Have a lovely weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We're meeting friends for a brunch picnic—we're bringing grilled cheese sandwiches and strawberries—and then having a low-key Easter egg hunt. Last year, Toby found it all to be a bummer, but hopefully he'll get into it this year! Have a great weekend, and if you're in a blog-reading mood, here are a few fun posts from around the web...

How to make a pretty iPhone case.

Cute New Yorkers on the subway.

Horizon rainbow in Paris.

15 Swedish words we should incorporate into English.

Mom hasn't ordered her favorite pizza topping in over a decade.

Spinach and artichoke melts.

Cutest bright colors!

Ease brain fatigue with a walk in the park. (True for babies, too.)

Another way to sloooooow down.

What a brilliant book idea.

Children should be allowed to get bored.

Subway easter eggs.

Julie Weiss ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money for pancreatic cancer research. High five.

(Photo, supporting marriage equality, by San Francisco florist Natalie Bowen Designs. Children's book via Swissmiss)

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Tilda Swindon sleeping at MoMA

Actress Tilda Swinton will be sleeping in a glass box at MoMA at unannounced times between now and the end of the year. It's part of a performance piece called "The Maybe." “Those who find it chance upon it for themselves, live and in real shared time," the museum said in a statement.

This is definitely one of those "is this art?" moments. What do you think?

P.S. More awesome art: Swings, indoor playground, whispering secrets, and marrying Prince William.

(Photos by Gothamist, via Kottke)

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Offbeat wedding shoes

What kind of shoes did (or would) you wear to your wedding? I wore basic pink flats, but here are 7 fun ideas...Read More >

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Twins separated at birth?

Twinsters is a Kickstarter project by a pair of twenty-five-year-old women who just discovered they might be identical twins.

Here's their story: In February, Samantha, an American actor living in Los Angeles, received a Facebook message from Anaïs, a French fashion design student living in London. Anaïs' friends had seen a YouTube video featuring Samantha. They were immediately blown away by the identical appearance of Samantha and Anaïs. After a few Google stalking sessions, Anaïs and her friends discovered that both girls were born on November 19, 1987 and adopted shortly afterward. Anaïs knew immediately that it was possible for Samantha to be her biological twin sister and reached out to her through Facebook.

Now they're raising funds on Kickstarter to meet each other, film a documentary about their experience, and test their DNA to see if they are twins. Fascinating, right?!

P.S. People who only look like twins.

(Top photo of Lucy and me when we were babies. Twinster via Kottke)

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Heart print

20x200 was a great place to shop for affordable art, but they recently closed. So I was happy to learn about Banquet, which sells this heart print. Wouldn't it look pretty in a foyer or bedroom?

(Via Size too Small)

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Babymoon weekend: St. Lucia

This past weekend, we took a three-day babymoon getaway to St. Lucia, which was a ridiculously beautiful and amazing place! Here are a few photos, if you'd like to see...
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The Best Chicken Soup You'll Ever Have

Even though spring has technically arrived, there's still a lingering winter chill in the air. So, today, Allison from Some the Wiser is sharing her slamdunk chicken soup recipe to keep us toasty, and she swears it's great for every season...
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Three budget ways to display flowers

Spring flowers are in the air (magnolia start blooming any day now!), and it's the ideal season to fill your home with flowers. But fresh flowers can be expensive, so here are three ways to display flowers this spring without breaking the bank. First, isn't this vintage bottle beautiful? Just pop a few leafy greens in there, and you're all set.
Dried flowers from etsy shop Flores del Sol last for a few years.
And West Elm has new paper flowers! They're surprisingly beautiful and would last forever on a mantlepiece.

Thoughts? Which is your favorite?

P.S. Three ways to arrange supermarket flowers.

(Styling by Jessica Comingore for West Elm)

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White sneakers for summer

We got back from St. Lucia last night, and it was amazing! (Looking forward to sharing photos tomorrow.) At the beach, we spotted lots of cute girls wearing white sneakers (without socks, of course). Comfy shoes are key for summer adventures, and these looked fresh and adorable.

Superga shoes were designed in Italy 100 years ago to transition from the city to the beach. You can find them here and here. What do you think? Would you wear them?

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American parents around the world?

