The other day my son came into the bathroom while I was applying my mascara. He looked up at me with his big blue eyes and asked me “Mommy, why do you wear makeup?” I tried to brush him off with a comment about trying to look my best, but he was looking for a […]
Real Kids Shades
If you are like most parents, you do not allow your kiddos to play in the sun for an extended period of time without sunblock. As a desert dweller and skin cancer survivor myself, I always have sunblock handy and apply it to my kiddos often. However, that desire to protect my children’s skin from the Sun’s […]
Olive Garden’s New Lighter Fare Menu (Review)
My family loves to eat out so when I got the chance to review Olive Garden’s new Lighter Fare Menu I said yes. To tell you the truth, I am often dragged out to eat against my will. It seems that a satisfying meal with a reasonable amount of calories can be hard to find. The fun of dining out can […]
Tea Time: Creating Special Moments
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love tea. While I grew up in an English family, my mom and grandma were primarily coffee drinkers. However, the tradition of tea was not lost to me. When I reached adulthood I gradually began to drink more and more tea and now I drink 2-3 cups everyday. My favorite cup of tea is the one I […]
Appreciating Your Daughter
I always pictured my life as a mom of a little girl as one filled with, well, sugar and spice and everything nice. I never envisioned the drama a little girl can bring. I never knew that a girl as young as two years old could have a total meltdown over mismatched clothes and fashion preferences. Like a lot of moms out […]
Vanilla Spiced Pudding
We take pudding seriously around here. My grandma taught me to make it from scratch and I never buy it pre-made or in instant form. However, during the last several years I have made a concerted effort to reduce my dairy intake. Although I am not dairy-free, I do use alternatives to cow’s milk regularly. One of my favorite milk alternatives […]
Cash Bash Giveaway (2/25)
Can you believe it is already February? This month I joined in with some other fun bloggers to present the Cash Bash with its biggest prize yet! This giveaway is brought to you by Kara’s Deals and Steals and dozens of other amazing bloggers. You can see the list of all bloggers who sponsored this event here. One lucky […]
Nexus 7 Tablet Giveaway (2/21)
Welcome to the Nexus 7 Giveaway! I joined forces with some other fun blogs and we are giving away a Nexus 7 Tablet (32 GB Wi-Fi) valued at $249 to one lucky reader! At only 12 oz., this tablet is designed to go wherever you go — and now with up to 32GB of storage, and […]
How To Support Your Friends During Deployment
Chances are that somebody you know has been affected by a military deployment. My own family has been through about a half dozen deployments both inside of and outside of the United States, and if you include our extended family that number more than doubles. Friends of a deployed soldier or military spouse often have no idea how to be supportive and sometimes do […]
Happy National Pie Day (Plus a Giveaway from Marie Callender’s)
What do you think of when you hear the word pie? I think of boiling down pumpkins with my kiddos in the fall, my grandma’s perfectly flaky pie crust, or eating mini pot pies with my mom as a child. Pies are delicious, usually easier to make than cakes, and they always seem to gather a crowd, […]
Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy Even a Meat-Eater Will Love
My all-time favorite breakfast is biscuits and gravy and when I became a vegetarian several years ago, I thought I would never enjoy this dish again. After playing around with some meat replacements (most of which were really gross), I came up with this easy recipe which resulted in vegetarian biscuits and gravy that is so tasty that even […]
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
One of my favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes is “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” Sometimes I get discouraged when I see how many people I know who never serve or help anyone. They just go day to day looking out for themselves and spending their free time and discretionary funds on their own […]
