It's no secret that I cannot keep a plant alive. Kids, sure. Plants, not a chance. I love them way too much. I plant cute little succulents in bowls and tubs and all kinds of cute things and BAM, two weeks later, I've loved them to death. Although, surprisingly the thyme I put in a pot by the front door is still alive after 4 weeks and actually thriving. But, my misadventures in planting haven't stopped Marisol from asking, for weeks now, if she can not only have succulents in her bedroom, but also tea light candles too (of course... Continue reading

Disclosure: This blog post is sponsored by Warner Bros Pictures The new animated movie, STORKS, is coming to theaters this weekend. The kids and I are so excited to catch an advance local screening this week. STORKS comes from the studio that delivered THE LEGO MOVIE and stars the voice talent of Andy Samberg, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Katie Crown, Danny Trejo. Forever in party planning mode, of course this movie made me think of baby showers. My son, who is almost 21, went to a baby shower last weekend. Of course he had... Continue reading

Back in July an opportunity to head out to Nashville was presented and I jumped at the chance. I'd never been, the kids were with their dad that week for summer break, and it was a much needed 5 days away. On one of the days we ventured into Kentucky to spend the day at the very beautiful Lake Cumberland. It was only a little over 2 hours by car to get to Grider Hill Marina where we had a deck boat waiting for us. We grabbed a map of the area, had a cooler of drinks, swimsuits on, and... Continue reading

Disclosure: This blog post was sponsored by Disney-Hyperion. If you are looking for the best weekend or afternoon treat for your little ones then have I got the thing for you. You know how much I love pairing craft projects or food with books and movies, well today I'm sharing two new Mo Willems books with you, We Are Growing and The Cookie Fiasco. They are the first two books in the new beginning-reader series Elephant & Piggie Like Reading. Of course The Cookie Fiasco made me crave cookies, and we all know cookies and milk must go together, so... Continue reading

At what point did my daughter decide she could suddenly start looking fifteen instead of nine? I was taking photos of her for a blog post over at 5 Minutes for Mom when I realized just how much she is growing up, and far too quickly for my liking. But back to the post for 5 Minutes for Mom. I'm showing you how to make fun airbrush shirts for kids. Actually this project is so easy that kids can make their own. So head on over and take a look. It will make a great weekend project. Continue reading

So the kids have been back to school for a couple of weeks now and we are still trying to get back into the swing of things after summer vacation. We are finding the morning routines in particular awfully difficult to get back on track again. One of the big things I've been working on is having quick and easy breakfast ideas for the kids that are ready to go, where they can be independent enough to heat, toast, pour, or spread something without me hearing my name being called over and over again. My kids though, much like me,... Continue reading

Disclosure: This blog post was sponsored by The Wild Life movie. Do you remember the story of Robinson Crusoe? Well on September 9th, the animated film The Wild Life is being released into theaters everywhere. The film features some pretty colorful characters on a tropical island including the over-exuberant parrot Mak, to the snack-obsessed tapir Rosie, from the persnickety porcupine Epi, to the always-cool chameleon Carmello plus SO MANY others that your family is bound to love. In celebration of the release of this fantastic new movie, I've created some fun felt masks based on some of the quirky characters.... Continue reading

The twins' started back to school a little over a week ago. On the Monday night before school started we had a back-to-school night where we were given our classroom assignments, the list of supplies needed to be purchased, and met the teacher's who would be taking care of our little ones throughout the school year, when they weren't at home with us. As with every other year, one of the big items that they needed was Kleenex®. They need them in bulk, because not only do they use them in the classroom, but the office, library, lunch rooms, special... Continue reading

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Boden as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. Back-to-school fashion for my kids has to scream one thing ... comfort! Marisol does like to keep up with the latest trends to some extent, but most of all she wants to be comfortable, and so she pretty much lives in shorts, t-shirts, and rompers ... and a couple of times recently I've even seen her in a dress. And, well, Flynn is all about comfort. He would also live in shorts and t-shirts if I... Continue reading

If you want your kids school supplies to stand out and not accidentally get mixed up in the classroom, tape is an effective way to personalize everything from pencil boxes, to pencils, rulers, binders ... just about anything your child needs, and without the need to right their name in a permanent sharpie on everything and then be unable to donate supplies or hand them down to other children later. I'm sharing tips for applying patterned tape to school supplies over at 5 Minutes for Mom. I've also got some cute matching flag paperclips that are perfect for marking pages... Continue reading

Are your kids back to school yet? Mine started back during the week. Their last year of elementary school. Cue tears. I'm sharing these fun apple donut back-to-school treats that would be a great addition for classroom parties throughout the school year over at MyPrintly. Continue reading

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BTSwithHP #CollectiveBias With the kids going back to school this week I decided it was time to set up homework stations for them. Last year most of their homework was done at the dining room table, but I found that resulted in a lot of fighting because someone was reading out loud to themselves, and there were too many distractions if one was finished and watching television (or even worse, playing video games). So that system just wasn't working for us. They... Continue reading