I’m working on a little project about parenting around the world. We’re specifically looking for American or Canadian parents who are living abroad with their children. Do you know anyone who fits that description? If so, I’d be really thrilled to chat with them. Please email americanparentsabroad (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you so much! xoxo
(Top photos of our parents with us in France; bottom photo of a boy in Madrid by The Sartorialist)

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Indoor activity: Spa day with your child

Sometimes you just need a bit of pampering, right? So, last week, Toby and I decided to do a mama/baby spa day...
Our particular spa day was held at my friend Gemma’s apartment. That way, Toby and her son Errol could enjoy the splashy fun together. (Also, they have a much nicer tub; ours is exactly 1 billion years old—and looks older.)
First Toby ran a bubble bath…(Nothing is sweeter than multiple babies in the bath!)
Then, since it was a special day, we busted out The Ultimate Toddler Treat: lollipops.
With that sugary snack, they didn’t mind when we shampooed their hair, made soapy mohawks and washed their nooks and crannies.
The highlight of the spa experience was when we brought a colander into the bath and made it “rain.” The boys were totally delighted. (Brilliant idea, Gemma!)
After the bath, the little guys dried off with their animal towels. (I am going to weep and then frame Toby’s duck towel when he grows out of it, I love it so much:) Also, you will note that Toby is wearing diapers—we’re taking a few-month hiatus from potty training, since, in the end, he didn’t seem ready. I can explain more in the comments below, if you’d like!
Finally, we gave them massages with body lotion—an activity which, we quickly realized, had been easier with infants than with squirmy toddlers! (Here's a tutorial.) But Errol blissed out during the foot massage, and Toby thought leg massages were hilarious. He would dissolve into giggles as soon as I pressed his little calf muscle, it was so cute. (Is that a baby thing?)
It was such a cute afternoon, and the boys ended up happy, sleepy and sparkly clean. Mission accomplished. :)
For our sweet babes, we used natural products from The Honest Company, which we trust and adore: bubble bath, shampoo and body wash, face and body lotion, diapers and wipes. We also lit one of their new soy candles, which smelled like gardenia jasmine.

Bonus for all readers: Get $10 off a $40 purchase at The Honest Company using code ACupofJo10off40. (Limited to first-time customers and one use per customer. Good until April 1st.)

(This post is sponsored by The Honest Company, a company that we use everyday and whose mission we admire. Photos by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo)

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Have a wonderful weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We're flying off to St. Lucia today, and I can't wait to share photos next week. Also, thanks for being so sweet about Alex's guest post! He was touched. :) Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun posts from around the web...

A song to kick off your weekend.

How quickly can you type? This is addictive.

Wow, this caramel cake is not kidding around.

Clever entertaining tip.

Now THIS is a tiny apartment.

Beachy nail colors.

Why James Bond needs to wear condoms. Sidenote: WHY ALL THE UNPROTECTED SEX ON HBO'S GIRLS?! It makes me crazy.

London vs. NYC.

What an amazing family vacation to the Philippines.

The sweetest sweetest book.

5 pieces of advice from a mother.

And for hungry New Yorkers: A sandwich a day.

Have a good one. xoxo

(Photo of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, via Snippet & Ink)

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Packing for the beach

In the past, I've posted about a few vacation outfits, just for fun, but here's what we're actually packing for the beach this weekend...
J.Crew swimsuit: When I was pregnant with Toby, I was shy about wearing a two-piece swimsuit, and I still am a little bit. I mean, there's just so much belly. But for our babymoon trip, I decided just to go for it and chose this pretty one. I've been loyal to J.Crew swimsuits since I was in my early 20s. The cuts are always flattering, and they actually cover your bum:)
Straw sunhat: Four years ago, on our honeymoon, Alex gave me a sunhat and insisted I wear it everyday to protect my alabaster skin from the harsh sun. Have you ever worn one? They're great for reading on the beach. Ever since, I've toted one on every trip.
Yellow tote: Obviously, you don't want your nicer bags to get wet and sandy at the beach, so this $35 tote comes in handy! It's the ideal size for a picnic, books and towels.
Natural sunscreen: I wear Josie Maran's face moisturizer with SPF 40 everyday. It's chemical-free, goes on smoothly, and makes your skin glow. (We use Badger for our bodies.)
NARS multiple stick: You can look instantly pretty with pink rosy cheeks on the beach.
Leather flip flops: Flip flops are the perfect beach shoes, but plastic pairs can look cheap. Then, SEVEN YEARS ago, I bought a leather pair, and they've lasted every summer since then! They look pretty with sundresses and you can wear them to restaurants without feeling like a five-year-old.
A good book: Have you ever read The Newlyweds? I just picked it up at a bookstore this week and can't wait to dive in!

What do you always pack for a trip? Any other book recommendations?

