Motherhood Mondays: Brushing kids' teeth

When I was twenty three, I went to the dentist and discovered that I had ten cavities. Ten. How mortifying is that? I swear I'm not totally gross. Meanwhile, Alex somehow has never even had one, so, needless to say, we're hoping Toby takes after him. Here are three things that have helped three-year-old Toby get excited about brushing his teeth...
1. My friend Kendra recommended getting a wooden step stool so Toby can reach the sink and brush his teeth like a grown-up (!!!). He likes standing up there so much that we actually have to tell him after a while to step away from the sink.
2. Watch this Elmo video. Warning: The annoying song will get stuck in your head, but kids adore it. We sing the song ("Brush brushy brush brushy brush brush, huh!") when Toby is brushing his teeth and he always starts laughing. And funnily enough, Nicole Kidman, Bruno Mars, David Hyde Pierce, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber are in the video, too.
3. Find natural toothpaste that actually tastes good. The Honest Company—which we love and already use for our household, bath and baby products—just came out with toothpaste for both kids and adults. The adult toothpaste is mint, and the kids toothpaste is strawberry. Toby loves it and even asks for more squeezes onto his toothbrush. And there are no questionable chemicals or artificial sweeteners or dyes.

Any other tips for getting your little stinkers to brush their teeth? If you'd like to try out Honest products, get 40% off a bundle with the code ACOJBundle. Limited to U.S. and Canadian residents, applies to your first bundle order only, and expires October 9th.

P.S. The Honest Company also has the CUTEST diapers.

(Photos by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo. Thanks, Alpha! This post is sponsored by The Honest Company, whose products and mission I adore. Thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that make Cup of Jo possible.)

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Photos from the weekend

How was your weekend? The crisp fall weather was gorgeous! After a nutty week, this weekend was great and restorative. (Thanks for the sweet comments.) Here are a few more photos, just for fun...
We met this lovely street artist, who Toby thought was Santa. His head almost exploded.
We met some friends at the playground. (Funnily enough, this little guy above was Toby's very first friend.)
Anton has been smiling like crazy! It kills me!
On Saturday evening, we had peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich picnic in the grassy meadow in front of our new building (where Toby has had all his birthday parties). Anton passed on the sandwiches and instead ate his hands.
These were the views! Since our building is way over by the water, Alex and I were talking about how feels like we live in the suburbs but in Manhattan. It's a funny mix. Looking forward to sharing more photos of our new apartment once we finally get it decorated.
The scene on my desk on Monday morning made me smile.

What did you do this weekend? Hope you had a good one! Lots of love! xoxo

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SNL's Spoof on Girls

You've probably all already seen this SNL spoof of the show Girls, but just in case there's one person out there who hasn't, I figured I'd post it. It's too hilarious to miss. Their impressions of the characters are SPOT ON—especially Hannah and Jessa. I was laughing out loud the whole time.

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Have a great weekend.

What are your plans for this weekend? We're having friends over for a picnic on Saturday and I'm hoping to check out this this cheese shop. In other news, Anton woke up four times last night! I'm so tired! I feel like crying! It seems like everyone else's babies are sleeping through the night. That can't be true, right? It makes me think of this book. Well, hope you have a wonderful weekend, and here are some fun posts from around the web...

The joys of being a restaurant regular.

Made me laugh.

Zucchini parmesan crisps.

Grinning from ear to ear watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt dance and Justin Timberlake joke around.

How to beat jet lag.

This nail polish is on my wishlist.

Egg font. (It took 1000 eggs!)

How to say no. (Fascinating.)

Four tutorials for short hair.

Cute emailable invitations.

What Amy Poehler wants in a best friend.

J.Crew has a baby shop!

And three past posts you may have missed:
* Real actors read Yelp reviews.
* A hilarious Halloween costume.
* 60 years of roses.

