Tips for Road Trips with Kids

By sunshineandholly on April 5, 2017

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I’m not a fan of road trips.

I really hate riding in the car for a long time. We took a ton of road trips when I was a kid since my mom hates to fly. And while I’m grateful that I got to travel and see so many parts of the country, I think I learned to hate road trips at a young age. And I still dread being in the car for over an hour. I get bored, cramped, and carsick.

tips for road trips with kids | sunshineandholly.com

But flights are expensive. So if we want to travel these days, we have to load up the minivan and hit the road.

My kids are pretty good travelers in the car. Lucky for them (and for me as a mom) we live in an age of portable DVD players and iPads. So we just plug them into the matrix…er…give them the iPad, and let them zone out to a movie or two while we’re driving.

Here are a few more tips for road trips with kids.

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babies | baby | breastfeeding | family | Uncategorized

My Experience Breastfeeding in the NICU with Low Milk Supply

By sunshineandholly on April 3, 2017

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I always wanted to breastfeed.

It was something I’d always pictured doing when dreaming about being a mom. It seemed like such a sweet thing – a calm, snugly way to bond with your baby. And of course I wanted my babies to have all the wonderful benefits of breast milk!

breastfeeding nicu baby low milk supply | sunshineandholly.com

Graham was born 4 weeks early. I was certain I was going to have a 10lb, 2-week late baby, so you can imagine our surprise when he came so early, weighing in at just 6lbs 2oz. My labor and birth went smoothly – everything worked the way it was supposed to.

graham's birth breastfeeding low milk supply nicu | sunshineandholly.com

I was able to hold Graham for about 5 minutes after he was born, and then he was whisked off to the NICU so they could monitor his breathing. I didn’t get to hold him again or try to feed him for almost 12 hours. A lactation consultant was sent to my recovery room soon after the birth to show me how to pump. I really hadn’t thought much about pumping – I thought I’d have plenty of time to figure that out once my maternity leave came to an end. I started pumping that day every 3 hours…little did I know that I would be chained to that pump for a lot longer than I ever expected.

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Not My Mother-In-Law’s Coconut Cake

By sunshineandholly on March 31, 2017

coconut cake | sunshineandholly.com | not my mother-in-laws | easter desserts | easter cake | easter ideas

My mother-in-law makes the BEST coconut cake, hands down.

Every year I request this cake for my birthday and it’s amazing. Light and fluffy, but also creamy and coco-nutty. Perfectly sweet, but not too sweet. And the frosting is dreamy. It’s the BEST!

Want her recipe? Too bad! She’s taking it to her grave. I’m serious! She won’t share it! Maybe if you call her and offer her money, she might reveal her secrets. But good luck. I gave her two perfect grandchildren and she won’t share it with me. So until that recipe is set free, this one will have to do.

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Disney with a Toddler – 5 Things You May Not Have Thought to Pack

By sunshineandholly on

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Disney with a Toddler | sunshineandholly.com

Planning a trip to Disney World with your toddlers?

We’ve been twice with our little ones and both times were great! I did SO MUCH research before we left to find out what we really needed to bring with us into the parks. There are so many lists out there on the internet and on Pinterest, but there were a few things I found helpful that I didn’t see on other lists. Here are 5 things you may not have thought of packing when doing Disney with a toddler.

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This is How We Target

By sunshineandholly on March 29, 2017

We have a Target about a mile and a half from our house. I pass it pretty much every day, so you can imagine how much time I’ve spent there. Especially since we’ve had kids. When Graham was little, I got into a really bad habit of going about 3 times a week. He was such a good shopper – quiet and content to just sit in the cart. These days, I love a good Target trip alone. Strolling around Target with a Starbucks coffee is my idea of a fun evening. (#sobasic)

Anyway, I thought I’d do a little post here about why I don’t like taking Maddie to Target. You’d think I’d love taking my girly little princess to Target to shop. You know – like a mother/daughter thing.

But no.

That girl is SUPER annoying.

shopping with maddie | sunshineandholly.com

Let me show you:

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