I have been on the search for a more natural sunscreen for my kids. Can you believe all the chemicals they put in sunscreen? Also, my kids will barely stand still for the applications. So I stress about the application PLUS what’s in it! Not anymore…..Supergoop!™ to the rescue.

Supergoop! sunscreen swipes are amazing. They are pre-moistened, paraben-free, water resistant wipes with SPF 30 and are great for my kids’ sensitive skin. Their SPF 30 Quickstick with vitamin C does the job quickly – no complaints here. The quick stick is 100% natural with no parabens, petrochemicals, phtlates, PABA, fragrances or chemical preservatives.  For mommy, they have SPF 30 everyday UV face and body moisturizing lotion that is water and sweat resistant. 

My 8 year old had some thoughts on Supergoop: ”here is what I love about it: it’s not cold, doesn’t sting and it’s quick and it’s easy to apply – yeah say that”.  I do agree!

http://www.supergoop.com

I found another great line – Mission Skincare. It’s great f you children play sports.

According to their web site MISSION Skincare® is the first and only line of Athlete-Engineered® Skincare products. It was founded in 2008 by a premier group of world-class athletes including Serena Williams, Steve Nash, David Wright, Mia Hamm, Amanda Beard, Sergio Garcia, and more.

The kids all-sport sunscreen with UVA/UVB protection is fast drying and goes on clear with no rubbing. The ultra sweatproof, waterproof formula is paraben and preservative free. My kids love it.

http://www.missionskincare.com

Not all hand soaps are created equal (and natural).  I did not realize my favorite handsoap, Clean Well All Natural Antibacterial Foaming Handsoap, comes in so many scents. I have been buying the Orange Vanilla but thanks to the folks at Clean Well I am now testing out the Lavender, Spearmint Lime and Ginger Bergamot.  What?  You have not heard of Clean Well? Say it isn’t so. It is one of my favorites. It is an all natural handsoap that is safe and natural with no toxic chemicals, certified cruelty-free and not tested on animals. It is made with a revolutionary green technology that is a patented blend of essential oils to kill 99.99 % of germs on contact.  This kid friendly cleaner is free of Triclosan and alcohol. According to the Clean Well Web site Triclosan is a preservative chemical and endocrine disruptor.  They also are makers of the All-Natural Hand Sanitizer which comes in a spray as well as sanitizing wipes – perfect for those beach trips! They all smell so nice!   http://www.cleanwelltoday.com

It’s that time of year….summer in New England is right around the corner. It’s time to get on the bathing suits (yikes!), flip flops and sunscreen. A little self tanner can brighten up your skin and maybe even make you look slimmer? Really? Well maybe not, but it sounds good! I always wear a 50 plus SPF but am known to rub on a little self tanner so honestly I am tan the whole summer (but it happens to be from a bottle!) So be honest, the next time you see me, tell me if I am looking a little too George Hamilton like!

Many of the self tanners on the market DO have a sunscreen in them and you’ll get a little color with it too.  Here are my favorites…..

GlowFusion Micro-Nutrient Face & Body Natural Protein Tan – I like this mist as it dries quickly. Just be careful to wash your hands immediately or wear gloves. Their web site says it has no odor but I think it has a bit of one. But it’s worth it as the color is very natural. http://www.glowfusion.net

I love the Jergens® Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer as it gradually creates a natural-looking, streak-free color and dries quickly. This is perfect for those that want a natural look and are afraid to commit to the real self tanners. Their facial moisturizer has an SPF in it. http://www.jergens.com/Our_Collection/Product_Detail.asp?ProductID=37

 Clarins has always been a favorite of mine and they have this Liquid Bronze Self Tanner for the face that is perfect for people with fair skin. You just apply with a cotton ball and smooth it on. http://us.clarins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/clarins-cosmetics_10051_10204_-1

The Tan Towel is great for travel. It’s a big wipe with self tanner on it. The towelette also exfoliates the skin while you use it. http://www.tantowel.com/

CelluFIGHT™ Anti-Cellulite Self-Tanner – I have yet to try this but love the fact that there are no parabens, sulfates, phthalates or petrochemicals in it! This will be on my must get list for the summer as it says it helps firm, tone, improve elasticity and camouflaging cellulite. http://tartecosmetics.com/?gclid=CLmY99j-0aECFch_5QodhxpRHw

Words of advice before you self tan: exfoliate, exfoliate and exfoliate your skin!

