Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Her

There was a time in my life when Valentine’s Day was about getting fancy, and well, now it’s all about being cozy with a side of pampering. No high heels here! Bring on a quiet night, maybe cooking dinner together (this steak sandwich recipe is what I always request Dominic make!), and a thoughtful gift. […]

The Best Books of 2023

In 2023 I read 103 books, over 30,000 pages! Well, many of them were on audio, but that absolutely counts. I fell into these stories, learned so much, and am eager to dive into my ever-growing reading list once again this year. But, before I get too far, I wanted to share my top five […]

A Gift Guide for National Park Explorers

It’s no secret that we are a family of national park explorers! Coming up next is Badlands, Wind Caves, and Theodore Roosevelt … a few others if I can swing the route in our favor. The kids are already researching and I’m giddy over the upcoming hikes and sights. Needless to say, when it comes […]

2023 Holiday Gift Guide … Family Style!

Full transparency! Some items included in this holiday gift guide were gifted to me for review and/or the shopping link is an affiliate where I earn a small commission. Thank you for trusting my recommendations … it’s one of my favorite things to compile this guide each year! Well, well! Happy Thanksgiving and almost Black […]

Road Trip Activities For Toddlers to Teens

As promised in 14 Essentials For a Mostly Wonderful Road Trip, it’s time for a round up of all the fun activities that keep the miles rollin’ by for my kids. For toddlers to teens, this list covers all sorts of interests – you don’t need it all, but a handful will definitely add a […]

14 Essentials For a Mostly Wonderful Road Trip

In preparation for our last trip we received a few items for review … if we didn’t love them though, they didn’t make the cut! This list is legit! With three cross country trips under my belt and two more in the works, I have definitely worked out the essentials for a mostly wonderful road […]

Five Favorites

Full speed ahead! That’s the name of the game around here! We’ve wrapped up summer (not the heat, just the travel and fun) and are telling ourselves that we love getting back into the groove of schoolwork. Fall is shaping up to be a fantastic one and before I launched into birthday prep – I […]

Five Favorites

This spring has been a whirlwind! The big kids and I visited Virginia and Washington D.C. on a historical extravaganza and then we wrapped up school in late April – just in time for our annual trek to visit family in the Northwest. Those adventures deserves a whole post of their own, but, for now […]

A Birthday Gift Guide Especially For Two Year Olds

​​​​​​​Some items included in this gift guide were complimentary samples for review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. ​​​​​​​Not quite sure how we just celebrated Charlie’s second birthday, but it’s true – my baby is officially two! I always love and appreciate mamas who share their gift ideas so in […]

10 of Our Favorite Wordless Books

Do you love wordless books? They’ve become a new favorite of ours! It all started with Eli lamenting, “I’ll never learn how to read!!!” I’ve promised him that when he wants we will begin practicing and that I have a decent track record of teaching littles to read, but still, he isn’t quite sure. I […]