Tomorrow is the first day of March, which to me means the countdown to spring is officially on! Yay, spring! In anticipation of the good weather, I thought it would be fun to share a little series on spring style...small tweaks for giving a spring lift to your wardrobe. Today, I'll feature scarves, which are an easy way to add a little punch to an outfit while also keeping you cozy during transition temperatures.Tomorrow is the first day of March, which to me means the countdown to spring is officially on! Yay, spring! In anticipation of the good weather, I thought it would be fun to share a little series on spring style...small tweaks for giving a spring lift to your wardrobe. Today, I'll feature scarves, which are an easy way to add a little punch to an outfit while also keeping you cozy during transition temperatures.
Not long after I returned from Ethiopia, Bridget of @BostonSkin asked me about fair trade shea butter suppliers based in Africa. I didn't have immediate recommendations top of mind and canvassed my fellow ONE Moms for ideas; they of course came up with great leads! I've been meaning to share these recommendations for a while (er, several months now!), particularly given that if your skin is anything like mine, it is suffering along through the winter in a dry, chapped state. Here's to happy skin and supporting global businesses!
I first heard about Zarbee's at Alt Summit, and then learned more about them this past summer when I attended an event hosted by my friend Liz Gumbinner. But it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago -- when I was wrestling with the dreaded winter sore throat and cough -- that I tried the product. My childhood experiences with (incredibly nasty tasting and only somewhat effective) cough syrup has resulted in me avoiding the stuff as a grownup, but given that I'm on the phone constantly for conference and media calls these days, and given that Zarbee's is all natural, I decided -- while in the throes of hacking up both lungs -- to give it a try.
Today, Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses shares six tips for keeping baby warm and safe during winter:
When the temperatures drop during winter, it's natural for parents to want to make baby as cozy and warm as can be. And of course layering up for time spent outdoors is important. But it's equally important to be aware of times when overheating and overdressing has the potential to cause harm. Here are six tips to help keep your baby safe and warm through winter:
Last Thursday I visited my friend Honey Jo for a long overdue haircut. I adore Honey Jo for many reasons, but on the professional side, I love how confident I feel in her talent. When she asks what I want to do with my hair, I always say, "I'm open -- what do you think would be fun?" And that the results are always fabulous. She's done brilliant color work, chopped my hair short, and last week gave me bangs for the first time since, well, a long time ago. I was thrilled with my hair, but it wasn't until the Instagram picture I posted on Facebook blew up that I thought more about bangs editorially. Here are six reasons why I think you should consider trying them:
I have been a complete jumble of emotions since arriving in Addis Ababa on the ONE Moms mission trip. Yesterday, I was a bit of a wreck after bonding with a child at Mary Joy. But today, despite the painful histories and continued hardships to which I was exposed, I experienced a day of hope. I saw progress and great strides being made to improve the lives of Ethiopian women and their children. I saw it in the form of fashionABLE and the Hamlin Fistula Hospital.
A few weeks ago I arrived home from Mighty Summit with my heart full of admiration for the talented women I connected with on the trip, and my head and notebook full of inspiration resulting from conversation and reflection time. I also returned with lovely accessories -- some of which I've been wearing, well, pretty much constantly. I wanted to share them here because they are awesome and I think you will love them too.
One thing that has become very clear in the 3-4 months that I have been wrestling with Violet's eczema and potential food allergies is that I am not alone. So I was grateful to have the opportunity to chat with Dr. Wayne Shreffler (Director of the Food Allergy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital) about allergy prevalence, prevention, and daily practice. We only had a short window of time but covered quite a bit. The following are key takeaways that I wanted to share with you. Thanks to everyone who has weighed in about allergy struggles via Twitter and Facebook!
Today, Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses shares four summer baby care tips:
During the summer, baby or toddler care isn't as simple as loading up on the sunscreen and bug spray and heading to camp or out to play in the yard. The heat can be challenging and little ones can't tell you what they need. Here are four ways to keep your little one happy and healthy over the remainder of the summer (also be sure to check out my tips for sun protection for the whole family!):
Today, Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses shares 5 sun protection tips for families:
This time of year I always field a lot questions from parents about sunscreen safety and how to protect their family from harmful UV rays. And rightly so -- now through August the sun's UV rays are at their strongest. Whether it's short transitions outdoors or longer periods, as long as skin is exposed, it's vulnerable to the sun's rays (especially from 10am to 2pm). Here are 5 tips that will help you and your little ones have fun in the sun while avoiding harmful burns:
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) recommends an upcoming yoga camp for kids:
Last summer my 8-year-old daughter Grace attended Tara Rachel Jones's week-long yoga camp at the Arlington Center and absolutely loved it. She was, and continues to be, at an age where doing a camp or activity without a friend takes some cajoling. After the first day of yoga camp, though, she bounced home happily and eagerly back every other day. She absolutely loved yoga camp with Tara.