You all may know I am not a cook. (I can hear my hubby saying it now, “that is an understatement”) I bid on an auction item to have a local chef come and prepare two dinners. She focuses on macrobiotic cooking. What the heck is that and will I like it? The recipes were so delicious! Even my kids ate the roasted cauliflower.  Hmmm…how can I continue this eating healthy with the kids? I like to keep my recipes simple (when I see recipes with 10 plus ingredients my eyes glaze over!) Thoughts, recommendations, recipes are always welcome!

Here are a few sites on the topic. Enjoy!

http://www.edenfoods.com/store/?ref_src=google&ref_id=macrobiotic&gclid=CLykstvSwKECFSI55QodhHvaAQ

http://www.macrobioticcooking.com

My little one has snuck into my make-up bag on a number of occassions and came out looking a bit over done up! I then began to wonder what she was actually putting on her skin (clearly she does not need any anti-aging products). Glad I found out about http://www.lunaorganics.com  They have a line of all natural kids play makeup and face paint made entirely with natural, non-toxic, hypoallergenic materials. Plus all ingredients are FDA approved!

They have cute kits like Fancy Fairy Play Makeup ($14.95) which includes fairy dust blush, eye shadow pack and purple cinnamon lip balm.

I also love the First Make up Kit ($18.95) which includes blush, foundation, eyeshadow pack and hot pink bubble gum lip balm packed in a windowed tin case. They also offer Rock Star Play Make-up, Animal Medley Face Paint and many others. So there is something for everyone from the little princess to the perfectly painted pirate.

The party favors are the way to go if you are planning a little girls party and don’t want to worry about where the lip balm is from or what toxic ingredient it has in.  Luna organics is made in New Hampshire and its products are paraben free, non-toxic and not tested on animals. The company uses recycled paper products and their containers are BPA-free.  Three cheers for eco-friendly makeup!

Happy Earth Day everyone!  We love any eco-friendly kids’ items. In fact we were talking about some great kids products today on Fox 25 News Boston.  We showed some of our favorite earth friendly items for baby and kids. Everything from body washes to storage items. Check out the link below. Enjoy!

trendymommies green baby products segment

After watching the winter Olympics and talking to other parents I began to wonder how do Olympics athletes stay so calm and seem to really enjoy (not to mention excel) at their sport? As kids did they love their sport all the time? Why do some kids love their sport one day and then seem to have negative thoughts the next time they go to play?

Now that spring sports season is underway for my kids – hello lacrosse, soccer, swimming and gymnastics -I wanted to see if there were some tips that could help kids in their various sport endeavors.  Charlotte Reznick PhD  is a child educational psychologist, an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology at UCLA, and author of the LA Times bestselling book The Power of Your Child’s Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success (Perigee/Penguin).  In her book she stresses 5 tools to help visualize sports success. She says these visualization tools are also great for kids who love athletic activities, but want to improve their skills. You can find out more about her at http://www.imageryforkids.com

• Act out a slow-motion picture. Have your child close her eyes and tell you, frame by frame, each part of the action he or she wants to accomplish–say, a skating twirl. Keep slowing down her movie–drawing attention to small details, such as the feel of the air in the ice rink, the sound of the blade, and swishing of her ponytail. The longer you can draw it out, the more vivid the entire action becomes. Her body can “learn” great mechanics just by imagining them.
• Be a spectator. Tell your child to imagine he is sitting on the bleachers, watching himself go up to bat. Now have him describe how he looks, smiling at the team and nodding to the coach, getting into a great stance, focusing on the ball, and smashing it into the outfield. Tell him to run all around the bases. Such a grand start-to-finish act imprints on his mind as success.
• Engage all the senses. Ask your child to visualize her accomplishment using as many senses as she can. Let’s say she’s sinking a foul shot. What does the leathery basketball feel like? What sounds does she hear? What’s the taste in her mouth? Are there distinctive smells in the gym? What is she seeing all around her? Involving the senses is a great way to make the sports action come to life. Her body will remember exactly what it feels like to sink that ball next time she’s at the free-throw line.
• Jump to success. After your child has practiced different ways of visualizing, don’t forget to have him see success while he’s doing the activity. When he goes up to bat, remind him to see himself smacking that ball. Just before she goes out on the ice, have her see herself doing the spin effortlessly. All great athletes have learned how to visualize in the moment–the puck going into the goal, or nailing the landing on a big ski jump–and this kind of visualization is the secret of their success.
• Use positive language. In visualization, perspective doesn’t matter–he can feel himself inside the experience or watch it like a movie. But language does matter. Help him use affirmations in his performance images. The creative brain can’t register negative instructions, such as “Don’t miss that ball.” Change the statement into, “I can hit that ball!”

