- Olay Cleansing Cloths - These cloths are awesome! Especially when you're not at home, on a plane or it's late and you're too tired to completely wash your face. I have used the Neutragena cloths as well, but theirs are only makeup removers and don't say they actually clean your face.
- Lemon & Mint - I posted earlier about these two being used to help fight breakouts. All you do is chop up a few mint leaves and squeeze some lemon juice on it to make it like a paste. Then put it on your trouble spots with your finger and keep it on for 15 minutes. I do this a few times a week and like I said before, it's the one of the few things that has completely helped control the breakouts.
- Edy's Fruit Bars - These come in many different flavors. My favorite is the strawberry, Mike's favorite is the lime. I have been craving fruit like crazy throughout the whole pregnancy and I love these for a little snack especially since they are no joke only 45 calories!
- Healthy Choice Fudge Bars - These are my go to when I need chocolate. They are light and very creamy and I love that they don't have any sugar substitutes. Again another low calorie dessert/snack at only 100 calories per bar.
- Mrs. Meyers - I first used these products while visiting my sister and fell in love with them! They don't use super harsh chemicals, are safe for kids and animals , Eco-friendly and they smell great!
- Captv Design Jewelry - I have a few pairs of these earrings and they are adorable! Very light weight and all the jewelry is made from recycled material and then accented with different beads, ribbons and wire. There are many different designs, along with bracelets, necklaces and hair accessories. You can check out the website here.
- Starbucks - So this is my go to when I really need to indulge in something. My favorite drink right now is the Decaf Iced Quad Shot Espresso with 2 pumps of White Mocha over ice in a grande cup. FYI this is a very strong drink. It sounds kinda complicated and I usually have the hubster order for me because I always mess it up! You don't have to order the decaf version, I do for Baby B.
- 180Snacks Super Fruit Trail Mix Crunch - I recently found these at Costco at one of their tasting tables. They are SO good! They are gluten free, oven baked, kosher, 100% vegan and all natural. The one I bought is made with baked nuts and dried blueberries and cranberries, so delish!
- Prairie Barn Butter Bars - Throughout the winter I have had some very dry spots on my feet and ankles. This has worked like a miracle! It's an all natural butter bar. I put it on my dry spots at night and I can't believe how much better my feet are today. You can also use it on your knee, elbows etc. I use the Rosemary Mint. You can visit their website here.
It's no secret that Mike and I love, and I mean L.O.V.E. the holidays! We can get so excited for Halloween and Christmas any time of the year and we may have a mini holiday movie night, even if it's summer. We can't get enough of starting our own traditions and since we have lived away from family for nearly three years we had to do our own thing for each holiday except Christmas.
Every year for Easter, we ALWAYS decorate hard boiled eggs. We've been doing this since we were in high school! Last year half of our condo flooded so we ended up coloring our eggs on half concrete flooring and half wood floor. Needless to say, it was unforgettable. We have also created some Easter brunch menu items (some are from our families) which include Cheesy Potatoes, Fruit Kabobs, Spicy Sausage & Feta Fritatta, Bacon or Strawberry Butter and some sort of dessert. You can find these recipes on our Bon Appetite page.
Easter 2011
This year is very special to us because it is our last Easter with just the two of us, and Stella of course. We decided to have a little fun with my ever so growing belly and painted it like an Easter egg! We used face paint that I found at Walmart. FYI...if you do decide to paint your preggo belly at all, only use face paint. Acrylic paint is not made for skin and face paint is one of the only paints that are safe. Also make sure you buy descent paint brushes, specially a few different sizes in order to make your art more detailed. One last thing...when you decide to remove the paint use soap and warm water and then use a facial cleanser or makeup remover. It looked like I was going to have a faded pink tattoo until I used my face wash :)
Mike did all the painting while I laid down. He traced an egg shape with a wet erase marker, drew in the details and painted each section. As I watched him draw his template on my belly, I kept checking to see if he was doing a good job. He just looked up at me and said, "Babe, don't worry I'm going to make it look cute. Don't you think I can make a cute egg?" I had to laugh and just let him do his thing. He did a great job!
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp. Gel Food coloring or 20 drops of Liquid Food coloring
1 tsp. Gel Food coloring or 20 drops of Liquid Food coloring
*I wanted to dye the eggs using Rit Dye until I read their dye is not food safe*
We also used crayons to draw different designs and once the eggs were dry, we placed them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, placed them into a preheated 250 degree oven for 10 minutes and we were able to wipe away the excess wax from the crayons. This is also from Martha Stewart, and it didn't really work for us (Our eggs were already hard boiled).
We will be taking our mini baby-moon trip this weekend and plan on celebrating Easter on Sunday afternoon. We wish you and your family a very Happy Easter and hope you will share some of your Easter traditions with us as well!
