Toby's almost two

Toby is just a few months away from turning two, and he's gearing up like a champ. He's been nailing the whining, fussing and general malaise that comes with being two years old. The word "no" is his motto, and, through his eyes, everything is either the worst or the absolute worst. Here, Toby gets carried to the playground (since naturally he didn't want to ride in his stroller), but was distraught because he wanted Mommy to carry him, not Daddy!!!!!!

Alex says he wants to write a biography of Toby's year called "A Portrait of Courage." It's so hard to be a baby! Keeps making me laugh out loud.

10 creative business cards

Business cards don't seem that necessary these days, when people can track down your email address or Facebook page in seconds. So, they seem to have taken on a new function: clever pieces of art to set your business apart. First up, above is an edible card for a survival training business...
A jewelry brand...
Personal trainer...

Seven more below...
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The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches You'll Ever Have

Who doesn't love an old-fashioned grilled cheese? Perfect for midnight snacks or curing hangovers, these rich sandwiches always hit the spot. Well, today, Kate from Wit & Delight shares how to make the best two versions, one savory, one sweet...
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Flats love

Madewell's sidewalk skimmers are all adorable, but the polka dots have stolen my heart. How adorable are they? Would love to wear them to the playground and brunches in the West Village this spring.

Bike bag

The Seil Bag is a genius backpack for bikers. A wireless controller on your handlebars lets you clearly signal to cars when you're turning right, left or stopping, without taking your hands off the handlebars. I'd love to use this while riding around New York. It's just a prototype right now, but here's hoping this rad backpack is made and sold sometime soon.

(Via Go to Public School)

Motherhood Mondays: Baby Names & Faces Book

Pinhole Press has a brilliant new baby photo product: Big Book of Names & Faces. You make one with photos of your child's favorite people. My mom made us one as a gift, and it has become Toby's favorite bedtime story. Since our relatives live around the country, this book helps Toby remember them between visits (and happily recognize them when he sees them again), and I love that the book helps him learn words and names, and show him that he's part of a family that cares about him. Bravo, Pinhole Press!

(Thanks to my friend Laura Ratliff for taking these photos. You might recognize Sharon Beesley's kids in a photo. Pinhole Press is my friends' company and one of my beloved sponsors. )

Have a great weekend.

What are your up to this weekend? We're going to a grilled-cheese competition and watching the Oscars (meaning: analyzing red-carpet dresses). Also, I wanted to thank you so much for the hundreds and hundreds of comments, emails and overall outpouring of support and similar feeling after I wrote this personal post. I was stunned by how many women could relate; we really are all in this together. Thank you. xoxo Have a wonderful weekend, and here are a few great posts from around the web...

Aww, too tired for a cookie.

The life of a runway model is intense!

How to be a gentleman.

Louis Armstrong at the Pyramids.

Would you wear a one-piece swimsuit?

These balloon guys made me smile.

Oh, New York, that's embarrassing.

Burger tip.

The New York Times review of this book.

Can grown-ups ride scooters? (They look fun.)

A funny concept for a blog.

These photos are weirdly mesmerizing.

Sweet floral bridesmaids dresses.

(Photo of Bill Cosby by Michael Rougier, via Lost)

Maddie on Things

The website Maddie on Things, from the Midwest, made me laugh out loud. Of all the photos I've seen over the past few years, this makes me want to get a dog the most. :)

(Via Swissmiss)

The Bachelor (with photos)

The Bachelor this season has been wildly entertaining. Have you been watching it? The show's premise is clearly insane, but it's like a train wreck where you can't look away. (Even Alex, who makes fun of me, now asks me to pause it if he goes into the kitchen. Busted.) So, let's take a minute to chat: Which of the final three women do you think should end up with Ben?

Here are photos of the ladies...
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iPhone case

What a cute heart case. #Wishlisted.

Toby goes gallery hopping

We went to a few Chelsea art galleries when my dad was visiting last weekend, and this photo keeps making me smile. :)

Do or Don't: Black nail polish

The other day, I was watching the (surprisingly funny) show New Girl, and the gorgeous character Julia was wearing black nail polish. Instead of looking goth, her black polish looked grown-up and sexy. Since then, black nail polish has been popping up everywhere: pretty girls around town, celebrities at events, even the finalists on The Bachelor. :) What do you think? Would you wear it?

(Photos by New Girl, Getty Images and The StreetStyle)

The Best Chocolate Ice Cream You'll Ever Have

Last week, I began a new food series all about how to make killer versions of classic dishes. Well, get psyched, because Cenk from Cafe Fernando reveals how to make the best chocolate ice cream ever (without an ice-cream maker!)...
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Tuesday giveaway (with a twist)

Today's giveaway is from milk & honey, a fabulous online shoe boutique founded by two sisters, where you can find beautiful shoes or design your own shoes. You can choose the color, toe, strap, heel and material. Wouldn't it be fun to design your own flats, wedges or heels--or maybe the perfect shoes for your wedding?

