Holiday Style – Hue ‘Denim’ Leggings

We are all about looking fabulous after a baby so of COURSE we love these leggings! Our most favorite Mommy Fashion blog – AintNoMomJeans inspired us to look into this ultra chic look.  Moms meet the denim leggings (you can get these at Nordstrom), as Shana from aintNoMomJeans eloquently put:

not to be confused with the “Jeggings“, which are leggings that are printed to look exactly like jeans (including fake pockets, etc).

Pair these with a nice white tank top or cami from J.Crew (these are on sale now for DIRT cheap – $6.99 each) and a nice cardigan from Banana Republic and you are ready to go!

Perfect for casual days at the park or even nights out with the hubby. Dress dress them up or down with a fabulous purse and cute accessories.

Ahhh….we swoon over comfortable, no hassle, FABULOUS clothes that we can throw on in 2 minutes and look like we spent hours!

Best Kind of Christmas Trees For The Season

If you’ve ever agonized over what type of tree to purchase for the holidays, fret no more. Here we have outlined for your the top 4 Best Voted Christmas Trees in North America.

So sit back, relax and enjoy Christmas tree shopping this year.

Voted #1 – Fraser Fir – Fraser fir is a native southern fir and very similar to Balsam fir. Some say it is a southern extension of the Balsam fir species and naturally grows at elevations above 5,000 feet. This fir has dark green needles, 1/2 to 1 inch long and ships well. The tree has excellent needle retention along with a nice scent. Fraser fir was named for Scot botanist John Fraser who explored the southern Appalachians in the late 1700’s.

Voted #2 – Douglas Fir – Douglas Fir is not a true fir but actually has its own unique classification. Unlike true firs the cones on Douglas fir hang downward. Douglas fir grows cone-shaped naturally, has 1 to 1-1/2 inch needles that are persistant and has a sweet scent when crushed. The Doug fir tree is shipped to and found in nearly every tree lot in the Unites States. The tree was named after David Douglas who studied the tree in the 1800’s.

Voted #3 – Balsam Fir – Balsam fir is a beautiful pyramidal tree with short, flat, long-lasting, aromatic needles. Balsam fir and Fraser fir have many similar characteristics and some botanists consider them extensions of the same species. Their geographic ranges do not overlap and the Balsam fir has to have cold winters and cool summers. Balsam fir has a nice, dark green color and very fragrant. The tree was named for the balsam or resin found in blisters on bark and which was used to treat wounds in Civil War.

Voted #4 – Colorado Blue Spruce - The Colorado Blue Spruce is most familiar to people as an ornamental landscape tree. The tree has dark green to powdery blue needles, 1 to 3 inches long and a pyramidal form when young. Colorado blue spruce is very often sold “living” and with an entire root ball – to be planted after the holidays. The spruce was chosen in 1978 and planted as the official living White House Lawn Christmas tree. The young tree is pleasingly symmetrical, is best among species for needle retention and the state tree of both Utah & Colorado.

Should We Tell on Santa or Keep it to Ourselves

There are so many people on either side of the fence these days on whether to tell your kids Santa isn’t real or to keep the mystery and fun going.

According to About.com, “although Santa Claus was originally based upon the Christian figure of Saint Nicholas, a patron saint of children, today Santa Claus is wholly secular. Some Christians object to him because he is secular rather than Christian; some non-Christians object to him because of his Christian roots.He is a powerful cultural symbol which is impossible to ignore, but this doesn’t mean that he should simply be accepted without question. There are good reasons to dispense with the tradition.”

There are many reasons for abandoning Santa. As parents we have to lie to our children. And with time, as our children grow and begin to ask questions on Santa’s supernatural powers, our lies have to grow.

At some point, our children will catch on that SOMEONE is always watching them (kind of creepy if you ask me), and that Santa will judge them based on a few acts of naughtiness rather than as the whole package.

Also, there are too many correlations between Santa and Jesus and for those who do not believe, this may be an issue.

On and on goes the argument for killing Santa.

In our house, we go ALL OUT! Uncles dressed in Santa Suits with huge red bags packed with presents. We ring the door bells and knock on windows. We put on the WHOLE show.

When I grew up that was the highlight of my year and wouldn’t have given it up for anything. I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew my parents were full of it but I went along with it for their own sake. They seemed to have such a great time “fooling me”.

What do you do think about this? Do you promote Santa with your children?

A Mother’s National Holiday

Today is November 1, 2009 and it of course marks the first day of a little something I like to call “The time for the greatest sentence in the English language for anyone attempting to raise (discipline, bribe, etc.)  a child.”

Now that Halloween is behind us,  mothers across the country will begin looking to the upcoming holiday season and can officially begin using our favorite phrases. One of the very few weapons we have in our arsenal of parenthood. Three magic little words that can transform a tantrum, a misbehaving lunatic into a wide eyed, fearful little angel.  Words that have been spoken for generations with a promise of results……..Those magical three little words…(Say it with me now…)

“Santa is watching.”

