Homemade Hydrating Face And Body Scrub

Raise your hand if your skin is excessively dry with the cold, wintery weather upon us! I know my face and legs are personally taking a beating, so I've been moisturizing incessantly.

Remember how I talked about dealing with hormonal acne a few weeks ago? Exfoliation and moisturizing are a key component of great skin, so I wanted to share a little homemade recipe I've been using.

It's a hydrating face and body scrub, and it smells like a tropical paradise. Just close your eyes when using it in the shower and you will instantly transport to Bora Bora, where you will be greeted by a glistening cabana boy who brings ever-flowing (virgin) piña coladas and a platter of heart shaped fruits. Yes, it's that good.

The face and body scrub contains three ingredients, which takes only a minute to whip up.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions and how to use:

1. Mix the brown sugar (which is a great natural exfoliant) and baking soda (an excellent natural cleanser) into the moisturizer. It will be an oily consistency. Pour into a jar.

2. When in the shower, rub the scrub into your arms, legs and face. Rinse off, and pat dry.

Your skin will be so soft and delicious! I've been using this scrub as an exfoliating moisturizer for my face, and it gives it such a dewy, soft glow. Not to mention that I smell delicious. The Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer comes in three scents, but I recommend Refreshing Coconut Oil. And if you aren't into the whole scrub thing and are looking for a good moisturizer to keep your skin smooth and silky during these horridly cold and dry months, this goodness is for you! You simply apply it to wet skin after showering and then pat dry. It absorbs instantly and locks in all that moisture. Please and thank you!

I've been using Jergens products since my sister introduced me back in my awkward years of puberty, so I sincerely recommend this one. Here is a coupon for $2 off for any 10 oz bottle of of Jergens® Wet Skin ™ Moisturizer so you can make this body scrub. Or having luminous skin. They're both awesome. Choose from Refreshing Coconut Oil, Calming Green Tea Oil and Nourishing Monoi Oil. The coupon is on a first come, first served basis, so you better snag it before it runs out.

Happy moisturizing!

Disclosure: Sponsored by JERGENS® Skincare through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer, all opinions are my own.

A Random Thing Or Two-sday

Lapis Quilted Jacket (similar)
LOFT Striped Tee (similar) — see DIY instruction below for pom detail!
Kiind Of Track Jogg Pants
Steve Madden Jazie Oxfords (similar)
Cents of Style 'Serena' Over-sized Beanie c/o

1. I am in a closet-purging mode again and almost tossed this pink tee into the give away pile. But then I had some pink pom trim sitting around and the lightbulbs went off. I could embellish this boring, old sucker! The bottom was the part that drove me nuts anyway. Adding a pom edge is possibly the easiest refashion to spice up your tired and old tees. Simply use fabric glue to adhere the pom trim to the bottom of your shirt, sleeves or wherever you need some flounce. (Isn't that a lovely word?) Ta-da! Brand spanking new tee!

2. Fact: Justin Bobby used to be Adam Levine's hairstylist (source). Could you imagine working at that salon? Heart eyes for years. (Also the most pointless fact I've listed yet, but every time I watch The Voice and see Adam's perfectly tousled hair, I can't help but think of Justin Bobby styling it and mumbling some drunken philosophical crap. Speaking of...)

3. JOHNNY DEPP. Guys, I am still dying over his slurred introduction at the Hollywood Documentary Awards. "That's the weirdest microphooone I've ever seen in my life!" It still makes me laugh so hard. Usually I suffer from major secondhand embarrassment at such a thing, but he is a quirky oddball as it is, and I think I might even like him more now.

4. Wes is standing now! It's only a matter of days before we have a walker on our hands. I cannot believe it! Luke says, "I wuv you, mama" whenever we have conversations now, and it gives me butterflies and the warm fuzzies. I wuv my little fellows :)

5. Would you rather shave your eyebrows (no drawing them back in!) or dye your teeth blue for a week month?

How To Make A DIY Moon Piñata

What's a birthday party without a piñata? It's not a proper one, that's for sure. Wesley's party was over the weekend, and I thought this DIY moon piñata was the perfect touch. I saw a photo of it on Pinterest and had to have it, but couldn't find the directions anywhere. So, I totally winged it on how to go about making one, but then when I went to Google something about a moon piñata as I was uploading these photos, I finally found the original source from Oh Happy Day.

Anyway, here are the directions on how I made mine!



Materials:

1 sheet of thick poster board
Pencil
Tape
Scissors
Glue gun
Needle and string
One roll of white streamers (or whatever color you would like your moon to be)
Candy and trinkets to fill

Directions:

1. Trace and cut out two crescent moon shapes. (Mine measured 26 inches long, 5 inches deep at the widest part in the middle). Then cut two 26 inch strips that are 3.5 inches wide.

2. Start by taping one of the crescent moon sides to one of the 26-inch straight pieces. I spaced out my tape by one inch. Also, be sure to use clear tape if you don't want fluorescent colors bursting through your fringe later on. (Rookie mistake, but I like to say it gave it a "glow.") Once that side is done, tape on the other crescent moon side.



3. Now is the fun part where you get to fill it with toys and candy! Fill it up about 2/3 full and make sure the size of your piñata can withstand the weight of the goodies filling it.

4. Use a thick needle to attach the string it will hang from. (Mine was about three feet long.) Tie a quadruple knot and secure the hole with tape around it so it doesn't rip.

4. Now for the fringe! Take your pack of streamers and cut fringe on the bottom, spacing about 1/4 inch apart and cutting it 3/4 of the way to the top. You can overlap them in multiple layers to make the cutting process more efficient.

