Can we all agree that everything just kind of sucks right now? Seriously. There seems to be no good answers for anything at the moment. I learned a new term yesterday. Doomscroller. Apparently I’ve been one over last few months. Here is how Miriam-Webster defines it: “Doomscrolling and doomsurfing are new terms…
I am burnt out. There, I’ve said it. I am burnt out, and on top of that I feel guilty for feeling burnt out. Summer was supposed to be our break, a time to recharge, relax, and maybe take a vacation before the chaos of the school year starts up…
Fresh strawberry pie is my favorite spring and summer pie recipe. My grandma gave me this strawberry pie recipe many years ago. Unsurprisingly, because Grandmas rock, it is my go-to whenever I have lots of fresh strawberries or blueberries. Yep, the recipe works great with blueberries too. I love this…
It's almost too easy to pop into the store and pick up a graham cracker crust off the self. You hop in the car, pop into the store, and grab one of those crusts off the shelf. Seems easy enough. However, there is just no comparing a store bought crust…
No matter where we've lived there is one thing my husband and I have always agreed upon— we need to have an outdoor space we love. Because we will spend so much time there, the backyard needs to be a place we want to escape, unwind, and relax. Our backyard…
If your family is anything like ours you've already had a few screen time battles this summer - and for us it's only been four days! In order to establish some sort of routine that's not limited to waking up and flipping on the tv or picking up a device,…
Ever since the world turned upside-down and we started sheltering-in-place, I have slowly but surely started learning to find some joy in the simple things. Let’s face it, having our normal, busy schedule being pretty much cancelled, has given us back the time to do many of the things we’d never…
When life gives you lemons— you make something lemony, and in this instance it's Lemon Sorbet. We have a lemon tree in our backyard that gives us an abundance of lemons. Most of the time we end up making lemonade or cutting the lemons up for drinks and meals. Since…
We are into our fourth week of distance learning, and I am not going to lie, it has been a bit of a challenge. Seriously, I don’t think anyone is feeling like this new situation is great, but we are all doing the best we can and that is what…
Being home 24/7 during this pandemic has led to a lot of changes in our current lifestyle. Even with all the changes and uncertainties, I still want to try to maintain a sense of normalcy for my kids. Easter is right around the corner and there are certain traditions that…
Mom of two, seeking a little sanity in the everyday.
I'm Michelle, mother of two fantastic kids. Staying Blonde is where I share my journey. Learn from my wins and fails -- hopefully, you can take advantage of the lessons I've learned, things I've figured out, and the bits of life I've untangled. Life is best when we lift each other up.
Grab a glass of wine or a cup of coffee and dive right in. I'm sure you'll find some goodness here!
I will forever dream of this view. I actually dreamt about it last night, so I thought that was my sign to post this today.
Santorini is just breathtaking . This particular view is from @218degreesoia restaurant in Oia. The food was so yummy, and the view so beautiful, that we ate there twice during our visit. My kids are pretty picky, so when we find a place we all like we don’t shy away from going back. Do you ever visit places or eat at restaurants more than once when you travel? #beautifuldestinations #beautifulview #santorini #oia #greece #wanderlust #foreveryoung #travelgreece #oiasantorini #beautifulviews
#AD If you are looking for a fun, new game for family game night, you need to check out Traitor Tots. It’s a fun, new hot-potato card game full of betrayal and sabotage. It’s a game we all look forward to playing together. It’s for ages 8 and up and and you can find Traitor Tots only at @target . Link in bio. #traitortots #target #targetpartner @hasbrogames https://liketk.it/4PCrL #liketkit @shop.ltk
Do you ever purchase the extra legroom? We had to fly this past weekend and I instantly regretted not getting the extra legroom. I bought it for the first time this summer on our long-haul flights to Europe with American Airlines, and honestly, it was worth every penny. We are a tall family, so I found that it’s worth spending a little extra to not have our knees mushed into the seats in front of us - especially on a long flight. Unfortunately, now I might be spoiled because I really missed that extra space on our flights this weekend. On the other hand, have you ever bought it and found that it wasn’t worth it? #flying #familytravel #flights #travelingwithkids #maincabinextra
I will always be dreaming of Naxos. I have a full blog post up right now explaining why Naxos just might be the perfect Greek island, especially for families. #naxos #naxosisland #greekislands #greece #wanderlust #travelgreece #greecetravel #traveltips #familytravel
It took me a few trips, but I finally learned that it’s all about balance when traveling with kids. A simple thing like changing our priority from seeing things to doing things made a world of difference. We still saw a lot, but we did a lot more. I also want to point that out doing things doesn’t only mean planned activities. Doing things also includes activities like going to the beach, hiking, or even getting ice cream. I have this and more tips that I’ve learned about traveling with kids up on my blog. Do you tend to do or see when you travel? #traveltipsandtricks #familytravel #travelwithkids #europetravel #europewithkids #europesummer #traveltips #greecetravel #italytravel
