Moms

Olivia as a Blueberry Muffin Last week, I showed off Susan’s girls, Julia and Sophia, in their dance recital costumes. This week is Olivia’s turn to show off her blueberry muffin ballet costume that she wore for the end of year dance recital. As you can tell, Olivia loves ballet costumes. The costumes are pretty much her favorite part of the whole thing. What is Your Weekly Photo? Mom Bloggers (and Dad Bloggers too!) post a photo on your site, link up and find others… Wordless Wednesday is tons of fun. (And I know it says “wordless” but I usually just can’t bear to not write anything! If I had created it, I probably would have named it something different! LOL So feel to link up your word-full or word-less Wednesday photos!) Leave the URL to your photo (clearly mine are never truly “wordless”) and then visit others! Link Up: Thanks to Uisce for creating Wordless Wednesday. Written by Janice, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom. You can see more of her photography at Janice Croze Photography.

I remember when the expression up all night involved parties, studying, and amour. Then my kids were born, and it took on a whole new meaning. Last week, our oldest son flew home from college for a short visit. His flight was expected to land at midnight. When it was delayed, my husband and I tag-teamed on sleep and it was like old times: he napped for a few hours, I made brownies (why not?) then woke him when it was time to leave; he drove to the airport, I napped. At 3:30 a.m. they walked in the front door. I stayed up to catch up on our son’s life (and to watch him eat) and my husband napped until it was time to leave for work. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but as our son, who will be 21 in a few months, spoke, I was acutely aware of how he had come full cycle with keeping us up all night. Now, instead of me reading him stories to lull him back to sleep, he was telling me some of his own — mostly about staying up all night in college — minus a few choice details he politely left out. The next day, I found myself looking at photos of the boys when they were little. Like most infants, neither of them slept through the night — our youngest didn’t start until he was two years old. It certainly made work challenging, but life was full and rich and anything but dull. Some days I couldn’t form sentences, or identify the stains on my blouses, or remember if I ate breakfast, or put on antiperspirant. On several occasions I wore mismatched shoes, and once I threw a bag of dirty diapers into the back of my van with my briefcase only to discover it an hour later when I arrived and the smell nearly knocked me out. But that stage of life passed, as it tends to do, and the next one – the adolescent stage, when they start to talk about their dreams and worries in the wee hours — began. In the darkness I’d hear, “Mom, I don’t feel good,” or “Mom, I can’t sleep, will you read to me?” and up all night continued. From illness and heartache, to excitement about birthdays, new schools, and the chance of snow — the reasons for staying up were many and varied and the days that followed were long, but it was always worth it. By the teenage years there didn’t need to be any one reason in particular — they were just wired to be up. When I couldn’t sleep through the noise, I joined them. Once I even made biscuits at 2 a.m. after watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with my youngest son and salivating over some breakfast foods we saw at a diner the host visited. There was also some sort of green bean puree that we attempted, but that’s a memory better forgotten. It became clear that in spite of my getting older and wanting more sleep, I had to choose: Did I want to sleep or did I want to be part of their lives? It seemed a no-brainer. I tried to be up when they were, around when they did their thinking — even if I was brain dead, I left the light on. Some of our best conversations happened when the moon came up. This fall, our youngest heads off to college. I can only hope that when he comes home for a visit, he too will honor the age-old tradition of keeping his mother up all night, regaling me with stories — stories I can replay in my head as I nod off to slumber when they’re both gone. After all, I’ve got some serious catching up on sleep to do. And parties, studying, and amour beckon to my boys. Author informationMelissa ShultzMelissa T. Shultz writes about life’s journey -- the wistful, the wonderful, and the wry. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines including: Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, D Magazine, Better Health and Living Magazine, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Babble.com, Huffington Post, BetterAfter50.com, The Los Angeles Times, as well as CNN Radio. You can follow her on Twitter @MelissaTShultzThe post The Ne

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I was a young entertainment reporter at the Daily News when I interviewed Cedric the Entertainer along with his comedic co-horts Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey and D. L. Hughley. They were taking a... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

