by Jonna I'm kind of a product slut when it comes to make-up. Truth is, I don't wear much of it regularly, but I sure do love trying it out in the privacy of my own home, never to be attempted in public again (see: the smoky eye and that ill-advised evening I spent recently trying out those effing stick-on eyeliners from Birchbox). For everyday make-up, I wear three things: some sort of foundation/concealer, blush and mascara. Maaaybe if I'm feeling really frisky, I'll add a gloss, but I almost always forget, and I'm almost always kissing one of my... Continue reading

by Jonniker I don't know what it is about my kitchen gear that I don't think I DESERVE to buy nice or even, in some cases, functional things. If my pants were falling off of my body, I would . . . buy new pants. When I run out of... Continue reading

By Jonniker So I'm back on Weight Watchers (holla!) and frankly, I'm craving desserts. Pies. Anything sweet. But as anyone on WW will tell you, you can't DO sweet every day or you quickly run out of points OR wind up starving. Fruit, however, is free. Did you know that?... Continue reading

By Jonniker You guys, I am a SUCKER for a good tote bag. My two diaper bags? Medium totes from Lands End. If it's canvas, I'm into it. I like that it's washable, sturdy, wears well and actually gets better with age, and can take some serious abuse. Also, they're adorable. But that's a post for another day. This is about Halloween, and I know it seems early, but if you want one of these, you should order now. And PLEASE DO, for they are adorable. Canvas? Check. Embroidered? Check. Monogrammable? CHECK CHECK CHECK. So much nicer/cuter than the standard... Continue reading

by Jonna As is probably obvious by now, I'm expecting my second (and last) daughter in about seven weeks, give or take. I've started going through the piles and piles of clothes we accumulated over my daughter's short little life, and I am heartbroken to discover that it seems that the three-month difference in their birthdays means that we won't get to use everything, and that a lot of things will go to waste. (I said "waste" as though a child hasn't already worn them. Such a pathetic mentality.) I am hopeful that a friend will have a seasonally-appropriate girl... Continue reading

By Jonniker Hello! And welcome. I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, whichever holiday you celebrate (or don't). After a month-long hiatus, we wanted to launch a new feature centered around personal fragrance (perfumes, lotions, and even the occasional foray into home fragrance which can, at times, be used on the body! Say whaat? Yes, it's true!) Anyway, I'll be your guide, and I am weirdly qualified to do this for a number of strange reasons. First, I was, and still am, a devoted perfume aficionado with a collection of perfumes that numbers well into the hundreds. Yes, the... Continue reading

By Jonniker Welcome back! Here, let me talk about . . . oh God, I'm going to talk about a potty seat, but the thing is, it's a GREAT potty seat, and is sort of changing our lives. Or will, we anticipate, once our kid stops procrastinating about such shenanigans and goes whole hog here. But I digress. The thing is, I am SUPREMELY grossed out by those puffy seats you buy and put on top of your toilet seat, I don't know why. They're plasticky, hard to clean and covered in cartoons. Frankly, they don't really mimic the GROWN-UP... Continue reading

By Jonniker I'm seven months' pregnant, and it's reasonably well-documented that I don't do pregnant well. I stay on anti-nausea medication for the duration, and don't stop actually getting sick until month . . . well, I'll let you know. This pregnancy, as some of you know, I've also been... Continue reading

So, in a few (short!) months, I'm having my second baby girl. This is exciting, because you know, a healthy baby! Woo! And of course, SISTERS! Woo! Lots of excitement here. What is not exciting is that I feel like I already HAVE everything, and yet I know this cannot be true . . . right? I remember feeling like I had too much last time, and at the same time, not enough. Ah, the great paradox of infant-wrangling. This is old hat! I've had a (very difficult) kid! I have the co-sleeper and the pack 'n play and the... Continue reading

I have a shopping problem, and it's not for me, it's for my daughter. And oh, look, lucky me! I'm going to have TWO OF THEM to shop for! How is it that I'm okay wearing ratty jeans and ancient Old Navy T-shirts, but my kid! My kid must be impeccably dressed? An, nevermind. Behold. The MiniBoden dress I can't stop thinking about. The weirdly named Floating Rice Field dress at Tea Collection. I adore Hanna Andersson. Do you know you can wash the CRAP out of their clothes and they come out looking EXACTLY AS THEY DID WHEN YOU... Continue reading

By Jonniker I think cabbage gets a bad rap. Smelly, stiff and heavy, it doesn't have the cute appeal of its cousin, the petite brussels sprout. You can't really eat a lot of it in a salad, lest you have ill side effects, so it FEELS less versatile than lettuce.... Continue reading

Our couches are at least ten years old. TEN! They've survived a cat, a dog, a baby, three moves, countless juice spills and snack-dumping incidents, an endless parade of misdirected crayon use and frankly, they show every big of wear and tear they've earned. These things are nasty. NASTY. No matter how many times I scrubbed the arms, laundered the cushions, vacuumed the crevices, they still looked . . . disgusting. Comfortable, but disgusting. After finally coming to the determination that it was time for a new set, I got pregnant again. Which means another small person to spit up,... Continue reading

