crazy hair/no heat curls

(First, let me apologize in advance for the terrible quality of these webcam photos. And for the crazy hair in the "before" pictures you are about to see.)

My gal Erin of City Mouse In a Country House posted about this hair tutorial. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, essentially you twist your hair around an elastic headband, sleep on it, and wake up to bouncy vintage looking curls. With no heat! Or curlers! I tried it and it worked- even on my riDICulously wild before hair.

This is what my hair looked like all day. Up in a bun, naturally curly hair that hadn't been washed in three days:

I took it out of the pony and it looked like this (crusty):

I brushed it out and it looked like this (I know, I should wear it like this every day!):

I twisted it around the elastic hair band and it looked like this:

I slept on it and took it out in the morning and it looked like this! (Clara is post-tubby, watching Ernie and Elmo sing "One Fine Face" to keep her happy. Clearly, they are singing the part about eyes.)

So, I realize it's a bad quality pic but the technique really worked. I have boingy, Dorothy Gale-esque curls. I hear it works on hair of all types. Woot!

Easiest Seafood Dinner Ev.

This is going to be a quick post. It will take you approximately the same amount of time to read it as it will to make these scallops:

Bomster Scallops, from our local farmers market, are amazing! They don't need ANYTHING to make them taste delicious, not even salt and pepper. Here's what you do:

-heat up a little veg oil in a pan

-place the scallops flat side down in a single layer

-sear on one side for no more than two minutes

-flip and sear on the other side for one minute

-plop them on a plate

Seriously the easiest ever- they taste incredible and are done in literally three minutes. Even if you don't like scallops, give these a try. They are not the rubbery pencil eraser scallops you sometimes find in chowder. They are tender and meaty and taste super fresh.

Oh, and I served them with arugula salad which is also the easiest ever- arugula + olive oil + balsamic + salt and pep.

Now I'm sure you can use these scallops in some fancier dish but, in my opinion, there's no need! How great is it to have a delicious dinner that comes together in less than five minutes?

The end.

Enjoy!

Beach Baby

We are in full swing beach mode here in Rhode Island! This summer has been nice and smoking hot so far, with the occasional rainstorm. Perfect weather because it means that we can go to the beach most of the time and STILL never have to water our plants. Score.

Last summer the beach was, well... less fun. Clara was four months old and wasn't technically allowed to wear sunscreen yet so I spent most of the time under an umbrella with her. Plus she was still nursing every 2-3 hours during the day so I had to make sure whatever bathing suit I wore had easy boob access. PLUS she was a crappy napper and hated the car. Now, this didn't stop me from going to the beach- it just wasn't as enjoyable as it is now.

Now we can ALL appreciate the beach, just like good New Englanders who wait patiently all through the six-month-long/dull/gray/snowy winter should.

I have learned a thing or two about going to the beach with a baby. Here's my list:

*Sand! I guess I always knew there was sand at the beach I just never quite noticed until it was all over my baby and I was the one who had to get clean it off. There is sand places I never knew sand could reach. How did she get sand on her eyelid?

In regards to sand, this is the easiest way I have found to minimize the sand in your car (I said minimize! Let's get serious here; there will be sand- remember I said she got sand on her eyelid?): Pack up all your things and load the beach cart. Put on your Ergo or similar baby carrier. Strip your baby down nakey and run into the ocean with her to rinse off as much sand as possible. Do NOT put your baby down- put her right into your carrier no matter how mad she is to be leaving the beach. Plop her down on a towel in the back of the car, and remove the rest of the sand with baby powder. Finally- most importantly- just embrace the sand. That's why we all have tubs for our babies, and gas station vacuum cleaners for our cars.

*Just eat your lunch in the car on the way there. In our former life, my mom, sister, and I used to love to sit down and eat our lunch at a leisurely pace (usually tuna sandwiches, watermelon, chips, and oreos) as soon as we got to the beach- even if it happened to be 10:30 AM. Now there is NO leisurely sitting- only running and chasing and digging holes and finding rocks and kicking waves with babies. Plus, have I mentioned the sand? I have? Yes.

If you happen to have a wonderful beach partner you can take turns eating lunch but if you are flying solo... eat in the car.

*Same goes for a book. What are you, joking? Don't bring a book- you won't be able to sit long enough to read one page.

*Swim diapers suck. I mean, they are less bulky and contain the poop but that's it. Be sure to bring a regular diaper for the ride home or you will end up with a major pee-pee carseat situation.

*Since we have already addressed embracing the sand, I recommend bringing a big shovel to dig a big hole for your baby. I've found the only way Clara will sit down at the beach- and therefore the only way I can sit down- is if I build her her own mini beach. It's a pretty sweet deal.

*Also embrace the seagulls. At our beach the seagulls are ruthless about stealing food- and I'm not just talking about if you leave a potato chip on your blanket and walk away. I mean if you are gesturing with a sandwich in your hand they will fly right up and snatch it from your fingers. So anyway, I always hated the seagulls but now I see them for what they are: Free baby entertainment. Clara chases them yelling "duck! duck! duck!"

*Be sure to enjoy it! Because it will be winter again before we know it. Summer is definitely the shortest season and therefore, in my opinion, the sweetest. (Which is probably why mint Oreos taste especially good on the beach).

Happy sweet summer, friends!