What a winter….The holiday were so hectic.  Here is it March already! Just came back from Disney – first trip with the kids. It is an exciting vacation but you need a vacation after your Disney vacation – lots of running around. I did read the unofficial guide to Disney before I left and boy did it stress me out!  It was a bit overwhelming, so much that I was referring to my map every two seconds to make sure I did not miss a thing! (it was driving my husband crazy) Anyway… if I had time to write a book about Disney I would but here are the most important things I learned as a first time visitor.

• I would advise to stay in the park if you have small kids. One stop on the monorail and we were at Magic Kingdom
• Like a victorian mansion The Grand Floridian Resort was just magical. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/grand-floridian-resort-and-spa We loved the evening movie, campfire and smores for the kids!
• Everyone needs a dip in the pool in the afternoon no matter what the temperature. It was only 59 degrees during the afternoon but luckily our pool was heated. It was very refreshing and a great way to decompress.
• Each child is different and may react differently to the various, dark rides) Both my kids are daredevils. However, my 5 year old will go on any ride (tower of terror 2X), my 8 year old daredevil needs more specifics: what type of ride, how long, etc.
• No matter how hard you try to follow a tour plan you cannot with little kids and oh yeah:  kids and hubby despise tour plans. These tour plans that are listed out in the unofficial guide are very specific and require lots of back and forth which require a great deal of strategy – I was trying to be very strategic but my kids and hubby did not want to be! My husband did not like to run back and forth to obtain the fast pass – so we would walk through the park and go from site to site.
• You need a recover day (or days!) The kids looked dazed going back to school and were exhausted after school the first few days back

There is so much to see at Disney and so many parks to choose from – it definitely requires a trip back for us!

I have always admired those mom bracelets and thought they make a nice gift for the new mom (or for the upcoming holiday..hint, hint to all you dads out there) Who knew there were also mother’s necklaces and family jewelry – from the family necklace to a child’s bracelet? Bella Beads of Andover is certainly the expert to turn to for fabulous, custom and unique pieces that any mom (grandma or aunt) would love.

The mother’s necklaces have sterling discs which can be stamped with your child’s name and/or date of birth. The discs come in three sizes and also available in 14K gold fill. Sterling ball chains available in any standard or custom length!

They have several style mother’s bracelets to choose from. I personally love the traditional mother’s bracelet with sterling silver block letters and Swarovski crystal (pick the color of your child’s birthstone). But you can have it made anyway you like  – initials of your children or even adding up to five strands.

Mother’s necklaces retail about $25 per disc and the mother’s bracelets varies in price depending on style. The retail location is at The Olde Andover Village at 89 Main Street in Andover. You can order in person or over the phone and tell them exactly what you are looking for and they will make it! Or if you are feeling really creative sign up for one of their classes or gather some friends for a girls night out to create a bracelet, necklace, wine charm or wine bottle stopper! Check it out at  http://www.bellabeadsandover.com

Cupcakes are in….Ok so I am not a baker….and have always bought my kids birthday cakes. The first time they realized you could bake a cake was in the grocery store and we were in the baking isle and saw a cake mix and said what’s that? I know..bad mom..but I cannot do it all.

So I made red velvet cupcakes from a mix I picked up – it was so easy and delicious. Then I was on the search for a “start from scratch” recipe and here is what I found.
YUMMY!