I have to be honest. I have a love/hate relationship with our Advent calendar. I'm a hot mess on a normal day, so adding a daily activity to an already crazy time of year just pushes the gas on...
In a few days, we'll be packing up the kids and headed across the pond for Christmas break. I am alternately giddily excited and massively stressed about it, so if you'll just indulge me, maybe writing about it will...
I have loved Christmas as long as I can remember. The magic, the lights, the music, the sweaters and of course, the presents. I know that gifts are a HUGE part of the holiday and children naturally get super...
The most wonderful time of the year
Holidays can be fun and exciting. They also can be one of the most stressful times of the year. I love boundaries. I love talking about them because I find them fascinating and...
Double the Joy
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term melting pot as, “a place where a variety of peoples, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole.” This term perfectly describes both my city and my household. My hometown of...
Jolabokaflod
Last year, I read about Jolabokaflod, or the Yule Book Flood; a tradition that takes place in Iceland. I was so excited to start this tradition in my own family, especially after watching Frozen's Holiday Special ten-thousand times and feeling...
For as long as I can recall, my mom has always fixed her highly anticipated macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving and Christmas day. My mom, a health conscious woman, throws caution to the wind two days out of the...
10 FREE Holiday Light Displays In and Around New Orleans
One of my most favorite memories of the holidays as a child is when my parents would pile us into the car, pack some cookies and hot cocoa and we...
Tears rolled and I wiped them as fast as I could, feeling grateful that he wasn't paying attention to me. Winston, 2 at the time, was fully immersed in his brand new collection of superhero figurines that he had...
I know, I know. It’s a rite of passage in a child’s life. It’s magical. Their faces light up and there is an innocence in their belief. I am depriving my children of the joy that comes with believing in...
If there's one thing I love, it's taking pictures of my kids. Even more than that, I love taking series of pictures. There are the monthly photos (84 and counting) and I've done three and a half 365 projects....
Although my son is almost three, I still consider myself somewhat of a new mom. Each stage there's a learning curve. Right now, it's dealing with an independent toddler, potty training and healthy eating. I am learning as I go, asking...
This is my oldest daughter's second Christmas not believing in Santa Claus. She is 11 and stopped believing in all the magic of holidays around Easter in her 10th year. She was upset at the revelation there was no...
"And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..." Christmas Stockings and the gathering of little goodies or "stocking stuffers" is one of my favorite parts of planning for...