As moms finish spring cleaning, it’s time to toss out winter routines and prepare for summer. Now is the time to transition beauty habits and clothes and to prepare your vehicle and home for the heat and sun of summer. Keep your summer green with sustainable products that are beneficial for your health and have little impact on the environment.

Beauty

Sweat, water, sun and insect bites are common beauty problems in the summer. Not to mention running after giggling children! Luckily, in the 21st century, cosmetics are at the height of their evolution and can take on next to any problem— if you’ve got the cash. What could be better than a top-of-the-line beauty weapon that works? One that’s free of synthetic and toxic chemicals.

Fend off pests with Fartmastetic’s Tansynella Organic Bugscreen ($17) or All Terrain Herbal Armor Spray Insect Repellent from REI ($9). In the summer, it’s important to find makeup that repels moisture without smearing or blocking your pores.

Tarte’s Aqualillies for Tarte Amazonian clay waterproof eye and cheek palette ($38) and clay waterproof eyeliner ($24) are equipped with an array of complimentary summer colors. Koh Gen Do’s aqua foundation is light and packed with SPF 15 ($62).

Protect lips with Burt’s Bees! Their lip-care products are the best. The heat can drag a look down fast in the summer. Freshen up your look and keep products like oil blotch papers, dry shampoo, sun screen, body wipes and essential hair oil on hand at all times.

Your Car

Justify a splurge on new beauty products by being a responsible car owner and getting your vehicle checked-up and ready for the heat. Kids can cause a lot of damage to a vehicle’s interior over time. A thorough, routine clean once or twice a year is a good idea. Give it a detailed clean, check and possibly change the tires, coolant, washer fluid and oil. Check with the dealership you got the car before taking it somewhere else. Some dealerships, like this Nissan dealership in Peoria, offer discounted (or sometimes free) routine maintenance and check-ups.

Green mechanics are becoming increasingly popular. A quick Google search in your area will pull up shops with sustainable practices. Be sure to check the shop’s accreditation and to research the organization that provides certifications to see what their standards are. These organizations are usually state or city affiliated.

Your Clothes and Accessories

Summer isn’t quite summer without flip-flops and a new swim suit. Luckily for moms, the increased popularity in environmentally friendly products has led to lower-priced and easy-to-find clothing options. Most people don’t think of Whole Foods as a place to by clothing and accessories, but the market sells casual basics like shoes, shirts, dresses and accessories made from organic materials in businesses with sustainable practices. H&M’s new Conscious Collection offers a greener option to their clothing. Although the line isn’t completely sustainable, it’s better than most. It is inexpensive compared to the prices of most fashionable eco lines. For eco swimwear, Prana is a sustainable company with many eco-friendly activewear options.

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There are definite differences between how men and women communicate.  Need convincing?  Here goes….

It used to be that a husband would call some friends to let them know a new baby had been born.  If the man of the house answered the phone and passed on the call to his wife it usually went something like this:

“Matt and Sarah had their baby”

“What did they have?”

“A girl.”

How much did she weigh?”

“Didn’t say.”

“What’s her name?”

“I think…..Mary?….Maria?…..Marilou?”

You see, men tend to not pay attention to the little “insignificant” details.  They are really good at getting the big picture.  This comes in handy for the family’s financial planning, but not so good for the new baby deets.

So went a recent text conversation in our house.  Since we’re now full term, we’ve been trying to work out who will watch Poppet when the new baby comes.  If it’s the middle of the night, we thought we’d use a college friend who lives around the corner from us.  Only problem, he hadn’t yet been asked.   My husband decided to text him the other night to take care of it.

“If the baby comes in the middle of the night, can you come by and watch Poppet?”

“Is it time????????????  Of course!”

Can you see where this is going?  If a lady was asking another lady it probably would have gone something like this, “Now that I’m full term, if we were to go into labour in the middle of the night, would we be able to call you and have you come and watch Poppet?”

Sure, it’s not nearly as efficient.  It is not as data efficient.  It also will not throw my girlfriend into a sleepless night of half sleep listening for the phone to ring.  You see, it’s really an issue specifically with the digital age.  If my husband had been sitting in the same room with our friend, the context would have indicated that, indeed, I was not currently in labour.  What do you think?  Is communicating in the digital age a challenge, or has it improved our conversations?

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Last year we teamed up with an awesome group of bloggers to bring our readers a giveaway for the special guys in our lives! This year we are right back with them again. The main organizer is none other than the author of the best book about blogs. Make sure to get your own copy now!

This year’s giveaway has 3 CASH PRIZES!  That’s right!  You get to pick your own prize!  The more you enter, the greater your odds of winning.  Make sure to follow the Pardon My Poppet links to qualify!

