Holiday

Easy and Inexpensive Ways to Give Back During the Holidays I love giving to others during the holiday season. Whether it’s the perfect gift for a friend or an item to someone in need, giving to others completes my family’s holiday traditions. Children have a tendency to get so wrapped up in getting gifts at Christmas time. When my daughter was a toddler, I set out in a mission to involve her (and now my son) in easy ways they can help us give to those in need during this jolly season. We don’t have a large sum of money to give or a tremendous about of time to donate to a cause, but my family is blessed to have...

I have a new love for Christmas this year. This is the first year for us to celebrate Christmas in our new house! I can't wait to decorate all the rooms for the first time and for us to start making new memories in our house together. I am a traditions girl and I love to decorate, bake Christmas cookies, and drive through the Christmas lights. Last Christmas, we were living in apartment while we looked for a house, but this year we are settled. The mantle and the fireplace in our home are just right for hanging stockings. This year, Christmas is new in a joyful way, and I love it. This has gotten me thinking about other Christmases...

Black Friday :: When the Magic is Gone There was a time in my life, where Black Friday was my SPORT. Do you remember those Target ads with the lady in the red track suit doing stretches and warm-ups? My sister tried to find me that track suit because she said that lady was ME. And for a long season in life, it was. Early Morning  We would get up at five or six am and head to the corner gas station to get the stack of Black Friday ads stuffed in the Thanksgiving day newspaper. We had our notebooks, highlighters, permanent markers to mark up the ads, and get out our notebooks to make detailed lists of potential gifts to grab....

Christmas time is near! We are beginning to decorate our homes and preparing for Jesus’ birthday! In my house, I have a 12 year old son and 6 year old daughter so their Christmas experiences are a little different. For us, a few of years ago is when the magic of Christmas faded for our son. We began to try and think of ways to keep Christmas fun and magical for him. We are part of the crazy fad of Elf of the Shelf. I get it. It is a lot; there are times people go overboard, and let’s be honest, it is one more thing for us moms to remember to do before we go to bed. There are lots of reasons...

We've been at this special needs parenting thing for 11 years now. It's intense, scary and overwhelming more days than we will tell you about. It's never ever getting to let your hair down, because somebody in your home is counting on you to do CPR, save their life, or monitor their vitals. Even nurses and doctors get time off, but as the parents, we don't. We sometimes get respite in the form of nurse or personal care attendant. And for the really lucky ones, sometimes a family member will step in and step up to help too. But this isn't an overwhelming majority of special needs households.  So how do you give a break to a parent who really can't...