summer Archives - Nesting Story

5 Nail Polish Colours You Need To Try This Summer

5 nail polish colours to try this summer.

When you’re busy, finding time to put yourself together can be challenging. One of my favourite ways to spend my self-care time is doing my nails. I’ll usually do it after I’ve put the baby to bed, with a glass of wine, and while it may seem simple, you’d be surprised how effective having your nails done can be at making you feel easily put together!

There is always such a huge selection of nail polish colours available that trying to pick a colour can be so hard! Don’t worry, I’ve picked the top 5, most universal colours that are guaranteed to suit everyone and anyone. These are my favourite nail polishes ranging from neutral and discrete, to bright and bold.

A little nail polish is an easy way for a busy mom to feel more put-together.

OPI- Lisbon Wants Moor

If I could only wear one colour for the rest of my life, this would be it. It’s a beautiful creamy pale pink with neutral undertones. It’s the kind of colour that doesn’t look washed out on lighter skin tones and pops on darker skin tones. It’s a great colour if you just want an everyday polish that goes with everything. The classic pale pink and a staple for any nail polish collection.

Essie- Clothing Optional

If you are looking for the perfect dark neutral colour, look no further! This sienna brown toned polish the perfect compliment to every outfit. It’s flattering on every skin tone, in every light, with every outfit. I love this colour going into the end of summer and beginning of fall when the temperature starts to drop and I start pulling out my comfy sweaters.

OPI- Gelato On My Mind

For a bright colour that is still discrete, Gelato On My Mind is your colour. It’s an almost robin egg blue which is bright enough to feel different than your neutrals but is still modest enough not to draw too much attention. It’s a great starter colour for the ladies looking to slowly step out of their comfort zone and try something different!

China Glaze- Pool Party

This colour is NOT for the faint of heart. It’s the brightest, boldest, and most beautiful tangerine orange nail polish I have ever seen. It is perfect for the summer months and guaranteed to be noticed when you wear it! The formula is great but it does best with a glossy topcoat as it dries down matte.

Sally Hansen- Strobe Light

No best nail polishes list would be complete without a glitter polish! Sally Hansen’s Strobe Light polish is the only glitter you will ever need. For a subtle look, apply one layer on a clean nail but to amp it up, apply a couple of coats for a more opaque colour. You can also layer it on top of your favourite colour to give a different look to your usual solid colour!

Finding ways to feel put together doesn’t have to mean spending hours on your makeup everyday or having perfectly styled hair! Something as simple as having your nails done can make a huge difference. Bonus, you can do it at home which is super cost-effective for the mama’s on a budget. Enjoy!

If you want to learn more quick makeup tips that you can add to your everyday makeup routine, check out www.elysemorency.com. You can also find Elyse on Instagram at www.instagram.com/elysemor/ where she talks about the real and raw life of motherhood and makeup!

5 Summer Hairstyles Moms Need To Try

If you are anything like me, having your hair down sounds nice in theory, but about 5 minutes in you are ready to put it up. I am running around all day, with a baby who LOVES to pull anything within his reach (e.g. my hair) and I can’t stand having things in my face. It drives me nuts. Especially with the warmer days upon us, the last thing you want is a full head of hair on your neck and falling into you face.

I used to just end up wearing my hair in either the mom bun (you know the one you threw up without a mirror with an elastic band you found in the couch cushions) or a basic ponytail. Neither of these hairstyles made me feel I had fully put myself together that day.

So, instead of a basic ponytail, here are 5 easy to do summer hairstyles you can rock this summer and still feel put together!

I love doing the wrapped ponytail because it’s so easy to do but looks so professional. It’s one of those summer hairstyles that will have people wondering how you did it yourself! Just take your pieces and wrap it around the ponytail and pin it with a Bobby pin. All you need is a hair elastic, some Bobby pins, and a little bit of hairspray to smooth the fly aways if you want.

This hairstyle is a little more complex, but can be quick once you are comfortable with it! I feel like a braid can make any style look more intricate. If you’re like me and are going through the wonderful postpartum hair loss (peep the bald spots in the photos) you can hide your sparse areas with some eyeshadow that matches your hair colour! Just fluff some into the spots with a makeup brush and set it with some hairspray. All you need for this style are 2 elastics and Bobby pins. This look can be done with straight or curly hair.

This style is my favourite for days when I need to look really put together but my hair isn’t washed and I’m too tired to do anything about it! All it takes is an elastic, a few bobby pins, and 5 minutes. Once you’ve mastered this style, you can even do it without a mirror!

This hairstyle is going to my go-to for the summer months, I can already tell. It’s quick, looks best when it’s done messily, and it keeps all my postpartum hair regrowth tucked away and in place! All you need are 3 elastics, some bobby pins if you have shorter pieces that need to be kept in place, and you can wear this style with any hair texture!

