Celebrating all of the possibilities of a New Year is something that has always been exciting to me. Universally, it gives us an opportunity to focus on banishing the old or “unlucky” from the past year and welcoming the new and “lucky of a new year into our lives. I like that globally we are united in a common goal, …
Gifts You Can Give Your Kids This Holiday That Don’t Cost Anything
This weekend I took my kids to decorate their Grandma’s bedroom for Christmas. My mom lives in a care home and is in end-stage heart failure. We aren’t sure at this point how much time we have with her. As I watched my kids excitedly decorate her room and show their Grandma all of the “treasures” they had brought to …
Ditch Spending The BIG Bucks On New Retainers
*I received a complimentary retainer kit from JustRetainers in order to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. Five years ago my oldest daughter Samantha had her braces taken off. She was beyond excited to get those metal bars of torture off of her teeth. The braces had done their job, and her smile was beautiful. Here she is …
What You Can Do To Prepare Your Child For An Active Shooter Situation
I saw a post on Facebook recently about a mom who made a tee shirt she wore to drop her kids off at school on their first day. The shirt said, “A teacher’s commitment to a child’s learning should equal your commitment as a parent.” I loved this shirt and would suggest that in fact our commitment as a parent …
Northern Italy: Milan, Turin and a Return To Paris
I promised myself that I would finish off our Paris trip recap before the summer ended. Technically that didn’t happen, but it’s still summer for some of you reading this so it counts right?! If you are just tuning in you can read about the rest of my daughter Sam and my adventures here; Paris Day 1, Versailles, Louvre, and …
Back To School Graham Cracker Stick Pencils
Remember when my family got out of school back at the end of May? Well there is a pay-day for that early release, and that means that we start back to school tomorrow on August 1st. Yikes! We are ready though. The supplies have been dropped off, clothes bought, teachers met, and fees paid. I love having my crew home …
Five Tips For Parenting Teen Boys
Back in 2014 when this blog was brand new I wrote a post with 7 Tips For Raising A Son. My son was around 9 at the time and flash forward to 5+ years later, that smiling little guy is now a smiling, handsome, and very tall 15 year old. Caleb is one of those rare souls who people instantly …
How to Plan the Perfect Paris to Versailles Day Trip
Hi everybody! I am back with the 2nd installment of my recent mother-daughter trip to Paris. You can read all about our first day here, but today’s post is all about the Chateau De Versailles! How to Plan the Perfect #Paris to #Versailles Day Trip. #travel Click To Tweet For a little history, the Palace of Versailles was the principal …
How To Spend Your First Day In Paris
I have been dying to share everything with you about my recent trip to Paris with my daughter Sam, but this last week was insane getting caught up on work and such. It’s finally time now and I am so excited to share some of the tricks and tips I learned on our trip along with our fun photos. I …
The 5 Things You Need To Know To Be Successful On KETO
It’s not something I have discussed much, but after my thyroid surgery my body has been on a constant merry-go-round of strange. During that time, stressful periods of life combined with frequent lack of sleep, helped me to somehow develop a heart condition. Of course, I was scared senseless, but my doctor said he actually calls it the “mom heart …
Why We Love Knott’s Berry Farm
I received complimentary tickets to Knott’s Berry Farm in order to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own. When my mom was a young girl growing up during pre-WWII days she had once visited Knott’s Berry Farm, and at the time her family didn’t have the funds to stop and taste the world-renowned fried …
Our Favorite Family Attractions At Universal Studios Hollywood
I received complimentary tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood in order to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own. The city we live in has a 4 day break in the end of February for a holiday called Rodeo. Over the years we have found that Rodeo is a very good time to travel. This …
How To Really Keep Your Kids Safe On The Internet
Another week, and another internet “scare” passed around social media that was going to be the end of the world for our kids as we know it. This time it was the “Momo” challenge. Supposedly there was a crazy ugly chicken lady on YouTube challenging children to do dangerous tasks that would get progressively worse until they bordered on committing …
A Whole New World
I remember holding my first little baby in my arms for the first time and promising her I would do everything I could within my power to make her life as good as I possibly could. I was going to show her the world in all it shining, shimmering glory. Because there is so very much to see. If you …
