Oh man, you know what's awesome in real life? THIS WEATHER! I am so, so ready for spring and it was awesome to hit the park with Vivy this morning in a relaxed, non-freezing manner. I hope you enjoy some time out and about today! Meanwhile, if you're looking to curl up with some reads and visuals, enjoy this week's edition of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome.

- The best time to book an airplane ticket.

- OMG dolphins and whales.

- DIY gold glitter slime!

- Next week is National Crochet Week; get your crochet on with these easy crochet patterns.

- United colors of Lupita.

- 9 quick and easy things to make a single mom’s day.

- Great yoga poses for runners.

- 10 Boston stereotypes that are completely accurate.

- Gorgeous accent pillows I am coveting.

- Organization tips for busy families: March 24th at 3pm!

- Great foods for hydrating your skin.

Image credit: Gold glitter slime via Pinterest

Happy Saturday and happy March everyone! Between travel, school break, and then some more travel, it feels like a million years since I last posted a Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome. But it certainly isn't because it hasn't been awesome. I'm glad to get back this week; here are some great reads, visuals, and resources that I found particularly awesome this week. Enjoy!

- My friend C. C. Chapman is awesome; here’s what he’s doing for Mercy.

- As if I needed another reason to eat Ben & Jerry’s.

- As if I needed another reason to love Paul Rudd.

- Different teas and what they help with.

- Incredible paper versions of famous dresses.

- Incredible photos of abandoned places.

- Stunning portraits of the world’s remotest tribes before they pass away.

- Online resources for affordable curtains.

- America’s best cities for hipsters (#14 represent).

- Eight ways to use your smartphone to make your life easier.

- Use old dried out markers to make watercolor paint.

Image credit: homemade watercolor paint

I know it's tough to fathom since it's 12 degrees out right now, but remember how balmy it was last weekend? The rapidly melting snow banks coupled with the Marimekko event left me hungry for spring! If you're ever in a grouchy mood, just walk into Marimekko and your happy neurons will start firing; it's pure rainbow awesomeness. Don’t believe me? Check out the evidence below:

The spring/summer runway show was awesome thanks to my blogging friends and their adorable kids. Audrey showed how well Marimekko dresses go with leggings and flats. Her son Henry looked adorable in stripes + critters (and dragon face paint).

Casey shared that this was her first time in a dress since prom! She looked amazing and I love that she integrated her style with black sneakers. Her daughter Riley (with an awesome unicorn on her face...girl after my own heart) was simply adorable in Marimekko leggings, long sleeved tee, and tank dress.

Sharon looked awesomely elegant in this dot dress. Her son Bennett (he was such an adorable ham!) rocked the layers, with a striped collared shirt topped with a gorilla tee.

I love how chic and modern Sharon's geometric print is; she dressed this look up with peep toe pumps. Her daughter Sienna looked so cute in leggings, a tee, and my favorite of Marimekko's raincoats for kids. Also, Sienna's red glitter shoes were to die for!

Here's a shot of the moms, which I insisted on because usually we're busy taking pictures of our kids and aren't in the photos. These ladies make the internet such a good place!

Also, I love this photo with Audrey. Audrey is one of the first people I met after I started blogging; she's pure generosity and kindness. Her family is amazing and I often joke that I'm totally crashing their next family gathering.

Thank you Zac of Zac Wolf Photography for these amazing photos! And also, have you heard of The Danger Booth? Zac and Becca are the brains behind this operation and their booth set up at the event was the funnest. thing. ever. I want to hire them for all my parties! These photo booth shots are hilarious; the booth was touch screen so the kids were able to operate it themself and go nuts.

And finally, as someone who has an awful lot of black, white, and cream in her wardrobe (I tend to infuse color via accessories), wearing that insanely awesome Tasma dress was a fun way to step out of my comfort zone and wear the rainbow. Subsequently, I thought it would be fun to close by sharing a rainbow assortment of Marimekko offerings. So cute! And I love that their wares span clothing, accessories, household, and tech! (Names of items are underneath the image.)

