This content is part of a sponsored campaign. I just took a long, hard look at my June calendar. With only a week of school remaining, I’m looking forward to leisurely starts to our days and afternoons at the pool. Unfortunately, getting through the next half a month is going to be an incredible challenge…

This school year has been trying. Yes, I know they’re all like that. I get it. But this one just seemed…soul killing. Between the dying cat who then became the dead cat, the endless snow days and historically frigid winter, the flooded basement that included a probably broken and certainly mangled foot, the pneumonia, the decision…

If we’re being honest, we all know that family vacations tend to include more than their fair share of stress. Add a couple overtired children to that stress, and what you’ve got is a recipe for parenting disaster. My husband and I have traveled to Walt Disney World Resort enough times now to be able to do so without…

Before we took our kids to Walt Disney World Resort for the first time in 2008, this is what I thought I knew about my children: My four-year-old daughter was quiet, intelligent, timid, sweet, and loved Disney princesses. My two-year-old son was brazen, a dare-devil, and I hoped he would someday get into college on a football…

I remember deciding long before becoming a mom that I would never yell at my kids. It was a ridiculously unfair construct to create for myself, a childless young woman who struggles to close a cupboard door without slamming it or say hello to a friend without tackling them. I live loudly and that includes…

Anyone who has read my book (thank you!) Raising Digital Families For Dummies knows that I advocate for limited screen time for kids. I also suggest often that parents follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations regarding screen time limits and age restrictions. The key to making digital time work for your family is finding the apps, websites,…

It’s official – you’ve made it through January and all the pressure to commit to a resolution for the New Year! Now it’s time to settle in and make some real changes that will improve your life in 2014. As promised, I’m coming to you to talk about fire safety again, a goal I set…

(subtitle: EasyClosets Saved Two Rooms of My House) I’m so excited to unveil the results of my EasyClosets Total Home Tour garage and laundry room makeover. But first, a word about the design and installation. My husband and I worked together on both the design and installation process since we both spend an equal amount…

(subtitle: EasyClosets Total Home Tour Laundry Room and Garage Makeover) When EasyClosets invited my family to participate in the Total Home Tour, the first step after shouting, “YES, PLEASE!!!” was to select an area of my home to renovate. While my basement needs an obsolete toy cleansing and my office needs a full-on professional intervention,…

(subtitled: Why I Said Yes to the EasyClosets Total Home Tour) For a few years now I’ve received Good Housekeeping each month, the result of a gift subscription that I can no longer place, but continue to enjoy. With that said, years of reading this and other lifestyle magazines has done very little to improve my…

Growing up in a small town, you tend to know everything that’s happening around you. I sometimes joke that if I sneezed while grabbing the newspaper off the front lawn, the phone would be ringing with someone saying “God bless you” by the time I got back into the house. Honestly, that’s only a slight…

Tomorrow is the big day.  HUGE. For months you’ve heard me talk about the dangers of texting and driving (it’s deadly), the ways you can stop (there’s an app for that!), and how to talk to your kids about pledging not to text and drive (and you should pledge, too). Now September 19th is just one sleep…

With back to school now in full swing post Labor Day, it’s a great time to think about your child’s hearing health.  As parents, we often take for granted that our children can hear and see well, but the truth is that there are many experiences that can damage our children’s hearing, including repeated ear…

This post was sponsored as part of a compensated online campaign.  All opinions are my own. We just wrapped an amazing summer filled with hours upon hours of family time, including multiple road trips.  Every single time we traveled farther than just around town, we encountered at least one vehicle drifting in and out of…

This post was sponsored as part of a compensated online campaign.  All opinions are my own. My newsfeed on Facebook has started to fill up with sponsored content from advertisers pushing their back to school sales and products.  Commercials on TV urging parents to run to stores to buy notebooks and pencils have now replaced…

To celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, Hellmann’s has teamed up with Mario Batali to create .  I was challenged by Hellmann’s to create one of Mario’s dishes and see if my family could guess the secret ingredient – Hellmann’s Mayonaise!  I love a challenge that involves food and chose . This recipe, featured on the…

This post was sponsored as part of a compensated online campaign.  All opinions are my own. My kids have long been the backseat driving police thanks to the running commentary they’ve heard from me their entire lives: Never turn your wheel to the left while waiting to make a left turn.  If someone rear-ends you,…

As we kick off the summer, I’m bringing back an old favorite… You’ve ever used a silly band as a ponytail holder…in your own hair. You’ve built a fort despite the fact that it’s 2011 and you’re not colonizing a new land. You’ve not only stacked the plates when finished with a meal at a…

My tween daughter has decided that her favorite place to get clean each evening is in my master bathroom shower.  When we bought this house two and a half years ago, it was with the understanding that I would likely not tolerate the existing bathroom with its side by side claustrophobic showers, teal ceiling, and…

Ever since writing about texting and driving in Raising Digital Families For Dummies, the topic has weighed heavily on my mind.  I find myself flinching when reaching for my phone at red lights.  I notice my children watching if my phone is still in my hand while I’m pushing the ignition button.  All summer long I’m…

Ever since I became a mom, I’ve had a recurring nightmare about my children and water.  I love to swim and grew up spending most of my summer in the water either at the community pool or at the lake where we camped every other weekend, but I’ve never felt confident when my kids are…