If you are reading this you are most likely a 1st time Dad or seasoned father looking for a refresher course. Maybe you’re a well intentioned baby Mama, pinning stuff for Daddy to read. Either way, you’re all here for the same reason. Soon(ish) you will be having a baby.

People tell you lots of stuff about having babies. Most of it is reminiscent of Hallmark commercials. People have a way of instantly forgetting the truth about delivery and the hospital. I’m here to tell you…It ain’t all cuddles and cuteness. There is a lot you may find yourself un-prepared for.

Forget what to expect. Here are 3 things you may NOT expect about the birth of your baby.

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As I sit here writing, my four year old is curled up at my feet and my 16 month old is snuggled by my side. I can see her breathing in the dim glow of my laptop. She puckers her lips in her sleep, and her beautiful blonde curls turn into a lions mane. My oldest talks constantly, and her sleep is no exception. Most nights while I write, she murmurs in her sleep. Her tiny feet are heaters on mine. She insists on sleeping touching my feet and stirs when we don’t have this connection. This is our every night. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

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Got a pre-schooler or kindergartener? Easter ideas can be a challenge for this age, so today I wanted to share a post on Easter Basket ideas in the 4-6 year range. My own child falls in this category and her Easter basket will include a few things on this list. I will say, we do try to keep Easter baskets under $50 per kid. I don’t want to leave you with them impression she will get all of these. I just want to help those like me, who struggle every year to come up with something! Hopefully my ideas can help you out!

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Easter Basket shopping can be a challenge for the little ones. Most little children haven’t yet shown great interest in toys, nor have they developed much of a preference for certain types. I struggled through the years with buying things for my youngest’s Easter basket. After the first Easter, I started keeping a list to remind myself of things I could get the following year. In hopes of helping other moms, I have rounded up 10 different types of items to fill your Easter baskets. I have included links to products we have used, or want to use for my daughter, but these categories fit either gender! Maybe this can be your one stop Easter shop!

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This, the second piece, in my 3-part series about the Great Wolf Lodge, discusses ways to make your stay everything you hope it to be. For tips on how to save when booking, visit my previous post. The final post in the series discusses packing tips and even provides a free packing checklist!

I have learned something new every time we have stayed at Great Wolf Lodge. In hopes of making someone else’s stay truly incredible, I have compiled all of my tips in this post. I hope you are able to use them to maximize your GWL experience!

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This weekend my family is going to one of our favorite places for a mini-vacation.

Great Wolf Lodge!

We have been going here since my oldest was 2. We fell in love the first visit and have since tried to go twice a year. If we could afford it, we’d go much more often that that!

If you’ve never been, Great Wolf Lodge is a resort for families with a huge indoor water park you can visit year-round. It also has lots of other great amenities like an arcade, movie theatre, mini-golf, ropes course and more. The rooms are large and comfortable, and designed with a kid friendly, rustic theme, that makes it seem as though you were staying at a traditional “lodge.” The resort is has locations throughout the U.S. making it a quick, easy trip for lots of folks.

This post is the first in a 3 part series on the Wolf Lodge. This, the first post, is about ways to save when booking a trip. The 2nd post contains tips to maximize your visit. The 3rd, a free printable, packing list and things you should NOT bother packing.

If you are interested in visiting, but perhaps a little deterred by the cost, keep reading to find out ways to save!

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You can’t have missed the news. It’s everywhere, all day. 17 kids dead in yet another tragic school shooting. You can’t escape it no matter where you look. It’s a constant reminder of our failing society. And while you would hope a nation would rise above, work together, and find SOME way to prevent this from happening again, we won’t. We don’t. Instead we spend our days bickering about whose fault it was. The boy’s parents, the gun, the FBI, the schools, the police…

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Shopping consignment sales is a ton of fun, but everyone knows kids clothes cost money. Buying new clothes every season can be hard on the budget. One way to re-coup some of that money is by consigning their outgrown clothes.

As my children have grown I’ve sold clothes, shoes, baby equipment, toys, car seats, baby carriers, you name it! I have found that sometimes, you can get enough to cover everything you buy in a season, and a little extra spending money!

In this second half of my two part blog series (first post here), I will share tips I have gathered while consigning my kid’s stuff.

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