I’ll be the first to admit that I am not “crafty” at all. I don’t own any paints, a glue gun, tons of stickers or craft punches. But, I do try sometimes because I am always looking for things for my 3 year-old to do in the afternoons that don’t involve electronics–his activity of choice.

So, if you’re looking for things to do this holiday, here are a few things I’ve found around the web:

Haven’t tried this yet, but I’m looking forward to it: Directions

My son made this one yesterday:

We cut out the kiss shape from cardstock.

Then wrapped tin foil around it. He picked the googly eyes and drew a mouth with a marker. But then decided to make it bigger and better with glitter glue.

We did the “flag” with some left over cardstock.

It was sooooo easy and after helping with the wrapping and the flag he did it all by himself.

And, what’s Valentine’s Day without sweets? Here’s my favorite recipe for Sugar Cookies. They’re soft but a little crispy on the outside.

1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cream of tartar
Directions: Mix all ingredients together
Roll and cut with your choice of cookie cutters
Place on ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Just until the edges begin to brown

I make these for just about every holiday–well, the major ones. I’m shocked I don’t have pics of my past Valentine’s Day creations. So, here’s one that I may use for inspiration this year:

I hope  I’ve given you a little bit of inspiration! Have a very happy Valentine’s Day!

So, I stopped making my hair curly because it was more work than straightening it. But, when  a friend of mine posted this gem: Frizz Free Waves on her blog I decided to give it another try. And, it’s mostly worked! I am able to have wavy hair that doesn’t stand 2 feet from my head and the flyaways are almost non existent.

Oh happy day!

So, read her post, because there are lots of great photos and step-by-step directions, but basically:

Condition! Don’t brush or comb! Condition! Cool water rinse. Don’t touch your head with a towel–put it in a pillow case instead. Let dry. Voila! Beautiful wavy or curly hair. Good luck!

Here’s the link again, in case you missed it: http://natalienortonblog.com/2011/11/21/how-to-frizz-free-waves/

Let me know what you think! I really want to know if it works for you. Leave comments here!

Here are a few of our favorite excerpts:

“Since the Sprout Shell is a product that can grow from infant through toddler I think the price of $45 is a great price.”

” I know we will get our use out of it!”

“For nursing it provides great coverage…”

“I can’t wait to use it as a shopping cart cover (and on restaurant high chairs) when Olivia gets a little bigger.”

Check out the full review here.

There’s also a discount code you can use on our site, SproutShell.com

I used to work for a company that represented Gaiam, a company that produces a lot of yoga/pilates videos so I have  several and I really enjoy the workouts themselves. But I just can’t do the beginning and the ending breathing and meditation parts. Maybe it’s partially due to the fact that I barely have enough time to get any exercise in in the first place, and that part doesn’t seem essential to me.

Maybe it’s because I don’t really follow the whole “chi” belief system, even though I do recognize that meditation is important. But, whatever the reason, I don’t do those parts.

What do you think? Is this totally cheating? What do you do? I’d love to know!

Here’s how to enter, it’s simple! Click here to go to the voting page. Vote for Sprout Shell and leave a comment below saying “I voted for Sprout Shell” Make sure to leave us a way to contact you if you win!

Want to get an extra entry? Once you’ve voted, simply tweet the following message on Twitter ” I voted for @SproutShell at Red Tricycle’s @Totally_Awesome Awards http://bit.ly/pPCvLw

Votes will be limited to one vote per user for each award, so be sure to tell your friends!

Good luck and thanks for voting!

Hello again! Hope you’re having a wonderful summer! We’ve been busy and lazy off an on, so I definitely can’t complain.

My oldest is starting preschool this year, and he can hardly wait! Every time he sees anything related to school he gets very excited and starts talking about going to school and playing with other kids.

I’m excited for him too. I loved school,  and I am looking forward  to him  having great memories. Though I fear I may be over-prepping.

Like with school supplies. He has a very short list of “recommended” items that are not necessary. But I find myself getting things he won’t even need for a while–like pencil sharpeners and college ruled notebooks!

I’ve also been reading preparation articles like the ones at Parents.com. I find myself pouring over the yummy lunch ideas, and cute containers, when he won’t eat lunch at school for 2 more years!

Here are a few good ideas though:

Bathroom skills–I didn’t even think of this! Make sure your little one knows how to use a public restroom by themselves. From sitting on the toilet to flushing and washing their hands. Also, make sure their clothing is easy to pull up and down, so they aren’t dancing around trying to fiddle with buttons or snaps.

Making Friends–Role play to help your child know what to say to kids they don’t know and how to be friendly. Maybe give him ideas for conversation starters. Plus, go over sharing and taking turns.

Lunch time–Some children will be going to all-day school and eating lunch there. If this is the case, make sure that they are able to open and close all of the containers for their food by themselves. Also go over manners and what to do when they’re finished.

I want to know what you do for back to school. What is your favorite part? Do you have any rituals or traditions for the first day of school?

My mom always took a picture of us in our “first day outfit” just before we left.  I’m excited to hear your thoughts!

It’s our birthday week. I can’t believe we’re 3 already! We have a few good things going on this week that we want you to know about.
First, enter to win a Sprout Shell here: http://365daysoflifebehindthelens.blogspot.com/2011/06/day-26-june-20-2011.html
Don’t wait though, it only goes through Sunday!

Also, if you are on our mailing list you’ll be getting a special offer for a FREE Sprout Shell in your email on Thursday–be sure to look for it!

We’re also looking for the best pictures you have using your Sprout Shell in any way you like. We love seeing how you use it! and, we won’t publish it anywhere without your permission! Email them here: info@sproutshell.com

Thanks for your support! We love our customers and followers. We couldn’t do it without you!

Photo courtesy Mike Stone/AP

We moms here at Sprout Shell know how many other moms in these hard-hit regions are struggling to provide the basics for their families, and when we think about how we’d feel in their shoes, we can’t just sit by and do nothing.

So, we will be giving 10% of each purchase on our website from now until the end of June to disaster relief efforts.

Also, if you want to help in other ways, here are a few:

HealthGirl:

Loved this Today show segment with Joy Bauer and thought it was a motivating and easy way to add some health to your diet. 5 great tips to lose 5 pounds.

1. Eat a high protein breakfast. Featured a recipe for that on healthgirltv this week.
2. Two times a day add heat to meals (spicy!)
3. Three times a day sip on hot or iced green tea (they even have de-caf green tea for you non-caffeine drinkers).
4. Eat 4 cups of veggies a day. (woot for smoothies).
5. 5 times a day do 100 jumping jacks. (trim 700 calories per week by doing that) haha just tried the first set…reminded me of elementary school gym class. lol.

Have a great day, and here’s to being healthy and svelte =)