THIS ladies, is why we are beginning what is known as the” most wonderful time of the year.”

What is wrong with me?

What do you think is wrong with me that instead of sending in some perfectly respectable ShopRite Cupcakes to a room full of 5 year old children, I feel the need to bake, a THREE layer cake, with coordinating icing, and figures made from fondant. Clearly, the scariest part of my Halloween is the amount of therapy I need.

Ps – Do you think this was what they had in mind when they requested “healthy” snack!? Come on people…it’s freakin Hallowween.  Somehow spiders and ghosts made of  hummus seemed a bit silly.

Fabulous, Creative & Easy Kid Friendly Halloween Party Food

This has to be one of the most creative articles I’ve ever seen on Halloween Party Food. Absolutely awesome ideas for fun home-made snacks and desserts you can make with your kids.

We would like to thank:  Our Best Bites Blog for this awesome article and photos.

Feast your eyes below on some of the best Halloween party snacks and dessers we’ve seen in a LONG time!

Witch Hats made out of Hershey’s Kisses placed on top of a Keebler Fudge Strip Cookies. Some easy frosting decorating, and you have yourself an adorable witch’s hat. Click on the photo to see full instructions on how to make these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Mummy Hot Dogs! This has to be one of my favorites. Made with crescent roll dough cut into thin strips and wrapped around hot dogs. Genius! Click on the photo to see full instructions on how to make these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dirt and Worms! What kid doesnt love dirt cake and gummy worms? Use chocolate pudding for your mud and put some crushed oreos on top for dirt. Hide those gummy worms in there for eeek factor! Click on the photo to see full instructions on how to make these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Chocolate

Cherry Mice! Yum yum! These are more fun than scary! Click on the photo to see full instructions on how to make these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheesy Fingers! Ok…I have to admit… I looked at these a few times and they really do look like real fingers! HA! All they are is string cheese with slivered almonds with a dab of cream cheese for the nails. Super scary and gross but so delicious! Click on the photo to see full instructions on how to make these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monster Jaws! A healthy and scary halloween snack! What more can you ask for. Cut your apples into quarters and use slivered almonds for teeth. Fabulous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There you have it! I wish I had the time to  make these for  my daughter! Hopefully, by the time she really gets into Halloween and understands the concept, I will be dishing these adorably creative snacks like a pro.

What are some of your favorite creative  kid snacks  that you love?

Painted Pumpkins – Best Way to Decorate for Small Toddler

To get your toddler involved in the pumpkin decorating without handing them a carving knife, drill or some other instrument that causes terror in your heart.

This idea from Parenting.com is a fabulous way to be super creative yet simple and easy.

Just stick on some differently cut out shapes such as circiles, squares, triangles or anything else you can think of. Imagination is your  limit.

Then simply paint spray the entire pumpkin with black or any other color acrylic paint, and carefully remove the stickers once dry.

And VOILA! You have yourself a masterpiece with no carving involved.

Think of the possibilities. You can create an entire Halloween landscape full of imaginary characters such as witches, bats, skeletons and whatever else you can think of. Tape them on the pumpkin and you are all set.

And the best part? You can do this with your little ones!

Now go decorate!

Pumpkin Carving & Marriage

See, I probably should be thrilled that the father of my children was willing to carve a pumpkin and get involved with the family decorating event…but really all I can think about is given my personality, and my general ability to drive the man insane, is him having such impeccable carving skills cause for concern?

Friendly Ghosts Homemade Halloween Costumes for Kids

Love this costume! Wanna get spooky but cute?

Check out this adorable creation by Parenting.com.

You don’t even have to sew anything. So when you are trying to figure out at 11PM on October 29th what costume to put together for your daughter’s pre-school Halloween costume party, this will be super handy! Cause you know, all the other SUPERmoms will have sewn together cinderalla dresses with every embelishment under the earth which probably took a month to make for THEIR daughters. With this adorable costume, you’ll not only pull it off, but we bet they’ll be jealous at your UBER creative side.

We won’t tell anyone you didn’t need to sew and threw it together an hour before school.

Click here to read the instructions on how to make your masterpiece.

Sweet Pea Homemade Halloween Costumes – Fabulous!

Ahhh….promote the love of veggies early on! This adorable costume can work for twins as well. We found this on Parenting.com and it would work even for those of us who cannot sew, don’t have time to sew or simply want to make something at home but don’t own a sewing machine!

Can you get more adorable??

Sweet Pea is probably the most popular baby theme out there and now you can make it work as an adorable Halloween costume for an infant.

Who can get enough of these adorable veggies!

Click here to see the instructions on how to make this awesome costume.

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