Busy Mom’s Guide: Managing the Mess

No matter how 'OCD' you naturally tend to be, no mom can turn a blind eye to the chaos forever. It begins to grate, like fingernails on a chalk board, and before you know it, you hear yourself making empty threats about giving away all their toys because they're messy, ungrateful, little minions of destruction. It was time for this Mama to take action.

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Busy Mom’s Guide: DIY Photos {Editing Tutorial} with your iPhone

I've always been a photography junkie. I love finding the perfect angle, light and setting and capturing a magical moment. I don't have any idea what I'm doing, but that's ok because if it's a hobby you don't need to have a clue. I do appreciate quality, however, just not for the hefty price tag attached to photography sessions these days. For our yearly family photo, I absolutely indulge in my favorite photographer (check her out at Kalyn Griffin Photography!). But for school pictures or the endless 3 month, 6 month, 12 month, and so on, I've found a cheaper solution, and it's all wrapped up in a tiny little box I take with me everywhere I go. I'm sure you have one of these amazing little boxes in your life, as well. Enter, the Smart Phone.... or more specifically, my quite outdated iPhone 5S.

Busy Mom’s Guide: DIY Cake Smash Photos {for free}

There is a growing trend in the mommy community that has gained considerable momentum in the past few years: the cake smash. This phenomenon has grown from letting a 1-year-old eat a piece of cake to spending enormous amounts of money on a cake for the baby to destroy, and a photographer to document the destruction. Don't get me wrong... I am a HUGE cake-smash fan! But there's got to be a way for us budget-loving-mama's to have our cake and eat it too.

Busy Mom’s Guide: 4th of July Party Planning

Here in New England our spring season tends to hang around a little longer than it should, due to the fact that winter wayyy overstayed its' welcome. This brings us to the end of June still hauling around coats, moving in-doors after 7pm and turning up the heat in the car for those early morning drives. But something magical happens when Maine hits July: summer begins! And nothing rings the arrival of the best 6 weeks of the year like a 4th of July bash.

Busy Mom’s Guide: 5 Family-Friendly Vacations {that aren’t Disney}

Now the real question: how (and where) to vacation on a budget, with kids? We love road trips, live for adventures, are suckers for tourist traps and - in a perfect world - would take a vacation at least once a month. But we also have two little kids who are allergic to their car seats after 5 minutes, want to touch EVERYTHING, and have attention spans that are about as long as their eye-lashes. So where do we go? Here's a few of our favorites! And the best part? They're not Disney!

Busy Mom’s Guide: DIY Coffee Bar

I love coffee. My husband loves coffee. This makes our lives much more enjoyable than when only one of us liked coffee. It also makes our budget a bit tighter in the coffee department. Which means that when we come across an adorable coffee bar we simply must have it. We must. So we did. But we …

Busy Mom’s Guide: DIY Baby Photos

My Little Mr. turned 6 months old this week! He has grown so fast, his rosy, pudgy, melt-your-heart face hardly resembles the frail 7lbs 4oz infant he was just a few short months ago. If you're a mom you know what I mean. They weren't joking when they said it goes too fast! Which is …

Busy Mom’s Guide: St. Patrick’s Day {turn} Spring Pendant Banner

Do you like easy? Of course you do - who doesn't like easy? I've mentioned how my craft skills before Pinterest were absolutely non-existent and that whatever skills I may possess now are solely because of that wonderful entity, so it should not surprise you to learn that I've thrown together some cute decor for St. Patrick's …

Busy Mom’s Guide: Clean Freak’s Best Friend

I recently made a discovery. It was not a pleasant one. I was cleaning my microwave and stove top, minding my own business, when I was suddenly accosted by a disgusting reality. There, in my kitchen, was perhaps the dirtiest thing I have ever seen in my life! (That statement is only slightly exaggerated.) Precariously perched above where we …

Busy Mom’s Guide: Keeping Your Sanity Through Another Snow Day

If I could manage to push my front door open against the 2+ feet of NEW snow that fell last night, and wade outside into the white abyss at this very moment, I'm nearly positive I would hear the resounding cry of mothers all over the state shouting, 'Again??' Yes, here in Downeast Maine we are experiencing …