By SHAWN TAYLOR “How do you raise a child in safety in a world that is getting more violent by the day?” Some parents recently explored the question as their children played. Three mothers and a... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Whether you are a housewife, stay at home mom, or working parent – having kids and a house to look after makes maintaining the basics of a healthy lifestyle tough! You need to make sure you get in exercise, healthy food, and a proper amount of rest. It is challenging because it relies on routines that can be hard to keep up when family life can be so unpredictable. So how can you keep on top of things so that your family’s everyday life is anchored on a basic healthy and active lifestyle? The main priorities are eating well, getting some exercise and cutting down on bad habits. Here are a few key tips that can help you and your family stay healthy: Plan healthy meals in advance It’s easy to fall back on ready meals (which are notoriously high in salt) and junk food that lacks any nutritional value. But getting enough fruit and veg is one of the most important aspects of a healthy diet, so you should try to and make all your meals balanced. One way to avoid getting into bad habits is to write a meal plan at the start of every week, and make sure you have all the fresh ingredients you’ll need so that it’s easy to throw a healthy meal together quickly. You can even spend one evening making several meals to freeze, so you’ve got nutritious dinners ready to go for later in the week or month. Try to replace salty or sugary snacks with fruit and keep a carton of fresh juice in the fridge all the time so every family member can get as many portions of fruit and veg a day as possible. Make exercise a family activity If you don’t have time to get out for dedicated exercise sessions or visits to the gym, try to work exercise into your everyday routine. Take every opportunity you can to leave the car at home and either cycle or walk to your destination. And when you spend time together as a family try to get out of the house and play games or sports that give you all a chance to stretch your legs and keep fit. Getting out in the sunlight is good for your vitamin D levels and overall well-being, so just going outside for some fresh air regularly is important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Leave bad habits at the door Smoking is one of the major health threats among adults, leading to cancer and heart disease among other risks. So quitting is one of the best decisions you can make as part of a push for a healthier lifestyle. Have a look at the NHS smoke free site for more help and information. It’s also important to keep an eye on your alcohol and coffee intake. You don’t have to completely cut these out, but just make sure you enjoy them in moderation – if you’re relying on either or struggling to cut down on cigarettes, alcohol or coffee go and speak to your GP. They will be able to give you help and advice to create a healthier lifestyle for you and your family. If you have kids you might also want to consider taking out a life insurance policy, which you can find easily through www.comparethemarket.com. Staying healthy really pays off in the long run and makes for a happier, more active family – so get out there and enjoy yourselves. This post is sponsored. I love my sponsors and hope you find value in this post.

So when I was going through the list of quirky roadside attractions that we could build into our road trip to Baltimore, and spied a mention for the world’s largest frying pan, I added it straight to our list. I mean, how could I not? A giant piece of straight-up Americana right there on the walls of a museum in downtown New Castle, Delaware. And since it was really just a few miles from the giant statue of Mary and we seemed to be on an unplanned trip of visiting giant things, it was really a given that we would stop. The museum where the world’s largest frying pan is housed is easy to find in a quaint historical downtown area of New Castle. On-street parking, even on a Saturday, was plentiful. As soon as we walked in, I spied the penny smushing machine and made a mental note to get one on the way out (one side has the name of the museum, and the other side celebrates the anniversary of DuPont). A perfect addition to our growing collection. Besides having the world’s largest frying pan, the museum is also home to all historical things pertaining to Delaware. We paid our admission fee (I believe it was $14 for the three of us, no AAA discounts), and started on our self-guided tour. We learned quite a few things about Delaware while there, including the fact that the Delaware Memorial Bridge that we had just driven over was actually the world’s second longest twin span bridge, and I love crossing it. And then we saw it. The world’s largest frying pan. It was originally made by the Mumford Sheet Metal Company from Selbyville, Delaware, and weighs in at 650 pounds. It garnered lots of fame during a 48-year-span of being featured at the Delmarva Chicken Festival, where it cooked more than 100 tons of chicken during its run there. Because of the pan’s sheer size, it could fry 800 quarter chickens in one batch. Although this particular pan has since been retired (and doesn’t it look great for its age?), the festival continues to this day. You can see the frying pan in action in the above picture. Pure awesomeness. The museum is a nice quiet space to browse at your leisure, and it took us about half an hour to go through the different exhibits. There is also a rather large gift shop with a wide variety of both historical and novelty items, and the staff is very friendly and outgoing. If you’re in the area or passing through, it’s a nice quick and easy stop for the whole family. And hello? It’s not every day you get to see the world’s largest frying pan. Historical Society of Delaware 504 N. Market St., Wilmington, DE 302-655-7161 Some of you might have seen this on my Instagram last night … but in case you didn’t… Support a ten-year-old budding entrepreneur and a local animal rescue group with one small purchase. Nick is making these bracelets (they fit both adult and child) and selling them for $4 each. Half of every purchase will be donated to the animal rescue group that we work with. Price includes US shipping. Additional colors available by request. If you’re interested, drop me a line at CATE at SWEETNICKS dot COM. He sold 18 already within two hours of posting the picture – so proud of him and what he’s doing to help homeless dogs and cats. Tomorrow? Cookies!