I joke often that I should have lost my girl card a long time ago. I often forget to shave my legs, pluck my eyebrows and I don't even know how long it's been since I've been to a hairdresser. So, when it comes to actually wearing makeup I always apply it the same way and use the same colors. The only change I make is adjusting the tone for daytime or evening. I don't have a lot of time to experiment with new looks or try the latest one I've come across on Pinterest or in a magazine, but... Continue reading

Disclosure: I was given an opportunity to try Google Express. The twins' are home on summer vacation and there is nothing they hate more than running errands. However, they are only 9 and too young to stay home alone so especially when their big brother is at work or college (yes he went all summer), I found it so much easier to do most of my shopping on-line. I ordered there back-to school clothes, some of their back-to-school supplies, and even some groceries. A big project I'd been putting off though was painting Marisol's bed frame. We'd picked it up... Continue reading

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Skinnygirl as part of an Influencer Activation. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. I absolutely love the Skinnygirl™ brand. It's the perfect way to indulge without the guilt. So today, not only am I going to share a yummy summer Spiked Coconut Peach Sparkling Water cocktail, but also show you some of the great Skinnygirl products that are now available. Let's start with the recipe for this delicious, refreshing, and light Spiked Coconut Peach Sparkling Water. note: makes 3 cocktails Ingredients: 1 cup Skinnygirl™ Sparklers Peach Passoin Fruit 1 cup ice 1... Continue reading

We've been there and done that. It was a brief ride, but one that Jay wanted to try, and then stop, and that was fine. After all, acting and modeling for kids I feel should be about their interest in it, not the parents, because there are long hours and days and time away from friends and school, and it's not easy. The twins have done a little modeling for books in the past few years too, but it isn't something they are wanting to pursue. This was Jay back in elementary school. Wasn't he a cutie? He's now taller... Continue reading

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags. Last year I shared the makeover I gave to one of my best thrift store finds, a wood tilt-out trash can cabinet. At the time I was using it for recycling, but since moving house last November it's become our trash can. And it's so pretty, I just love it. I know, I love my trash can, it's the little things though. One thing that came along with moving house was the lack of space. We downsized quite considerably, so trying to squeeze... Continue reading

Whenever we visit Legoland, here in California, one of Flynn's favorite areas is the Build & Test space in the Imagination Zone. There are race tracks and tubs of LEGO® around the room where kids can use their imagination to build a car to race. We spend an hour or two here every time we go. So over summer break I decided to make the kids their own race track for home, where they can build their own cars and race against each other, and against their friends when they come over. These race tracks are easy to make, and... Continue reading

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise. It's summertime! The alarm clocks have all been turned off, the kids are staying up late in the evenings and sleeping in late into the morning. I'm now serving them brunch instead of breakfast and I'm waking up (without an alarm) a couple of hours before they do. It's blissful. I get to enjoy my cup of coffee or tea, a little breakfast, catch up on some reading, and laze around for a little while before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. This includes planning... Continue reading

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ArtofEntertaining #CollectiveBias The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. Seafood has always been one of those dishes I've enjoyed at restaurants but rarely prepare at home. Jay's favorite dish is mussels, it's the one thing he will always order when we dine out at seafood restaurants. So, I made it my mission to prepare them at home for him. He just finished finals at college last week so I thought what better way to celebrate than to prepare... Continue reading

This summer I implemented weekly chores for the twins'. For the past few years they've had to keep their bedrooms tidy, take care of their pets, and put their laundry away, but it was time for them to take on a new household chore. It needed to be something that they could earn a little weekly pocket money, learn some new responsibilities, and see what it takes to keep a house clean and tidy. Plus, it's one more thing to keep them off video games and doing something productive over the summer. So one of them is sweeping the wood... Continue reading

I'm sharing a little peek inside my house along with a free transfer template and tutorial to make an owl cushion. You can find all of the details over at MyPrintly. Continue reading

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #AlwaysDelicious #CollectiveBias My favorite flavors over summer are anything citrus. There's something so refreshing about it. Okay, let's face it, I will devour just about anything lemon flavored, and my daughter has developed the same love for all things lemon too, from lemon loaf, to lemonade, lemon meringue, lemon chicken, and lemon cookies. Every now and then I will make treats for us girls. We will paint nails, play a game, or just spend time together ... or like today I'm... Continue reading

Disclosure: We are given passes to attend LEGOLAND California in exchange for sharing about the great deals and latest happenings. If you had plans to take the kids to LEGOLAND California this summer, then now is the time to do it. You can enjoy unlimited admission now through December 25, 2016, with a LEGOLAND Play Pass on sale for a limited time and must be redeemed by July 31 st , 2016. If you haven't been to LEGOLAND in a while there are some great new areas to explore including the recently opened LEGO® NINJAGO® World. Some of our favorite... Continue reading

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Everywhere Agency to talk about Macy’s and The 100 Good Deeds Bracelet, but thoughts and opinions are my own. #100GoodDeeds is not just a phrase. It’s a lifestyle. It’s about changing the world, and doing it in the most fashionable way possible. The 100 Good Deeds Bracelet not only inspires simple acts of kindness, but also transforms communities by empowering the vulnerable women around the world who craft the bracelets by hand. “Never be so busy as not to think of others.” – Mother Teresa Do you know amazing women you do... Continue reading