I used to set my alarm half an hour before I needed to wake up. Why? I wanted some extra time to wake up every morning. Hitting that snooze button felt delicious—like I was giving myself a little treat for every 5 or 10 minutes I allowed myself to sleep. The thing is, it didn’t …
Although I love to study productivity and have picked up some good habits, I’m not entirely immune to terrible habits like pulling all-nighters. Though they’re less frequent than they were in my college days, not long ago, I found myself tapping at my computer keys well past midnight (until 5 a.m., to be exact). Ever …
Working at home is wonderful. You’re in charge of your schedule, you get to spend lots of time with your family, and you can work wherever you like. It’s also challenging for the same reasons. How can you avoid distractions? How do you stay motivated when you don’t have to answer to a supervisor? This …
I love banana bread. Seriously, I love the stuff, and I haven’t met a version yet that I didn’t like. Throw in nuts, applesauce, chocolate chips or whatever you’d like–and I’m still a fan. Since we had lots of overripe bananas in the house that needed to be taken care of, stat, I decided to …
We’ve all been there. That birthday seems so far away–until it isn’t. Your nephew’s graduation is months away–but the days creep up on you. There you are, stuck, shopping for or making a gift at the last minute. And honestly? Most people can tell when you put zero thought and effort into a gift, because …
Looking fashionable while pregnant is sometimes a challenge. Believe me, when I was pregnant with my son, I made many mistakes. D’oh! But when and if we have another little one, I’ll try to look more pulled together and stylish. Here are three of the most common maternity clothing mistakes pregnant women make.
Have you ever seen a child (or heck, even an adult) treat others rudely in public? I know I have. And while we may not have impeccable manners–I’m still not sure which pieces of silverware go where at a formal dinner–I’d like to think that we’re polite people. Teaching our son manners is very important …
I have been an ungrateful wife. That’s not an easy thing to say, but there it is. In our house, tensions have been high, and when we sat down to talk through a few things, I placed the blame almost entirely on him. Did I concede that I had faults of my own? Sort of–with …
My husband is still rocking the low-carb lifestyle while I’m struggling to keep up, but one thing that he says helps him stay on track is trying new and interesting recipes. I love cooking pork chops in the crock pot (they make for simple low carb meals), and last week, I thought I’d try making …
My kiddo has been obsessed with the paper bag puppets lately. He asked for the leprechaun paper bag puppet long after it had been thrown in the trash, so I decided that it was time to make one for Easter. And that’s how we arrived at this Easter Bunny paper bag puppet.
If you’ve been following for a few months, you know I’m all about sensory bins, play dough and other sensory activities. But I’ve been short on time lately, so I haven’t been able to put my own bins together just yet. If you’re looking for some inspiration, though, you’ll find plenty in this list! Here …
Yesterday, I made spicy pork chops for dinner, and we needed a side with great flavor that wouldn’t overpower the chops. This rice turned out perfectly, so I’m sharing it with you today!
Most of us have that you should read to your children for at least 20 minutes a day. Reading to them has all kinds of benefits, including building literacy and listening skills and strengthening the parent-child bond. But sometimes, 20 minutes may seem unmanageable. Maybe you’re dealing with a wiggly toddler who can’t sit still …
At times, I tend to procrastinate. That’s what has led to my obsession with reading productivity tips and tricks–to help me bust out of my time-wasting ways and be more meaningful with my time. I’m not perfect, though, and occasionally, I tend to fall back into old habits. When that happens, I use these tried-and-true …
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CrispyComeback #CollectiveBias These M&M blondies are soft and chewy, but the crispy M&Ms provide a surprising crunchy texture in every bite, too. These are delicious served alone or with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! In case …
One of my favorite activities to do with my son is making paper bag puppets. We used to make them when I was a kid, and he thinks they’re just as fun as I do. For St. Patrick’s Day, we made this fun leprechaun craft to put on a little skit. It’s super easy to make, and …
As a work at home mom, I get plenty of questions about what I do. Most people are polite and curious, but inevitably, you’ll come across someone who pushes your buttons about your work. Here are some of the questions/comments that I’ve encountered that you should never say to a work at home mom.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Manwich. All opinions are 100% mine. Mondays, especially the ones that my husband works, are always kind of hectic. He leaves for work at 6 pm, so we need dinner on the table early to get him out the door on time. Manwich Mondays Recipes provide …
I love porkchops in the crock pot. They get so tender that they fall apart, and letting them simmer for hours injects a lot of flavor into the meat. Unfortunately, lots of crock pot recipes use cans of soup–cream of something or other– and those are not carb-friendly. These low carb crock pot pork chops …
One the easiest ways to trim money in a tight budget is by cutting out entertainment costs. And one big area of spending for many households is the cable bill. Most packages with a good selection of channels are around $80 a month after the introductory rate. If you subscribe to premium channels or have multiple …
To say that I’m a book addict would be underestimating my love for books. I have shelves full of them, and that means that my kiddo does, too. But reading stories to him has been a tremendous aid in helping him understand what the holidays are all about. Here are 10 Easter books for preschoolers …
I have partnered with U.S. Family Guides and Challenger Sports to bring you 5 Lessons Your Kids Can Learn From Playing Soccer. Playing soccer is good for our children in lots of ways. The obvious benefit, of course, is that it provides them with physical exercise. Running and kicking is a great workout! But some lessons will …
As you know, we’re big fans of sensory bins. They can keep my little guy occupied for 30 minutes to an hour or more, and it lets him touch, smell, see and hear new things. This is a simple sensory bin using St. Patrick’s Day decorations from the Dollar Tree. Here’s how you can put …
I’ll be honest–I never cared much for snow ice cream (or snow cream, as we called it) when I was a kid. My dad makes it with cream, sugar, snow and vanilla. While my brother’s loved it, I’d opt for snow slushies instead made with juice and snow. But since we recently got more than …