Writing Letters to Your Children, Part One: Why You Should Do It

April 3, 2015March 30, 2015 - Mama Leave a comment

Should you be writing letters to your children? Letters make an amazing keepsake for your children, and allow them a special connection, even after you've passed. They're also a great way to convey information to your children. Here are some reasons why you should write to your kids.

As parents, it’s so essential to us to impart as much wisdom as possible into our children’s lives while we have them. It seems like, as kids grow so fast, in a blink it’s gone, and they’ve grown up. It means there’s only a short amount of time that we can give them the wisdom we’ve learned through the years (and hoping desperately that they follow our advice, despite knowing that all of us have to make some mistakes ourselves in order to learn). Writing letters to your children is the perfect way to share that wisdom with them for years to come, even after they leave the nest.

DIY Recycled Bottle City Craft

March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 - Mama 11 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BringingInnovation #CollectiveBias

Don't toss out those bottles or newspapers! You can use them to create a fun bottle city for your kids! Learn about this craft, plus other ideas on how to teach kids to reduce, reuse, and recycle here. #BringingInnovation #ad

If you walk into my house at any given time, you’re bound to find a few items lying around the toy area that aren’t quite what many would view as toys. My son’s play kitchen is fully stocked with real items– empty milk jugs, honey bears, coffee creamer bottles, and more. I love to repurpose items when I can (and of course, recycle them when I can’t), because I’m just not a huge fan of the thought of so much waste going into landfills. One of my new favorite crafts, though, is to take all of those little bottles– the ones from juice or soda or water– and make them into cool toys, like this great city. It’s so easy to do, which means your kids will love joining in on the fun, too!

50 Ways to Bond with your Child (Without Leaving the House)

March 18, 2015March 22, 2015 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FrozenCustardTime #CollectiveBias

It’s so important to spend time with your children. Kids are at this vital part of their life where they need to be shown love, time, patience, and how to interact together during family time. That’s why you can’t put a high enough value on time spent together. But truthfully? Time together doesn’t have to require any extensive planning at all– with a few things you probably already have around the house, you can take time to unplug and enjoy bonding time together. Here are some of my favorite ideas for spending time with your children (without leaving the house!)

The Perks of Being a Stay At Home Mom

March 16, 2015March 16, 2015 - Mama Leave a comment

Disclaimer: this post isn’t meant to bash anyone, or say that being a stay at home mom is more important than being a mom who works outside the home– not in the slightest. But lately, I’ve heard a lot of questions raised about the value of stay at home moms and whether they’re really as significant as moms who work outside of the home, and I wanted to share my perspective of why working from home has changed my life so significantly. Again– not trying to bash, just trying to share my side of the story!

I’ve had a lot of people ask me “Yeah, but do you feel unfulfilled working from home instead of having like… a job?” “Don’t you just need a break from your kid sometimes?” “Ugh, I could NEVER work from home… my kids drive me crazy!” But after working from home, I realized there are a lot of perks of being a stay at home mom or work at home mom. I have a lot of opportunities that other moms don’t have, and for that, I feel really lucky.

My Busy Mom “Go Bag” Essentials

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChangingPrepaid #CollectiveBias

Mom life can be hectic sometimes, and it feels like between gymnastics, soccer camp, visiting our favorite museums, and just hanging out at the park, we are always on the go. Even though I’ve never been much of a purse girl, our on-the-go lifestyle has made it so I pretty much have to have a bag on me at all times. And that’s where our “go-bag” comes in– our essentials are all in one spot, and that definitely helps. There are some things I always have on hand.

DIY Color Bubbles

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015 - Mama 9 Comments

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the colorful bubbles in store sold by some big-name brands. But did you know it’s easy to DIY color bubbles yourself? It only takes a few ingredients– things you already likely have around your house– and a few minutes to make the BEST color bubbles on the planet!

Easy Ways to Show Appreciation for Those You Love

March 3, 2015March 3, 2015 - Mama 1 Comment

Family is priceless. At the end of the day, they’re the people you sit down with at the table and share your day with. But so often, we can take our family for granted. We have a lot of time to spend with one another, to the point that sometimes, we just forget to show our family how much we love and appreciate them. But really, there are some very easy ways to show appreciation to those you love.

How to Relax (When You Don’t Even Remember What that Means!)

February 13, 2015February 12, 2015 - Mama 1 Comment

We’re getting to Valentine’s Day, and shortly after will be Mother’s Day, and lately, it seems like to the go-to “I forgot to get you something!” gift from a lot of guys is “Here, honey… I’ll take the kids. You just enjoy some alone time and relax, okay?”

I don’t know about you, but I never know how to use that time, or how to relax. Whenever someone offers to watch Zach, I feel like there are a million things I should be doing, and when I’m not doing any of those, I tend to just worry about how he’s doing, rather than relaxing.

So, in light of the upcoming chance that you might just have some free time on your hands, here are a few ideas of how to relax:

An Open Letter To My Son: I Will Protect You

February 9, 2015February 10, 2015 - Mama 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LoveAndProtect #CollectiveBias

Zach, do you remember that time you climbed that tree? I knew you were climbing too high, I just knew that you’d fall, but you urged me to let you, begged me to let go of your hand so you could reach the next branch. And you know what happened? You made it. You reached it. You didn’t fall. I let go, and you stayed safe. It’s in my nature to be a little bit overbearing at times. I’ll always have worries– am I raising you the right way? Are you growing the way you should? How much life insurance should I have in case something happens to me? What sort of things do you need to know before you prepare for kindergarten?

I want to tell you right now that I don’t have all of the answers, but I do want to make you some promises.

How My Family Celebrates Chinese New Year (And Why It Matters to Us)

February 5, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NewYearFortune #CollectiveBias

After nearly a decade of hosting foreign exchange students, my family is no stranger to sitting down to dinner not knowing who will be there and how many cultures might be represented at the table. It’s opened our eyes to new celebrations (like when our first student taught us all about St. Nicholas Day), but our family, having yet to host a Chinese exchange student, has never gotten the opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year. We decided to change that this year. And, what better way to celebrate than with some appetizers that are restaurant-inspired and totally delicious?

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