Motherhood Mondays: How do you prepare your older child for a new baby?

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My one big worry these days is...

...how the new baby will affect Toby.

When we told Toby early on that a new baby would be joining our family, he requested a "glurl" named Thomas. These days, though, when the baby is casually mentioned, he holds up his hand, looks me in the eye and tells me very sternly, "No baby, Mama. No baby."

And I get his point. Right now, I have so much time to devote to Toby, and our relationship is sweet and close. I really worry about losing that closeness once a newborn arrives and I don't have as much one-on-one time with him. In those early days with a newborn, I can't imagine we'll still be going out to breakfast, on afternoon bike rides...but I don't want him to suddenly feel as if he has became our second priority. How can I keep him feeling loved?

In her memoir Waiting for Birdy, Catherine Newman quotes Penelope Leach:
"Imagine your husband coming home to tell you that he was proposing to take on a second wife as well as you, and imagine him using the various phrases that are frequently used to break the news of a coming baby to a child:
* "I like you so much I just can't wait to have another gorgeous wife."
* "It'll be our wife. It'll belong to both of us and we'll both look after her together."
* "I shall really need my reliable old wife to help me look after this new young one."

How can you help prepare your beloved older child for a new baby? Children's books about siblings? Regular dates with your child? If you have multiple kids, did your older child flip out when the new baby arrived? If you're an older sibling yourself, do you remember it being traumatic? I would so appreciate any insight...Thank you!!!
P.S. I liked this idea.

11 Nutella recipes

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Today is World Nutella Day, which basically means you can eat as much Nutella as you want and it doesn't count. Here are 11 mouthwatering recipes (which would you pick?)...

Nutella brownies.

Salted Nutella peanut-butter thumbprint cookies.

Nutella-stuffed brown butter sea salt chocolate-chip cookies.

Banana and Nutella stuffed French toast.

Peanut butter Nutella crepes.

Nutella-filled sugar donuts.

Nutella pudding.

Salted Nutella fudge.

Nutella waffle sandwich cookies.

Nutella cheesecake bars.

Nutella banana smoothie.

P.S. This made me laugh.

(Top photo by Ambitious Kitchen)

Everlane silk blouses

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Do you remember Everlane, the California-based brand that sells perfect T-shirts for $15? Well, they now make silk blouses, with an easy fit and rounded collar. (My tomboy mom would have loved them:) I have the navy one and wear it constantly, and I'd highly recommend them if you're looking for a pretty shirt to wear this year!
P.S. I was wearing the blouse in this photo:)
P.P.S. My favorite shoes.

Half-up braided crown

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Whenever we did hair tutorials in the past, we got tons of comments requesting curly hair and short hair tutorials. So we've put together four new posts—two for curly hair and two for short hair. Thanks for the encouragement! Here, my hair-stylist friend Reagan, who has gorgeous curls, shows how to do a half-up braided crown. Here are her steps...

1. Part your hair down the middle, and gather together a large section of hair on one side. (I like to pull pieces down in the front so I have softness around my face.)
2-4. Braid the section. Start loosely at the top, working backwards in the direction that you want the braid to go (so rather than braiding straight down, you want to braid back, so the braid is at a slight slant). Secure with an elastic.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6-7. Cross the first braid behind your head so that the braid swoops down to the nape of your neck (it’s a more feminine, flattering and grown-up look than crossing it directly across the back of your head). Pin in place with bobby pins, making sure to tuck in the tail. (If your braid is quite long, you can fold the tail in half and tuck it behind the braid.)
8. Repeat on the other side.
Thank you so much, Reagan! This would be perfect for Valentine's Day or night out with friends; it's so relaxed and beautiful.

P.S. 14 more hair tutorials...

(Photos by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo. Styling and modeling by Reagan Baker of Hairdresser on Fire)

Write Press Releases that Grab Peoples' Attention

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By Frederick Vickers

There are so many different aspects of both online and offline business that have the potential for overwhelming anyone. All the old vets of internet marketing who pioneered press release went through that and know the deal.

The primary reason for using freelance help is to allow for more time on activities that directly impact revenue.

We are not quite done with our discussion, and if you are like us the gears would be turning with fresh ideas.

While companies selling physical products like luxaflex blinds may find this marketing strategy is very useful and diverse, it just depends on your particular situation. There is a lot to consider when you are contemplating all new promotional activities. Very many online businesses are extremely serious, and therefore they will always be interested in adding new revenue streams. Perhaps that easiest path to growth is through scaling existing campaigns, and then seek to add what you can that is all new. In the end, a long time from now, just be sure you do not look back and wish you would have considered more options. Your press release's first paragraph is really important and that is why you need to be choosy about which information is included in it. Make sure you include the basics as people are going to have questions right in the start; answer their questions related to where, how, why and when right in the first paragraph, so that they don't really have any doubts and are comfortable moving forward.

You can take any one of these methods and really go all out in your business because they will open up new venues for you, to be sure. You will be positioning your self for the greatest gains with this simple approach. One thing you can easily do is test these tips and look at examples and case studies such as the company that sells luxaflex blinds using this marketing strategy, on a small scale, and that is another approach we tell people to try - just do a small test and decide. Not necessarily at all with what we are talking about today, but there are other methods and ideas that are sold and not really the best choices for people to use.

If you are really new, then you have to know the importance of performing background research on any method that you are not familiar with. If you are not careful about what you do, then you can easily start method-hopping and getting nowhere. That experience is very common with web marketers who are relatively new and with little experience. We really pretty much do not care who it is, if something is new to you then you have to preform some research to get another side of the story. Maybe you have already had experiences in which smart homework saved you some money. In order to find success with your press release, you need to focus on some of the vital elements such as the headline. If you don't have a good headline then nobody is going to read your press release. The level of exposure that you get with your press release is completely dependent upon how well you can reach out to your target audience and impact them. Look around to see how other press releases out there have crafted their headlines so that you can emulate them while you work on conveying your own message to your readers. Do not be scared to experiment with your headlines and make changes.




