Holiday

Holiday travel season is upon us. Some of you will hunker down, and family and friends will come to YOU. Some of you drive 30 minutes to see family … some drive full days. And some of you will fly. WITH KIDS. If you have never flown with a toddler, let me be the first to encourage you: it’s not that bad!! I do it a lot. I live in Baton Rouge and work based in DC requiring travel about once every 4-5 weeks; most of the time my parents watch my son when I travel, but my toddler travels with me every third or fourth trip. In fact, I just booked his 26th and 27th flights!! What does prepping for a...

Goodbye Halloween, HELLLOOOOO Christmas! I know what you're thinking. I can see the eye rolls through my screen. What about Thanksgiving? you ask. Stop rushing through November and let the turkey have his day, you say. I get those points, I do. However, it's my house and I'll put up my Christmas tree early if I want to! Christmas is a very special time for my family. We absolutely love the joy that fills our home by the simple sights of Christmas decorations. The mere tune of a Christmas carol sets our hearts aglow like the wood burning in our fireplace. Baking Christmas goodies and setting them out for all to enjoy gives each of us a warm and fuzzy feeling that we wish to never end. Hallmark Christmas movie nights accompanied by...

Disclosure :: we had such a blast at our SPOOKtacular playdate to kick off the Fall season in Baton Rouge, and none of it would have been possible without our amazing community sponsors: Lil Bambinos Playtorium, Pediatric Dental Specialists of Baton Rouge, Sherman and Balhoff-Specialists in Orthodontics, California Pizza Kitchen-Perkins Rowe, Bliss Patisserie, Leave Dinner to June, Whole Foods Market, Cindy Abney Photography, Communities in Schools and Bayou Balloons. SPOOKtacular Playdate Recap We were so excited to welcome families who could make it out for this super fun morning at Lil Bambinos Playtorium! Everyone walked in smiling, dressed with a touch of Halloween spirit and ready to enjoy treats and PLAY time! There were lots of fun and age appropriate activities for all Baton Rouge kids to enjoy, including climbing the jungle gym, playing with...

Disclosure :: we appreciate our wonderful sponsors for making our SPOOKtacular event possible! A huge thank you goes to Lil Bambinos Playtorium for hosting this event and to Bliss Cupcakes for bringing their talented cupcake decorating skills to share with the kids! Pediatric Dental Specialists of Baton Rouge will be on hand with healthy "trick or treating" in the form of t-shirts {first 25 kids} and balloons. Thank you to Leave Dinner to June for providing their signature Caprese Chicken Pasta and sweets and to California Pizza Kitchen-Perkins Rowe  for providing an assortment of sandwiches, Thai Chicken Salad, BBQ Chicken Salad, Quinoa Arugula Salad and their homemade Peach and Raspberry Lemonade for everyone. Thank you to Sherman and Balhoff-Specialists in Orthodontics for bringing beautiful smiles to join us!...

Let me preface this post with a few important points. I absolutely know that there are more "important" issues in the world, and I am so deeply aware that many children struggle to have their basic needs met. I have spent 5+ years of my own career working in inner city schools in Louisiana, so I have seen firsthand the tangible effects of hunger, poverty, abuse and more. I also know that having living and involved grandparents at all is a HUGE blessing, and it's not one we take for granted. That said, after conversing with many friends, I also know that I am not alone in these feelings. While well-meaning, all of the plastic tchotchkes that enter our home...