Home Management

I have a confession to make. I am not the best driver. First of all, I own a minivan. It is huge. There are blind spots everywhere. Parking the beast is the WORST! And I am pretty sure backup cameras were...

1. No one fed their children healthy food. Once upon a time in the 80's,  moms threw lunch-sized bags of greasy, salty potato chips and an individual chocolate pudding "snack pack" into a bag and called it a day! The amazing...

I have the fondest childhood memories of the "Schwans Man"! My neighbor used to use the service and when we were little we couldn't wait for his friendly knock! There was something about the ice cream that came from that...

Good ol' Snail Mail.   I may very well be its #1 fan.  The dare I say, old-fashioned way of sending sentiments? No, just  the contrary, in my eyes, as  I will never tire of sending nor receiving the hand-written note...

I crave routine and productivity. So "Back to School" is fabulous because it means the kids get up, have breakfast, and get out the door. Well, and make a mess of the kitchen floor, create an art project or...

Oh my, is it Summer! It is an annual tradition about this time of year that I start to question why in the world one chooses to live in such sweltering heat? I can get through most of this blazing season...

We’ve all been there. Driving in our air-conditioned cars, coming from or going to our air-conditioned homes, and we see someone on a street corner, holding a sign asking for help. One part of me is cautious, being a female...

If you have spent any time house shopping in Scottsdale and Phoenix, you will notice that outdated homes are in abundance here. Last year, my husband and I spent almost one full year looking for a new home to...

It’s the end of June SMB friends--I think we all can agree our Scottsdale summer is in full swing. From the desolate outdoor shopping malls to the glassy-eyed look from moms teetering on the verge of breakdowns, it’s safe...

Local mom, Jenny Castle, shares her newest obsession. Jenny is the mother of three beautiful children and keeps herself busy with PTSA, catching up with friends in the carpool line, and driving her children to endless after-school activities. Thank...

I haven't been a mom very long.  Less than 18 months. When I joined the ranks as an At Home Mom, I aspired to maintain our home as a place of order and peace.  i.e.,  To keep it clean.  Then the baby...

Every time I visit my parents in Newport Beach, I swing by Greenleaf Chopshop for one of my all time favorite salads. Since I don't always have the luxury of being in Southern California, I decided to make my...

If you have booked a trip by air to anywhere outside the United States, don't forget that just like adults, your children will need to have a passport.   If you already have your children's passports but it expires in less than...

Confession:  I have an over abundance of Sterilite plastic containers.  They are great for organizing and inexpensive. They get the job done. Now, bringing the containers inside my home?  That's a different story. They lack the warmth and detail furniture provides, so...

I call this green chicken chili recipe "weeknight" chili, because it's one of my simplest go-to recipes for busy days! With just 5 basic ingredients and almost no prep-work, you don't need to be a master chef to nail...

While most of the country has been in this crazy polar vortex thing for what seems like weeks... heck, months now, here in AZ, we've been incredibly blessed with many a sunshiny day and cloudless skies! But, sometimes even...

Like so many moms, when my daughter was born I became obsessed with all-things safe, natural and organic. My first change? Switching to organic foods, which was actually fairly easy to do with all the organic labeling. But, when I...

  Like every other craft-loving-DIYing-Pinterest-obsessed-mother, I deal with my post-Christmas withdrawal symptoms by throwing myself fully into the next holiday on my radar: Valentines Day! And, as result, I usually spend the majority of January trolling through Pinterest trying to find uber...

I love my husband.  I love our life together. And I do not see why I have to buy into the Hallmark holiday of Valentine's Day in order to celebrate those things. Especially when we have to pay double for...

It's that time again, it's the month of LOVE ...and chocolate!   But, if you're like me, you may not be thrilled with the idea of your pint-sized human beings consuming mass amounts of Valentine candies (because you would like...

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a messy person. I mean, not REALLY messy. I actually can't stand clutter. I'm also a purger. I don't hold onto things for too long and definitely don't hoard. I try to make sure we toss...

I want more time. I know this isn’t a revolutionary concept, but as I embark into the New Year, I’d like to find ways to be more productive and less “busy.” Can I get an “Amen?” One way I plan on doing this in...

It’s December, time for the annual Christmas Gift Balancing Act to begin! Every year it’s the same struggle. On one side there are my children, expecting all these great presents (that Santa magically brings at seemingly no cost to...

I grew up incredibly lucky, waking up to a mountain of green-and-red wrapped presents under our Christmas tree every December 25.  Creeping down the stairs with my brothers, eager with anticipation, seeing the piles and thinking: this is for...

Christmastime is the perfect time to give a special gift to your child's teacher. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is crafts with my daughter. I see the light that comes through my child when...

First off let me say, this idea is awesome.  I was able to participate in my first meal exchange playdate last month and it was such a blessing.  The concept is this - you get a bunch of hard...

For some of us, Thanksgiving is a day spent  prepping, cooking and baking to prepare for a gathering of family and friends around the dinning table. The other half of us are either just attendees at a home-cooked feast or...

Before kids, I used to travel all the time.  After kids, not so much.   So when the opportunity came up to travel to Japan for the first time in nearly five years - without kids, without husband - I...

This year, a professional family photo shoot is not in the budget for us. I love our local Scottsdale and Phoenix photographers (see footnote for a list of ones I've worked with personally), and I have happily paid for professional family photos before,...

Our clothes are too much a part of us for most of us ever to be entirely indifferent to their condition:  it is as though the fabric were indeed a natural extension of the body, or even of the...