Photo a Day May: Mum

This whole Photo a Day challenge was created by Fat Mum Slim, who is Australian, so when we see ‘mum,’ we’re talking about moms here, which is naturally expected today since it is Mother’s Day after all. This is actually the one day in the entire month that had me second-guessing whether I should participate in Photo a Day May or wait until next month’s challenge to hop on board. Mother’s Day has always been an especially difficult day for me. I call it my “dark day.” I wasn’t raised by a fit and capable mother. While she has always been very much alive, she was (and maybe still is, I don’t know) an alcoholic and a drug addict; she has not been a welcomed presence in my life or more than …

The Staycation: The Cure for the Seasonal Blahs

My sister and her children anxiously await spring and summer vacations every year, counting down the days to freedom from homework, packed lunches, and bus schedules. My sister dreams of the euphoric days she plans to spend with her children, reading, cooking, and crafting together.

Inevitably, though, her dreams fade about two weeks after summer break starts and reality sets in. The kids sleep in until 10, leave bowls of cold cereal all over the kitchen, and spend the days whining that they’re bored.

Last year, she decided to try something new: the staycation. The staycation is not a new concept, especially in recent years as fuel prices have climbed while our wallets have shrunk. But turns out, it was the perfect solution to her mid-summer angst. My sister’s week-long staycation cost less than a …

How to Make Baby’s First Christmas Bright

This is a guest post by Mary Frederick, who used inspiration and creativity to plan her baby’s first Christmas. She still looks for inspiration as her kids get older, such as how to throw an amazing birthday party. Click here to see what fuels her party planning skills and keeps her going.

Baby’s first Christmas is one of those things that is a rite of passage in your parenting life span. There are so many wonderful milestones to look forward to and embrace along your journey. The first Christmas is however one of the most meaningful along the way.

This is a time that’s all about creating lasting memories and inventing new traditions. The irony in all of this, however, is that baby won’t remember a thing! Knowing this, how can you still make …

Oh, How Pinteresting: Thanksgiving Table Setting Inspiration

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I just had a very difficult time typing out those three words. Thanksgiving, already! Wasn’t it just early September like, last week? Well ready or not, it’s time to spend an obscene amount of hours in the kitchen (or enjoy the labors of someone else spending the morning and most of the afternoon in the kitchen), gather around the table, give thanks for the people around us and what’s really important in this life, and feast until we cannot possibly feast anymore.

In most homes, the Thanksgiving table is set to look as good as the meal being put on it. The good china and silver comes out, there’s a centerpiece, candles, or candles incorporated into a centerpiece, and if your gathering is large enough, sometimes there are even name tags accompanying each setting. If you’re still stumped on what to add to your Thanksgiving table this year and need some inspiration, here are some stunning pictures of Thanksgiving table settings all found on Pinterest.

Oh, How Pinteresting: Fall is Coming!

I absolutely love fall. Love it. It has always been my favorite time of year, but after the record-setting heat waves and a hurricane this summer, I am more ready for fall than ever!

See a collection of images gathered from Pinterest that represent fall in all of its greatness by reading more.

Pasta Never Has to be Boring, Fresh Ideas to Spice Up Your Pasta Dinners

Did you know that families have pasta for dinner about 1.6 times per week? That is a lot of pasta, and my family most definitely contributes to the accuracy of that statistic.

Pasta is such a staple in our house, as well as in the houses of most everyone else, because it is extremely budget-friendly and there are so many different things that you can do with it. We typically tend to stay on a tight budget around here and at the same time, we are pretty picky eaters who very frequently grow tired of seeing the same thing grace our dinner plates. In most cases, we don’t typically have the same thing for dinner more than once every two or three weeks; but with pasta, even if we have it twice …