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Spring Break 2022 led us into paradise to the famed sands of Waikiki. It had been quite a few years since I had walked along that stretch of Honolulu, and the first time for both of my boys to visit Oahu. Needless to say, I fell in love with Waikiki all over again, just as I had the first time I visited many, many years ago and my kids were thoroughly impressed. When planning this trip, I already had a good idea I wanted to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHW). I knew it would be just me and the boys, since their Dad wasn’t...

We’ve been living in Sacramento for almost a year now, and the one thing my younger son has been asking for and looking forward to since the move, was celebrating his birthday at home and having his friends come over. Well, enter COVID-19 and the age of “social distancing,” and there went that idea. At first, I tried to wait it out thinking, maybe things will get better and open up, so I reserved a bounce house with a water slide thinking we’d keep the gathering small to less than 10 people. Of course, I realize...

This year we had to adjust the birthday party to fit the times aka Coronavirus social distancing and living life on Zoom! My older son turned 8, and since his favorite pastime during the stay at home orders has been playing Roblox with his friends online, it made perfect sense to center the celebration on his favorite game. I actually did an interview for work with Roblox and so I got some tips about hosting a virtual shin dig on their platform, things like signing up for a private VIP server and carry out that theme for the online...

**This is a “Summer Survival Guide” guest post by Laura Hernandez** This summer is set up to be a summer unlike any other! I am here to help. And instead of adding more crazy to an already chaotic year, let’s get back to the basics. I want to help you set up simple routines and easy systems that take back a little control for you, Mama, and give a bit of control to your kiddos, too. Here are five ways we thrive at home with our ten kids during the long summer days. WORKING There are a few key themes that...

I don’t know about everyone else, but this distance learning is not easy! It was one thing to help my kids with their nightly homework assignments and try to figure out how to do “common core,” but managing their assignments, tempering emotions (theirs and mine), plus keeping them focused and on track for school, is tough to say the least! A lot of us have questions about online learning, especially as we all learn as we go. I know one of my concerns has been making sure they stay on target as far as meeting education...

My new “normal” of juggling work from home, schooling from home and just being home ALL THE TIME, is making me anxious. On the one hand, I was thrown back to my days of being the stay at home Mom when the kids were still rolling around in a stroller…which is sort of like self-quarantine, because one thing I always craved was adult interaction. Fast-forward, now the kids are school age and while they are self-sufficient in some ways, distance learning and keeping them (educationally) engaged are the new challenges....

Spring has sprung and with Easter around the corner and our current “shelter in place” lock down, many of us are feeling isolated and confined to our homes. Well, I’m no expert, but pair that with the sudden home schooling duties with our kids and chaos of being throw in to a different routine, and I am all ears for ideas on how to keep the peace! I’ve been working from home too, and while my regular lifestyle show has been put on hiatus status in favor of additional coronavirus programming, I am finding new...

If you’re a parent who has ever felt a little anxiety when it comes to taking your kid for a haircut, I feel you. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like something that is a big deal, because as an adult having someone else tame my mane is an outing I look forward to, but not so much for the kiddos. The first time you take your baby for a hair cut, it’s a milestone. It’s like a step toward “big kid” status, a sign of growing up. And while it’s exciting and new, there is also the stress of...

San Jose is my hometown, and it’s not “far” from where I’ve been living in the Bay Area, but with traffic adding to the drive time, sometimes it’s nice to just make a visit a staycation! My boys had been asking to visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, so I decided to book a hotel in the South Bay (Silicon Valley) and make it a fun weekend. Our first stop was the Santa Clara Marriott. We had a great room (at a great rate) overlooking the pool and we stayed in a newly renovated room. It certainly had...

A volunteer is defined as, “a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task.” This past year I took on a regular volunteer role at my children’s school and my eyes have been opened to not only how important school volunteers are, but “how to” volunteer the right way. I know there are some stereotypes that are associated with being a school volunteer, especially when it comes to being part of the PTA aka Parent Teacher Association. The thing is, being a school volunteer...

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