Murina t-shirt | Converse Mustakottarainen | Media makeup bag | Sukellus bathing suit | Pitkähiha long sleeved t-shirt | Päärynä coffee cup | Kurjenpolvi pillow sham | Sääpäiväkirja plate | Ärrän raincoat | Hennika sham| Räsymatto apron | Telmiä pajamas | Kaivo phone case | Kaivo scarf

Image credits: product shots via Marimekko; all other photos courtesy of Zac Wolf Photography

Jon and I are all about everyday teaching moments with Laurel, apparently even when it comes to assembling a FLOR rug. We recently installed Modern Mix Tan in our sitting nook -- I adore how the Modern Mix collection offers pattern through tonal variations while remaining neutral enough to go with anything else -- and the process quickly evolved into a game for Laurel. The set comes with a 6 x 5 matrix recommending tile color placement for the 4 tile shades (we simply followed a 3 x 4 section of the matrix for our 5’ x 7’ rug), and the tan variations had the yummy names bran, honey wheat, sourdough, and rye. Laurel found this hilarious and immediately set to task sorting the tiles by grain name then arranging the tiles based on the matrix (an impromptu game of memory to remember which grain went with which matrix number...). You just can’t beat unexpectedly family friendly home improvement projects that yield a cozy and warm space for more fun and games.

Now, want to win a 5’ x 7’ FLOR rug? Here’s how:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Alisa!
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Rules:

Visit the FLOR new arrivals page, then leave a comment below about a new arrivals rug you’d love to have in your home.

Be sure to include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (including just first name or first name + last initial is OK).

One comment permitted per person; US & Canada entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded. Also, generic comments such as "please enter me in this contest" may be posted below but will not be entered into the draw; you must comment on the new arrivals collection to enter to win.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Sunday, December 13, 2009.

*One lucky winner (drawn using Random.org) will receive a 5' x 7' FLOR new arrivals rug (subject to stock availability; approximate $250 value depending on rug style).

Now that December is here I’m ready to embrace the holidays, and over the years I’ve found that Christmas décor is actually really easy. Once the tree is up, a pretty tree skirt and some festive stockings go a long way in creating the mood. And if you love having these elements (and more) coordinated just so, consider Sterling Pear’s holiday décor starter set. Great to gift or to start your own traditions with, this simple yet richly embroidered and trimmed set includes two stockings, a tree skirt, and a table runner. And as part of the Giveaway Goodness series, Sterling Pear kindly is offering one lucky reader their holiday décor starter set! Simply check out the rules below and enter to win by midnight, December 4.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Jessica!
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Rules:

Leave a comment below about this giveaway to enter to win. Be sure to include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (including just first name or first name + last initial is OK).

One comment permitted per person; US & Canada entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Friday, December 4, 2009.

*One lucky winner (drawn using Random.org) will receive a Sterling Pear holiday décor starter set ($113 value).

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And for those who wish to shop now, use code BOSTONMAMAS09 for a 20% discount off your order at Sterling Pear (a browser other than Firefox is recommended when shopping the Sterling Pear site).

Today, Paige shares a review of locally based IdeaPaint, a brilliant solution for inspiring creativity in the vertical direction, whether at home, work, or school. Read on for Paige’s review, as well as to learn how to win an IdeaPaint kit (entry closes November 19):

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From Paige:

“This summer, in a classic public radio “driveway moment,” I found myself totally engrossed in an interview with children’s author and cartoonist Mo Willems. The crux of the interview was that although we all start out as artists, somewhere along the way, we (grown-ups) lose interest in drawing and doodling because we decide we’re not any good at it (sing it, Mo…that’s me). Mo went on to say that many kids stop drawing, or just never pick it up to begin with, because they don’t see Mom and Dad draw. One solution? The Willems family painted their dining room walls with chalkboard paint, inspiring “group draws” with family and friends.

Brilliant! Off I went to the hardware store, returning home with a big can of chalkboard paint and the drive of a mother not wanting her kids to grow up creatively-challenged.

And then I thought about what this chalkboard paint scenario really meant -- chalk, dust, and worst of all, nails down a chalkboard. Needless to say, the chalkboard paint is still sitting in my hall cabinet.

So when I received the opportunity to test IdeaPaint, the brilliant invention of three Babson undergrads, I was thrilled. With this dry-erase paint, I could turn a kitchen wall into a space for raw creativity, minus the bone-chilling squeak.

