If you follow me on Pinterest, chances are this dress looks familiar, but if you don’t, here is a sweet little number from Sweven that I just had to share with you all.

Made from lightweight 100% cotton terry fleece, this a-line dress features a Japanese-style floral print, cuffed neck, sleeves and hemline. There is also a cute little side tie.

Sweven is known for their fine attention to details and combining natural cotton with handmade embroidery work. They create classic and vintage looks that you would find in mom’s closet or faded photos from the past.

Price: $85.00 from Poppy’s Closet

As someone who can’t pat their head and rub their belly at the same time, I was particularly impressed with the performance of La Nouba, at Downtown Disney.

Permanently housed in a “Big Top” built specifically for this show, La Nouba passed the 6000th show mile marker last year and shows no signs of losing it’s lustre. In fact, it still plays to a packed house five days a week. It is a absolutely, jaw-dropping, spectacular performance that delights both young and old. It is a must-do if you’re planning a trip to Disney.

Don’t forget to breathe as you watch the tight-rope performers. You’ll be absolutely stunned at the agility and skill of the little girls with the Diabolos (Chinese yo-yos) and you’ll giggle the whole way through as you follow The Clowns and The Nuts. Perhaps the act that will ultimately blow your mind though is the trampoline act, where performers seemingly walk up walls and narrowly miss each other in mid-air.

I have heard it said before that it is impossible to adequately describe a Cirque du Soleil show. Now having seen one, I have to agree. It can’t be put into words because it as much a delight to the heart and the soul as it is to the mind.

Pintastic! 10 Pinterest users every mom should know & follow – Lil Sugar

I know where it goes, drawer stickers (genius!) – Cool Mom Picks

Great tips for online swimsuit shopping – Babble’s Family Style

I am loving this Imaginary Forest by Patrick Hruby! – Buy Modern Baby

Fashion Coos: Splashes of red - Coos and Ahhs

Loving the city cool vibe of Aven – Boys Be Cool

Way back when I was pregnant with my second child, and my first was on the cusp of his first birthday, my husband and I ventured out West to Southern California for a family vacation. It was a memorable trip that left me wanting more, and one of my most fond memories is of the delicious food we ate while there.

Have you ever tried something at a restaurant that you loved and tried to replicate it at home? I have done this a handful of times, and one of those dishes was a very simple pasta we tried at a chain restaurant that is local to California.

After years of attempting to get the recipe just right, I have come up with something that, if memory serves me correct, is very close to the original. Today I wanted to share the recipe with you, since it is truly perfect for the summer months, especially when tomatoes are ripe and in season.

Enjoy this flavorful and simple weeknight pasta dish.

Simple Fresh Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes or 6 small

2 tbsp olive oil

4-6 cloves of garlic, sliced or diced

salt & pepper

Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Pasta of your choice (450 g)

Directions

1. Dice tomatoes and garlic and sprinkle tomatoes with sea salt, it helps to pull out the juice of the tomatoes.

2. Heat oil in large pan and add garlic until browned. Add tomatoes and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes

3. Add pasta to boiling water at beginning of sauce process.

(Tip! A friends Mother once told me to add a wooden spoon to a pot of boiling water and it will never boil over. I can attest to this, it works!)

4. When pasta is al dente, add to sauce and stir.  (Note: Add fresh basil if you have it at this point!)

5. Add 1/4 cup of pasta water to pan and cook for another minute.

6. Sprinkle pasta with cheese and stir.

7. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 people.

If only schools everywhere could look this good! Ford Elementary, a sustainable school in Richmond, California will be holding their grand opening on Saturday, May 19th to show off the interior and exterior of their beautiful school. We have a couple of photos of the school that we wanted to share because, well, how gorgeous is it?

The two-story building, awhirl with bright colors and shapes, was designed by Sally Swanson Architects. Ms. Swanson, founding principal and CEO, explains, “Our goal is to provide a community-based school that is secure, totally green and healthy, and also delightful—relating to the age level of the students and very life-affirming.”

A highly collaborative bilingual planning and design process has resulted in joint-use spaces, innovative technology and security systems, and a green and energy-saving campus. The new school was built with the support of the citizens of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, and has received strong support by the WCCUSD Board.

The original school was built in 1949 and deemed unsafe, so they rebuilt the school using an imaginative interpretation of the Mission style with decorative blue and yellow tiles and an outsized arched library window. Windows, openings, and building details reduce the large scale to that of a child.

In addition to their smart design, the school will also offer community worships and advanced technology.

Some of the amazing sustainable features include 100% natural light in classroom; maximizing fresh air indoors; green and non-toxic materials; and insulation made from recycled blue jeans are a few of the sustainable highlights. Outdoors, native plants and bioswales add greenery with low water requirements, and are also used as educational components.

Again, how I wish all schools would follow suit!

We’ve seen it, we’ve worn it and we love it! Appaman’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection is fun and functional for the warmer months and has a relaxed ‘Irie’ vibe to the entire collection. For the girls, we adore the Flutter Dress and Appaman‘s new trench which is mighty spiffy. The collection also includes cute shorts, jackets and a variety of swimwear – something that is new this season.

Superheros are clearly on trend this summer with apparel, footwear and even movies coming out highlighting the heros. This season Appaman’s ACC comes courtesy of famed street artist, Ron Johnson. The collection is inspired from a 1920′s Metropolis to help your dude explore the futuristic world of superheroes, astronauts and robots. We die over the Mod Suit with trouser shorts and adorable tees.

My girls’ favorite flip flops from Appaman are back! We really loved these last year, so it was nice to see their return. The flip flops are a little thicker than the industry norm, making them better for walks and outings. Kids have been known to wear them around the house in the winter months – not to mention any names or anything .