The low ponytail is, hands down, the one I do the most. For a sleek look you can leave your ponytail straight, or for a more beachy feel, curl your hair from root to end and leave some texture at the roots. All you need for this hairstyle is a hair elastic, Bobby pins, and a comb to tease your ends.

Getting through the summer heat shouldn’t mean sacrificing your good looks! These summer hairstyles will keep you feeling cool and looking great!

If you want to learn more quick beauty tips that you can add to your everyday routine, check out www.elysemorency.com. You can also find Elyse on Instagram at www.instagram.com/elysemor/ where she talks about the highs and lows of motherhood and makeup!

Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

When summer rolls around and berries are finally in season, this Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe is my go to dessert.

Raise your hand if you have a specific food that when you smell it, it immediately brings you back to your childhood days.

Smells trigger memories for me…turkey on Thanksgiving, pasta sauce simmering, but my most favourite is the smell of strawberry rhubarb crisp It screams summer to me. So light, so fresh, and oh so delicious. It takes me back to my carefree (before having kids)…summer days.

But wait …it’s healthy too!! My love language is definitely food, eating it yes, but more than that, preparing it for my family.

So when summer rolls around and berries are finally in season, this Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe is my go to dessert. I even requested my mom plant rhubarb in her garden this past summer and it grew like crazy!!

Lets bake.

Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Filling:

6 stalks of rhubarb, cut into ½ thick pieces

2 cups of strawberries, hulled and sliced

¼ cup of sugar (optional, I actually cut out the sugar because the sweetness of the strawberries is enough)

Topping:

1 cup of all purpose flour

½ cup of rolled oats

⅓ cup of sugar (again optional, i deleted the sugar here too)

⅓ cup of firmly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ cup of butter, melted

Instructions:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and use a 9 x13 baking dish (if the baking dish is smaller that’s ok, it will be a thicker slice of heaven)

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together using a fork. Then slowly add in the melted butter creating a crumb like mixture.

Spread the crumb mixture over the berries

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until you see the berries bubbling. Bake it a bit longer if you like the crisp even crispier.

Best served warm with vanilla bean ice cream

Another yummy way to enjoy this is with vanilla Greek yogurt. My kids have been eating it cold for breakfast with yogurt all summer long

A delicious fresh strawberry crisp is the perfect summer dessert.

Enjoy!!!

Tip ** buy the rhubarb in bulk and freeze it in batches of 6 stalks, that way it’s ready to go for this recipe

Lori is a thirty something year old mom of four, living in the little town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Her passions include her family, fashion, and food. She loves preparing simple and delicious recipes that both kids and adults will enjoy.

The Easiest Tomato and Avocado Summer Dip

Growing up in an Italian household, we were lucky to have parents that poured, and continue to pour their heart and soul into harvesting a garden from spring into fall. Fresh vegetables and herbs were only a few minutes walk away, which at the time we didn’t realize how spoiled we actually were. Tomato and cucumber salads were a daily staple in our kitchen….and the juicier the tomatoes, the better. The combination of vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and feta-such simple ingredients, but a flavour explosion in your mouth!

My father would stop and pick up fresh Italian bread on the way home from work for us to tear apart and dip into the juices.

Fast forward to my kids, they love it and request it just as much as my siblings and myself did, and it being so healthy and simple to make, I can’t say no.

I’ve done a few different variations of this recipe but my most recent has turned into a new favourite of my families. Combining our two favourite dips, guacamole and tomato salad seemed like an obvious recipe to create. It really couldn’t be easier to make and I guarantee people will be asking you for the recipe. The sweetness of the tomatoes, the creaminess of the avocado and the saltiness of the feta-magic. Best served with a chilled glass of white wine or a delicious margarita.

You can use corn chips to dip into this variation of guacamole, as a side dish, or my personal favourite, spread on toasted sourdough bread.

Now that we are into the warm weather of summer, the vegetables are local, fresh and easily accessible. What’s better then sitting in your backyard during our long summer days and nights enjoying a healthy dip that’s bursting full of flavour?

Tomato Avocado Dip

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup onion, choose your favourite, red or yellow

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon Basil, chopped

4ounces feta, crumbled

2 avocados, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

This dip is best made ahead of time, stored in the fridge, allowing the flavours and dressing to marinate. Chop and add the avocado just prior to serving the dip. Turn up some latin music, pour yourself a refreshing drink, and just sit back and relax. Maybe even close your eyes and pretend you’re on a beach in Mexico.

I hope you guys give this recipe try and love it as much as I do.

Lori xo

3 Tips On How To Survive Summer With Young Kids

This is a special guest post by Kelly Bourne

I have a history of being ambivalent about summer.

