Skin Deep

It's Monday.  Spring break has come and gone and the weather finally seems to have turned the corner.  Can I get an Amen?! How about a dose of sobering reality?   No filter.  No touch ups.  Pre-workout photo from last week.  In my in-need-of-a-makeover office. How about this one?   I was totally going to make my annual skin screening at my dermatologist, I swear.  Another mole was not playing nice. Except I just kept putting it off with lots of excuses.  It's a long drive, it sucks up work time and I can't find a sitter. Blah, blah, blah. All excuses. All the time.  Then the triple threat, as I am now calling it, appeared.  It doesn't look so bad in the photo, except that it was.  SO BAD.  It was painful, large and two days before so swollen I looked like I … [Read more...]

A Little Love

The House Filled with Love & Rainbows by #TheAG I feel like the song lyrics, "with a little love we can work it out." have been a chant in my head for the last six months.  Mainly when it comes to our house.  We knew the road to bringing our new home back to her former glory was going to be a long one.  Five months of highs and lows of buying and fixing up a short sale (hello, mold remediation and demo!) were exciting and at times highly frustrating.  It all worked out in the end and we moved in after almost two straight 24/7 months of making repairs. We unpacked and settled in.  We hit the six week mark last Thursday, woke up and found the basement to be in ankle-deep water. And the snow? It came down. As we frantically dried documents all around our house, getting them crisp … [Read more...]

Fifty Shades of Save Your Money

Maybe you haven't heard but there is a little movie premiering this weekend.  Oh, wait. What's that? It is the dull roar of millions of fans stampeding to the theaters in hopes of being titillated once again by the acting ability of Jamie Dornan as he portrays Christian Grey.  That's right; I'm talking about Fifty Shades of Grey.  Are you ready?  Are you ready for this? … [Read more...]

I HEART Valentines Day

First things first, I absolutely adore Valentines Day. It's my Dad's birthday, there's a total excuse to make up some yummy dessert and I love a good pink and red combination. While I might want a subscription to this for the big pink, puffy heart day- I'm totally crushing on the Chevy Colorado right now. And I never tire of macarons, especially chocolate ones. … [Read more...]

On Writing and American Girl with Author Mary Casanova

It's Friday and time for a little bit of fun.  In our house that means it probably has something to do with American Girl.  From the moment we moved into our new home the girls immediately set up different parts of their rooms with their dolls.  Each set-up, like the dolls, is different and was a way to show how much they love spending time creating worlds and adventures with their special American Girl dolls. The Comedian with Grace Thomas We were so excited when the Girl of the Year, Grace entered our house.  The Comedian may have received her but it was TD that devoured the book as soon as it arrived.  She couldn't wait to interview Mary Casanova, the author of the Grace series with me.  We had fun putting the questions together too.   … [Read more...]

American Girl Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are all about being personal.  I don't do that very much on TMC, at least not anymore.  Call me nostalgic but I get that way about American Girl. When American Girl, then Pleasant Company, debuted in the mid-80's I was ten years-old. My Dad knew that my love of history and dolls would just swoon over the catalog. He was right. It was love at first sight. I earmarked the Samantha pages but loved reading the details about all the dolls, which at the time was only three.  My wish for more than a few Christmases was for the Samantha doll.  It's one of the many reasons I do an American Girl gift guide each holiday season. Source: museumofplay.org See that girl reading to her Samantha doll?  That was what I wanted many a Christmas morning. … [Read more...]

Go Back to School Healthy

The flyers came slipping out of the Sunday morning paper yesterday, full of brightly colored photos of notebooks, pencils and markers. All shiny and new, ready to be purchased at the lowest marked price. "It's back to school season already!" they shouted. Beckoned really, like a sirens call. I'm not really ready for it. … [Read more...]

Keep Momming

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Shire. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.   The relationship that exists between mothers and daughters is unlike any other. It has many unique moments, memories, and yes, even challenges along the way. The relationship dynamic can be even trickier when your daughter is in those tween-age years. What can be even more difficult is when some people dismiss certain behaviors as “typical tween girl behavior” when those behaviors can be symptoms of something more serious. Research suggests that girls are more likely than boys to report having mostly inattentive Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Since inattentive symptoms can be less noticeable … [Read more...]

Summer Reading List

  Summer is one of the best times to pick up a book and lose yourself for a few hours. I recently read a piece by author, Zadie Smith detailing just how much she likes to read and create memories through books.  I felt like I had found a kindred spirit.  Books are a vacation to me and never more so than in the summer months.  Sitting on my deck in the early morning, curled up on my sunny living room sofa in the late afternoon or nestled in bed at night I'm at my most content when I'm swimming and diving through the pages of a good read.  Here is what we are reading right now.   … [Read more...]