My only sliver of hope these past few months has been SUMMER! Summer, when we travel, spend days on end at the pool, visit Splash Pads, Waterparks, and get lost in new towns/cities, & tours! I figured we’d never go back to school, but I didn’t imagine we’d have no 4th of July Fireworks display, no city pools, splash pads, or summer concerts. This is BRUTAL!!! After I received the news I cried, had a glass of wine, & then I got down to business!! Read more
Extended! The Stay-at-Home orders have officially been extended in Ohio for another month, through May 29th, which means there’s still no going out to eat at restaurants, going to a movie theater, “It’s Friday” at Toledo Museum of Art, or any other “usual” Date Night destination. But that doesn’t mean Date Night has to be canceled! Here’s seven clever Date Night Ideas you can do in Toledo during quarantine.
Kiddos climbing the walls? Cabin fever setting in? Sick of hearing the word, “Virtually”? Want to actually get in your car and go somewhere? How does a REAL field trip sound? That’s precisely what we did & it felt amazing, almost normal. We went to one of NW Ohio’s hidden gems, 577 Foundation. Read more
Here we are, starting week 6 of this COVID-19 pandemic and many families have already had to make hard decisions in regards to their birth plan. Mamas are changing their birth environment from hospital to home to avoid exposure to the virus, they had to narrow down their support team to only one person, and some have even had to cancel their professional newborn photographer. As a professional birth, newborn, and family photographer, I know the value of a single photo. They preserve a moment in time, they bring back feelings and emotions, and they also help to put a person right back in that moment remembering the aura, sounds, and smells of that single day! Read more
Looking to add some fun to an otherwise ordinary quarantine day? Have a b-day in the house…an anniversary? Want to make Sunday or Saturday mornings extra special? Check this out, our favorite local donut shop is back & is now offering DIY Donut Kits! (And the kids & kids at heart CHEER!!)
Clapping, cheering, excitement, and a side of heartache fill the halls! Every classroom K-7 line the hallways as our amazing 8th graders march around the school receiving a standing ovation for their achievements for the past nine years, recognition of graduating onto high school, and a bit of sadness as we say goodbye to a part of our Bulldog family. Read more
Parents, need a break from being the teacher? Sign kiddos up for online music lessons at Forte Music School. My kiddos just had their lessons, & I just got a much needed break…it felt amazing! Or, better yet, forget about the kids, have you always wanted to take up an instrument once you could, “find the time”? Found it! 😉 Read more
Fan on, faucet running, & cue the waterworks! I sat on the cold bathroom floor, tears flowing, & heart breaking. We have always raised our children with the age old philosophy of, “work hard, play hard”, work hard at school (that’s your “job” as a child), come home, do homework, and chores, and then you can have free time. As a daily philosophy it works great. As a yearly, or worse, lifetime philosophy it is flawed, deeply flawed! Enter COVID-19 and a global pandemic! Read more
It finally happened! After one month of all 5 of us being locked up in a house together it finally happened! And we were doing so well. We had maintained a schedule, a routine, just like all the professionals advised. The hubs would get up and “go to work” 7AM-7PM, kiddos would start school around 9 or 10AM, we’d go on a walk in the afternoon, finish up school around 4PM, all come together for dinner, & then rinse and repeat. SO what happened? Spring Break! Read more
So Much For Vacation?
Canceled playdates. Suspended daycare. Chuck E. Cheese birthday party—poof! Our personal universes have shrunk immeasurably in the age of the coronavirus, as we confine ourselves to our homes and running only the most essential errands. If you’re like me, you probably aren’t visiting your neighbors down the street, let alone imagining a sun-drenched vacation in the Virgin Islands. Read more
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 