This afternoon, my kids are packing up and heading on a camping trip with some friends and I will have 48 glorious hours, child-free. While I love my children with everything I have and appreciate that I have a job that affords me the freedom to be home with them all summer long, let’s face…

Summer traditions are important in our family. There are a number of things that we make sure to make time for each year and I love looking back at photos of years past to see how much the kids have grown. One of these traditions is our annual visit to the state fair. Yes, these…

Summer is typically a time for being a little lazy – sleeping in, vegging out in front of screens, and overall having a relaxing time during hot, humid days. For us, it’s also one of our big sports seasons, with swim practices and meets taking over most of our evenings. With a child who wants…

  Compassion and kindness are lessons that I have worked to teach my children since they were very young. As they grew, I began incorporating lessons about giving back, as well. As a parent, I want to raise responsible people who look out for those who are less fortunate or need a helping hand. I…

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.All opinions are our own. Nothing says summer like a day spent on the beach! As we live in a coastal resort area, making beach days easy is an absolute necessity, but it can be tough to decide what to pack for the beach. Over the years, we have refined…

I can’t believe how quickly the summer season is flying by! In just a couple short weeks, the 4th of July will be upon us and it’s time to start making plans! While it’s always fun to attend community parades, celebrations, and fireworks displays, sometimes you just want a nice, laid back 4th at home…

Summer’s here! Kids are home and on vacation from school. However, none of us are on vacation from life. There are still chores to be done and tasks to be completed. Often, the household chores take even more work than usual with everyone around so much. That means everyone has to chip in and help…

Making homemade ice cream on the last day of school is a long-standing tradition at our house. Every year, I lose sleep attempting to make enough to satisfy two full classrooms of kids while swearing that  “I am never doing this again!” But the truth is that I love it and I love treating my…

It’s time to pack our bags and head out on some fun family adventures this summer! While you’ve got all the clothing essentials covered, swimsuits at the ready, and the perfect walking shoes for playing tourist, keeping the kids happy as you’re en route to your destination is a high priority. I’ve taken my kids…

With school ending for the summer all over the country and only two weeks left in the countdown at our house, kids are ready to check out from homework and worksheets and studying. Around here, for the first couple of weeks, we tend to just veg out and recuperate from a long, hard year of…

  Memorial Day is just around the corner and it’s time for barbecues and family fun! Though there should be time reserved for reflection and remembrance of those who sacrificed all for our country’s freedom, there most certainly should be plenty of celebration of those freedoms, as well. As we kick off the summer with…

My kids, like many across the country, are counting down the days to summer vacation. We’re wrapping up end of year projects, finishing up testing, and making plans for the lazy days of summer. The kids have worked hard all year and we’re excited to celebrate their growth and accomplishments, especially this year, was we…

It hit me like a ton of bricks this week that we’re just five short weeks away from the start of summer vacation. I have one who’ll be starting middle school in the fall and this school year has simply flown by and I am certain the summer will, as well. I’m sitting here at…

Mother’s Day is complicated for me. On the one hand, I so much enjoy watching my children find creative ways to let me know how much they love me, while on the other hand, it’s a day that can rip off every scab from the loss of my own mom nearly 9 years ago. With…

As a parent, one of the important things that I am trying to teach my children is to respect the Earth and to take care of it for the future.     Though reinforcing these points is important throughout the year, Earth Day is a great time to start some new eco-friendly efforts around your home…

Every year, Easter tries to sneak up on me. I’m sitting here just two days away from Easter, realizing that I have pretty much missed every single one of our traditions this year. The next two days are about to be a whirlwind of bunny-prepping, egg-dying, and holiday food-making! And to get started, I’m going…

Parents who are home, whether as stay-at-home or work-at-home parents, typically have a daily routine that is based around the hours that their children are at school. While ideally, that schedule can often be flexible enough to accommodate scheduled days off and the occasional weather-related break, there are times when you just have things that…

  If you’re like me, you’re beginning to work on putting the Easter Bunny stash together, in preparation for setting out the kids’ Easter baskets in a couple of weeks. I love giving the kids a few favorite candy treats in their baskets, but including some non-candy items is, for me, just a sound parenting…

We’ve been waiting for weeks for the weather to turn to warm. Spring teased us for a minute in the mid-Atlantic, giving us a few days where we were in flip flops, then taking a violent turn with a winter storm and sub-freezing temperatures. While we haven’t quite made it back to the short sleeves…

Post sponsored by Mirum Shopper. All opinions are our own. This is the year of 40. Until now, I haven’t been one to really dread a birthday. Sure, I’m well aware that I’m getting older but I’ve never really felt “old”. I’m not sure what it is about the number 40 that magically makes you…

This post has been sponsored by Sleep Number. All opinions are our own. With the end of the year upon us, many of us are beginning to look toward the fresh start of the New Year. With a blank slate in front of us, it’s time to break old habits and start healthy new ones….