It’s supposed to be this super-chill, stress-free, maxin’ & relaxin’ kinda time, but in reality it’s more like a dash of unmet expectations mixed with sunburns, runny noses, and a whopping dose of “am I the only one stressed out right now?”

So yeah.

It hasn’t always been my fave…

Last summer was a prime example.

I was absolutely convinced that *everyone else* had it together, enjoying the dog days of summer without a care in the world, while I was essentially stressing about not being relaxed enough.

Ridiculous right?!

Except that as soon as I started talking to other parents, I realized that so many of us were in the same boat.

Photo: Kelly Bourne

With massive expectations on ourselves and our kids to soak it all up, we were slowly driving ourselves crazy, itching to get back into the routine and busyness of the fall.

Knowing we didn’t want to feel stressed.

Knowing that we’d like to have more patience with our kids.

But not having a flippin’ clue HOW to actually make it happen.

So I decided to do something about it.

Fast forward a year and I’m ready to frickin’ OWN summer.

Armed to the gills with practical stress-busting strategies, I’m ready to share my goods with anyone who will listen.

So since you’ve made it this far, I’ve got a little somethin’ somethin’ that I’m guessing will be right up your alley.

Because here’s the thing:

Everyone and their brother talks about “happiness” and “gratitude” like it’s the saviour of all that ails you.

And you know what —

It actually is.

But the tricky part is that no one ever tells you HOW to find your happy when you’re feeling stuck.

Or HOW to work those gratitude muscles.

So we’re going to change that.

And because knowledge is quite literally useless without action, I’ve got a little action plan for you.

A stress-busting guide you can print off, scribble on & work your happy until it becomes second nature.

Click here to grab yours.

Photo: Kelly Bourne

Now — let’s get on to the good stuff…
Here’s what you need to do:

1. Take note of the good

Sounds obvious, right? Except that we never do it.

We pick apart everything that annoys us, everything that went wrong, or went *not quite* as fabulously as we imagined, and slowly stress ourselves into a head full of gray hair.

So here’s your challenge:

Start taking note of the good, old school style.

Break out that pen and paper and get ‘yo ass to work.

The best part?

You don’t have to spend a lot of time on this.

I do it once a week, on Sundays.

I sit back with my planner, going over each day of the past week and write out a list of all the awesome things that happened.

I’m talking instant gratitude boost.

Plus it sets you up for success going into Monday, so it’s a total win/win.

2. Give thanks

The next time you’re feeling stressed, playing that comparison game with your neighbour Tiffany who is off to the South of France with her three perfect children for the entire summer, bust out your action plan and get writing about what you’re grateful for.

And I challenge you to really think.

Ask yourself about the things you take for granted on the daily.

And then imagine what your life would be like without them.

Like seriously imagine it.

No running water.

No internet.

No hugs and kisses from your toddler.

No “good night Mommy, I love you” before bedtime.

It puts things into a whole new perspective…
And finally,

3. Reach out and touch someone

And no — not like that.

This isn’t that kind of blog post so get your mind out of the gutter…

I’m talking a genuine acknowledgement of someone you love or has impacted you in a positive way.

Reach out and share the specific reasons why you appreciate them.

A phone call, an email, a lunch date.

Doesn’t matter.

Just get specific and let the good vibes flow.

I’m telling you — this one boosts the happy juices like no other.

Do these three things on the regular and I’m willing to bet you see some positive change in your life.

The small stuff?

You won’t sweat it.

The big stuff?

You’ll take it in stride, facing the challenge head-on with the confidence to know that you’ll make it through.

Because you’re awesome.

You’re capable.

And you’ve got this.

Now — if you’re you’re liking what I’m putting down and think you’d like to hang with me this summer, you’re in luck.

I’ve just opened registration for my Summer Chill Squad and I’d love for you to join me. I’m talking a private parenting community specifically dedicated to squashing your biggest stresses so you can make this summer YOUR summer.

Forget Tiffany and her perfect kids.

You can hang with us, make some new friends, and learn some practical strategies for boosting happiness and squashing stress without leaving the comfort of your home.

Click here to join us.

You’ll be glad you did.

Much love,

Kelly

With a passion for encouraging and inspiring parents to ditch survival mode, Kelly Bourne (BA, BScN, CPDPE) is an engaging and entertaining Parenting Educator who “gets it.” Whether providing real-time tips on her blog, Facebook Page or by running digital group coaching programs, her relaxed, non-judgemental style opens the door to creating lasting change in the families she works with. Always a fan of keeping it real, you can find her behind-the-scenes moments on Snapchat, so make sure to stop by and say hi!

Don’t forget to follow Kelly on Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more parenting tips!