So, let me tell you something about my kid. She has hair down to her bum. No, we’re not talking Crystal Gayle here, but we’re getting there. So I get it. She was due for a trim. Okay, a cut. Since I’d actually given her a trim. Myself. All weepy and barely noticeable as it was. So I did what any good mom would do. I made no thing of it. It’s only hair, right? We went about our play-date. Went to our baking class. Then off to the salon. For something – anything – that would fix the whole side bang situation. And?

Nothing.

After a 30-minute consultation between myself, the stylist and the manager, two of the three of us were still at a loss as to how to fix it and unwilling to move forward with the shears. (And I was not one of the three. Myself? I was thinking Penelope Cruz, circa “Vanilla Sky.”) So I took control. Barked some orders. Called the shots. Did everything short of grab those scissors and do the deed myself.

And?

Eh…

Let’s just say that my girl did indeed finally get that couple of inches cut off. But the side bangs? Well…

We’re working the accessories angle right now.

I like accessories, as it turns out.

Some favorites: anything named after John Coltrane and made of feathers has got to be good. Right? Right.

Anything from Emerson Made.

And bobby pins – you just can’t go wrong with bobby pins when it comes to holding back errant bangs, right?

And for my girl who’s finally moved on from the world of Disney princesses to Hello Kitty, these adorable ponytail holders. Of course, they don’t actually help with the crazy side bangs, but they make my girl who gave herself her first official haircut smile. And that’s enough for me.

These are my favorite kid things this year. Things that my daughter’s are wearing, using, snuggling up in… you get the picture.

The first thing would have to be Aveeno Baby Soothing Bath Treatment. With both girls suffering in the winter from eczema, I love to use this in their bathtub. I think it’s helping with the itchies.

After their bath, I massage them with fragrance-free Curel lotion. Not very luxurious, unless you factor in the skin softening properties of this utilitarian lotion. It’s truly amazing. Rough patches on the elbows? Gone. And in the morning, their skin still feels soft and smooth to the touch. Curel is a God-send. I can’t recommend another lotion more than this one. And if you’re looking for it in your store, and they appear to be out-of-stock, you’ll know I’ve been there first. I hoard this stuff. Bottles of it. The giant bottles.

For their chapped cheeks, I love Balm Balm’s Baby Balm. Fragrance-free. No petrolatum or mineral oil to clog the tiny pores on their faces. It’s basic. It’s no frills. It works.

Smart Wool socks. Ahh. No more scratching the ankles with a hairbrush because of wool socks. Yes, I realize these are wool. But not the old-school wool. The kind that tortured me as a child. The kind that brought about a bad case of hives should I even look at a pair of wool socks. These socks are on the pricy side, but if you live somewhere that’s winter for the majority of the year, these become a basic necessity.

For Pea, we loaded up on Old Navy tights. She still insists on dresses. Every day. So we needed a lot of tights. Old Navy’s are nice and thick, a little bit of a cableknit pattern to them. Just right for the cold winter months.

Mukluks. Ours are brown. And they make any outfit look amazing. An investment, yes. But these are the cutest boots that I’ve ever seen. Everywhere we go in them, the girls are stopped and the boots admired. But even more so than being just the most adorable boot around is the warmth factor. They are toasty. And since you get to wear them with socks (it’s recommended), the stink factor is canceled out. Yes, Mukluks have replaced last year’s Uggs.

And still, it’s The Anecdotes hand-made sweaters. Layered over long-sleeve tee-shirts, they are toasty warm. And infinitely chic on a little kid. I’ve mentioned these sweaters before. They are truly heirloom-quality. Long after my girls have outgrown these sweaters, I intend to pack them up and place them somewhere special, for Pea and Coco to pass on to their own children. Check out her shop. She’s having a sale!

And lastly, these fantastic hats, from another of my favorite Etsy shops, called Tonsyn Handknits. The perfect hat for kids. No pink bunny ears here.

