Author Archive: Ashley B
Ashley is a Writer, Stay at Home mother of 4, not to busy to take time to slow down and smell the flowers. I also teach a Mommy and Me Dance Class to share my love of dance.
Ear Infections: What You Need to Know
Wintertime is just around the corner, and in many areas, we’re already into cold and flu season. One complication of the common cold that can also occur on its own is the middle ear infection. Some kids seem predisposed to them: My son had what seemed like constant ear infections when he was a baby, […]
Not-so-Unhealthy Convenience Foods
We all want to serve our families healthy, home-cooked food. I would love to be able to cook my family three hot, nutritious meals a day, plus serve healthy, homemade snacks. Wouldn’t you? While I do manage to cook a lot of the time, everybody is busy with school, work, activities, and life in general, […]
Decorating for the Holidays With Kids
Many families begin decorating for the holidays shortly after Thanksgiving, so you may be in the midst of hanging garland, putting up a Christmas tree or menorah and stapling lights around the outside of your house. When my kids were little, they always wanted to help decorate, but many of the decorations were too high […]
Car Safety: Getting Your Car Ready for Winter
While I live in Florida, where the weather is just starting to be tolerable after the long, hot summer, I grew up in New England, where winter sometimes feels like it goes on way too long. I was talking to my mother recently, and she told me that they were having a hard freeze that […]
Dealing With Childhood Fears
From the time they’re little, kids have fears. Some of these are transient, and others stick around for a long time. Most of us are familiar with a baby’s fear of separation from his mother, and a three-year-old’s terror of spiders, but what about bigger kids? During my 12-year-old’s recent well-child visit, I mentioned to […]
World Hello Day
November 21 was dubbed “World Hello Day” by Brian and Michael McCormack 39 years ago. It’s a little-known holiday, but it’s actually observed world-wide. The premise is easy: Say hello to 10 people that you encounter, and tell them all about your wish for world peace. It’s as simple as that.
While World Hello Day hasn’t […]
November 20 is Absurdity Day
It’s always fun to take advantage of silly holidays with our kids; after they’re grown up, it won’t be half as entertaining! November 20 is Absurdity Day, and this one begs for recognition. When you’re a parent, absurdity goes along with the territory, so this is just one day when you can fully embrace it. […]
Cold-Weather Crafting
This is the time of year when snuggling up by a warm fire wearing fuzzy socks sounds really appealing, isn’t it? Sometimes it can be tempting to rely a bit too much on television and video games to keep everyone entertained when the wind is blowing outside, but there are a lot of quiet activities […]
Holiday Gift Ideas for Teens
The winter holidays are approaching, and that means gift shopping. And if you have teenagers to shop for, it probably also means a fair bit of worrying about what to get. Teenagers are some of the hardest people out there to buy for. In comparison, younger kids and and adults are a breeze! Cash or […]
Holiday Shopping: Mindbending Gift Ideas
With the holidays quickly approaching, you’re probably making your list and checking it twice as you attempt to create a balance in the gifts that you buy for your children, nieces, nephews and other young family members and friends. The kids want gifts that are fun, fun, fun, and you want to give them something […]