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Great new book

My friend Ann just wrote a wonderful memoir—Mastering the Art of French Eating—which came out today. I read it while breastfeeding Anton this summer, and it's one of those books that makes you pause to daydream while you're reading. She's a funny, sweet and disarming writer, and I got swept up on her journey.

Here's her story: Ann was thrilled when her husband was given a diplomatic assignment in Paris. Two years of stinky cheese, romantic dinners, road trips...she couldn't believe her good fortune. But right after they arrived in Paris, her husband was called away for a yearlong post in Iraq—alone—and she was left to find a life for herself in a new city. At first, she was lonely (she describes turning on all the lamps at home to make the rooms feel cozier; "the hours until dinner and bedtime stretched before me dry and uncompromising," she recalls), but then she had an idea. She could spend her time in France—traveling to small towns and meeting crazy chefs, farmers and restaurateurs—to discover the history and secrets behind the country's incredible signature dishes, from boeuf bourguignon to buckwheat crêpes.

Mastering the Art of French Eating is part funny memoir, part cookbook, part historical essays and part love story. (She describes her husband so sweetly; even though we know him, it was so lovely to see him through her eyes.)

It's such a wonderful book! If you like Julia Child or Amanda Hesser or Peter Mayle, this book will be up your alley. I loved it and would highly recommend it. Congratulations, Ann!
Are you reading anything good these days?

(Bottom photo by Valeria Schettino)

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Fall uniform

Inspired by my tomboy mom, I've been hoping to come up with a fall uniform. But the other day, I realized I already have one. Almost everyday, I've been wearing a Everlane seed-stitch sweater. The box cut is flattering and looks great with jeans. It feels like a sweatshirt, yet still feminine and pretty. I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for an easy shirt this fall.
What's your uniform these days?

P.S. Parisian wedges.

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NatureBox giveaway

Today's giveaway is from NatureBox, the snack subscription service that sends you five bags of natural snacks every month. My favorite are the blueberry almonds (above), which taste like blueberry muffins; and we also like the guacamole bites, banana chips, yogurt pretzels and whole-wheat raspberry figgy bars. You can choose the exact snacks you want (they have more than 90 different kinds) or let them surprise you.
Today NatureBox is giving one reader an entire year of snacks! We love getting five new snacks to try every month. For a chance to win, please visit NatureBox and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: The winner has been emailed. Thanks for playing.

Bonus for all readers: If you'd like to try NatureBox, get 50% off your first box with the code CUPOFJO (so you'll enjoy five bags for $9.95). Good for two weeks.

(Photos by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo)

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My morning with Anton

This morning Anton and I rallied and went on a little adventure in the West Village...
I rarely go to press events, but Blue Hill restaurant—which also has a beautiful farm and fancy restaurant in the Hudson Valley—was doing a tasting of their new yogurts, and I thought they'd be fun to try. So Anton and I got duded up and headed over.
The four yogurts have vegetable flavors: beet, carrot, butternut squash and tomato. Don't you love the packaging? Those illustrations are fantastic.
My two favorites were beet (sweet and smooth) and butternut squash (which tasted like pumpkin pie, with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove). But while some other guests raved about the carrot and tomato, I wished they were a little sweeter. You could definitely taste the vegetables! The tomato had a funny under taste, as Ms. Woodhouse might say.
Anyway, it was a fun morning—felt restorative to be out and about:) Would you try veggie yogurts? Which yogurts do you like? I also like this kind, which my friend Abbey turned me onto.

P.S. Playing with chickens at the farm.

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The Best Masala Chai

As the weather gets cooler, and the days get shorter, blogger Pooja Makhijani recommends mixing up a steaming pot of masala chai. Here's her family recipe (so much better than the Starbucks version!)...
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Vacation rentals with a twist

We really like renting houses on vacation (they're typically more spacious and less expensive than hotels, and you feel like a local). But some people—my mother-in-law, for example—get freaked out by the idea of renting someone else's place. What if it's gross? Dirty? A scam?

