I’m picky when it comes to jewelry and I rarely like birthstone jewelry. However, I completely love these stackable name rings from Sorella Jewelry. Your children’s names on each ring with their birthstones flush set, so pretty! I love this idea for a grandmother, or for one of my friends.

Do you wear anything with your child’s birthstone?

Other posts you might enjoy….

My new favorite T-shirt

My uniform: rose gold hoop earrings

Untangle the Bangles

I’m always on the look out for a cute dress for summer. When I found this colorful kimono dress at Target.com, I knew that it was perfect for a long, hot summer!

I’m seriously in love with every color..

It looks like the sizes are going fast, so if you want one, better grab it fast!

Other posts you might enjoy..

 The Perfect Summer Ballet Flat

The Comfiest Moccasins

My New Favorite T-Shirt

I’ve been trying to be better about buying flats instead of heels for running around every day, but flats can be so boring. Enter these champagne colored rhinestone flats from Target!

Girls, you know me, never met a sparkle I didn’t want to wear, and these are no exception.

I literally picked these rhinestone flats up a week ago when I saw them in the store. Had to have them, and I’ve been wearing them almost constantly. I wear them with a maxi dress or with cuffed jeans. The baby loves them so much she keeps bending over to eat them. I won’t tell you they’re supportive (they’re not) and that I’m not scared about when they get wet (they’re fabric,) but they SPARKLE, so lay off.

Other posts you might enjoy…

Adorable Summer Ballet Flats

Cute and Earth-Friendly Sandals

The Perfect Silver Moccasin

I can’t believe it’s already time to find our green outfits and dig through the cabinets to find the green food coloring. I’ll admit that the idea of rainbow or green colored foods freaks me out; St. Patrick’s Day morning I make the green pancakes for the kids and don’t eat a single one.

It’s a good thing our designer has been working over time to create free St. Patrick’s printables for me to use. The table will look super festive with the shamrock garland hanging over it (no matter what the color of the food is.) We’ve also gathered the crafts, foods, and other ideas to celebrate a family St Patricks Day!

Printable Leprechaun hat and beard  sounds like a ton of fun for my preschooler. He’s going to be thrilled.

Printable Shamrock Pennant Garland

Printable Shamrock Tags. These would be cute for school parties or a little plate of cookies for a neighbor.

Rainbow Leprechaun treasure hunt from Crafting Chicks

Rainbow fruit plate with gold coins looks like a fast way to celebrate.

Throwing a St. Patrick’s Day party, from the drinks to decorations.

Irish-ish tunes to spin at your St. Patrick’s Day party.

Leprechaun traps, rainbow cupcakes, and shamrock prints.

Pot of gold craft for little hands.

Hope this helps you plan something fun for your family’s St. Patrick’s Day!

Did you smell the sea salt on the air this morning? Hear the faint clang of a ship’s bell when you got into your car? Bypass the grocery store and set a course for Tortuga? Answer “Aye aye” to any question? That’s because it’s everyone’s favorite holiday: National Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Captain Jack Sparrow Approved

Yes, every September 19th, we roll out the “ARRRRrrrrr MATEYs” and “Thar she blows” for a celebration of all the scurvy scallawags and rum runners that ever furled a sail on the open sea.

Here are a few ideas for you landlubbers:

Polish up on your pirate talk with this English-to-Pirate translator or this pirate primer.

Making a paper pirate hat (use newspaper or craft paper for a larger sized hat)

Rum balls for after dinner? Try these from A Taste of Home.

from www.tasteofhome.com

Sword fighting tips!

Wrap up some lost treasure and lose it someplace in your home or garden. Draw a treasure map for your little mateys to find their swag!

Or maybe it’s just the day when you have your mateys swab the deck.  Every man for himself.

A darling round up of back to school crafts from Dallas mama Jen!

When was the last time you went on a real picnic? Not just take-out in the grass, but a meal enjoyed in a gorgeous natural setting? It’s time to make some plans!

Involve your kids: allow them to pick a spot. You pick the direction of the car; they tell you when you’ve reached your destination.

Think non-traditional:  how about a picnic at mom or dad’s office? Head to your city’s downtown and do some people watching, a farmer’s field (with permission of course.)

Pack one unexpected item: cards to play a game, a new food to try, a dessert from a fancy bakery, or water balloons.

And what about the gear? I’m powerless to resist a beautiful picnic basket set, what about you?

If you’re a classic kind of girl, how about this Piccadilly picnic set?

If you’re a modern sort of chick, what about this adorable Dotty Spot set?

Oh, I can hear you now, you’re a minimalist. Go South Asian and pick up a pair of Tiffin boxes for a smart picnic–Garam Masala optional. (Yes, those are three containers that stack and secure into one carrying device.)

Plan ahead for little bums and pick a blanket for your picnic. I love this bold stripe blanket from Land’s End.

I was raised with one blanket that did everything: my dad’s US Army GI blanket. It’s a workhorse, and there may be no more sturdy a blanket for a picnic. Plus, grass stains? Invisible.

What Should You Pack?

1. Le Classic for Two

1 baguette, 1 wedge of brie, a few slices of cured meat, maybe a hard boiled egg, grapes, and a chocolate bar to share. Don’t forget the drink: fizzyFrench lemonade

2. American Summer

Shrimp po’ boys, bean salad, watermelon wedges, and salt water taffy. Don’t forget the Coke basket!

3. Kid-Friendly Special

PB&Js cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, baby carrots, potato chips, and black and white cookies

smitten kitchen's black and white cookies

Happy picnic-ing!

Tonight I thought I heard something in my hallway. I got up, looked, checked the stairs to the second floor, but there was nothing there. And why would there be? Our front door was locked and the kids had been in bed for two hours.

A few minutes later I heard my front door close. I bounded into the foyer and found my 4-year-old son in his undies walking in from the outside.

10:30pm.

What?

When pressed for a reason, ANY reason, he couldn’t give me one. He probably just wanted to see what was going on out there. Or to look at the flowers. Who knows!?

This one has been keeping his guardian angel busy lately. A couple weeks ago I had terrible food poisoning. Food poisoning isn’t great ever, but at 9 months pregnant, it’s even worse. I was nearly catatonic. My husband was upstairs working in his office. I noticed, through the haze, my father’s car pull up outside and this same 4-year-old hop out.

Turns out that he’d left the house and tried to walk a half mile away, through our peaceful neighborhood towards a busy road to get to a local gas station. Just took off. His grandpa happened to leave early that day and spotted the wayward child almost as he reached the roundabout at the busy road. If I hadn’t of been so sick, I would have been a wreck–I guess I was just a different wreck.

You hear those stories on the news of a kid wandering down the highway, or found by herself near a grocery store. And we all think “Tsk, tsk, where is that child’s mother?” You guys, I think I have that kid–I AM THAT MOTHER.

To answer your question: yes, he’s quick, quiet, independent, and can manage our deadbolt by himself.

I think I need to get one of those slide locks with a chain for the top of our door, right?

Have you had escapees at your house? How do you handle an independent child who thinks they can just take off whenever they get the urge? Any advice on corralling a child that doesn’t include a cage, some sort of chain, or a tracking device?

Have we got a new recipe for you! Hop on over to Portland Mama for Leigh Anne’s white chocolate brownies. Make an extra pan for us!

Our San Diego Mama Mary got to meet Jim Carrey last week and interview him for his new film Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Want to know how it really went? Click over to read the dirty details!