First, the girls take a bath. Recently, they have been doing so together, Coco is old enough for that now. But until she was about one, she would get the first bath, with Pea sitting on the side of the tub with me, “helping” me to bathe her little baby sister. But now, they play for a while, sometimes we add a little bubbles to the mix, but we always have a good time. We wash hair, lather up washcloths with soap and blow lots of bubbles. And then, we get out of the tub. Coco is first, she needs my assistance, and I wrap her up in her towel, and as I am wrapping her up, Pea is getting out on her own, putting on her big girl bathrobe.

We then head to the sinks, of which we are lucky to have two in the girls shared bathroom. While I brush Coco’s teeth, Pea brushes her own. We then all head together into Coco’s room, where I give her a quick baby massage with lavender oil and dress her in her pajamas. And massage? It’s another part of the nightly ritual that has been a constant. In fact, right before Pea was born, I read a wonderful book dedicated to the topic of baby massage, by Vimala McClure, entitled “Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents.” And while you might think, a book? About how to rub a baby with oil? Let me just say that the information in this book, if you are really interested in massage as a manner not only of bonding with your child, but as a means to promote overall whole being wellness, you need to check this book out. The information I gleaned from it was nothing short of a necessity. Things such as the direction in which your massage your child’s stomach? Can affect his or her digestion. Dramatically. And our oil of choice? It was always grapeseed oil, straight up. Although lately, we’ve graduated to oils by Burt’s Bees (smells divine, your kids will wake up with skin as soft as silk, but beware of the glass bottle with the twist-off cap: oil + glass + manual labor = disaster. My recommendation? Decant into a plastic bottle with a pump top. Not as elegant, but much safer.) I’ve also used California Baby, but it’s not my favorite, as it doesn’t do much to soften the often eczema-like scratchiness of Pea and Coco’s skin.) But back to our routine: all the while, Pea is generally playing a ukulele that her father brought back for the girls from Hawaii, and singing songs. Lately, her playlist has included “Frere Jacques” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It’s the sweetest part of the evening, that she wants to sing a lullaby to her “baby,” which is how she affectionately refers to her little sister. “This is my baby, Coco. You have to be nice to her. And don’t take away her toys.” I have to giggle at that last part, because what she really means to say is, “don’t take away her toys, that’s my job…”

We then settle into Coco’s big, white chair, the three of us, where we read a few short books. Lately, it’s been “Goodnight Moon,” and “Daddy Hugs,” and then we end with my all-time favorite of the goodnight book genre, “If Kisses Were Colors.” Then, Coco goes into her crib, the nightlight goes on and the lamps go off, the air purifier turns on (for noise reduction, mostly), and Pea stands next to her little baby’s crib and tells Coco to have a good night’s sleep and that she can dream of ice cream, if she wants to. It’s now 7:00, and Coco is off to sleep shortly thereafter. We never hear a peep from her, that child was blessed with the easy-to-sleep gene.

We then head into Pea’s room. She gets out of her robe, puts on her own lotion, she being a big girl, and all. And then she chooses her pajamas for the evening, which is really little more than panties and a tee-shirt. We choose five books, and climb into bed. We snuggle up and read the books, stopping along the way to count how many balloons are in this illustration, what color tutus the ballerinas are wearing in that illustration. It takes about 30 minutes to get through those five books, but it’s just about my favorite time of the day with her. She rests her head on my chest, and she smells fresh and clean and it’s nothing less than precious time between the two of us. After we finish the books, there are kisses, hugs, tucking in, a quick chat about what the next day has in store for us. I pull her shade down, but leave it up just enough so that she can use the light from the late dusk to thumb through the stack of books that I then lay next to her, on her bed. I turn on her air purifier, again mostly for noise reduction, and head out the door with a flick of the light-switch and an “I love you.”

