Family is huge to me! We have a sandwich family, with three kids, two at home and one Grandma Linda living with us due to dementia.
I write about all different family topics like dementia, adopting from foster care and other fun family "stuff".
Here are a few of my recent posts to get you started!
Dementia & Alzheimers Caregivers
We are so fortunate to be able to care for my husband's Mom in our home. She fell last year and was hospitalized for two weeks, after which she moved in with us!
Here are my best tips and ideas for being a caregiver!
Getting my kids to eat a vegetable used to feel like a full-blown negotiation. Broccoli got the side-eye. Salad got pushed around the plate like a chess piece nobody wanted to move. But cucumbers? The second I started slicing them into this pasta salad, it was like I'd smuggled in some exotic delicacy instead of…
Continue Reading Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)
My mom was a college professor. So was my dad. Which meant summers were supposed to be her time off - no lectures, no office hours, no stack of blue books waiting to be graded. Except my mom didn't really believe in time off. She believed in stocking the freezer! While other moms were poolside,…
Continue Reading 12 Fancy Looking Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly Simple
Growing up in northwestern Pennsylvania, pasta salad wasn't just a side dish - it was practically its own food group. Between the church potlucks, the backyard cookouts, and the neighborhood gatherings, there was always a giant bowl of something cold and noodle-based making the rounds. And if you were lucky, it was this one. Pepperoni.…
Continue Reading Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)
I was trying to figure out how long it had been since I rented a home and it was over 30 years! So when we decided to sell our big house and rent for a few years to save money, I thought it would be a breeze to find a new home… boy, was I…
Continue Reading Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy
Our family dinners have never really been "dinners" - they're more like potlucks that happen to take place in one house. Between our three kids, their partners, the grandkids, and both grandpas, by the time everyone piles in the door it's a full-blown production. New folks who join us for the first time always look…
Here are some excellent no-bake dessert recipes perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth during the summer without ever having to turn on the oven. I have categorized them by style to help you easily find exactly what you're craving! Cool & Creamy Pies & Cheesecakes Bakery-Worthy, Zero Oven Required Who says you need a degree…
Continue Reading 16 Old-Fashioned No-Bake Desserts for Hot Summer Days
Read all my Caregiver Articles!
Natural Living
I am a tree hugging, pescatarian eating, allergy sufferer from way back! With that in mind, I am always looking for natural ways to keep my home clean and our family healthy!
Here are my top posts about natural living:
Read all my Natural Living articles!
Adopting From Foster Care
We adopted our kids from foster care! They are amazing and wonderful, and sometimes a handful to handle because of past trauma.
Here are my best posts about what we learned about adopting from foster care:
Getting my kids to eat a vegetable used to feel like a full-blown negotiation. Broccoli got the side-eye. Salad got pushed around the plate like a chess piece nobody wanted to move. But cucumbers? The second I started slicing them into this pasta salad, it was like I'd smuggled in some exotic delicacy instead of…
Continue Reading Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)
My mom was a college professor. So was my dad. Which meant summers were supposed to be her time off - no lectures, no office hours, no stack of blue books waiting to be graded. Except my mom didn't really believe in time off. She believed in stocking the freezer! While other moms were poolside,…
Continue Reading 12 Fancy Looking Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly Simple
Growing up in northwestern Pennsylvania, pasta salad wasn't just a side dish - it was practically its own food group. Between the church potlucks, the backyard cookouts, and the neighborhood gatherings, there was always a giant bowl of something cold and noodle-based making the rounds. And if you were lucky, it was this one. Pepperoni.…
Continue Reading Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)
I was trying to figure out how long it had been since I rented a home and it was over 30 years! So when we decided to sell our big house and rent for a few years to save money, I thought it would be a breeze to find a new home… boy, was I…
Continue Reading Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy
Our family dinners have never really been "dinners" - they're more like potlucks that happen to take place in one house. Between our three kids, their partners, the grandkids, and both grandpas, by the time everyone piles in the door it's a full-blown production. New folks who join us for the first time always look…
Here are some excellent no-bake dessert recipes perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth during the summer without ever having to turn on the oven. I have categorized them by style to help you easily find exactly what you're craving! Cool & Creamy Pies & Cheesecakes Bakery-Worthy, Zero Oven Required Who says you need a degree…
Continue Reading 16 Old-Fashioned No-Bake Desserts for Hot Summer Days