Jennifer here to share with you about Lullaby Paints, amazing chalkboard paint that comes in all different kinds of colors. We were compensated to write this post and given a sample, however all opinions remain my own. My daughter is an artist. She loves to draw — on everything. I have to tell you that she is an amazing artist. She draws super heroes, people, animals, and more. When we were contacted about doing a review for Lullaby Paints, I knew this would be something that she would love in her room. I loved how versatile and easy this paint went on. My 15  year old daughter tackled this project all by herself — something that is not easy to do with a lot of other chalkboard paint products. About Chalk Board Paints There’s something undeniably fun about chalkboards (c’mon, admit it). They simply beckon for doodles and drawings. Go ahead and get your chalk on with Lullaby Paints hard, super-resilient Chalkboard paint made to the same baby-safe standards as other Lullaby Paints. Offered in sixteen colors to accent any room, Chalkboard Paints provide a wonderful canvas for children to express their creative instincts. The low-sheen finish is ideal for all kinds of chalks and is fully washable to make masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece. Chalkboard Paints are also available as a kit, including paint (sufficient for a board of thirty square feet with two coats) a roller, tray, chalk and edging tape. And, our safe formula means kids can paint their own chalkboard – perfect for artwork, poetry, or anything their imagination can dream up. Since her room is lime green, black, and aqua blue, she chose the blue shade to paint with. She marked off a section of her closet doors and went to down painting. The kit even comes with its own little bag of chalk, but like I said — my daughter is an artist, so she already had a ton of sidewalk chalk just waiting to be used so she decorated her board. The paint was dry and ready to draw on about an hour after she finished. Each day, she draws something new on her Aqua blue chalkboard. Her project was small, but if you are looking to tackle a bigger painting project, you can order some FREE samples of their designer-inspired colors. Enter to win One reader is going to get their chance to win a Chalkboard paint kit in their desired color. New to Rafflecopter? Watch this 45-second video on how to enter! a Rafflecopter giveaway So which color would you choose? What would you do with it?

A couple of Julia’s friends were here for a sleepover last weekend and I’m not sure anyone enjoyed it as much as my little guy. At one point, he was on my lap, surrounded by little girls smiling and cooing at him, their voices soft and lilting, and he had never seemed more pleased. The girls were celebrating the end of the softball season that never really ends because now Julia is playing for a 10 and Under team. And then in an 8 and Under tournament. And possibly a fall league. All the while Lucy is still playing t-ball. And BALL. BALL BALL BALL. BALL! All the time. Forever and ever. BALL. I’m contemplating Julia’s birthday cake. I’m planning to use homemade fondant, meaning I will be making it myself. I gave the recipe a test run on Father’s Day. It’s sort of messy to make, but it seems I can make fondant, you guys. Fondant cakes for everyone! We also tried some shaving cream painting, recently, which is pretty cool. This - - resulted in this: And this - - made a big freakin’ mess, which is kid code for FUN and mom code for LET’S DO THIS OUTSIDE NEXT TIME. Also THANK GOODNESS PHOEBE WAS NAPPING.

Here’s another entry in the Things to Do in Oregon With Kids category (previously: Crescent Lake), if I actually had blog categories, which I totally don’t because the last time I tried to mess with my WordPress theme everything blew up and I vowed to never ever ever touch it again. PHP WHUT. The Rogue River has a special place in my heart. It’s so gorgeous and wonderful and I’ll always remember hiking the trail in 2010 and writing afterwards, “What if home were closer to all of this? Thinking, planning, plotting. How to get from here to there.” We’ve camped in the area four years in a row now, and this past weekend was the second time we stayed at the Indian Mary campground with the boys. Where to go: Just past Merlin in southern Oregon, about 140 miles from Eugene. Why to go: The Rogue River is a must-see part of Oregon. Summers are hot and sunny and the scenery is unreal and you’ll never want to leave. What to do: If your ideal family vacation includes shopping and spa visits, this probably isn’t the place for you. But if you like outdoorsy stuff, the options are limitless: hiking, boating, whitewater rafting, fishing, camping, etc. You can bring (or rent) a raft and do a brief leisurely float, or you can hire a guide and spend several days on the wild section of the river. (I did this once with JB years ago and it was absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t do it with the kids yet, though, because I’d be too nervous about their safety.) Next time we go I want to do a jetboat ride again, because those are crazy fun. You can hike a short section of the the Rogue River trail or walk the whole damn thing. You can park your ass in a chair in the sun and watch your kids throw rocks in the water for like 15 hours. Where to stay: I can’t recommend the Indian Mary campground enough for families. It’s got great bathrooms, showers, a big playground, a disc-golf course, a basketball court, RV hookups, and so on. There’s a tent-only section that gets a little crowded, so here’s a tip: the very best spots are 54, 56, and 58. The camp is right on the river, and just a couple miles from the awesome Galice Resort where you can buy stuff at the little store or have lunch on their deck. What might suck: Nothing will suck, except coming home and dealing with the giant pile of camp laundry. All & Sundry