Sometimes, she conks out immediately, particularly after a “swim day” at camp. Other days, she’s restless and lonely, and thinks of many, many excuses to come out of her room. “You forgot to give me a goodnight water.” Or “I have to go tee-tee.” Now the goodnight water, while I know it’s a no-no, is just one of those things that I’ve since decided is not a big deal. It seems to give her comfort, a little bit of water in a cup on her bedside table. It’s usually still full the next morning, when I enter her room. And the tee-tee trips? I don’t know about that one. She and her sister have a bathroom that connects their two rooms, and why she won’t use it during the night, I have no idea. She would rather climb up two flights of stairs to our room, wake me up and ask me to allow her to use my bathroom. I’m fine with it, for now, at least she’s not doing it in her bed. At this point, I’m just so pleased that she has enough bladder control to wake herself up at night, that I don’t mind, at all, the disruption to my sleep. But my absolute favorite excuse is the newest addition to her bag of tricks, and it goes something like this, “mommy, I know I’m supposed to be in my bed, but I forgot to tell you something.” I ask her what it is that she forgot to tell me, and she quickly launches into, “I forgot to tell you that I love you and that you are the best mommy in the world.” Okay, cue the “awws…” This one gets me every time, and honestly, I actually look forward to this one, this excuse to climb out of her warm and comfy bed and come search for me. In fact, when I hear that distinctive whir of the air purifier as she opens her bedroom door? I cross my fingers and say a quick prayer that tonight? Her delay tactic? Is all about my awesomeness as a mother…

We’ve always had basically the same routine, it’s worked for us very well. And though things changed a bit when Coco arrived, they didn’t change by much. Both girls have essentially had a bath every night of their lives. That sounds insane, right? And perhaps it is, but that’s what we’ve chosen to do. I could probably count on just my two hands the times that the girls have actually skipped a bath. I must’ve read somewhere to be consistent with routines, and being the control freak that I am, I’d say that I took that advisement to heart, wouldn’t you?

And so every day, I send her with a hat. A baseball cap, a bucket hat. You name it, there’s always one in her bag. But I don’t think she’s wearing it. Because the part in her hair is looking a little pink. And you know me, pink is scary. I’m so paranoid about sun protection. I knew I had to find another alternative, because I can’t nag her into wearing her hat. First of all, yuck. I don’t want to be that mom, the (s)mother, hovering over her child, barking orders at any and everyone who has any interaction with my children. And second of all, she’s a kid. She’s going to do what she wants when I’m not with her, and although that doesn’t amount to much at the tender age of three, it does amount to her not putting on her hat when she heads outside.

Do they make sunblocks for heads? For scalps? Surely, one must exist. After a day of searching, I found several options. And I decided on Shiseido Refreshing Sun Protection Spray SPF 16. A little pricy, but it had really good reviews as I was looking around. Other options were either really for protecting hair color (something I myself use, since I spend a considerable amount of time outdoors and color my hair), but my daughter’s hair is au natural, so that wasn’t going to cut it. I wanted something that I could spray on her scalp that would protect it from the sun. There were other options, less expensive options, but the reviews were basically that it was not much different than putting actual sunblock on the scalp, greasy, messy, no thanks. This spray is specifically formulated for the scalp. And it smells delicious. And she often reminds me in the morning that I need to spray it on her head. That’s always a good sign, because if she doesn’t like something, she’s going to put up a fight.

So while the spray is probably not as ideal as a hat, it’s better than nothing. It just gives me a little piece of mind, and now I know that she is covered when it comes to the sun, quite literally from head to toe.

But I recently decided to give California Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 a try. It’s fragrance-free, which is essential for us, so that was the clencher. I had a really hard time finding a tube of it anywhere, let alone two tubes. I did finally find it, though, and my goodness, did we use those up quickly. The tubes were tiny. I suppose more so because I’m used to that good old huge pink bottle from the drugstore. The sunblock worked well, no sunburns. However, it was extremely thick and left a very shiny and whitish gleam on the girls. Not a good look. So when my stock ran out, I decided to try something else. Because while I don’t mind spending a little extra for something I absolutely love, and in general I adore California Baby products, the sunscreen just wasn’t for us.