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Yummmmmmmmm!    Ooey, gooey, creamy wine sauce over cheese ravioli.  This is comfort food at it’s finest!

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As busy parents, gadgets and technology make our lives a whole lot easier. But often the last thing we want to do when we need a new laptop, kitchen gadget or other shiny new toy is wander around a shopping centre, endlessly asking the same questions of sales assistants or lining up for hours in the checkout queue.

So how do you balance being a bit of a tech-nerd and a busy parent at the same time? Shop online, of course! There are a whole host of good reasons to shop online already, not to mention the added luxury of being able to shop in your pyjamas between making the kids breakfast and cleaning up the house. But here are a few more good reasons for busy parents to treat themselves to a bit of ‘e-tail therapy’.

Closely Compare Products and Features

Shopping online allows you to quickly compare many different items in similar categories, without having to actually physically examine every single model in person. Apple online is particularly handy with its product comparison feature, allowing you to compare different models of iMacs, MacBooks, iPods and iPhones literally side by side on your screen.

Read Reviews as You Shop

More and more online retailers now have a built-in reviews systems, which allow you to see what other people are saying about an item before you even think about clicking “add to cart”. This minimises the need to go to 50 different reviews websites just to check out the general consensus on an item, then a separate site again to purchase said product – saving you even more time and hassle.

Cheaper Prices

One of the biggest reasons people shop online these days is to save money, but you don’t necessarily even have to browse a foreign online store to find a bargain. Check for local retailers in your home country that offer special online discounts, coupons and deals for their products, especially if you’re buying more than one item. Buying two iPad minis for your kids, for example? Often you can get discounts or free add-ons for accessories like headphones, chargers or protective cases. Keep an eye on what particular deals a retailer is offering by signing up to their email newsletter or regularly viewing their online catalogues.

Range of Payment Methods

With a number of online retailers now offering a whole range of different payment methods, including credit card, debit card or PayPal, organising your finances and budgeting for your new purchases is easier than ever. Some retailers even offer a pay as you go option, which allows you to use the technology while you pay it off in monthly or weekly installments (often with little or no interest). Perfect for that pricey new laptop your kids need for school (which you’ve just realised starts in a week!)

Cheap Delivery

Having your favourite gadgets delivered to your doorstep is getting more and more affordable, as more online stores offer discounted or even free delivery, often with no minimum spend (we like the new $2 delivery option offered by The Good Guys). Just be sure to check the refund policy, and whether you’ll have to foot the cost of return delivery if an item doesn’t quite suit your needs. Some stores even allow you to pay online and pickup in store, which is perfect if you want to ensure there are no defects or problems with an item before taking it home.

Get New Products Before Anyone Else

If you’re a rather hardcore tech fan and quite often find yourself lusting after the latest and greatest gadget, lining up outside the store on launch day is one way to get your hands on it. But savvy online shoppers can save themselves the hassle by pre-ordering their technology online months in advance, and having it shipped out to them as soon as it’s available. You’ll be happy at home playing with your new gadget while other shoppers are braving a long cold night in line, or battling with other manic shoppers when the shop doors open.

Perfect for Gift Shopping

Come Christmas time, birthdays, Easter holidays or any other important time of the year, the last thing you can imagine yourself doing is bundling up the kids and braving the shops – especially not with the extra throngs of crazy holiday shoppers running around looking for last minute gifts. Save yourself some sanity and shop online for gift gadgets instead. Some e-tailers even offer services like personalised messages, gift wrapping and other extras to save you even more time. If they ship internationally, you can even have a gift delivered straight to a friend or relative that doesn’t live in the same country or state as you. Easy!

How do you juggle your gadget shopping with being a busy parent? Does shopping for technology online help you save time and money when you have little ones that take up a lot of your energy?

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It’s good to see that some things never change and according to an article in US News, teaching kids about the value of money is still as important today as it was when we were kids. In the article, Neale Godfrey, author of Money Still Doesn’t Grow on Trees: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Financially Responsible Children, suggests that parents should begin with the concept that money must be earned. The author said, “kids need to know that they can’t just whine for a toy in a store and automatically get it.”

Most parents will notice that children simply don’t understand the concept of money until they’re a bit older. So is there an idea age to teach your kids about money?

According to Parents.com, even a two year old can observe the exchanging of cash for goods. While they won’t understand the different values of the coins and paper money, they will see that you take money out of your purse and give it to the shop keeper. However, because money is often put into little mouths, it’s best to wait until they’re a bit older to start the whole conversation.

According to Thisismoney.co.uk it’s important for kids to understand the cost of what they want from around the age of eight years old. Child psychologist Dr Elizabeth Kilbey’s advises parents “for children aged between eight and 11, it’s your role to help them realise the value of what they want. Instead of getting them the latest Xbox game, tell them to find out how much it costs.  Then you can sit with them to work out how they will afford it. Rather than the pressure being on you  to find the money, your child becomes responsible.”