About the Author:

Just about everybody who starts an online business goes through similar experiences; for example, there is a lot to be found about baby sleeping bags with sleeves strategy and their press release but you need to be careful. There can be many reasons, discussed at stop smoking London website and see their press release tips, with that as well as successful press release, so it can tough to pinpoint the exact cause. No need to bang your head against the wall, anymore, concerning this issue. We all make mistakes and have be down the same road; so do not feel like something is wrong with you.

The Best Sticky Buns You'll Ever Have

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This is not a light day on Cup of Jo:) For those winter mornings when you have guests or are just cozying up with a good book, decadent sticky buns are the perfect treat. Audra of The Baker Chick shares her favorite recipe...

Salted Caramel Sticky Buns
By Audra of The Baker Chick

This recipe for gooey sticky buns is not only decadent and delicious, but can be thrown together and baked in just 90 minutes! The sea salt caramel sauce is not nearly as daunting as it may seem, and it's a wonderful recipe to keep on hand as an ice cream topping, too. The smell of the soft, buttery rolls baking will make your kitchen smell like a dream, and is sure to elicit warm and fuzzy holiday feelings!

(For an even easier morning treat, prep these the night before and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chill overnight and let them proof for an hour in the morning right before baking.)

Recipe: Salted Caramel Sticky Buns
Makes 18 rolls (2 batches of nine, in round cake pans)

For the dough:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg

For the filling:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter (4 tbsp.)

For the salted caramel sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
6 tbsp. unsalted butter- cut into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp sea salt

For the caramel sauce:

Make sure all your ingredients are ready to go before you begin. Have the cream in a measuring cup and the butter in pieces near the saucepan.

Heat sugar and water on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Keep an eye on the sugar mixture, swirling the pan occasionally until the water has evaporated and the liquid sugar is dark amber in color (about 10 minutes).

Immediately add the butter pieces to the pan and whisk until melted.

Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. (The mixture will foam up considerably - this is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-3 quarts.)

Next, add the sea salt. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass container and let sit to cool to room temperature. (It will thicken as it cools.)

For the dough:

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; whisk together. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well with an electric mixer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon to stir well after each addition (dough will be too thick and sticky to use the mixers at this point). When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5-8 minutes (dough will spring back when lightly pressed).

Cover the dough with a clean, damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep two 8 to 9-inch round cake pans by drizzling caramel sauce on the bottom. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Lightly flour your work surface and separate dough into halves. Roll each section of dough into a rectangle. Using a pastry brush, slather the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle dough with cinnamon sugar mixture and press in lightly so it doesn't fall out when you roll it. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal.

Cut into 9 equal size rolls. Arrange rolls in your prepared pans and cover, letting the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Drizzle the tops of the rolls with more caramel sauce, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes and then invert the pan onto a tray or cake stand. (Make sure the tray/stand you use is big enough to handle the extra caramel sauce that will leak out.)


YUM! Thanks, Audra.

P.S. More best recipes, including buttermilk pancakes and a lazy egg sandwich.

(Photos by Audra from the Baker Chick. Thanks to Shoko for helping with this series)

The Best Bloody Mary You'll Ever Have

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Bloody Marys are a famous hangover drink, so we figured we'd share a recipe before you head off to holiday parties and New Year shenanigans. There's something so debaucherous about showing up bleary eyed at brunch (or the breakfast table) and requesting a Bloody Mary. It hurts so good. (Fun fact: according to the original formula, the celery stick must be chewed after each sip.) Here, Nicole Franzen shares her perfect bracing recipe, along with a secret ingredient...

The Best Bloody Mary You'll Ever Have
By Nicole Franzen of La Buena Vida

I don't know about you, but I love Bloody Marys. The best thing about them is that there's no wrong way to make them. These days, people are getting really creative with their recipes, including ingredients like clam juice, pickled vegetables, hot sauces, bouillon cubes, and bacon—but I prefer to go the classic route.

My dear friend is a bartender on the Lower East Side, and she makes what I think are the best Bloody Marys. I visit her often to sip on one of her perfect concoctions, sometimes even without the vodka. There is something so satisfying about the salty, spicy tomato juice that I just love and crave. Her twist: the addition of Old Bay. And while some recipes call for more Worcestershire, I like to go heavy on the lemon juice, olive juice and horseradish. My ideal afternoon? These Bloody Marys and a dozen oysters.

Recipe: Old Bay Bloody Marys
Makes 2 drinks

For the drink:
4 oz. vodka
16 oz. tomato juice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Juice of one lemon
2 tbsp. olive juice
2 tbsp. horseradish
1 tsp. hot sauce
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. Old Bay, plus extra for the rim

For the garnish:
2 stalks of celery
A few olives
Two lemon slices

What to do:

Combine all the ingredients—minus the vodka—in a pitcher. Taste and adjust seasoning to preference.

Run a lemon along the rims of each glass. Then dip each rim in a dish filled with Old Bay seasoning.

Fill glasses with ice, pour 2 oz of vodka in each, and finish with the Bloody Mary mix. Garnish with lemon slice, olives and celery.
Thank you, Nicole! What do you think, everyone? You could always whip up a round for your relatives one morning, along with scrambled eggs and toast...

P.S. More best recipes, including the best margarita and the best party cocktail.

(Photos by Nicole Franzen of La Buena Vida. Thanks to Shoko for helping with this series.)