Jon and I have always been a no-shoes household. Partially due to habit for me and also because I'm all about reducing the need to break out a broom or mop (and of course it's handy when you have orally fixated babies roaming around). Since we have hardwood floors that are freezing in the winter and cool the rest of the year round, slippers are a mainstay. I recently tossed my cheap (and admittedly frumpy) slippers and have been looking for a frump-free replacement. I queried on social media and also perused over a dozen online stores looking for inspiration. Though I hoped to include some under $20 picks, there definitely seems to be a correlation between price and frump factor. Here are 5 frump-free slipper options; some are a little spendy, but the cost per wear would probably work out well if you wear slippers daily.
Last year I engaged in a quest to find the perfect shade of red lipstick. After I found it (more on that in a second), I reserved the look for evenings, but recently started sporting a red lip periodically for day events. At BlissDom, I decided to rock the red lip every day since my makeup is pretty neutral and I feel more finished with a bold lip. And I was admittedly a little shocked by the result -- I received countless compliments (including people I didn't know stopping me in my tracks!), and also many comments such as "Oh, I could never do that," or "I have no idea how to find the right color." So today, I wanted to share my 5 steps to red lips. Really, I think anyone can pull this off and it looks spectacular!
Last week I hopped onto a chat at The Motherhood about work/life balance. During the chat, I commented about self care being a major part of the balance equation, but that it's important not to stall out due to your own, or other people's, ambitious standards. That very morning, actually, I started a practice of giving myself the gift of at least 10 minutes of self care every day. (And yes, I put "10 minutes" as a recurring to-do in my Outlook since I love crossing off to-do items.) Tomorrow (Friday the 17th) at 1pm EST, I'll be hosting a live chat about the 10 minute challenge. Come share and garner inspiration for how to make self care doable! The chat is text based (similar to posting and commenting on status updates in Facebook); just be sure to create a login at The Motherhood in advance so you can hop right on at 1pm to chat in real time!
There are many things I love about Tea Collection -- the quality, the colorways, the details, the fact that most items are offered all the way from baby to size 12 -- and as a designer I especially appreciate their use of global inspiration. I recently had the opportunity to preview some pieces from the new Bali collection and they are just delightful. You can read more about the happy inspiration (how fun does that trip sound?); meanwhile, I wanted to share my favorite picks from the girls and boys collections. Also awesome? The kind folks at Tea Collection are offering a $100 gift certificate to one of you lovely readers! Read on to check out my picks and learn how to win!
Today, Jules shares five resolution pitfalls and how to avoid them:
You know the concept: a commitment to a personal project or goal. You know the time: the New Year. You know the problem: it rarely happens! And that's typically because people tend to set the bar high too high and too vague. This year, make a resolution to keep your resolution and actually get there by setting goals that are realistic and tangible. Here are 5 resolution pitfalls and how -- as a trainer and social worker -- I suggest avoiding them.
Every winter I struggle with painful dry, chapped hands -- resulting from the cold weather, my lax hand moisturizing tendencies, endless dish washing, and increased hand washing to combat germs. And it turns out Laurel is prone to the same chapped hand syndrome. I've tried a variety of hand creams but haven't found the perfect one, so I decided to turn to Facebook and Twitter last week to solicit recommendations. And what did I learn? Not only that you people are awesome (actually, I already knew that), but that you people are passionate about moisturizing! Here are the comments I received, grouped alphabetically by brand. Soft, happy hands -- here we come!
Today, PPLM Parent Education Program Manager Amy Cody shares tips for talking with your kids about the HPV vaccine:
One of the most important and challenging tasks parents face is communicating our values to our children (without them rolling their eyes) -- especially when talking about sex. But while these conversations can be difficult and awkward, research shows that positive and honest communication helps young people delay sexual activity and make healthier, safer decisions about sex.