Well! OneFineStay sounds amazing. The company curates apartment rentals but run them like hotels. You get fluffy towels and high-thread-count sheets. They make the beds with hospital corners. They even put fancy mini shampoos in the bathrooms.

You can find apartments in New York and London—and this month they're launching in Paris and L.A. The apartments are gorgeous!
Isn't that a smart idea? Wouldn't you like to try it? (My mother-in-law will be psyched:)

P.S. 10 ways not to look like a tourist, and the weird thing we do on vacations.

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Do or Don't: Flag decor

Now that we've unpacked all the boxes in our our new apartment, we're going to start decorating! We've lived in crumbling New York apartments for so long that we still have our old stuff—IKEA lamps, a ripped sofa, old yellow pillows. So I'm excited to get a few nicer things, hang some pretty art and make our home feel grown-up.
For artwork, one thing that packs a punch is using vintage flags as artwork. You can either frame them or just pin them up. It's a way of looking at a flag as an object of art, like Jasper Johns, versus any sort of political statement. A giant flag over the sofa might look really cool, don't you think?

(Photos by Mark Roper in Country Style Australia and Rachel Halvorson)

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Pinhole Press scribble pad

Inspired by Swedes, we try our best to play outside every day of the year (take that, NYC winters!), but of course there are many cold dark days where you're cooped up inside most of the time. So, I've been brainstorming fun things to do inside this winter to keep us from going stir crazy.

For indoor play, how adorable is Pinhole Press's new giant scribble pad? You put your child's name and photo on the front, and it comes with a pack of beeswax crayons. I have to say, Toby was so excited when I gave this to him! Pinhole Press has lots of other games, including a memory game, 60-piece puzzle and 12-piece puzzle.
Today, Pinhole Press is giving away a $100 gift certificate so you can pick out photo products for both kids and adults. For a chance to win, please visit Pinhole Press and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen tomorrow. Good luck! Update: The winner has been emailed. Thanks for playing.

Would your little ones like this? It would make a great gift, too, I think.

P.S. Our winter goal, and how Danish babies sleep outside.

(Photos by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo. Pinhole Press is one of my beloved long-term sponsors, and we love their photo products. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep Cup of Jo up and running.)

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Motherhood Mondays: Six words to say to your child

I read some parenting advice last week, and I can't stop thinking about it...Read More >

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Have a great weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We'll be unpacking our new apartment and exploring the new neighborhood. Do you have any recommendations for Tribeca? (This awesome bike store is just a few blocks away!) Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun posts from around the web...

Clever collar upgrade.

Dinner for one.

Larry David's tips for dealing with people.

A beautiful way to do eyeliner.

Childbirth is an extreme sport. Made me teary.

Five sad desk lunches.

21 habits of supremely happy people.

This moonwalk tutorial (scroll down) made me laugh out loud.

Great idea: Avocado pasta!

Cute corduroys for crisp fall days.

The sweetest, sweetest book.
This guy's a little jokester. (Btw, I know every photo I take of Anton is on my legs, but we spend a lot of time post-breastfeeding just hanging.)

Have a good one! xo

(Happy link via Snippet & Ink)

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Fall shopping

Just a head's up: J.Crew is offering 25% off right now, in case you're looking to spruce up your fall wardrobe. Find the code right here. xo

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Are you scared of public speaking?

Alex hates public speaking but sometimes has to make speeches for his job. He stresses out the whole night before. Luckily, I heard about a cool trick...

Make a fist with your left hand.

"Freaking out is primarily associated with the left hemisphere of the brain," wrote The Atlantic, so researchers found that making a fist with your left hand helps "draw focus away from the left hemisphere" and turns off the worrying part of your brain.

Cool, right? Will you try it? Do you find public speaking nerve-wracking?

P.S. My elevator phobia.

(Photo of Yves Saint Laurent being pushed onstage, Paris, 1986, via Messy Nessy Chic)

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The first sign of fall.

Made me laugh.

(By Gemma Correll)

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