LilSugar

Lil Tip: Making St. Patrick's Day Fun for the Lil Leprechauns

babysugar — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:00:14 PDT

One of my friends plays the cutest trick on her first grade students on St. Patrick's Day.

While my daughter is too young for her antics, maybe you can take a page from her book.

Before your kids wake up or while they are napping, make a mess of their toys, books and other household things. When they notice someone has been tinkering with their toys, you can tell them that a naughty lil leprechaun has been scurrying around the house. They'll delight in the surprise and mischief.

To further the Irish celebration, whip up some green eggs and milk. Grab a bottle of green food dye at your local grocer. At breakfast, plop a few drops of the emerald juice into their milk.

Go Green: Souls Are United Over SolesUnited

babysugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:00:26 PDT

Tots grow quickly, especially when it comes to clothes and shoes. And most foot-gear is too tattered or torn to be reused by another wee one.

Croc loving parents and kids can now recycle their worn shoes with SolesUnited. To see how the process works,

read more. SolesUnited takes worn Crocs and sorts, cleans, and breaks them down into a material to make fresh SolesUnited footwear. Once created, the new shoes are shipped off to children and adults living in impoverished areas around the world. To see how you can get involved with SolesUnited, look here.

Go Green Week: Y Water? Why Not.

babysugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:00:52 PDT

Every new mama knows that baby's favorite "toy" is an empty water bottle. While that's a cheap and simple hat trick to pull anywhere at anytime, Y Water is a new product that fits the bill and then some. Beyond doubling as a toy, the uniquely shaped bottles are filled with organic, low calorie, drinks.

Y Water comes in four flavors: Brain, Immune, Muscle and Bone waters. Each one has vitamin fortifying ingredients to promote wellness in that area. For example, the Bone water is full of calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C and fluoride. To see why kids will think it's cool,

read more. When the tots are done guzzling it down, the bottles are designed to be toys as they connect together to form fun shapes. And, if you choose not to reuse the thingamabobs, they are 100 percent recyclable. Drinks will be available mid–March.

Go Green: Sweeten Your House with Sweet Grass Farm

babysugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:00:31 PDT

Don't you want your baby's room, or whole house for that matter, to smell fresh and clean?

Steer clear of toxins and other chemicals by spritzing a little Sweet Grass Farm ($6) on your lil love's linens and threads.

The all–natural spray is made with lavender oil that helps neutralize odors while sprucing up the air with a delicious calming scent. And if your tot breaks out in a rash, it'll be one less product to fret over.

Go Green: Eco–friendly stove

babysugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:00:58 PDT

Crafted from cardboard, this tot entertainer is a literal toy box. The paper–made Nume Stove and Washing Machine ($38) is easy to assemble – no screwdrivers or batteries required. You won't hear me complaining! Adding to the simplicity, the clean white exterior practically begs kiddos to use their imagination as they can decorate it with crayons, markers, stickers or whatever their wee hearts desire.

And when the novelty wears off, the appliances just need a good collapsing and a toss in the recycle bin.

Go Green For St. Paddy's with Lilsugar!

LilSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:00:05 PDT

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, lilsugar is going green! Beyond bringing you posts about emerald apparel and ways to celebrate the holiday, we'll be launching a series of Go Green posts that spotlight ecological ways your family can stay green.

From recyclable toys to the EcoMoms movement, this extension of our Ecotot coverage will show you simple things that you can do to create a better world for your wee ones. If you have a tip you'd like to share, feel free to post it in the comments.

Source

Supersize This: Go Green

babysugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:00:00 PDT

St. Patrick's Day is just one week away so here are some emerald options from Old Navy that won't cost you too much of the green stuff.

Choose from an assortment of $7 onesies or $15 jammies with witty Irish themed sayings on them. For the older tots, snatch up a $5 tee or a verdant–colored hoodie.

At these prices, you'll be able to doll up your darling all week long!

The Green Salad That Put a Ring on It

Camilla Salem — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:30:52 PST

If you're not into engagement chicken, or if you're looking to double your chances this Valentine's Day, don't miss out on this simple green salad recipe. True story: when my now-husband proposed to me, he managed to sneak in a line about how excited he was that I'd make this salad for him every day for the rest of his life. I've since shared the recipe with friends, whose significant others also go crazy for it, so maybe I'm on to something with this salad.

Regardless, this salad is so easy and satisfying, you could easily enjoy it alongside any meal every night of the week. It goes particularly well with rich, meaty dishes that beg for something crisp and acidic to balance them out. The red leaf lettuce holds the vinaigrette really well, while the avocado adds a bit of creaminess to the dish.

There are a couple of secrets to this recipe. When you wash your lettuce, don't dry it completely. A bit of moisture on the leaves helps water down the dressing a bit, making it incredibly succulent. Secondly, the combination of oils used in this recipe helps make sure the salad is not overpowered by the flavor of olive oil.

For more plus a recipe, keep reading.

6 Things to Do With Scallions

Susannah Chen — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:23:26 PST

Ever buy a bunch of herbs for a recipe, only to use a scant stem and find the rest wilted with dehydration a week later? This has admittedly been a long-standing problem in my kitchen, and I've been determined to cultivate a solution for it. This week I'm addressing an aromatic I have a chronic problem forgetting about: scallions.

When they're fresh, green onions have a biting smell and are resilient to the touch, but days later, the exact same stalks will take on a muted brownish hue, made slimy thanks to dehydration, and hunched over in sadness and neglect.

Since they age quickly, the key is to make sure you use them up before they get to such a sorry state! Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to do that; scallions have a mild pungency that's versatile enough to go into just about every savory dish. A few examples:

Slice green onions as thinly as possible, then toss a handful into a garden salad.
Make a four-ingredient ginger scallion sauce to drizzle on eggs, chicken, and fish.

For four more suggestions, keep reading.

Fat-Proof Your Life

Health — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:06:06 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Maridel Reyes

It's true that there are certain times in your life when extra poundage seems to appear out of nowhere . . . and settle on you. In fact, experts have honed in on the exact moments when you're most vulnerable to weight gain.

"Life transitions, having a baby, and going through menopause cause many women to pile on pounds," says Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate!: The 50 Most Common Diet-Derailing Excuses and How to Outwit Them. "But with planning and prep, you can stay thin."

We asked top experts for their strategies to help you ward off weight creep - and even shed pounds - at these tricky stages. Solutions ahead.

Getting married

Heavier ever after? It can be the flip side of wedded bliss: "Six out of 10 of my clients come back heavier after the honeymoon," says celebrity fitness and wellness guru David Kirsch.

Health.com: 25 Diet-Busting Foods You Should Never Eat

Young newlyweds pack on an extra six to nine pounds in the five years after getting hitched compared to singletons, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And most of that gain happens in the first year of marriage.

"Couples start to mirror each other's eating habits," explains Albers. "You might be matching him calorie for calorie without realizing it."

Learn how to keep the pounds down postmarriage and in the mommy years, after the break.

Old Navy Girls PJs	Old Navy Hoodie ($18)
Old Navy Dress ($15)	Old Navy St. Patrick's Day Onesie ($7)
Old Navy St. Patrick's Day Hoodie ($14)	Old Navy Printed Skater Shirts ($11)
Old Navy St. Patrick's Day Onesie($13)	Old Navy St. Patrick's Day PJs ($15)
Old Navy St. Patrick's Day Tees ($4)	Old Navy St. Patrick's Day Tees ($5)