiful chime noise. They hang on a long leather cord necklace so that they rest over the mom’s baby bump.  Apparently the chime soothes the baby in utero and has a calming effect even after baby is born.

Often when we give gifts to soon to be moms we focus only on the baby. What a great idea to get the mom herself a pretty piece of jewelry that she can keep once baby is born as a reminder of her pregnancy.

Take a look at the Belly Jingles Maternity Jewelry from Bella Photo Jewelry and read the entire story of the tradition behind these beautiful necklaces.

Isabelle

50 Cool Crafts for Kids

I love doing crafts with my kids. Although they’re still a little young (ie: eating the paste), we have lots of fun creating unique things.

If you’re looking for some great craft ideas to do with your kids, the awesome folks over at The Long Thread have compiled 50 of the best kids crafts from around the web.

My favorite is the  “Sunprint”. It isn’t messy which is nice when you’re doing crafts with several kids (we often have friends over to craft with us) and in in the end you have some very interesting art to display.

Take a look at the list and let me know what your favorite craft is in the comments section!

Isabelle

As If Crayons Weren’t Fun Enough…

I encourage my children to be artistic because I believe it is a great way for them to express themselves. We draw every day in our house. Whether they’re happy or sad I encourage them to create a picture that shows how they are feeling.

But drawing has never been as much fun as it is since we discovered an Etsy seller who is creating her own unique crayons.

She takes boring straight crayons, melts them down, and creates fun shapes with them. She has something for everyone from flipflops to crowns (yes, a crayon crown – say that 10 times fast). Everything she does is adorable and my kids love them.

These make really great gifts too because although they are inexpensive, kids go crazy over them because they are so unique. It’s not very often you see a crayon in the shape of a turtle!

Check out what she is doing in her Etsy shop called Elizabear Crayon Designs.

Isabelle

This Personalized Shirt Has Won My Heart

I think it is so cute to see kids in personalized clothing. ESPECIALLY when it shows off their little personality at the same time. When I first learned about the Define Me Clothing Company I knew before visiting their site that I would love everything they sold. And I do!

The clothes are really, really cute and there is something for every style – from rocker kid to preppy baby.  But the one that I am completely in love with is the “Mommy’s Wish Come True”.  Maybe I’m feeling sentimental because my new nephew was just born but when I saw this I just had to order it.

They have lots of personalized baby clothes for boys and girls.  I subscribe to their newsletter as well and apparently there are lots of new designs being released over the summer so check back often to get some fun stuff for the kids to wear to school.

Isabelle