While some parents might feel intimidated to teach their kids about money, here are some fun ways to introduce the complex concepts surrounding our monetary systems.

Role play

Before kids reach the age of understanding and appreciating the value of money, you can start the ball rolling by teaching them how to play shops. Set up little shop stands for your children and lay out items they can ‘sell’ to their friends or ‘customers’. It can be decorative items or some tins from the larder.

You could use real money but it might get lost, as children don’t yet realise that money doesn’t simply come from your purse, it comes from your hard work. So perhaps create your own play money by raiding the Monopoly box or cutting out some fake currency.

Kids will enjoy scanning goods on pretend check outs and the role play they have observed the adults carrying out like taking money out of their little bag and waiting for the change.

Computer games

If there’s one thing kids love it’s computer games. So why not use this tool to your advantage and seek out some websites that teach kids about money and how it can be saved and spent.

Banking sights will be a reliable resource but they will also be branded, so if you want a less brand-oriented approach, visit www.moneyandstuff or www.childrensmoneyworld.com .

Go shopping

By taking your kids on the weekly grocery shop, you can actively show them how you can shop to save money. Teach them about generic brands and expensive items and then show them how much it costs to feed a family and explain how mum and dad work to earn money to buy the food.

Taking your child to the local shops to spend a portion of their pocket money is a fun way to help them learn the abstract value of money. When they have saved the money and then go through the process of selecting an item to buy, the whole concept becomes a lot more concrete. They will learn about value for money and figuring out what they really want to spend their savings on.

Earning pocket money, how work means pay

By giving your child chores to do around the house, they will learn that money is earned not simply got. But sometimes setting the chores can be more work for the parents. So choose jobs that the kids can do and generally enjoy like setting the table, watering the garden, feeding pets and collecting mail. It’s a good way to kick off the concept of work as a positive aspect of life. Of course there will be jobs like tidying their bedroom that might not be great fun, but an important step in learning that earning is not always fun but reaps rewards.

Saving techniques

Moneycrashers.com suggests that using different pots or jars is a better way to teach your kids about savings than a plain old money box.

Set up two different jars for long term goals and short term goals. This will help your child understand the concept that saving up for more expensive items will take longer, and it will also teach them the pleasure of saving up for less expensive items and being able to enjoy the fruits of their savings.

Keep in mind that the point of saving is to see your money grow, so instead of something novelty, why not just use clear glass jars with labels to store savings. That way kids can literally see their savings accumulate.

When things start to get serious, consider opening an account for your child. You can choose from an array of interest earning accounts or a basic account that they can keep track of their savings online.

By associating the concept of work and money with positive experiences, you will encourage your children to develop a healthy and positive attitude towards money.

Featured images:

•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://photodune.net/licenses/regular

A lifestyle journalist from London, Kitty Hastings has years of experience writing about home economics, parenting, fashion and travel and how to balance your budget both inside and outside the house. She recommends Eccount Money , a leader in the field of companies specialising in helping people with debt. Kitty’s articles appear in a wide range of publications both in print and online – and she loves nothing more than relaxing with a cup of tea and a great book and adores anything vintage.

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It’s Giveaway time again!  I searched high and low to make sure we had an awesome one to tide you over while we adjusted to the new Poppet in our lives!  Make sure to follow the entries for Pardon My Poppet in the Rafflecopter!

Welcome to the May iPad/Surface Giveaway! An awesome group of bloggers have teamed up to bring you this equally awesome giveaway for an iPad (RV: $499) or a Microsoft Surface Tablet (RV: $499)! Winner’s choice!

Hosted by Bay Area Mommy, The WiC Project, Life’s Cheap Thrills, Simply Stacie, Spaceships and Laser Beams, Capri’s Coupons, and 3 Boys and a Dog.

This giveaway starts on May 15, 2013 at 12:01am EST and ends on June 16, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Open worldwide. Must be 18 years or older. Winner may opt for the cash equivalent if not in the US or Canada. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this post. This blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment. For questions regarding this giveaway, please email Bay Area Mommy at isis@bayareamommy.net.

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Since I was a little boy food has always been a big adventure for me.  I have some fond and not so fond memories of food that have all played a part in who I am today. I suspect right now you could rekindle a memory when you were little that revolved around food, a family get together, maybe it was your birthday and your brother pushed your face into your cake, maybe it was the smell of roast beef wafting through the hallway at your mum’s house or maybe the sweet smell of Granny’s cherry pie that you just can’t seem to replicate.

