parenting Archives - Page 9 of 18

Scarecrows in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

By sunshineandholly on October 11, 2018

Last week my kids had a few days off for fall break. It was the perfect time to do some of the local fall-themed activities here in Atlanta. One attraction we love to visit every year is the Scarecrows in the Garden exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Each scarecrow is handmade by businesses, individuals, schools, and organizations around the city. Some are funny, some are creepy, and some are just silly! We love picking out our favorites!

Scarecrows in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

This one was Maddie’s favorite!

DIY Travel Snack Box for Kids

By sunshineandholly on September 28, 2018

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

Road trips. You either love them or hate them.

And when it comes to road-tripping with kids, we’re talking about a whole different ball game. #somuchwhining

I always thought I hated road trips. Ever since I was young, I really didn’t enjoy being in the car for long periods of time. Recently though, I drove to Savannah (a 4-hour drive) by myself and I have to say, it was amazing! Having all the control over the radio, the route, and when to stop was awesome. And getting 4 hours of alone time is every mom’s dream, right?

Anyway, back to road-trips with kids. If you’re looking for tips, I’ve got another blog post that’s been really popular on Pinterest – partly because of the tackle-box snack kits I mention in my post. These travel snack boxes are so fun for kids. I mean, who doesn’t like having a ton of options when it comes to snack time?

Here’s how to make your kids their own snack box for road trips.

DIY Travel Snack Box for Kids

1. Gather your supplies.

You really just need a couple of things to make a snack box. Hobby Lobby had these jewelry storage containers for $2 – you can’t beat that!

You’ll also need some letter stickers and some other fun themed stickers.

2. Slap on the stickers.

We did a Mickey theme because, duh, we love Disney!

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Our Favorite Things to Do and Eat in St. Augustine

By sunshineandholly on September 18, 2018

Once a year we take a beach trip with my parents. We rent a house or a condo, drive down with the car loaded up, and spend a week or so enjoying family time in the sun, sand, and surf. The older I get, the more I love the beach. There’s just something about that ocean breeze and the sand between my toes that makes me feel at home!

This year, we traveled to St. Augustine, Florida. We’ve rented the same quaint 3-bedroom condo for three years now and we love the location and the space. The condo has changed ownership since the first few times we stayed, but we were happy with the service and the updates to the decor. We rented our condo through Vacation Rental Time. (Click here to check out what they offer!)

Our Favorite Things to Do and Eat in St. Augustine

Of course, our favorite thing to do when we go down to St. Augustine is to play in the ocean and sand! The condo we rent is right on the beach and it’s easy to pop out a couple of times a day to play and then come back for a meal or for a rest.

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My Little Pony and Pirate Pool Birthday Party

By sunshineandholly on September 6, 2018

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

When it comes to the kids’ birthday parties, I feel like we’ve done it all. We’ve done the super-cute Pinterest party, the easy/simple at-home party, the expensive kid’s play-place party.

I’m thinking the only thing left to try is the “hire a party planner and have them do the set-up and clean-up” type party. Maybe next year!

This year, we did a joint My Little Pony and Pirate Pool Party for the kids. They both have September birthdays, so joint parties will be a norm until they specifically request their own parties. Graham was dying to use a pirate pinata we had leftover from his birthday party two years ago, so he wanted a pirate theme. And Maddie is obsessed with My Little Ponies, so that’s what she picked.

I kept things really simple with decorations from Party City, food from Costco, and cakes from Publix. I didn’t make any cute Pinterest-y things this year. But I think the party turned out great anyway!

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family | food | kids activities | motherhood | parenting

10 Tips for Raising a Healthy Happy Eater

By sunshineandholly on August 8, 2018

My kids are (thankfully) pretty good eaters. My son, in particular, loves trying new foods! He likes kale, spinach, sushi, raw oysters, quinoa, and lots of other foods that typically aren’t considered “kid-friendly.” Any time I post pictures or videos of my kids eating different kinds of food, other moms will ask, “What did you do to get your kids to try new foods? My kids won’t eat anything!”

The truth?

I got lucky. I don’t really think it was anything I actually did. My husband and I both love food. In fact, I have a really hard time thinking of foods I don’t like! Maybe our kids have a genetic predisposition to love food like we do? Ha!

But looking back, I guess there are a few things I did over the years to get my kids to try new, healthy foods.

10 Tips for Raising a Healthy Happy Eater

1. We (usually) sit down as a family to eat.

Confession time – I really don’t enjoy eating with my kids. They’re messy, loud, don’t stay seated, and tend to ask me for a million things (usually right after I sit down). Mealtime together as a family isn’t exactly relaxing. But I know how important it is to eat together as much as possible. Family meals strengthen relationships, build self-esteem, instill a sense of belonging, and are great opportunities for parents to set examples of healthy eating.