Okay. So they’re actually vegetables. And let me just admit up front that this post is far less about food and far more about life. Two months ago my husband built my gorgeous Oasis garden and we planted chic little seedlings and seeds. We followed the rules about spacing and planted neat little rows of…

Just when you thought that the days of large, plastic toys were the most overwhelming obstacle to your attempt to keep order in your home, the land of the little toy emerges. Little People and Weebles turn into Matchbox cars and Barbie shoes and the next thing you know you’re on crutches because you stepped…

“Much ado about the new dog. Much ado about the kids. But I was here before them and it’s my house. Glad to have cleared that up…”

One of the most fulfilling aspects of working and socializing online is the ability to reach out to folks all around the country. Most “online moms” are also very active in their communities, and many work very hard for charitable causes. One such online mom is my friend Angela, who has bravely taken on the…

  Looking for some great products to make your summer that much more fun and enjoyable? Looking to pamper yourself while the kids are off at camp? Or maybe you’re dealing with summer bumps and bruises. Global Influence has collected some reviews of great products that you need to know about! Check out what our…

Moving to Philadelphia by myself for graduate school was a terrible period of adjustment for me – possibly the worst. I had just spent the summer with my soon-to-be fiance surrounded by friends and the familiar surroundings of college. Suddenly I was on my own in a one room apartment in West Philadelphia – lost….

(photo by Migraine Chick)I remember how excited I was to meet like-minded people in college after spending 17 years in a rural town where I often felt misunderstood. College orientation introduced to me all of the social options for a literature major honors geek like myself – including the Literary Magazine. I went to my…

In the event of an emergency, passengers traveling with small children should place their own oxygen mask securely on their face before assisting their children. That warning never bothered me until the first time I flew with my daughter. 10 months old and all smiles, she looked at me trustingly as the plane took off,…

(photo credit: Brymo) While I was in grad school at the University of Pennsylvania, I took a course with a professor from the Wharton School of Business called Managing People. Apparently the folks who designed my master’s program in psychological services felt that being able to manipulate my mental health clients might come in handy,…

I’m a little late in writing this post, seeing how there are only two hours left in Father’s Day, but I thought it was still important to say Happy Father’s Day to the Resourceful Daddies in my life. These pictures epitomize my dad. While waiting to ride Cinderella’s Carousel at Walt Disney World last December,…

Staying close to family members has become more and more difficult. Children no longer grow up and build a home of their own on the family farm or down the street from their parents. Even with the technology available today it can be difficult to find the time necessary to e-mail, text, and call family…

I have always wanted a vegetable garden. This spring when I wrote about the Oasis garden, I was excited to get one for my family and to finally get started growing my own veggies! Around the same time I was able to offer my readers (and myself) a discount on Backyard Leisure cedar playsets, so…

Thank you, Disney!

photo credit: Dimsis Last night as my husband was getting the kids ready for bed, I sat downstairs in the relative quiet and worked on my laptop. Bath had ended and while the children got themselves dressed, I knew my time to help with tucking in was fast approaching. While I worked frantically I overheard…

After I gave birth to my son Noah, members of my local MOMS Club brought meals for my family for a couple of weeks. They served delicious homemade pies, yummy casseroles, and healthy salads. But what was most memorable were the little treats that some of the moms thought to bring for my two year…

Alyssa from Life from My Laptop recently asked: “How much money should we save before even booking a trip to Disney?” If you are looking just at what the trip costs and not at options such as financing, you might be surprised at how affordable a trip can be! For the sake of discussion*, I’m…

Today as I worked online and enjoyed some quiet time with my daughter, I thought it might be fun to find out from some other people why they love Walt Disney World. I know why I love it –   it makes me feel like a kid again, puts a smile on my children’s faces,…

Sarah from Real Life asked: “Is it better to get a package deal or try to book the hotel away from the park?” I’m going to begin with the exceptions to the rule in this case. If you belong to a hotel discount club program, you may do better financially booking a hotel away from…

My first year of teaching, the private school where I worked went bankrupt…mid-year. I was 22 and thought it was a noble cause to continue to work for the $600 stipend they were able to scrape together for each of us from the ginormous tuition the parents paid. Clearly the parents felt bad. They began…

Next weekend Memorial Day will kick off the unofficial beginning of summer. Families will drive to the beach, fly to the mountains, and spend time with friends and family around campfires, restaurant tables, and swimming pools…but not as many families as in other years. For some of us, the best much-needed break will be a…