Today, milk & honey will be letting one reader design her own pair of shoes. (What would you do?) For a chance to win, please visit milk & honey and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday. Good luck! Update: Cassie F. is our winner. Thanks for playing.

Motherhood Mondays: The hardest two months of my life

In an effort to be authentic, I'd like to talk about something difficult I went through as a new mother. A year ago, I went though the worst two months I've ever experienced. I never mentioned it on the blog. I couldn't; I was too overwhelmed. But now that a whole year has passed, I want to share my experience with you...
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Have a great weekend.

What are you doing this weekend? My dad's coming to visit from Michigan, and we're going out for pasta and to this rad exhibit. Toby will be showing off his new walking backwards skills, which he thinks is the same as doing the moonwalk. More or less! Have a wonderful weekend, and here are a few great posts from around the web...

Who wants coffee?

Raddest photos of fireflies.

Made me laugh.

Back to the Future comes to Broadway.

Rainbow nails.

Amsterdam is so cold right now that you can ice skate on the canals!

Double cuteness.

This gives me spring fever.

Toby and I are equally enamored with this great book.

Yes! Murray's Cheese has a tumblr!

Plus, I did two little interviews: for Loeffler Randall and DwellStudio.

Have a good one! xoxo

On authenticity: Tell us something true.

When I was a new mother, I went through something difficult. For a while, I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk about it on the blog, but my mom, who has always been a huge champion of "authenticity," emailed me recently to say this...

"It seems to me that being authentic is being brave enough or just candid enough to be honest about what you are experiencing or who you are, whether it is popular are not. A person gives a gift to other people when they say, 'This is what happened to me or this is how I truly feel, no matter what the popular belief is about what I should feel.' Whenever you are honest, you are speaking for a thousand silent people who don't have the voice to say what they really feel or are really experiencing. So, if you ever talk about [the thing you went through], you will touch a million hearts. Because you are speaking for more than just yourself. You are never alone in what you are feeling. I love you."

So, I will share my little story on Monday, even though it gives me butterflies. I thought my mom's words were so beautiful, and I want to always remember them. xoxo

Would you want to share something true about yourself? Something little, something big? Something that makes you happy, something that worries you? Whatever you want, as long as it is true. :)

Here are a few of mine, in the meantime:
* I have old-lady undereye wrinkles.
* I'm scared of elevators.
* I don't know how to accessorize with belts.
* I'm sensitive to criticism.
* I always think I'm going to choke when I eat pears.
* I get super cranky when people talk too loudly.

Until Monday... xoxoxoxo

(Painting by Jessie Willcox Smith)

Bright pink lipstick

I usually wear red lipstick, but I'm really digging the hot pink lipstick that's poping up everywhere these days. I'm planning to try some at Sephora this weekend, and I've heard that best colors are NARS Carthage (if you want matte) or Stila Caprice (if you want shine). Would you wear it? Could pink be the new red?

(Photos by Luca Cannonieri for Diane von Furstenberg, People Magazine and Daymion Mardel)

Toby becomes a New Yorker.

We were taking a cab across the Brooklyn Bridge the other night, and Alex and I were feeling winter blues-y. We looked at the Manhattan skyline, which usually inspires us, but instead we just jokingly sighed a Debbie-Downer-ish "Wah waah." One minute later...that's all Toby would say. Babies don't miss a thing.

Here, Toby reenacts his skills the following evening:

The Best Egg Sandwich You'll Ever Have

Confession: I'm a terrible cook. Long recipes freak me out, and I only flip through cookbooks to admire the photos. When everyone else was learning to cook, I was...I don't know what I was doing! Watching TV? But, as a 33-year-old (with a child no less), I would like to be able to whip up a few great classic meals. My plan is to try to master--really master--the classic recipes: scrambled eggs, mac n' cheese, tomato soup, chocolate chip cookies, that kind of thing. So, I've asked my favorite food bloggers to reveal how they make basic everyday dishes that will knock your socks off, and I'm excited to post one slam-dunk recipe every Wednesday. Hope you enjoy it (and maybe learn something, too!).

First up: Deb from Smitten Kitchen reveals the world's best egg sandwich--or as she put it, "how to, like, win at egg sandwiches"...
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The Venus Project

In her Venus project, Italian artist Anna Utopia Giordano gives the goddess of love a Photoshop makeover. She takes famous paintings of Venus and slims bellies (and increases busts) to fit today's standards of beauty. Fascinating, don't you think? These images make me appreciate the sensuality of curvy hips.
(Via Flavorwire)