5. Starting at the bottom, hot glue the top portion of your streamer to the cardboard, and continue this pattern, making sure to leave about a 1/2 inch between each layered streamer when you overlap them. Continue on all four sides until it is covered. Once it is all glued, take your scissors and trim up the sides for any excess fringe or fluffiness. Lastly, glue on any star embellishments or whatever you would like to spruce it up.

Now all you need to do is attach it to a stick, grab your blind fold and bat, and whap the guts out of your new DIY moon piñata! Enjoy!

DIY Halloween Slime

We made the spookiest, ooziest DIY Halloween slime the other day. It was a fun science experiment of sorts, and Luke loved mixing it all together and playing with the textures. (Not gonna lie, so did I!)

It's the easiest recipe! All you do is mix equal parts liquid starch and school glue, and then add in your choice of food coloring. Head on over to What To Expect to see the complete instructions and measurements if you want more details, and have fun squishing and squeezing your slime!

Build A Washi Tape City Using The Best Toys

This post has been sponsored by Collective Bias, Inc. in partnership with Target. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting our sponsors! #CollectiveBias #TargetToys

The upside of having bare walls is the opportunity to create amazing play spaces with its wide open canvas. We haven't bothered putting anything on the walls or tried to completely furnish our place because a) we are renting and b) buying huge pieces of furniture stresses the bejeezus out of me! Anyway, we decided to utilize those sad, lonely walls to build a thriving metropolis from washi tape and this awesome block set, which I think are some of the best toys for little creators.



Like any good mother, I found this KidKraft block set from the toy emporium available online from Target, because Target makes dreams come true. They have different themes to choose from for whatever type of play you want to focus on, and we were honing in on move and imagine.

What better way to move and use your imagination than building a city from washi tape!

Here is what you need:

KidKraft block set
3-4 rolls of different colored washi tape
Toy cars








The directions are pretty straight forward. We started by making an outline for the entire city by taping it off on the ground. (Sidenote: if you have carpet, lay down a large piece of cardboard up against the wall.) From there we created skyscrapers on the wall with three different colored tapes, varying them in height. Next, we made the road by zigzagging black tape, and then finished with making buildings and parking slots with the remaining colored tape. (Remember to add the little details like windows and road dashes to make it more dimensional and fun!) Lastly, we assembled buildings and tunnels with the blocks to complete the construction of Luke City. (For the record, Luke is an excellent mayor and strictly enforces no pants and 3-day weekends — he's got my vote for life!)

This activity was waaay high up there on the fun charts for Luke. He played and scooted around for the longest time, rearranging all his little cars and blocks, thinking up different ways to drive them back and forth. I suggest adding this one to your list! (Especially for those rainy and winter days coming up!) Cheap, adorable, and will keep the kids entertained for hours.

Here are some other fun ideas from the toy emporium in case you would like more inspiration! Happy building!

Construction Paper Pumpkins Craft For Kids

We made construction paper pumpkins for this week's tot school craft. Initially, I was striving to hit my overachiever goal by making painted kitty pumpkins with Luke, but life happened. And oftentimes sticking to simple crafts is easier anyway. Why over-complicate things, right?

These construction paper pumpkins are a great autumn or Halloween craft for little and big kids. They only require a handful of items that are most likely on hand at home. Here are the incredibly easy directions...

Supplies:

Orange and green construction paper

Stapler

Scissors

Tape

Pencil

Directions:

1. Fold your orange paper in half, hamburger style. (Is that what they still call it? I am trying to recall my first grade arts and crafts lingo!) Cut it in half, and then cut eight strips on each, for a total of 16 strips. This will make you two pumpkins per one piece of paper.

2. Line the strips up in a symmetrical asterisk shape and staple them together in the middle.

3. Flip up the pieces and staple them together at the top to make a pumpkin shape. It helps to staple about 2-3 strips at a time.

4. Cut a 1x2 inch piece of green paper for the stem and two, 1/4 inch green pieces of paper the entire length of the construction paper for the vines.

5. Wrap the long pieces around a pencil to make curly vines, and then staple the stem and vines to the top of your pumpkin.

I am beginning to think I was a kindergarten teacher in my previous life. That, or it's in my future. Have fun making these construction paper pumpkins with your kids for an easy and fun Halloween craft! 

5 Cute Back To School DIY Projects To Try

DIY Notebook Tea Cloths. How adorable are these tea cloths? I am sure any teacher would gush over a gift like this, or they would be cute to keep around the house for the first month back to school. Get the directions over on Say Yes.

DIY Printable Apple Boxes. Fill these cuties with candies or your favorite snack. I think they would be fun for lunches, or a goody box for a back to school party. Get the free printable on Oh Happy Day!

DIY Etched Pencils. Aren't these the coolest way to spice up a boring, old No. 2 pencil? I don't exactly have a wood burning tool lying around, but this awesome DIY makes me think I need to run to the store and get one, immediately! Come find the instructions here on DIY Network.

DIY Apple Piñata. My boys aren't in school yet, but I love the idea of having a back to school party night after school has started. I remember how anxious I would get the entire first month of school, and if they are anything like me, a party would be just the thing to keep spirits lifted and excited! This apple piñata is a MUST! You can find the instructions on how to make it over on Studio DIY.

DIY Cake & Cloche Jars.  You'll be earning serious brownie points if your kid shows up with a cake for the teacher! Okay, so maybe not a cake, but I think it would be fun to make some apple cider doughnuts and bring them into class with one of these cake jars from A Beautiful Mess! Maybe take it one step further even and let your kids paint it (with food grade paint, of course).