And so, the search continued…

And then, I found it…

The greatest sunscreen ever…

Kiss My Face Sunspray Lotion. It’s SPF 30. Water-resistant. Fragrance-free. Oh, and it’s a pretty large 8-oz. bottle. And the price? It’s definitely right. And I love it. I’ve been using it on everyone. It sprays on, but you still have to rub it in. No problem there, because it has a really light and lovely consistency and it’s so very easy to spread and it does not leave a whitish cast on the skin. Pea doesn’t complain when I pull out the yellow bottle the way she has with other sun protection lotions in the past. It’s just not a 15-minute ordeal to get her covered. It’s spray, rub and out the door. I keep one by the back door, one in her bag that goes with her to camp and one in the girl’s bathroom so that we’re always covered. Get it? Always covered?

Oh, and if you decide to give it a try? And you can’t find any? Anywhere? Well, let’s just say that you’ll know who’s been there before you…

Me.

I have fair skin. But I have fair skin that doesn’t burn. I get dark. Very dark. But it’s not a look I’m striving for any more. A little healthy color is all I want or need.

My husband? He’s outside a lot. And I’ve talked to him about needing to wear sunscreen, too. It’s just something we have to do. Like brushing our teeth or putting on deodorant. And when we’re together, I can remind him and stick the bottle in his hand and watch him put it on. But he travels a lot. And I can’t keep my eye on him. So I had to find him something that was a “manly” grooming product but that would satisfy my desire for him to protect his skin. At the very least, the skin on his face. Because while I know he can take the two seconds to put on a “manly” moisturizer with an SPF in it, I’m pretty sure when I send him on the road with a secondary bottle of sunblock, he’s not using it. Not that he’s in a rush, but he’s a get-in-and-get-out kind of a guy.

Hopefully, he thinks this Jack Black product fits the bill. And he will use it. Every morning.

Pea outgrew the eczema. I think that’s pretty common. But now Coco is suffering with some rough patches on her back. I’m sure it’s from having the heat on in the house, coupled with the cold and dry air outside. We made the switch, temporarily, to a fragrance-free shampoo by California Baby so that after I wash her hair (bathing is a nightly ritual for both girls in our home), she’s not soaking in a tub of fragranced suds. But the real quest for me was to find a cream that would soothe her skin. Once eczema really sets in, it’s just so difficult to tame and I’m really determined to find an alternative to those topical steroid creams. I’ve been using Baby Balm on those rough patches, but now I’m also noticing the dryness on the backs of her arms and legs. About one week ago, I found a bottle of Burt’s Bees Apricot Oil, and have been using that religiously, every night after her bath and before bed, as the oil for her baby massage, making certain to rub it in especially well on the dry areas. It smells incredible and more importantly, I think it’s doing the trick. I noticed this morning that her skin wasn’t as scratchy as it’s been the past few days. I know it’s futile to obsess about perfect baby skin, but I’m a mama…

The woman who runs the site is very serious about organic products and she has some intensely detailed guidelines for what she will sell on her site. She carries several lines I’ve always loved, such as Jurlique and Dr. Hauschka. She also carries a line that until today I’ve had a great deal of difficulty finding, called Balm Balm, out of the UK. I mentioned earlier I was on a quest for a family “salve” that would replace my beloved Aquaphor, and I think I’ve found it. Baby Balm. You can use it on any body part, it’s reasonably priced, and a little goes a very long way. I used it on Coco’s cheeks tonight, which have become rather wind chapped with the sudden drop in temperature.

There’s a beauty advisor on the site who will answer questions and steer you towards the right ingredients and products for your particular needs. It offers samples and ships very quickly.

This is the comprehensive site I’ve really been searching for to cover our skin care needs. And the best part? It’s not just organic. It’s luxurious, too. And that I have found to be a tall order to fill. Give me something really healthy and clean for my family but that still feels… luxurious.

A note: If you sign up for email updates from idealbite.com they will send you a welcome email with a little bonus that you just might enjoy. It’s a great site that helps steer you towards making the crossover to greener pastures in a realistic manner.