It’s probably an understatement to say raising a child from birth to adulthood can be a rollercoaster. Once you graduate out of the toddler years, things appear to be smooth sailing.  You have a child that no longer needs their diapers changed, can communicate well, and is, hopefully, learning to be more self-sufficient by the day.   Things can start to get a little wobbly, once again, when your child goes from the double digits into numbers that contain the word 'teen.'  As a … [Read more...]

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. First Alert 10-year sealed battery alarms offer hassle-free protection that helps keep your home and family protected for a decade! #LiveWithA10 When we sold our last house 5 years ago, we had to jump through a lot of hoops to get through the process of listing, appraisal, inspection, and closing. One of the things that stuck in my mind the most was our real estate agent telling us we had to make sure to have both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide … [Read more...]

I thought I was being wise by installing carpeting that matched the dog. No one could see how rarely I vacuumed, unless they looked closely. Then my baby started crawling, and vacuuming became important. Really important.   I spent a lot of time vacuuming regularly. Then I had a second child and bought a dark red oriental rug. I was in over my head. It became readily apparent that I did not have the skills or discipline required to both raise my kids the way I had … [Read more...]

I'm trying out something new and I want you to come check it out! A couple of times a month, I'm going to be sharing a few of my favorite things over on my Instagram Stories. My hope is that it'll help you find a new book or show to enjoy, a new product to make your life easier, or something to keep your kids engaged and occupied. Head over there for my detailed review and check out below for affiliate links to each of them!   #1 - How to Be the Parent You Always Wanted to … [Read more...]

So much of the country is dealing with crazy cold weather and/or tons of snow right now. At our house we're on our 7th snow day! First priority, of course, is keeping everyone warm and safe. Second priority? Keeping everyone sane! At our house, we've got a 10-year-old, 8-year-old and 4-year-old and, let's just say, being stuck indoors together for long stretches of time can be challenging if we don't plan for it. The problem is mostly that it can be hard to … [Read more...]

Valentine's Day looks different for everyone. Some folks go all out; dinner, flowers, lingerie... all the things! These days, for me, it's much more low key. I want nothing more than a quiet night-in spent with my sweetheart and maybe a little something special to take care of myself. If you're on board with this plan, I've got some especially awesome finds from my favorite purveyor of all things indulgent- Anthropologie. While I don't often shop at Anthropologie due to price point, it's … [Read more...]

Is there anything better than a piping hot bowl of nutritious goodness in the middle of winter? With it being peak flu season, I'm especially drawn to the healing powers of asian soups right now. The problem, though, is that I've always been intimidated by foreign sounding ingredients and cooking utensils.Enter the amazing new cookbook, Simply Hot Pots.Not only can you grab this beautiful guide to learn everything you need to know to become a legit creator of some hot pot magic. It's now easier … [Read more...]