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Babymoon trip this weekend!

Have you ever been to St. Lucia? Alex and I are heading there this weekend for our babymoon trip! Eeeeeks!!! We're crazy excited and cannot wait to spend a couple days relaxing and doing nothing. The trip will be so romantic and a real shot-in-the-arm after this long winter. I'll be rocking my suddenly enormous six-month belly.

While planning our trip, we almost booked a room at La Haut B&B, which looks lovely, but since we're only going for three nights—and this will be our last romantic getaway for ages—we decided to splurge and stay right on the beach, at Sugar Beach. Our friends stayed there a couple years ago and recommended it highly. (And the photos speak for themselves. Holy smokes!)

Meanwhile, Toby and my mom will be having a fun staycation in NYC. It's always hard to leave Toby, but now that we've taken a couple grown-up trips, I've realized that the worst part by far is the cab ride to the airport. I'm always on the verge of tears, asking Alex, how can we leave our baby??!!! Alex has to talk me off the ledge for the entire drive, but by the time we've checked in and are sitting on the plane with a magazine, the worry has lessened and the excitement of the trip has kicked in. I’ve been continually surprised by how refreshing and revitalizing adult trips are. It's REALLY nice to connect with your partner without a toddler tugging on your arm and asking for more strawberries.

Also, sleeping in.

While we're away, whenever Toby asks for us, my mom always tells him that Mommy and Daddy are on an airplane and are going to bring home a lollipop, and then they launch into deep and lengthy conversations about which color lollipop we might bring. We're so grateful to my mom for helping us take these little getaways now and again.

Have you taken a trip without your child? Where did you go? And have you ever been to St. Lucia?! Any insider tips? I cannot wait:)

(Photos by Sugar Beach and Ashley)

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San Francisco apartment tour (500-square-feet!)

Blogger Jordan Ferney lives in a 500-square-foot apartment in San Francisco with her husband and two sons. While you'd assume they'd feel cramped, Jordan has actually figured out clever ways to maximize the space. "Even though it’s the smallest apartment we've ever lived in, it's also our favorite," she says. Take a look...
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The Best Citrus Salad You'll Ever Have

Today is officially the first day of spring! Even though it's still freezing outside, at least we know daffodils and sunshine are around the corner, right? (Right?!) To help welcome those breezy spring days, Erin Gleeson of The Forest Feast is sharing her recipe for citrus salad, which would be perfect for a picnic...
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Pinhole Press weddings

My friends' company Pinhole Press—known for their photo stationery and notepads—just launched a series of amazing wedding suites. You can make photo invitations, save-the-dates, place cards, wine labels, coasters, whatever you'd like. How sweet is that?

Another cool element are the wall decals, which you can easily peel on and off, so you could create a gallery wall in your wedding venue! How adorable would it be to show childhood photos, family photos, and snapshots from when you first met?
More colors below...Read More >

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Q&A with animal photographer Sharon Montrose

Sharon Montrose has what most people consider a dream job: She photographs adorable animals—from lions to flamingos to knobbly-kneed giraffes—and sells prints online at her store, The Animal Print Shop. But what's her job really like? Does she ever get scared? What's the trickiest animal to photograph?

Here, Sharon answers my 12 most pressing questions (her answers are surprising!)...
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Birthday candles

Do you have any special birthdays coming up? My dad's birthday is April 1st, so I've been brainstorming a fun gift I can mail to Michigan. But if we lived in the same place, I'd love to bring out a cake with these tall gold candles. They're masculine, elegant and grown-up enough for someone who all your friends think is a spy.

P.S. Cheeky birthday candles, and birthday cheese.

(Photo by The Soho)

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Mama/baby ideas

I'm kind of addicted to Pinterest—who isn't?—so I was excited when Target asked me to be a guest pinner this spring. My board focuses on pregnancy ideas and baby products, which have been so sweet to scout. You can follow it here, if you'd like. Congratulations to all the expectant and new parents out there!

P.S. A short Q&A I did with Target, too:)

(Graphic layout by Rachel for Cup of Jo)

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Motherhood Monday: Bringing your child's favorite book to life

Every night, Alex and I read Toby bedtime stories. His absolute favorite is One Sunday Morning, which tells the story of a boy named Minho, who spends the day at Central Park with his dad. Whenever we read the book, Toby's eyes light up. We realized that he was imagining that he was the little boy in the book. Seeing how excited Toby was, Alex decided to actually make the day come true. Here are Alex's photos...Read More >

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