By Jonniker Who said Valentine's Day had to be a chick holiday? Dudes need love, too! But, as any girlfriend (or boyfriend) knows, they are impossible to shop for. Hopefully, we've gathered a few ideas to make things a little easier. Enjoy! iPad joystick Save the finger! {Photo credit: Thinkgeek.com} My Robot Nation For the man who, like my husband, believes the robots will eventually take over, a miniature talisman you can personalize to ward off evil machines. ("Like Wall-E!" I said. "Not really . . . " was his reply.) {Photo credit: My Robot Nation} RFID-blocking wallet For the... Continue reading

By Jonniker Elissa already did a great post on following (or ignoring) pregnancy culinary taboos, and for the record, I eat sushi, soft cheese AND lunch meat while pregnant, SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE, but I can't even BEGIN to tell you the bizarro cravings and aversions I've had this go... Continue reading

By Jonna I'm pregnant, and I know I talk about this a lot, but it is OBVIOUSLY VERY CONSUMING. One of the major issues I've had, however, is finding underwear that doesn't slice the inside of my verrrry inner thighs like razor blades. Every pair of underwear I've tried, no matter the size or the cut, has made me supremely uncomfortable and once, after a particularly awful night, there was BLOOD DRAWN. Maternity underwear, flaternity shmunderwear, I say. So off to Target I went, and VOILA. The underwear of my dreams. Behold, the Hanes Boxer Brief for women: It doesn't... Continue reading

By Jonniker I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas, particularly now that I have a small child. It's overwhelming, busy, loud and the aftermath, HO HO! It's . . . special. This year was no different, as I spent the first three post-Christmas days dealing with an overstimulated, overtired, over-everythinged almost-three-year-old. But now that things are calm and she's got new stuff to play with? Life is kind of awesome. Some of the stuff we Santa brought were such big hits that I demand you run out and buy them for your similarly aged children right this minute. Melissa &... Continue reading

By Jonniker In my family, every big meal is accompanied by Yorkshire pudding. Now, it's not really a pudding in the traditional sense. Or any sense. I don't know why it's called pudding, really, because it's more like a popover, but no matter what you call it, it's delicious. {Photo... Continue reading

by Jonna I have a tiny dog, and I . . . should be over this by now, seeing as I have a kid, but every single Halloween, I am overcome with the urge to dress her up, and every Halloween, she gives me the finger. But you know, I keep trying. And besides, how cute are these? Bat Dog! {Photo credit: CharlieHeartsDiesel} Rasta Dog! {Photo credit: LilYorkieFruFru on Etsy} A CRAYON! {Photo credit: ShaggyChic} Vampire cape! For the lazy dogs! {Photo credit: DaniDoggieStuff} Will you dress your pet this Halloween season? Because I'm going to try this year. Again. Continue reading

by Jonna I live in New England where it snows a lot. A . . . lot. A lot is probably an understatement, if last year's six-plus feet is any indication. And the thing is, I love the look of cute boots, but God, they are just not practical where we live. I'm in and out of the car, trekking through parking lots, hauling piles of crap to playdates while also carrying a toddler who refuses to walk in the snow, etc. etc. While functional, waterproof, skid-proof boots are generally ugly, I'll be damned if I'm going to pick my... Continue reading

By Jonniker Surprise! I was a broke college student. With no car, no money, and pretty much nothing but a kitchen and two pots, along with maaaaaybe ten dollars a week to spend on food. Granted, this was 1998, so ten dollars went pretty far, but not as far as... Continue reading

I was cat-sitting for a friend recently, and while lounging on the couch with a feline all up in my grill, I caught a few minutes of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, particularly the episode called "Cheap Cuts." Now, I am a fan of inexpensive meat, and the lowly chicken thigh... Continue reading

I've made it painfully obvious that I have a thing for Hanna Andersson, particularly their sleepwear. The problem with their sleepwear, however, is that it doesn't have flipping FEET, and my house is . . . not particulalrly warm in the cooler months, and my kid flat-out refuses to wear a blanket. While I do make a point to get her some feetie jammies (I like these from Carter's), she also likes the fleece ones WITHOUT feet, because they are fancy and big girl-like (big girls wear jammies with KITTIES, don't you know?). The issue there, however, is that she... Continue reading

Eggplant is one of those foods that I always think I don't like, then I have it again, and I'm all, wait, I LOVE eggplant! Believe me, there are not many of these foods, and it usually goes the OTHER way. But I digress. If you're an eggplant hater, this... Continue reading

I TRY to be a crafty mom. I love playing with my kid and I don't mind messes, so I figure, if anyone's going to get crafty and muddy and dirty, it's me. However, in a recent painting escapade, there was some, um, paint spillage. Everywhere. And despite it being washable paint, it washed out of almost nothing. Yet the paint she uses at preschool that she's FAR more covered in than she is when it's just us, ALWAYS washes out. So I asked my daughter's preschool teacher and she explained that they dilute the paint with a bit of... Continue reading

I TRY to be a crafty mom. I love playing with my kid and I don't mind messes, so I figure, if anyone's going to get crafty and muddy and dirty, it's me. However, in a recent painting escapade, there was some, um, paint spillage. Everywhere. And despite it being washable paint, it washed out of almost nothing. Yet the paint she uses at preschool that she's FAR more covered in than she is when it's just us, ALWAYS washes out. So I asked my daughter's preschool teacher and she explained that they dilute the paint with a bit of... Continue reading