Appaman’s Spring Summer 2012 line is in-stores now, but won’t last long so be sure to pick up the pieces you like before they sell out.

*Thank you to Appaman for sending us samples to facilitate this review.*

Starting tomorrow, visitors to Williamsburg, VA will have a chance to experience Verbolten, the most technologically advanced roller coaster ever built at Busch Gardens.

This attraction sends passengers twisting and turning through the verboten Black Forest. Verbolten’s low 48-inch ride-height requirement and exhilarating but not overpowering ride experience, will appeal to extreme coaster aficionados as well as to parents who want to introduce their children to the thrill of a roller coaster ride.

If you are interested in learning more about the technology behind Verbolten’s unique ride elements, you can sign up for daily behind-the-scenes coaster tours.

Sozo infant and toddler wear is 50% off through Haute Look. Other sales include Juice Couture Kids, Wild Mango, Heart to Heart Room Decor, Hide & Squeak and Melissa & Doug.

LIHO for boys and girls is 50% off through Gilt. Other sales include Jantzen, Skip Hop, Macbeth Collection, Toobydoo, Culinary Kids, Lucky Jade, Es + Es, Amelia Rose, Alex Toys and many more.

Beetlejuice London is up to 60% off through MyHabit. Other sales include Plan Toys, Kidorable Le Petit Pumm, One Kid Girls, Osh Kosh, Warrior Poet Clothier & More.

Kate Quinn Organics is up to 55% off through Zulily. Other sales include Plan Toys, Kidorable Le Petit Pumm, One Kid Girls, Osh Kosh, Warrior Poet Clothier & More.

Swimsuits and swimsuit sets from Cabana Life for both boys and girls are up to 50% off through Ideeli. Other sales include Melissa and Doug, Twirls and Curls, Fuzion Creations, Nautica Boys, Poof Girls and more.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and five retailers are announcing a voluntary recall to provide refunds to consumers who own crib tents and play yard tents made by Tots in Mind, Inc. CPSC is warning parents and caregivers who own these products that infants and toddlers are at risk of serious injury or death due to strangulation and entrapment hazards presented by these products.

Tots in Mind recalled the play yard tents in July 2010 and offered a repair kit that is no longer available. The company is no longer in business and has stopped all sales. CPSC staff urges parents and caregivers to stop using these crib tents and play yard tents immediately. Do not attempt to repair these products.

So far, CPSC is aware of 27 tent failures including one fatality and one serious injury that occurred between January 1997 and April 2012 from crib tents and play yard tents made by Tots in Mind, Inc. In 2008, a two year old boy died after becoming entrapped between the bottom rail of a play yard tent and the top rail of a play yard. The fatality was reported in a prior recall with the firm in July 15, 2010.

In 2007, a two year old boy sustained a catastrophic brain injury when the crib tent affixed to his crib tent inverted and the product’s broken rod trapped him at the neck. The remaining 25 reports to CPSC involved inverted crib tents—entrapments between the tent and the crib/play yard or failures of the tent fabric and zippers. Three of these 25 reports also resulted in injuries; in one such case, a parent reported finding her child turning blue and entrapped between the product and the top rail of the play yard.

The recall includes various models of about 330,000 crib or play yard tents. Consumers can identify their tent by the 2”x 1½” label with Tots In Mind logo located on the non-mesh portion near the top of the tents:

• Portable Playard Tent
• Original Cozy Crib Tent
• Cozy Crib Tent II
• Crib Tent for Convertible Cribs
• Portable Playard Tent Plus Cabana Kit

Since Tots in Mind, Inc. is out of business, retailers who sold these products have stepped up to offer refunds or store credit to consumers. The crib tents and play yard tents can present an entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants and toddlers if the dome portion inverts inside the crib or play yard, or if the product becomes partially detached from the crib or play yard. The recalled products were sold at numerous retail stores including Bed Bath & Beyond/Buy Buy Baby, Burlington Coat Factory, Toys R Us/Babies R Us, Walmart and online on websites including Amazon.com, for between $60 and $85.

Consumers should contact the store listed below where the crib tent was purchased to receive either a refund or store credit, depending on the retailer. If consumer is unsure of where the crib tent was purchased, see return policy for individual retailers below on their website:

Amazon.com [Amazon.com]
Bed Bath & Beyond / Buy Buy Baby [bedbathandbeyond.com or buybuybaby.com or (800) GOBEYOND]
Burlington Coat Factory [burlingtoncoatfactory.com or (888) 223-2628]
Toys R Us/Babies R Us [toysrus.com or babiesrus.com or (800) 869-7787]
Walmart [walmartstores.com or (800) 925-6278]

I’ve been holding off on writing this review for awhile, because we haven’t had an opportunity to really test it’s strengths until just earlier this month while I was attending Disney Social Media Moms in Orlando and Mom 2.0 in Miami. What better time to test out the UV strengths right?

I used sunscreen on all of the areas that were not covered by the shirt and after staying outside in the hot sun for an hour, he was still happy as a clam and no burns to report. The really great thing about these rash guards is they are so easy to take on and off thanks to the full length zipper closure.

SwimZip has a cute range of various styles for both boys and girls and all are rated at UV 50+ to block 99% of UVA and UVB rays. They are also Chlorine resistant.

This was my first time using a rash guard and I am completely sold on the concept. The top kept my son cool and protected during his time in the pool and once we took the top off it dried very quickly, so we were able to use it again later on that afternoon without him getting dressed in a wet suit.

*Rachel Florio PR sent a sample for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*