Summer is coming! Children in Bikinis? Your opinions!

I recently saw this topic on Momversation and in light of summer coming up, I feel this is a good debate to spark on my blog and maybe some others as well.  It's definitely something that has many different opinions and I am sure moms cannot agree on what is right and what is wrong.  It has many moms and families split down the middle.  

Remember the news headlines a few weeks ago about Abercrombie Kids having a padded string bikini for kids?  Well, I believe this really sparked the conversations and debates about whether or not children should wear bikinis to the beach since their little (and very inappropriate) bikinis became front page news.  

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Kindercare Summer & Spring Camps! Fun and learning rolled into one!

My daughter has wanted to attend summer camp for a few years now.  Unfortunately, we have never been able to find a place that is educational, as well as fun.  I am one of those parents who won't just send her daughter to any camp to get them out of the house, I want her to learn something when she goes.  I never saw the fun in spending money for a camp that they just play, swim and do nothing all day.  My kids could do the same at home!

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Who wouldn't like a free hotel stay?? Hampton Hotel "Chain Of Friends" Sweepstakes!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who would like to have an entire hotel to themselves for two nights?  That's right, Hampton Hotels is giving you the opportunity to have an entire hotel (100 rooms) for two (2) whole nights!  Do you have a wedding coming up?  A family vacation?  I'm sure this would give you even more of a reason to plan something!  The grand prize winner will also win $5,000 for taxes that weekend or anything else that would be necessary!  100 daily weekend stays are also being given out for you and three of your friends.

If had the opportunity to win this I wouldn't even have 100 people to invite since I don't know that many.  My guests would have to invite people of their own and so on! (That's why they call it Chain of Friends!)  Even so, I would take a nice two night vacation with the people that I care about and the people that they care about.  It would be such a nice getaway and such a fun time with the entire hotel to ourselves!  We can dream, can't we??

Hampton Hotels have great locations all over the US and are beautiful, very clean and very accommodating to everyone!  I have actually stayed at Hampton hotels before and never had any complaints.  They're one of the only hotels I can say that I stayed in more than once and every single time I did, we had an amazing stay.  Hampton hotels are those that I would stay in over and over again if I had the chance to. 

What are you waiting for?  Take a chance and enter now! (Oh, and if you win...you know how to reach me for the invite!) Enter the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes!

No purchase is necessary to enter, and you must enter by September 4th, 2010. Limit one daily prize per household. Prizes will be awarded a “Be My Guest Certificates” that don’t expire until December 31st, 2011.

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Cranberry Apple Turkey Burgers with Summer Squash Salad

Cranberry Apple Turkey Burger

• 1 medium thin slice of green apple
• 1\2 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh salsa (or chopped onion)
• 1 garlic and red pepper seasoning (or you can use poultry seasoning)
• Dash of salt
• Dash of pepper
• Ground turkey patty
• 2 toasted slices of 40 calorie wheat bread
• 3 tbsp whole cranberry sauce
• Slice of fat free sharp cheddar cheese

1. In a bowl, combine the turkey, salsa/onions, celery, seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into a patty.
2. Spray a pan or grill pan with Pam Olive Oil spray. Add the turkey patty and cook until done.
3. Add the cheese and cover until melted.
4. On the toasted bread, put a slice of apple, the turkey patty, top with cranberry sauce and you're done! 

This burger is 320 calories :)

 Summer Squash Succotash

• One small yellow squash
• 2 tbsp red bell pepper finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1\2 tbsp butter
• 1\2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1\2 tbsp EVOO
• Dash of salt
• Dash of pepper

1. Cut the squash into quarters (length wise) and those into slices.
2. Add water to a sauce pan filling about 2\3 full and bring to rolling boil.
3. Add the squash, pepper and onion.  Cover and reduce to lower heat.  Let that cook about 8-10 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
4. Drain the vegetables and put in a bowl
5. Add the basil, butter, EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon juice and toss until the butter is melted.

About 2\3 cup is 61 calories. :)

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Who doesn't love a good carnival??

The Carnival is in town!!  Ok, well, it's one town over in Staten Island.  Anyhow, we ended up going yesterday and Joey (Olivia's dad) ended up joining us.  He wanted to come down for the day to spend with both of my girls and myself and I thought that staying in the house on such a beautiful day just wouldn't be right. So, we took a ride to the carnival.