Growing up for us kids was extremely tough.  It was a constant struggle financially and emotionally. Our mother was an alcoholic,  among other things. Nothing is ever perfect in this world and one thing I learned from an early age is how cruel the world can be and food became a comforting mechanism for me. For all my mothers’ faults the one thing I can never take away from her is how good of a cook she was – and probably still is (we haven’t spoken for many years). The small moments of happiness we had together usually centred around food, and even now I can still taste the crisp buttery pastry and sweet sticky lemon filling of her lemon meringue pie, I remember the soft melting roast leg of lamb that graced the table on some occasions, and the eggs mornay she used to make was delicious.

I think food and family goes hand in hand, not just for filling tums but for the instant memories it can create and the footprint that can be left by parents after they are long gone. My Nanny has been in hospital for nearly 5 weeks, nothing major but when I went to see her it suddenly hit me how fragile she is. When I was little she used to take me out blackberry picking, we used to walk up to my Uncle’s bakery on a Saturday and buy bread – and of course the obligatory apple doughnut for me, and she used to make the most amazing roast potatoes. I kid you not the poor woman has been hounded for years for the recipe, and she tells us how to do it but can anyone replicate it? Absolutely not. I know that when she is gone my memories will be full of food memories that can never be taken away.

I suppose what I am saying is get involved with food, If you haven’t already, get covered in flour and eggs, throw the shells at each other, let the kids lick the bowl while you lick the spoon, wear silly aprons and laugh at how wonky your cake turns out, feel fat after eating it with your loved ones, and create a memory that will last forever.

Oh I almost forgot the choc ice and chips? Well to cut a long story short I asked for it for dinner as a joke when I was little….and I got it…and yes I did eat it, it was delicious! :)

Adam Garrat blogs at  www.thebritishmenu.com .  Take a peek at all the amazing recipes he shares!  Trust me, you won’t be sorry!

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Every kid hits that age: the age where they are too old to put down for a nap (or at least to go gently into naptime) but still too young to go without at least one period of “dedicated rest” each day. Usually it happens around the fourth birthday.

Nap resistance can be infuriating. As the parent you know that if your child doesn’t get some rest, he will be absolutely impossible to deal with later in the day and will be a wreck by bedtime. From your child’s perspective, though: he’s not tired! Why does he need to rest when he isn’t tired?

Parenting gets a lot harder once your kids figure out that they can question your motives.

So how do you get them to calm down, rest and maybe even take a nap—even when they are determined to keep their eyes open all day?

Enter: Story time.

During the time that your son or daughter would normally “go down” for a nap, set them up for a really great and relaxing story time! Here are the rules:

1. Stay on the bed. (This is an important distinction to little kids: they don’t have to get into bed. They simply have to get on to their beds.)

2. Lay down the whole time, don’t sit up.

That’s it. You can let your kids decide for themselves whether or not they’ll keep their eyes open or closed or if they will stay awake or let themselves drift off to sleep.

So how do you get them to stay on the bed? This is where the story becomes important.

Some parents will choose to stay in their kids’ rooms and read to them from chapter books for forty five minutes to an hour. If you have the patience and the vocal strength for that, that’s great! But what if you don’t?

Enter: The Audio Book

You can get audio books on CD from your local library for free. You can also download them for really affordable prices using Audible.com coupons.

You can set the rules to be that your daughter has to stay still and quiet and listen to at least one CD (or a few chapters if you’re using the Audible book). She might stay awake and listen to the whole thing or she might drift off to sleep. Either way she’ll have some down time, get some rest and you’ll have an hour of relative peace and quiet to work on other things.

You can make story time even more fun by using the Etsy coupon code directory to find fun and custom pillows, stuffed animals or even a great blanket for your kid to curl up with while he listens to his story.

The trick is to make it its own daily event that your child can look forward to. When you turn naptime into something that they get to do instead of something they have to do, it becomes a lot more fun!

Bonus? It can also help instill a love of reading and stories in your kids!

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We’ve enrolled Poppet #1 in Ballet for the fall.  

The Mistake

The update should have ended there.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t.  Our big mistake – letting her know we were putting her in dance to begin with.  You see, every single, solitary day that passes, this wonder of a child begs to go to Angebrina classes.  Don’t worry, took us a while to figure it out too.  She’s actually referring to Angelina Ballerina, a British cartoon that she streams on Netflix.  September can’t come quick enough!

The Solution

Took a quick peek on-line for mouse toys that I could pass off as Angelina Ballerina.  Yeah for Mouse in a Box!  Not only did they have the PERFECT ballerina mouse, but I also found a super cute mouse in her very own matchbox bed!  The owner even worked out shipping to Canada for me!

Seriously, how cute is she?!

This is NOT a sponsored post.  We are in love with these little mice!

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