Parenting Archives - Dine and Dish

A Friend for All

Kristen — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 21:35:13 +0000

As of last week, when Kelly turned 13, I officially have 2 teenagers in the house! Everyone tells me that teenagers are tough…but so far my experience has been uniquely positive and I sure hope it stays that way!…

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French Silk Pie Recipe and McFarland USA Thoughts

Kristen — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 16:56:25 +0000

After eating and loving French Silk Pie for years, having no idea how to make it, I finally found an incredibly easy and amazing French Silk Pie recipe I’m sharing today. Plus, I’m sharing some musings after watching the movie McFarland USA.

This is going to be one of those blog posts that really has absolutely nothing to do with the recipe, and for that I apologize. I wanted to talk about one thing, but I also wanted to share a recipe for French Silk Pie, and couldn’t figure out a way to get the two of them to make any sense together. So, you’ll just have to get a French Silk Pie recipe with a dose of nothing related to it.

Our family saw the movie McFarland USA over the weekend and LOVED it. If you haven’t seen it, I implore you to take yourself, your family, anyone you know to see it. It is a fantastic family movie with an incredible message about making a difference. …

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Hallmark: When The Neighborhood Grows Up

Kristen — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 02:35:35 +0000

Watching our neighborhood grow up… a Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion Post.

Maybe it’s because the oldest “kid” on our block left us for college this year…

Or that my son no longer wants to dress up for Halloween…

Or that our group of “kids” at our annual Halloween “Boo in the Bubble” neighborhood party is dwindling more and more each year…

But I’m feeling so wistful lately.

The neighborhood is growing up.

I see our neighborhood changing form…

In the lower voices that emit from our basement where the kids hangout.

In the increase in number of cars in the driveways, because those babies we once knew are driving now!

In the homecoming dresses, the dates being had, in the fewer bubbles being blown and driveways being covered with chalk, replaced by makeup, sports and cell phones….

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2014 Summer of Fun Bucket List

Kristen — Fri, 23 May 2014 22:48:57 +0000

Hi friends! Sorry for the silence around here lately. My parents have been visiting and we have been busy wrapping up the last few weeks of school! Today is the first day of our summer vacation, which happens to be my most favorite time of the year! We’ve had an awesome first day…if today is anything like how the rest of the summer is going to be, it’s going to be a great one!!

Like we do every year, my kids and I have come up with a list of activities we hope to get done before the summer is over. We always tend to overshoot just a bit, which is fine, but at least our list gives us some focus on those days where we may not have a clue as to what to do. I love the lazy days of summer, but I love also having our bucket list to go off of so we can make sure to have as much fun as possible in the next couple of months!

You can check out our 2013 Summer Bucket List here and our 2012 Summer Bucket List here. We always carry some favorite activities over from summer to summer. Make sure to follow our Summer of Fun Pinterest boards too to see things that might get added after today! Without further ado, here is our Dine & Dish 2014 Summer of Fun Bucket List!

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Sick? What to Do, What to Do?

Kristen — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:46:21 +0000

This is the final post of a four part series on health and staying well, sponsored by PediaCare®.

When my kids get sick, they go down hard and fast… there is no easing into it. One day they’re fine, the next they are down for the count.

I’ll admit, I love having my kids home, even when they are sick. It gives us a chance to slow down and chill together for a bit. When my friends at PediaCare® asked me to share what my favorite sick day activities are, I’ll be honest… I take extra advantage of the rest and relaxation and snuggle time. When the sick one isn’t sleeping, reading, playing board games, watching movies and just spending the sick day enjoying not having the normal hustle and bustle of our lives is what we enjoy most. …

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5 Ways to Make Staying Healthy Fun

Kristen — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:39:35 +0000

I have a skill I think most moms have… I can tell when my kids are coming down with something simply by the way they behave. Things like extra cranky moods, taking a nap in the middle of the day when they don’t normally nap, and coming around for extra snuggles are sure fire signs to me that one of my kiddos doesn’t feel well. Kids like to be happy and are supposed to be happy… and when they are healthy they are happy!

The folks at Pediacare recently asked me to share some tips on how we make staying healthy fun around our house. As I type this, I have two sick kids at home with me, so… well, I’m no expert, but I do know that if we want our kids to be healthy, we’ve got to make being healthy fun….

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Parenting is Hard {Recipe: Creamy Chicken & Corn Chowder}

Kristen — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 02:01:53 +0000

I leaned over her bed, late at night, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. As I did, one of my tears fell onto her face, falling down into her wild and curly hair.

I love this girl so, so much I feel my heart physically swelling at the sight of her, but I don’t get her and I don’t know how to get her.

She could easily be described as sweet and kind… but that sweet demeanor can turn on a dime. One moment happy, cuddly and cheerful… the next in a fit of emotion about something small, like the taste of her toothpaste. Even if it the culprit of the fit seems trivial, her pain over it is obvious. She feels so deeply, so loudly, every emotion she has. Whether happy or sad, she feels in extremes….

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A Happy and Healthy New Year

Kristen — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:53:39 +0000

The promise of a new dog was under the Christmas tree… something my kids have been begging for for years. My kids came downstairs on Christmas morning and their response to the news of our new family member was underwhelming. It was then, combined with the fact that it was the first Christmas in which the sun has been up before my kids, that I knew something was wrong.

Sure enough, one by one, hour by hour, they were going down… fevers spiked, coughs filled the air, naps were taken instead of playing with the new Christmas presents. We were hit and hit hard with Influenza A. By the 26th and a full day of doctors office visits, we had cancelled our plans to spend a week in Texas visiting my parents, and instead prepared for an isolated, hermit style Christmas break with PJ’s, movies and board games.

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