Alayna, Myself, Olivia, Her dad

Honestly, I wait for this carnival every year because it is one of the best for the kids.  It's fairly priced, great games and they usually always have more than enough kiddy rides to make paying the bridge, admission and tickets worthwhile...  Again, it didn't fail me! We had more than enough fun there and it actually expanded this year! (Yay!)  The kids couldn't wait to get on rides, although Olivia got freaked out on the carousel because it goes up and down.  Haha.  She finally calmed down towards the end.  It took her dad and I to both hold her until she calmed down!  (Thank God Alayna is big enough to basically ride on her own. haha.)  Though, after that ride, she loved everything else that she chose to ride.  Come to think of it, she actually wanted (so badly) to ride the small roller coaster and the scrambler. LOL  I had to say no, but if she keeps up lovin' the awesome rides when she gets older, I doubt either myself or her father would protest!!  

 Olivia tired with daddy

 Alayna and Olivia's dad on the slide :)

 

Of course, there were PLENTY of edible temptations at the Carnival.  Come on, it's CARNIVAL FOOD...the most delicious, best smelling, deep fried and fattening food that you could possibly think of.  Actually, the only thing worse than Carnival food is NYC street fair food... (But even then, they have some healthy options! ha)  One of the best temptations were Deep Fried Oreos...

Ok, so I have been dying to try these and I've heard so many great things about them.  Not to mention, Olivia's dad, my mom and the kids wanted some...  So over I went to the counter.  

Ok.... Yes, I had one.... JUST ONE!!  I figured that one frikkin yummy golden and chocolatey deep fried oreo wouldn't kill me.  (Oh yes, I did feel the guilt as I had a bite...but the warm yummy goodness of this damn thing masked the guilt until I got home!!) lol :)  I only had one...I swear.  The kids, Olivia's dad and my mom ate the others.  The guilt is still eating at me!! (Side note: At least this morning I woke up and was still LOSING weight.  Praise the Lord that one deep fried oreo didn't kill me.)  By the way... they're 'mmm mmm good.' ;)  

It's getting so warm out, I hope to finally weed the yard, plant the lovely vegetables in the ground and put our pool up... All without getting mosquito bites.  My tan is too nice, I'm so afraid to get gross mosquito bites and mess it up!!

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Sunless tanner woes? You're not alone! Some tips from my mistakes.

You wouldn't know this by the color of my skin and definitely not by the way I burn to a freaking crisp in the sun, but I am 100% Italian. (HA!!)  I constantly say that I am the whitest Italian on the face of the earth and also probably the only Italian that doesn't tan.  Well, of course, I do tan after I burn to a crisp and peel like a snake shedding it's skin, but that is too much frustration and too much pain and danger to go through for a nice tan.  

For a few years now, I have been trying self tanners.  I know, I know...Garfield the cat syndrome is ALWAYS what the end result was of my self tanning tries.  (I'm not kidding.  The day of my confirmation my aunt, who was my confirmation sponsor and is also my Godmother, came over with self tanner that she had put on.  It looked beautiful on her.  She wanted to self tan me and at the end result, I looked like a Garfield cling on.  We ran out that afternoon and got tan corrector and enough exfoliating stuff to exfoliate half the universe...LOL)  Very rarely did I actually look decent with the self tanner. 

This summer, I was hell bent on finding something that worked and hell bent on getting a good looking tan.  After all, I have a lot of great things coming up this summer and would love not to look so pasty ghost white and would love not to look like a freaking lobster before I got tan.  So, I was off on my journey.  I tried some things that left me streaky and embarrassed to go out of the house, some things that were so-so and some things that worked great.  (And it took me since May to find this out. Ha)  I feel inclined to help out fellow bloggers and mommies who can't tan, don't want to go in the sun because of health risks and people who just want a nice glow for a special occasion.  This was all learned through my trial and error. (And some research)

