Family

So how is homeschooling going for you? Most of us never planned to be homeschooling parents, but here we are. If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s to expect the unexpected and stop it with all your planning. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is live day-to-day.

Mommy PSA: No matter what kind of mom you are, you’re doing great. I had an experience at the bank yesterday that got me thinking. We need to talk about how moms can support each other during the pandemic. We all need ideas for coping with all of the added stress and our kids being home for weeks, if not months. So, I thought it might be useful to share my experience. I also want to talk about how moms need to support each other during the coronavirus outbreak.

My baby girl turned 6 in February, so I wanted to write a little birthday wish to my daughter. I can’t believe she’s 6 already. It honestly feels like yesterday that she was born. There are many moments when I mourn the fact that they are getting older – that I’m done having kids.

Have you heard of La Befana and the feast of the Epiphany? I hadn’t until a few days ago. I’m always looking for more ways to connect to my Italian heritage. My birthday is on Three Kings Day – aka Epiphany, so I researched ideas of traditional Italian desserts and that’s how I learned about befanini cookies.

My favorite time of year! It’s cookie season friends! I love Christmas time but I especially love it because it gives me so many opportunities to bake. When I looked back at all I’ve done in the 6+ years I’ve been blogging, I realized that I’m a bit of a cookie-baking addict. Just on gingerbread cookie recipes alone, I’ve made 5! That’s a lot of gingerbread. They also happen to be some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes too!

Seattle has been on my travel bucket list for many years. I’ve been enamored with Seattle since the 90s. I was a big Nirvana fan and I’m an avid Starbucks drinker. Since those things came out of Seattle, it must be a place I’d like.

We’ve lived in LA almost a year, but there are still so many areas we haven’t explored. Last weekend, we decided to check out Abalone Cove Shoreline Park and their tide pools. It was such a gorgeous drive, with amazing views. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you should definitely check it out and here is everything you need to know.

“Mom, what activity are we doing today?”, my son asked, with genuine interest. What I wanted to say was, figure it out. Instead, I started to think that maybe its time I figure out how to encourage unstructured play in my children.

Are you a pumpkin spice fan? It’s one of my favorite flavors. I love fall because it means I get to bake with as much pumpkin spice as I want. I absolutely adore all things pumpkin spice. If you follow my recipes, you know that I’ve created a lot of pumpkin spice recipes over the years. (cookies, ice cream, coffee cake, bars, pancakes, just to name a few). This year, I wanted to try something completely new. My cousin-in-law recently made these pumpkin spice shortbread cookies, so I knew I had to give this recipe a shot – and my own spin.