Steel City Pops – the BEST Popsicles in Atlanta (Plus a fun kids activity!)

By sunshineandholly on June 27, 2018

UPDATE: I’m so sad to say that our Decatur Steel City Pops location has closed as of November 2019. We sure will miss these yummy pops! If you’re looking for other fun kid-friendly things to do in Decatur, click here!

This post was sponsored by Steel City Pops, but all opinions are my own!

Imagine this:

A sweet and tangy buttermilk popsicle dipped in decadent dark chocolate, sprinkled with crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs, and drizzled with smooth and creamy caramel sauce…

How about a coffee flavored popsicle with a chocolate brownie hidden inside, dipped in creamy milk chocolate, drizzled with dense dark chocolate, and dusted with espresso…

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5 Summer Break Survival Tips

By sunshineandholly on June 8, 2018

Bad-mom confession: for the past few years I have dreaded the summer. As soon as the end-of-the-school-year activities start, and the “countdown ’til summer” begins, I would start thinking about all those long summer days alone with my kids with no “mom-breaks” or me-time. I’d feel a pit in my stomach. My anxiety would skyrocket. I would frantically start pinning summer crafts and activities on Pinterest.

“What am I going to do with these kids all summer long?!?!?!”

The old saying that goes, “the days are long, but the years are short” is especially true for stay-at-home moms during the summer. Those summer days are looooooong! It’s hard to keep the kids entertained. I know all the experts say, “Let them be bored! It’s good for them!” But those experts aren’t with my kids for hours and hours at a time. I spend all summer breaking up fights, refereeing arguments, cleaning up millions of messes, and fixing snacks after snacks after snacks after snacks. Sure, naptime can be a reprieve for some moms. But my kids have never been big on naptime. And trying to get them to stay in their rooms for “quiet time” is more work for me than it’s worth.

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Layered Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

By sunshineandholly on June 5, 2018

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

“Strawberry ponies
strawberry lambs,
dancing in meadows
of strawberry jam!”
-Jamberry by Bruce Degen

What’s better than sweet spring strawberries?

How about an even sweeter layered strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting?!

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Exploring the Imaginary Worlds Exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

By sunshineandholly on May 30, 2018

A couple of weeks ago, we received a brochure in the mail advertising the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s new “living plant sculptures” exhibit – Imaginary Worlds. I knew the kids would love seeing the larger-than-life storybook characters and animals made out of plants, so we planned a trip to check it out. Graham was especially excited to see the exhibit and grabbed a map when we walked in so he could be our tour guide.

Exploring the Imaginary Worlds Exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Graham was actually a little scared of the woolly mammoth. I thought he was cute!

I was jealous that Rip Van Winkle was able to take a nap.

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Packing for the Pool: 10 Pool Essentials and Tips for Taking Kids to the Pool

By sunshineandholly on May 25, 2018

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website. (Click on the pictures to shop the links.)

We love spending time at our neighborhood pool during the summer. There’s nothing like sunshine and water to wear your kiddos out! (And to be totally honest, sometimes I even need a nap after spending some time at the pool!)

We’ve been members of our neighborhood pool for 3 years now and I’ve finally got a good system down for getting out the door and to the pool quickly and efficiently. The first summer, my kids were still little, and getting ready for the pool seemed like more work than it was worth! But now that they’re 3 and 5, we’re finally at a point where we can grab our bag, towels, a few snacks, and head to the pool for some fun in the sun!

Here’s a list of the things that I always keep on hand during the summer to make getting ready to go to the pool easy-breezy.

Pool Essentials for Preschoolers

1. A Big-A** Bag

I hate having multiple bags to bring to the pool. It ends up being way too much to carry. I have one huge bag that I throw everything in when we’re headed to the pool. My bag is a Lands’ End extra large canvas tote bag, but there are some great options on Amazon!