family – Page 25 – Sunshine and Holly

5 Tips to Make Playing with Your Kids More Enjoyable

By sunshineandholly on June 26, 2017

I can’t be the only one out there who doesn’t really enjoy playing with their kids, right?

Am I alone in this?

Let me back up a minute before the haters start hatin’.

I love my children. They are the sunshine in my life. I love exploring new places with them, playing outside, taking walks, traveling, going on adventures, doing puzzles, cooking together, doing crafts together, and watching movies with them.

But sitting on the floor in the playroom all afternoon?

No thank you. Not my idea of a good time.

I can’t be the only one who feels this way! In fact, I think playing with our kids for hours is a relatively new thing in our society. I’m sure Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Ma was way too busy milking the cows, washing laundry by hand, and baking bread from scratch to sit down and play with Laura and her sisters for hours. And all I saw Betty Draper do on Mad Men was sit in her kitchen and smoke. Yes, I know it’s just a TV show. And her kids didn’t turn out well anyway… But you see my point!

So with all of that being said, if you’re reading this and you’re the type of mom that loves nothing more than playing dolls, legos, and action figures all day – that’s great! Props to you, mama! But I’m not that type of mom. And please don’t judge me because of it.

I’ve learned over the years there are a few things I can do to make playing with my kiddos a little more bearable.

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family | kids activities | Travel | Uncategorized

5 Tips for Climbing Stone Mountain

By sunshineandholly on June 20, 2017

If you’ve been to Atlanta, chances are you’ve heard of Stone Mountain, one of the largest exposed masses of granite in the world. (Fun fact – I worked at Stone Mountain Park for years!) We still live pretty close and visit often to enjoy the attractions and climb the mountain.

Stone Mountain’s walk-up trail is located near the west entrance to the park and is a 1-mile trek up to the top of the mountain. The trail is open from dawn until dusk, and if you decide to climb up, you’ll get to experience some amazing views of the surrounding scenery and (on clear days) views of the Atlanta skyline.

Here are 5 tips for climbing Stone Mountain:

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10 Times I Should Have STFU as a FTM

By sunshineandholly on June 15, 2017

Before you become a mom, you have this idea in your head of what it’s going to be like and the type of mom you’re going to be.

But every mom knows that all of those ideas go out the window when the nurse places your first baby in your arms.

You realize it’s all about survival in the beginning. And after a while, you end up doing what works for you and your baby. The longer you’re a mom, the less you care about what other people think and the more you rely on your instincts and what is working for your family.

That being said, when I was pregnant with my first child, I had a lot of great ideas about how I’d raise my kids and the type of mom I would be. As a first-time-mom (FTM), I knew that my kids would be different and I would be different. I would be the best mom and my kids would only get the best.

But now that I’m a seasoned mom…I’d like to go back and tell FTM Holly to STFU!

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Disney | family | husband | shopping | Uncategorized

Father’s Day Gift Guide – Gifts for the Nerdy Dad

By sunshineandholly on June 8, 2017

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My husband is an amazing dad. He’s so great with kids! There’s nothing he loves more than coming home from work, putting on one of his superhero t-shirts, and playing with the kids for hours. I’m pretty sure the reason that he’s such a good dad is because he’s still a kid at heart. Seriously. He has more action figures than Graham does!

Father's Day Gift Guide Gifts for the Nerdy Dad | sunshineandholly.com

Yes, my husband is a nerd. A movie buff, comic book-loving, electronic obsessed nerd. But I’m pretty dorky myself (#disneynerd) so I guess that’s why we get along so well?

So if you have a lovable nerdy husband, just like mine, here is my Father’s Day Gift Guide – Gifts for the Nerdy Dad.

Father's Day Gift Guide Gifts for the Nerdy Dad | sunshineandholly.com

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5 Types of Aged Cheese Found in My Kid’s Sippy Cups

By sunshineandholly on June 5, 2017

Moms have to deal with some pretty gross stuff. Some things you’re prepared for – like poopy diapers and runny noses. But then there are the things you might not have thought about before pushing that baby out of you. Things like the disgusting nub of umbilical cord that is hanging onto your baby’s belly button by a single gross thread and makes you want to gag when you see it. Or when you’re dying of thirst and take a huge gulp from your glass, only to realize your toddler got hold of it and the glass is filled with more backwash and goldfish crumbs than actual water. And don’t forget the floaters you have to fish out of the bathtub when your kid takes a huge poop during bath time.

Yep – moms’ lives are so glamorous. No wonder we see so many jokes and memes about moms drinking wine! And you know what goes great with wine?

Cheese!

Well, moms – you’re in luck! You don’t even have to make another miserable trip to the grocery store with your kids in tow, pushing around that f***ing huge car shopping cart while you shove snacks at your kids to keep them quiet and entertained. You can find cheese in your own home! All you need to do is to look for those sippy cups of milk that disappear all over your house. You know the ones – the cups that reappear days later with disgusting, rotten milk. We’re talking milk that’s more spoiled than your rich neighbor’s kid with the private school tuition that cost more than your mortgage, and who owns not one, but two ponies. Milk that isn’t milk at all anymore. It’s finely aged cheese.

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