Tag Archives: kids

How to Keep Kids Safe Around Dogs

A Better Life Lived Posted on by

Choosing to have dogs in a home with children is a decision many parents make. And it is a great one! I cannot imagine my childhood without our lovable German Shepherds or our Siberian Husky mix who lived to be nearly 18 years old. They were my protectors, my playmates, and a source of constant entertainment in our home. Naturally, I want to provide my son with those same memories. But, if there is one thing I learned throughout all of those years with our dogs, it’s that they are animals. Animals who can and will act on instinct, usually to protect themselves. Even though we love and trust them, and they do us, it is critical to always be … More…

18 Indoor Family Activities for Winter

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Winter in the Midwest isn’t fun. Having grown up and lived in Wisconsin my entire life, I get that winter really, really suck. Sure, some days it’s actually nice to play outside in the brisk air and snow. I can admit that. And there is something to be said for making snowmen or sledding. But then there are those other days where it’s just TOO cold, TOO snowy….or you just don’t feel like dealing with the hassle of bundling everyone up in preparation to go outside. Aside from all of the cold and snow it comes with all sorts of other lovely things that can make it a terrible, anxiety producing season that makes you want to hole up at … More…

How to make time with family a top priority

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Family is important. It’s one of the most important things in life. Yet we constantly find ourselves wishing we had more time because we don’t spend enough time with our families. Why is that? It sometimes seems like everything urgent in life rushes in and crowds out the important stuff. We struggle to make time with family a top priority. That’s why we have to schedule family time in order to protect it as one of our core priorities. I’ve always been very family focused. Even as a little girl, I could never imagine moving too far away from my close-knit community of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Anything less than twice weekly visits just seemed wrong. But as I … More…

25 Sweet, Simple Vegan Treats Kids will Love

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I try to feed my kid healthy foods. Really, I do. I try to limit junk food as much as possible. Candy, cookies, cakes, and chips are not often consumed in our house. At least, not by Zach, and not when he’s awake. I mean who among us hasn’t raided the ice cream the second the kids are in bed? I cannot be alone in this. The main reason we eat healthy at home is that I want Zach to learn good habits. I don’t want him addicted to sugar like I am. I don’t want him struggling with food addiction, weight problems, or the diseases linked to a poor diet. That’s why we try to stick to sweet healthy … More…

22 Awesome Cartoon Movies for Family Movie Night

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I love traditions. If you’re new to the blog, you can read a bit about my love of traditions here and here. When I was a little girl, one of my favorite traditions was our weekly family movie night. It never mattered much to me what movie we were watching, but cartoon movies were my favorite, of course. We ordered pizza, had dinner together and gathered around to spend quality time. I was allowed to stay up late, Dad didn’t channel surf, and no one was distracted with other projects. True, there wasn’t a lot of conversation during this time, but there was a certain level of sharing and connection that happened anyway. We each watched movies that may not have … More…

How to Fight Fear for Women’s Safety

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If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I try to maintain a positive and uplifting vibe in all of my posts. Negativity isn’t something any of us need more of. I want this to be a safe place where you can come for advice and positive ideas to live better and refocus on the important things in life. This is not a place for conflict, complaints, or despair. Life, however, is not always sunshine and roses, and to live better, we must deal with unpleasant situations, like the reality of women’s safety in our society. A family’s worst nightmare Last week, a family friend tragically lost their teenage daughter. Olivia was a 17-year-old girl about … More…

Why balance is the key to creating the life you want

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Living in the present is all the rage these days. Everywhere I look are quotes reminding me to “live in the present” and not “worry about the future.” They’re displayed on everything from coffee mugs and notebooks to t-shirts and pillows. And while I understand the need to be reminded to live in the moment and be present, we may be overusing the message and misconstruing its meaning. This is especially true for moms. We constantly feel like we’re missing out on precious moments with our little ones when we’re distracted with other tasks or worrying about things like work, bills, and plans. I know all too well the guilt of missing a moment that may never happen again. And the … More…