Oh prudent mamas, how we all can bond over the fading of our beauty at the hands of our lovely children. Yes, they are worth every puffy eye and greasy ponytail. Wouldn’t change it for the world. I would, however, not mind having my hair look cute again. Gone are the days of volumizing, piecing sections, blow drying, and straightening in that luxurious hour before work (if only we had known how precious that quiet hour of primping was! How we would have savored it!), but thanks to the explosion of beauty blogs and pinterest tips, there are now so many ideas for ways to get your hair looking extra cute that don’t take much longer than a ponytail. So Jacinda and I tried a bunch of them out and we present them to you for your thoughts/perusal/inspiration.
A little insider Jaime-and-Jacinda info (sadness?), is that we have a thing where we take super bad photographs of ourselves working at our computers in food-crusted pajamas with smeared make up, and text them to each other at all hours. Is that weird? Well, Jacinda understands me, and that is the best feeling in the world. So this time around we decided to snap phone pics of hairstyle tutes we’ve tried, in which we look…dare i say… presentable? Keep reading after the jump for some easy mom hairstyle pics, links to tutes, and maybe a picture of what our hair really looks like on your average day (note: we really, really love reading and replying to your comments, but maybe just don’t comment on those, ha)… (more…)
Let’s get outdoors and start crafting some fun projects with the kids, what do you say? The three sisters, Jamie, Jodie and Jennifer, from Eighteen25 are going to get us started with their cookie cutter bird feeders. What I love most about this project is that kids of any age can join in on the fun. If you are looking for more kids crafts check out their yarn baskets and corn syrup paintings. The friendship bracelet kits make a great birthday gift for a special friend.
Call over the kiddos and get started on making your own Cookie Cutter Bird Feeders…
I pinned this pao de queijo recipe on Pinterest a week back and had to give it a try (yes, it really happened: I pinned a recipe, AND THEN WENT BACK AND ACTUALLY MADE IT). So, not only are these Brazilian cheese breads seriously the easiest bread-like food you will ever concoct (hello, pour all ingredients in a blender, blend, bake, done), they are also totally gluten free, which I know is a biggie for some families. The chewy texture was a total hit with my kid. Love these. Have started to literally crave them. Recipe at Simply Recipes.
Also from the what-we-were-eating department: purple cauliflower. Few kids can resist the power of purple food. This batch I just roasted along with a head of broccoli (coated with olive oil, 3 cloves crushed garlic, sprinkle of lemon juice, salt, pepper – 25 minutes at 400) and it was deelish. You can find it at some grocery stores and I’m sure a farmers market near you will have them soon. The next time I see it, I plan to grab two and some purple potatoes and make a thick, creamy purple soup. You know you want some purple soup.
We grabbed another family and headed down to North County San Diego for a one-night getaway to the kind of resort that is heaven for parents – La Costa Resort and Spa. The children splashed about in the enormous kiddie pool (replete with it’s own little beach), took numerous trips down water slides, and were thrown about by fathers before jumping on the bed way past bedtime. It was only one night but it felt like a full vacation. Sometimes it’s great to just get up and go out of town if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity.
We hit the beach outside my favorite grilled-spiny-lobster joint (California spiny lobsters have no claws. The claw is the best part IMHO. But whatever, they are still delicious) with my two favorite girls, their matching zebra pants, and an experiment with the new (only $5!) Kate Moss for Rimmel bright coral lipstick (get it at CVS or Walgreens). Not sure I’m pulling it off, but the girls liked it. But they also like clowns, so there’s that.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting The Honest Company (which I’ve written about before here) and getting a behind-the-scenes office tour with founder Jessica Alba. I can’t wait to share it with you next week. I was going to say something self-deprecating about being photographed next to Jessica Alba, but you know what, I’m not gonna go there. She’s beautiful and so are we all.
We were featured in the Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel this week, where I shared a very intellectual quote – “tiny things are awesome.” It’s true.
Other than that, I was very excited to watch the season premiere of Game of Thrones. Upon turning it on, my husband gave it about three minutes before leaving the room. When I asked him why he wasn’t into it, he said something about armor and offered me a goblet of wine while bowing dramatically. Whatever dude, enjoy your Ultimate Fighting. At least mine has wine.
In more serious/inspiring news, Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook talking about leaving work at 5:30 and the value of work-life balance was wonderful. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look here. Cheers for parents everywhere. May we all get home in time to play with our children.
So, what is going on in your worlds? Any recipes we need to try, shows we need to watch, articles we should have clicked on, or books we need to read if we ever finish the books we started right before we had babies?
I have always admired my sister for putting in that little extra effort to write a note to remind everyone to have a beautiful day or smile. Whenever she leaves on a trip she scatters hidden notes in cereal jars, under pillows, in undies and a zillion other places around the house for her kids to find. Her habitual outbursts of written positivity have inspired me to try and do the same, which is why I fell in love with this multi-functional chalkboard tray from Happy Together. You can use it to write a quick note to your little kiddos while they eat a snack, or use it as a magnet board to post silly pictures drawn throughout the day.
Before we jump to the tutorial here’s one of the first quotes I would write on my chalkboard tray, tell me if you can guess what book it’s from. Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!
