2014

Big M took a nap the day after we got home from visiting the in-laws for Christmas for the first time in literally months!  It was a reminder to me that her napping days are essentially over.   And if I plan to get any work done (and let Lil’…

I am a chronic over-buyer, over-cooker, over-indulger.  Any time someone is coming over, there must be food, even if it is just one of my husband’s buddies stopping by for a beer.  And any time there is food, there must be copious amounts of it.  Maybe it’s my Southern roots,…

A Wallet Resolution In 2015, I will keep to my monthly budget… If I repeat this three times while clicking my heels together, it will miraculously come true!  But in all seriousness, this is my goal for 2015.  Make a monthly budget, and stick to it. Anyone else out there…

Fancy New Years Crafts for Kids As many of you may have noticed from our photos, Big M pretty much lives in Orange Tutu and Snowflake Crown (she refers to them as though they are people, hence the capitalization!).  As long as we are at home and she is awake,…

We are days from Christmas, and if you live long distance from family like we do, chances are, large boxes are descending upon your house.  The shipment from our Texas Santa arrived late this week.  I waited until the girls were asleep to unpack everything… and when I opened the…

I can’t remember the last time I made a gingerbread house… but Big M has become quite Christmas-obsessed this year, and taken especially by gingerbread houses.  Given her propensity to meltdown over a collapsed Lego tower, I knew this could be a treacherous undertaking. So when my mom showed me…

Having two kids in diapers will send shock waves through your bank account… it drove me to cloth diapers!  But not before I looked for the best deal I could find in disposables.  The first, most basic tip – always buy the largest size box you can because it will…

My Instagram project sneak peeks put the pressure on to get these posted!  We first saw these on PopSugar as gifts for Mother’s Day, and like many of you clamoring for the How To…, we fell in love at first sight.  We finally got the chance to make them ourselves,…

There’s nothing quite like baby’s first Christmas – especially for you as the parent.  They will be more fascinated by the lights, wrapping paper and boxes than anything else.  That is, assuming they are even aware of what is going on at all!  Many commemorate the occasion with ornaments, and…

Big M is obsessed with making ornaments for the Christmas tree this year… we are going to need a bigger tree soon, and I’m on a quest for more ideas!  I remembered these candy cane mice my Mom made with us as kids and has made them with her kindergarten…

A Teething Baby’s Best Friend I happened upon these by chance – it was the end of the summer, and I grabbed the girls a box of popsicles for a treat.  It wasn’t even until I first opened the box a week later, that I noticed 1) they were miniature,…

In honor of our first snowfall of the season and the start of Hanukkah next week, we wanted to share this quick and easy holiday craft with you… Popsicle Stick Snowflakes! Shopping List: Jumbo Popsicle (Craft) Sticks Paint (if not colored sticks) Adornments – stickers, sequins, foil snowflakes Glue Ribbon…

For Big M’s second Christmas… the first she would be mobile and capable of tearing down the tree… we were fully prepared.  We bought a play yard system to put around it, and fortunately, never even had to take it out of the box!  She was very content obeying the…

When Lil’ M was born last year, I started doing two things to save my own sanity… it turns out they both saved me money too!  First, instead of going to the store with two kids under two with a foot of snow on the ground, I started having groceries…

Music brings rhythm, levity and entertainment into any home.  And music education should be a critical component in your children’s curriculum.  To help you understand both why and how to bring music into your children’s daily life, I’ve invited my brother-in-law, a multi-decade music educator, as well as musician in his…

Every day it seems to take less and less… Big M, my lovely threenager, can dissolve into tears at the drop of a hat.  It’s usually preceded by an audible gasp, followed by “Oh no…”  I don’t have a solution for ending the madness, other than you have to just…

Remember how I told you every kid is different?  Today, I witnessed feat number 142 that Lil’ M has now mastered, that Big M has yet to ever even attempt… climbing on the table.  Late last week she mastered climbing onto the kitchen chairs, so I knew this would not…

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is drive around and see all the lights everywhere.  As a child, we used to all get in my Grandparents’ suburban with hot chocolate and snacks, and my Grandfather would take us to see the lights. There’s at least…