HOLLAH for Crayola!

Ok, so I realize that's kind of like saying "Give it up for KLEENEX" in the world of mom-dom...I mean, duh, yeah, Crayola is great. We grew up with it, they've evolved with the times and make great washable art supplies of all manner and kind. But specifically, I love, love, love their Color Wonder line for the budding toddler artiste.

This stuff is a mess-free world of fun. They make markers, finger paints, and regular paints that ONLY work on Color Wonder paper. It is BRILLIANT.

We took the Color Wonder markers & coloring books on vacation and it bought us, say, 15 minutes on the airplane, and there were no stray marks on the seats, or us for that matter.

And at home, we can tape the paper down on the floor - it comes in large 20 x 30-ish sheets - and the paint tubes ONLY work on the paper. I am telling you, hours of fun. This stuff is great. And non-toxic.

So until your wee one understands that paint goes only on paper, and is not a great substitute for lipstick and eyeshadow, this stuff is the bomb-biddles.

Eventually we had to talk about skincare

Pretty much any friend I have will read this and wonder what took her so long to get around to skincare advice. Devoted is a mild term for my commitment to the Dermalogica brand.

I will make this quick and simply say I love it: it's clean, pure, smart and it fixes skin problems other brands don't. I will also say it hasn't worked for everyone I've recommended it to, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt. I will also tell you that it's worth getting a facial from a Dermalogica esthetician to figure out which products are right for you.

If you do want to shop for Dermalogica products for less, the best source I've found is Skinwest.com.

My #1 favorite product is the Daily Microfoliant. Works especially well on the chin area (hormonal zone). Use daily in the am.

Crazy About Cleaning Products

As my baby became mobile, so did his mouth. He was licking floors, doors and the dishwasher at every turn. I was envisioning him ingesting Pine-Sol and 409 coated grime. Being both a germaphobe and a first time mom, I ran down to Whole Foods to see what natural cleaning products I could find and I wasn’t impressed with the selection. I had heard about the Method brand, so I went online and found a great website - www.methodhome.com. Their tagline is “(they use) ingredients that come from plants, not chemical plants”. I use their counter spray, tub and tile cleaner, floor cleaner, wood polish, window wash, stainless steel cleaner and leather wipes. They’re all great products and everything is safe and non-toxic. So, when my little one is kissing the refrigerator, I can relax and let him be a kid.