Some TIPS for self tanning

1. If your skin is very white and pasty like mine is and if you burn easily, I would suggest using a light - medium at first.  If after 2 applications that is not working for you, or if it gives you an orangy tint, I would suggest trying strictly a "Medium".  I wouldn't really venture towards the "Dark" or "Medium to dark" because that may not give you good results.  Most self tanners have a "Light/Medium" a strict "Medium" and a "Medium/Dark". 
2. EXFOLIATE YOUR SKIN WELL before putting on the self tanner.  Use a cotton wash cloth.  If you use a "scrubbie", exfoliate in circular motions.  If you go up and down there is a good chance you may miss a spot to exfoliate and the tan will not look even.  I would use an exfoliater that isn't oil based.  It can make you look streaky as well since the self tanner may not stick to it evenly.  I use an exfoliater that you can get in small packages that cost $1.25.  It works pretty well.
3. I suggest waiting at least 30 minutes after you get out of the shower to use the self tanner.  Some people say using it on moist skin works for them, but I haven't found that for myself.  If I use it when my skin is moist, I get streaks.  I would rather it be mostly dry.  BUT -- WHEN YOU GET OUT OF THE SHOWER, IMMEDIATELY USE A MOISTURIZER!  I use a Nivea Q10 Firming Moisturizer and I swear by that stuff. 
4. When you're ready to tan, take the moisturizer that you used and put it on the sides of your ankles, feet, knees and elbows.  Those are the places that the self tanner can build up and it will make them look dirty unless you use the moisturizer first.  JUST PUT IT ON THOSE PLACES! 
5. Put maybe a quarter sized amount in your hand and start rubbing it on your legs at your ankles first.  Don't put it on your feet yet.  On the sides of your ankles where you just applied the moisturizer, rub it in lightly.  RUB IN CIRCULAR MOTION, NOT UP AND DOWN.  This helps you get a streak free tan and helps to cover all places.
6. ON YOUR FEET - I haven't learned to perfect this yet.  I either won't use it on my feet unless I had to or I will take a small but and rub it in circular motions JUST ON THE TOP OF YOUR FEET.  Sometimes I will smooth the tanner from my ankles down towards my feet.  No one has a natural tan on their feet anyway.  It usually just fades from your ankles.
7. Work up your leg as you go in circular motions.  Cover it evenly.  It doesn't matter if you rub it all the way in or just rub it lightly, as long as you feel it's covering evenly.  You don't want to be streaky or a Garfield cling on!!
8. WASH YOUR HANDS after each leg.  Don't put the water on too high that it will splash on you, or you will get little dots on your tan.  Not attractive!! ;)  Though, wash your hands thouroughly. You don't want orange palms.
9. Now it's time for your arms.  Start at your shoulders and work down.  AGAIN, rub in circular motions.  If you feel your elbows aren't completely moisturized, use a bit more moisturizer and put the self tanner over that.  You don't want your elbows to be darker!  Work to your wrists and stop.  When it comes to do your hands take a VERY LITTLE AMOUNT and rub it only on the tops of your hands.  I don't do my fingers unless I absolutely have to when the tan gets darker.  When you wash your hands, get a moist cotton wash cloth and wash the palms of your hands and sides of your hands. (If you did tan the tops of your hands.  If not, just wash your hands normally.  Again, put the water on low so you don't splash it.) Wash your hands before you do the other arm.
10. When it comes to doing your back, I switch to a spray of the same brand and shade.  In my opinion, it's easier.  If you're going to do the spray for your back, stand in the shower while doing this.  It's easier to mist the spray and back into it.  Like you do when you spritz perfume and walk through it.  Do this about 2-3 times.  If you spray it directly onto your back, you may not get an even coverage. This has proven to work for me.  I don't use the lotion on my back because it's too unpredictable.  If you prefer lotion, I suggest having someone else do it for you.  
11. You can also use a larger painting sponge tip brush to do your back.  I haven't tried this so I don't know how true it is, but I've read it.  You would put the lotion on the brush and massage it in a circular motion onto your back.  I'D STICK WITH THE SPRAY.
12. DO NOT PUT CLOTHES ON FOR THE FIRST 30 MINUTES AFTER TANNING.  If you can't walk around naked, put a bathing suit on before you start self tanning.  After the 30 minutes, put on loose fitting clothes or a robe for the remainder of the hour.  After an hour, it should be safe to dress. 
13. IF TANNING YOUR FACE, I would suggest to use a sunless tanner specially for the face.  Although, a regular self tanner would actually work, the ones designed for the face are gentler and don't clog pours.  Either way, I would suggest taking a little dab after you have exfoliated and spreading it in a circular motion.  Avoid the lip and eye area as well as the hairline.  After you have spread that, clean off your hands and from what is still on your face, spread the areas that you avoided.  (Don't get too close to the eye! It will probably cause iritation.) Some people suggest using a makeup sponge to spread, but honestly I don't find this the best method. The sponge absorbs most of it, so you probably will look uneven.

I don't tan anywhere else because #1. I don't walk around naked or wear a bikinni. Ha.  But if you're going to tan your torso, do the same thing as I suggested.  Circular motions.

These tips should leave you with an even tan.  I do it every day until I get the desired depth.  Do it, as I said, 30 minute after a shower when you have exfoliated well.  You don't have to exfoliate AS much after you do the tan once as you did when you were completely white.  Just lightly exfoliate to make sure the tan stays even.  After you reach the desired depth, it's best to reapply the self tanner every 3-4 days.  