According the directions, it looked like application would be a cinch (not for nothin’, IdeaPaint’s packaging is totally clever and fun to read). Two coats of primer, a pour of this into that, mix, and apply within an hour. Easy peasy. (Note: as a devotee of latex paint, I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming stink-fest that ensued, but within four hours or so, the smell had pretty much disappeared.)

After applying, we had to wait for seven days for the paint to cure (no small task for my five-year-old who couldn’t wait to draw on the wall). And then, on day eight, we had at it. With dry-erase markers we had on hand, we started drawing (him) and writing to-dos (me) and generally reveling in the experience of writing all over our kitchen wall (it felt so naughty!). However, a swipe of the eraser to start again, and…whoops…what’s this? Ghosting. Everywhere. Everything we had just written and drawn was still there -- at about a 10% shade of its former self, but still there. Hoping it was a fluke, and that the paint just didn’t like my old markers (even though we use them with no problem on our two other whiteboards), I bought a new set and tried again. This time, it was perfect…the markers erased with no ghosting, and I was able to get rid of the other ghosting with some dry-erase board cleaner.

The paint is pricey ($99 to cover 25 square feet and $175 to cover 50 square feet), but worth it. We’re going to be painting our kids’ rooms in the next couple of months, and I’m considering using IdeaPaint on a wall or two in these rooms as well. ‘Cause no kid of mine is going to grow up creatively-challenged.”

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Judy!
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Now, want to win an IdeaPaint kit? Here’s how:

Visit the IdeaPaint shop, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘IdeaPaint’ in the subject), and name a cool IdeaPaint color you’d love to apply to your walls.

One entry permitted per person; US residents welcome to enter.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Thursday, November 19, 2009.

*One lucky winner (drawn using Random.org) will receive a 25 square-foot kit of IdeaPaint (value: $99).

You can never have enough clutter taming tools in the toy room, and today, locally based Bambini Design contributes to our online birthday party with Tatutina’s jungle animal bookends and pegboard set. Crafted in the Boston area, these colorful, whimsical pieces will inspire organization by keeping books and coats off the floor and in their place. Simply check out the rules below and leave a comment on this giveaway to enter to win.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Sharon J.!
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Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

One comment permitted per person; US entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry period closes tonight at midnight EST, Monday, July 28, 2008.

*One winner will receive this bookends and pegboard set.

Life is meant to be lived joyfully every day, and for parents looking for ways to translate this basic – but sometimes lost – principle to their children, there’s Focus Friends, an independent collection of books and artwork designed to translate messages of beauty, joy, appreciation, wisdom, and inspiration. Today, Focus Friends contributes to our online birthday party with their Joy Is The Greatest Gift storybook + 11” x 18” framed Seeing Beauty print. Simply check out the rules after the jump and leave a comment on this product line to enter to win.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Kimberly V.!
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Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

One comment permitted per person; US & Canada entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry period closes tonight at midnight EST, Monday, July 21, 2008.

*One winner will receive the Joy Is The Greatest Gift book + 11” x 18” framed Seeing Beauty print (value: $102).

I have this thing about wall fixings. If I’m going to commit with nail and hammer, the item must be cool, meaningful, and/or relatively timeless; or even better, it’s multifunctional. And for parents looking for wall décor off the beaten path, Crib Rock Couture recently launched Metal Mania, a collection of steel graphic wall panels, wall décor inspired by their nursery rock tees, and – my favorite – wall hooks. These pieces are coated with lead free paint, and the hooks – such as the green octopus – will last well beyond the baby years while providing a way to get backpacks, jackets, tubby towels, or other high traffic items off the floor.

Want to win a Metal Mania wall décor or hook? Here’s how:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Sarah B.!
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Visit the Metal Mania collection, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘Metal Mania’ in the subject), and name your favorite Metal Mania design.

If you would like to opt in to the Crib Rock/Metal Mania email list for news about sales and new styles, include “OPT IN” in the body of your email.

One entry permitted per person; US entrants welcome to enter.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Monday, June 30, 2008.

*Winner will receive their choice of one wall décor or wall hook design (i.e., not the large graphic wall panels) from Metal Mania (subject to availability).