I'm so happy (see what I did there!) to team up with HappyFamily to talk about what makes me happy. For our family, happiness is traveling together. We have been blessed to travel the world, see different cultures and meet new people. I have enjoyed our family travel experiences so far and look forward to a lifetime of traveling with my favorite people!This summer had a family first. We took a huge road trip to Springfield, IL, Columbus, OH, Hershey, PA, Niagara Falls, NY, … [Read more...]
Just Between Friends Consignment Sale Coming
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Just Between Friends of Lee’s Summit and Overland Park. This program is in partnership with Real Mom Media (www.RealMomMedia.com). All opinions are my own.In February I shopped, for the first time in my life, at the Just Between Friends sale in Overland Park, KS. It was so amazing, words can hardly describe it. Picture an enormous building filled with all things children. Everything was priced incredible well and I was able to walk out of … [Read more...]
Tips for Choosing the Perfect Backpack + Giveaway
This year I have a Kindergartener heading off to school. It is an exciting time for him. He has been really nervous about it and not sure he wanted to go, but I knew with the right backpack and lunch pack that he would be excited to show them off to his new friends. Garnet Hill came through for him with an incredible new backpack and lunch pack. As I was on the Garnet Hill site letting him choose the backpack he wanted, I started thinking about all the things you need to consider when … [Read more...]
Monkeying Around at the St. Louis Zoo
Disclosure: Kristen received complimentary Safari passes in exchange for her review. All experiences and opinions are her own. Yours may differ. My family loves to travel so when our summer quickly filled up this year, we chose to forgo a big vacation for a quick local getaway instead. We set our sights on St. Louis, Missouri and decided to spend an extended weekend enjoying all the attractions the city has to offer. Having three young children we were pleasantly surprised by … [Read more...]
Giving the Benefit of the Doubt
There are millions of blogs on the internet. Everyday I'm sure many of those millions of blogs publish an article that could be viewed as offensive to someone, somewhere. Often one of these "offensive" articles will go viral and spread like wildfire to the masses of "offended" people. Why people want to share an article that hurts their feelings is beyond me. Now I'm not talking about articles that are purposefully intended to be hurtful, demeaning or otherwise cruel, I'm talking about articles … [Read more...]
Mother Daughter Date Ideas
Disclosure: I received free products for review purposes. All experiences and opinions are my own. Yours may differ.Before school starts and life gets crazy I like to take my kids out on individual dates. We have a lot of fun as a family, but I think this individual time is a great way to let them know they are loved individually! It's a great time to create memories and bond.Here are some of my top Mother/Daughter date ideas:Go out for ice cream. My daughter loves our local … [Read more...]
New Fiesta Tommee Tippee Bottles
Disclosure: I received compensation for sharing this new product. All opinions are my own.Put on a sombrero and get out the fajita seasonings because Tommee Tippee has a darling new line of Closer to Nature Bottles. The Fiesta Closer to Nature bottles come with 6 - nine ounce bottles. They are available on Amazon.The Fiesta Closer to Nature bottles have all the same wonderful features as previous lines of Closer to Nature bottles. The Closer to Nature nipples are contoured to feel … [Read more...]
Five Ways to Use Tissue Paper to Entertain Your Kids
Do you have a kid (or two, or three) that is just as content to play with a box or empty paper towel roll as they are to play with a top of the line toy? A kid who can invent a million games and make believes inspired by a mound of dirt? (Were you that kid?)Although toy and game makers continually create inventive products to stimulate and captivate our children’s minds and imaginations, there’s something to be said for simple crafts and games you can create at home.Next time it’s … [Read more...]
Choosing the Perfect Bedding for your Child + Giveaway
Disclosure: I received a free product sample for review purposes. All experiences and opinions are my own. Yours may differ.Picking bedding for children can be tricky if you start thinking too much about it. It's hard because you want to get something they like but you also want it to last. Fads, styles, trends and even taste changing quickly so the key is to get something classic. If your children share a room then you have an extra layer of tricky trying to get coordinating … [Read more...]
Back to School with MinuteClinic
Disclosure: I have received promotional consideration from MinuteClinic. For us Back to School is right around the corner. My kids go back in the middle of August. This year is even more exciting for our family because we will have a new Kindergartener. While it is exciting for my son to be growing up and starting school, it also means time for more vaccinations.I am in my early 30's (I hate admitting that!) but even I can still remember the day I had to get all my … [Read more...]
Exploring Tommee Tippee’s Explora Products
Disclosure: As a Tommee Mommee I received product samples of the Explora line for review purposes. All experiences and opinions are my own.I love Tommee Tippee products, so I really enjoy being a Tommee Mommee and on the list to try the new products as they come out. Recently a big box of Tommee Tippee Explora products showed up on my porch. I was super excited to dig in and try out some great products!The Explora line of products is the perfect tool to help transition your baby into … [Read more...]
Fallsview Indoor Waterpark – Niagara Falls
Disclosure: I received free tickets to visit the waterpark for review purposes. All experiences and opinions are my own. Yours may differ.My family and I have been to many waterparks. I kind of consider myself a waterpark snob because some waterparks are great for families and children, and others are just horrible. Whether it is how the rides are laid out, or what types of rides there are, it can really make or break a park for families.The Fallsview Indoor Waterpark is one of the … [Read more...]
BabySpa Keeping my Baby Smooth
Disclsoure: I received free product sample as part of the BabySpa ambassador program. All experiences and opinions are my own. Yours may differ.My baby has some very sensitive skin! He started with some small patches of Eczema but as the summer has come around and temperatures have risen it has flared up really bad. We have tried some many things to help control it and not many have worked. We did find that a combination of products was doing pretty good to keep it in check. One of those … [Read more...]
Whitaker Center – Harrisburg, PA
Having been a child (not long ago-ahem), a teacher and now a parent there are not many museums or interactive exhibit centers that blow me away. Often they seem to all have the same general features with a few unique things here and there. Don't get me wrong I love a good Children's or Science Museum but had I not been able to visit the Whitaker Center I would have missed out on a fantastic opportunity. So here they are- the things that the Whitaker Center had that I wish I had … [Read more...]
The Sweetest Place to Play – HersheyPark
Disclosure: I was given free tickets for review purposes. All experiences and opinions are my own. Yours may differ.We have been to many theme parks over the course of the last 12 years of our marriage, not to mention all the theme parks we went to growing up with our own families. Each theme park seems to be set up basically the same way. A section for games, places for shows, some big roller coasters and a section for kiddie rides. The people behind the design of HersheyPark are … [Read more...]