TOMORROW I will post the best self tanners that I have tried that actually worked without streaking and without an orange tint.  I've worked pretty hard to compile this list and I think I may have tried everything that's out on the market. (Well, with drug store brands.  I wish I had the money to try department store brands! I'm sure those work miracles.)

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Our Garden Log :) #1

Alayna has been begging me to make a "Garden Log" on my blog.  She and her sister have a little garden that we started on the Saturday before Memorial Day.  They're both so excited and so interested in watching the fruit and veggies grow that Alayna wanted me to take pictures every week and see just how much of a difference it is.  So I obliged!!  This is actually week 2.  I do have pictures taken when we first got the plants too, but I won't post those. 

Strawberries - We have 4 of them so far.

Green Peppers - We have 3 green and 2 red so far!

Tomatoes - We have about 9 of those!

Jalapeno Peppers - We have 4 of these! Yay! My fav.

We also have some beautiful marigolds.

As of now, we have our little "garden" in individual pots on our picnic table.  We weren't sure if we were going to have to move this summer, so until we found out, we didn't want to plant them permanently.  Now that we know we don't have to move, we will be planting them in the ground this week. :)  We have so many other plants to get and hopefully will get out to get them today!  

 

We still have to weed our yard... This is how it looks now.  Oh yeah, so beautiful. LOL  We don't even have our pool up yet, but weeding our yard has to be done even before we get the pool up.  Mission #1 for today.

 

The girls love to help out with the plants and can't wait to see the garden grow!

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5 Must Have Fashionable Pieces for a Weekend Trip!!

Summer is coming and weekend trips are probably being planned!  I know for us, we love to take family trips on the weekends for many reasons.  Usually, because they're more cost efficient than actual week long trips!  The kids love them.  Even so, we want to be comfortable and fashionable.  We want to be able to look good on our weekend trips; be it with our friends or with our families.  

1. The first piece I'd definitely suggest you need is a nice pair of flip flops.  You can get flip flops pretty cheap from Old Navy, Walmart, Target, Payless, etc...  Flip flops are a MUST HAVE for those warm days when sneakers would just be too stuffy. (And I think this would count as every day in the summer!!)  I'd suggest to bring a pair of flip flops that are a neutral color or a color/pattern that will match almost everything you bring with you on the trip.  You definitely want to pack light for just a weekend, so bringing multiple pairs of shoes would definitely weigh down your luggage!

2. A denim skirt/skort.  I suggest this instead of shorts because of the simple fact that sometimes shorts just aren't comfortable in the summer.  Especially in the peak of summer when you're on a trip, in the sun, in the humidity... A skirt is more airy and definitely fashionable.  If you prefer the shorts but a more fashion savvy look; go with a skort.  You get the look of a skirt, but comfort of shorts.

3.  Breezy and airy light skirt.  I suggest you also have one of these in your bag.  Get a light cotton skirt. I suggest something from Old Navy because their skirts are beautiful, light, fashionable and very well priced.  This can be paired with almost anything!

4.  Tank Tops/Camis are a MUST HAVE!  Something that will match both your skirts and your flip flops.  They're light, airy, comfortable and they breathe very well.  I love to wear these in the hot weather because I don't end up completely sweating.  

5. A shrug or light sweater -  If you're going out for dinner, sometimes it's a little cooler at night.  I suggest you bring a shrug or light 3\4 inch sweater so you can just cover up a little at night.  I got a great priced light shrug from Dots that cost me $4.  Definitely cost efficient, comfortable and won't weigh you down when it's still a little humid.  

Some great deals for your weekend trips:

Gap Outlet is offering a doorbuster sale with up to 40% off all adult items and 30% off all kids items from May 25-31, 2010!  THEN, Gap Outlet extends the sale with up to 50% off select styles! Also, Gap Outlet is offering an exclusive coupon code to the TwitterMoms community for an additional 15% discount on all purchases, with a minimum spend of $75. This exclusive additional discount is available to all TwitterMoms friends and family from May 25 - June 7, 2010! 

Banana Republic Factory Store is offering 40% off the ENTIRE STORE from Wednesday 5/26/10 – Monday 5/31/10 ONLY! In addition, Banana Republic Factory Store is offering an exclusive coupon code to the TwitterMoms community for an additional 15% discount on all purchases, with a minimum spend of $75.  This exclusive additional discount is available to all TwitterMoms friends and family from May 25 through June 7, 2010, so hurry to your closest location today.

Print off your Gap and Banana Republic coupons below!

PRINT COUPONS

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Gap Outlet blogging program to be eligible to win a $20 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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