I’m gonna tell you the mega-easy, no-bake, extra-yum basic formula to make your own super-tasty granola bars with your kids from whatever you have lying around your pantry. You’re going to have so much fun. So join hands with your minis and start rifling through the cabinets for all those almost-finished boxes of cereal and bags of nuts. Gather a bunch of stuff that might taste good together and pile it all on the counter. Whatever you have, it doesn’t matter. I will show you how to make the “glue” to stick all your ingredients together.
Your kids will get super creative making their own “scrap-busting” granola bars. The only rule is ya’ gotta eat what you concoct. At least, that is how I keep my daughter from adding cat food.
You can quite easily make yourself some simple and delicious granola bars (hello, boring), but my child likes to do crafty things and I like to watch her do crafty things, so she made them shaped like letters and hearts and dog bones so she could take fun shapes to school in her lunch. She also likes to call them “Kabobos,” but I have no idea what that means.
Let me show you the basic granola bar formula and how we make our scrap-busting granola “bars” after the jump… (more…)
Clare and Quinn have claimed these two from Aneela Hoey, Walk In The Woods for new bed sheets. They are on sale this week FYI!
And lastly, this cuteness is Woodland Tails by Sheri McCulley Studio, I saw the cheater quilt at Quilt Market last Fall and I’ve been waiting for it to come out ever since. So sweet.
Before I go, I have to mention that fabricworm’s entire sale section has an additional 25% off today (Monday 4/9 til 5pm)! I can’t believe the gorgeous new fabrics in there! Treat yo self!
Link love has been so fun to write the last coupla’ years, but now that we can link-love our favorites with you around the clock via our Pinterest, we thought we’d change it up a bit and just share some nuggets about what we’ve been up to this week – what we’ve been clicking on, watching, reading, and, umm, eating the past seven days. And this week I’ve been hanging out with my newly four-year-old kid (who dresses herself, in a style I like to call “grey gardens meets bananarama”). Can I just mention that I bought that jacket on a gilt group clearance sale when Scarlet was six months old and I’m beyond excited that it finally fits her? Yes, I’m a sale-score nerd who feels obligated to tell you the lengths I went to to get an awesome deal.
So, first up, I discovered a new Netflix obsession to enjoy while I eat microwave chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t steer you wrong when I insisted you watch Downton Abbey a year ago, did I? So trust me. Only this is nothing like Downtown Abbey… Season 1 of The Killing. Watched four episodes in one night, four the next night, and two the next. I have three left and now I feel as though I need to save them because it’s all going to end, and also because I’m tired from staying up until 2 a.m watching Netflix. No one tell me what happens. When I finish, can we all discuss?
It’s spring break at Scarlet’s school this week, which I realized about two days before it started, so I didn’t have any fun plans lined up (momfail). Jacinda swept in and took over PB responsibilities while I started making calls to all my local mom friends in search of some reinforcements. Luckily Scarlet’s BFF niko is on the same schedule and my dear friend (blogger Miss Macki) was able to run over with her daughter Sylvie for a mimosa-and-bounce-house play date.
Also, over on Pinterest, we’ve created a board that just features y’all. If you make something using one of our tutes, tag it Prudent Baby and we will share your creation with all of our readers. The board is called Prudent Baby Projects by YOU.
We have been having a lot of encounters with a certain midnight visitor. Every time it happens I simultaneously think “how can i get this to stop happening?” and “what will i do when this stops happening?” The way your child smells sleeping next to you… Oh I could just freeze her at age four and snuggle in bed forever.
On Wednesday Jacinda accepted a challenge to do 20 fun things with her kids in one day and shared each step with us on facebook and twitter. It was so tiring to watch. Luckily I had a pitcher of sangria to ease my exhaustion.
Jacinda is plotting a roadtrip to the Lubbock Mini Maker Faire on April 28th. If you are in West Texas, go!
Scarlet has become obsessed with board games, and we have therefore come to appreciate them for the quality family time they provide, so we rounded up the 20 Best Board Games, divvied up by age.
And finally, I downloaded the latest (not so new, but I’m on a mom-time-lag with these things) book from my favorite author, Haruki Murakami: 1Q84. Whenever I get up the strength to turn off Netflix I get sucked into it like nobody’s business. I may never sleep again. It’s no The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, but it’s an amazing book.
That’s what I’ve been doing. What have you and the fam been up to?
Stephanie from Mama and Baby Love gave me the best surprise this week when she sent over a link to the adorable Snappy Toddler Top she made from Texas Modern Sunset. It’s the first thing I’ve seen sewn in my fabric that wasn’t sewn by me! I love how Stephanie even covered the buttons with her scraps. The Snappy Toddler Top is one of Prudent Baby’s most popular patterns. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a great first sewing project. Thanks for sharing lady, you made my day!
Visit Stephanie’s blog, Mama and Baby Love for the full story, and stick around for her wonderful posts on all things mama and baby and healthy living. She shares recipes, DIY’s and her expertise in yoga, nutrition, family wellness on her site.
by Jacinda
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. Whenever I get up the strength to turn off Netflix I get sucked into it like nobody’s business. I may never sleep again. It’s no 
, but it’s an amazing book.