One of the best things about traveling is being able to disconnect. It was so nice being away from it all, no news, no calls, no social media, and it was wonderful. Do you disconnect when you travel? #traveling #ireland #nodrama #travelireland #irelandtravel #europesummer #familytravel #europetravel
I can’t believe that I only booked three days in Ireland! As soon as we landed, we knew that we weren’t going to want to leave. We fit as much as we could in our short amount of time and loved every minute of it. I have our full three day itinerary up on Staying Blonde right now. Link in bio. #ireland #irelandtravel #familytravel #travelwithkids #europetravel #kilkenny #dublin #mountjulietestate #hawkeyefalconryireland #falconry #glendalough #clontarfcastle
Did we go to Ireland? Oh yeah, we did. It was wonderful! I can’t believe that I’ve been home for several weeks and haven’t posted any photos from Ireland. I am struggling with the whole “if you didn’t post it, did it actually happen?” phenomenon. The reality is life has been busy beginning the day we got back from our travels. We’ve had a few personal issues arise, and the beginning of the school year is always quite busy. If you know me, you know that I am an IEP mom with two kids on IEPs. Those alone tend to swallow up the lion’s share of my time. Finally I’ve found some time to sit with my thoughts, my notes, and a bit of time to write a blog post on our short but very memorable time in Ireland. If you want to read more head over to Stayingblonde to read about our “Three Days in Ireland.” Link in bio. #ireland #irelandtravel #travelwithkids #familytravel #momlifebelike #realmomlife #iepmom #momlife #europetravel #travelwithkids #threedaysinireland #dublin #kilkenny #glendalough #mountjulietestate #falconry
Traveling is wonderful, but every moment isn’t going to be perfect - especially if you’re traveling with kids. Yes, there are the perfect, wonderful moments, but there are also those not-so-perfect times. If your kids argue at home, they will probably argue on vacation. If they sleep till noon at home, they will probably want to sleep till noon on vacation. While I wish travel fixed everything, the truth is, it doesn’t. And, that’s ok. Honestly, I’d much rather deal with these issues in some exotic paradise than at home.
I just wanted to throw in a tidbit of reality into the sea of picture-perfect squares we see here on Instagram. Life isn’t perfect and travel isn’t either, despite all the “perfect “ trips we tend to see online. How about you? Do your kids still fight on vacation, or are they perfect angels? #travelwithkids #momlifebelike #momtruth #traveltruth #familytravel #europetravel #europesummer #momlife
Do you take advantage of extended layovers? I’ve always looked at an extended layover as a bonus trip. It requires a little extra planning, but it ends up being totally worth it. London and Ireland turned out being fantastic bonus trips on our latest trip to Greece. We absolutely fell in love with Ireland and are already scheming to go back. Head over to Stayingblonde to read more about how to take advantage of an extended layover. Link in bio. #travelhacks #travelhack #extendedlayover #europetravel #irelandtravel #londontravel #greecetravel #familytravel #travelwithkids #traveltips #traveltip
How important is a pool to you when you’re booking accommodations? It almost tops our list of must-haves - especially during the summer months.
Last year in Italy, only one of our places had a pool. This year in Greece, I made sure they all had one. The thing I’ve learned about booking places with a pool in the summer months, is that you must book early; In some instances, 9-12 months early. I started booking our places for Greece about six months in advance and even then many places with room for four, with a pool, were already booked. I did end up finding three fantastic places though, all with pools! I have all the places we rented linked in my latest blog post. Link in bio. #europetravel #europesummer #traveltips #traveltipsandtricks #santorini #oia #greecetravel #travelgreece #familytravel
I love taking cooking classes when I travel. I feel like learning about the local cuisine is one of the best ways to learn about the culture. Naxos is known for its fresh and delicious food, so I knew this was where I wanted to take a cooking class. @perivolinaxos was an amazing experience for our whole family. If you ever find yourself on Naxos, I highly recommend taking one of their cooking classes. You can read more about this cooking class and more of our Greek travels over on stayingblonde.com. link in bio. #perivolinaxianfarm #naxos #naxosisland #travelgreece #greecetravel #greecefood #greekfood #familytravel #travelwithkids #cookingclass #greekcooking #europeansummer
Greece took a lot of time and effort to plan, but was definitely worth it. I have the full itinerary up on stayingblonde with links to what we did and where we stayed. #greeceitinerary #travelgreece #greecetravel #greecetips #europesummer #greece🇬🇷 #travelwithkids #traveltips #santorini #naxos #athens #familytravel #wanderlust #perivolifarmexperience @perivolinaxos
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Mom of two, seeking a little sanity in the everyday.