rachelteodoro
The older I get, the more I like to get my hands dirty in the garden. I really don't know what I'm doing, but thankfully, I am not afraid to get out there and try. I think that's what holds a lot of us back. But now, with plenty of time on our hands, and nowhere to go, why not try gardening this spring? You've probably already got a yard full of plants, and if you are like me, you might even have a stash of seeds somewhere too. I've got some gardening ideas for you for when you are stuck at home.
rachelteodoro
As a parent, I've always followed the motto that more is caught than taught. I want my kids to see me living a generous life and giving to others. I want them to understand that there are human faces and stories behind every set of numbers and statistics. Did you know that there are more than 440,000 children in Foster Care nationwide? When most children enter into the Foster Care system it's through an emergency situation. Children are experiencing uncertainty and upheaval in their lives and most of them don't have an opportunity to grab those items that are familiar and comfortable for them. Many kids entering the system are given black trash bags to carry whatever few belongings they do have.
I've partnered with Cricut to help personalize backpacks for children entering Foster Care. I'll be donating them to The Blue Ribbon Project and showing you how you can join in too!
rachelteodoro
Our family loves to travel. It's important for us to explore the world and share that gift with our kids. Not sure any of us saw this coming, and now instead of our normally scheduled spring break plans, we are in stay at home mode, some of us, state-ordered with fines in place if we don't. It doesn't mean you can't still have fun at home. I've got 10 staycation ideas for your stay at home spring break.
rachelteodoro
Tulips are one of the prettiest bulb flowers with deep, rich colors of almost every hue.
While tulips are perennial, they often have to be grown as annuals, especially in hotter climates that do not really suit them. To start them off many gardeners in temperate regions need to place the bulbs in the crisper section of the refrigerator for 10-14 days. Thankfully, in the Puget Sound region where I live, tulips grow great. We even have an annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival that draws crowds from all over the world during the month of April.
Gardeners who live south of the sub-tropical regions should be able to grow tulips. There are more varieties now than there used to be, and these – Single Late Tulips - are better suited to warmer temperatures. They are sometimes called French Tulips or Warm Climate Tulips. Whatever the variety, here are some tips for growing tulips.
rachelteodoro
Who even had heard of social distancing two weeks ago? Introverts practice it well and now the rest of us are being called to give it a shot in an effort to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19. There are a lot of unknowns. We are all learning how to navigate a world in a pandemic. Let's try to navigate this together and find ways to stay busy and sane with your teens during social distancing. I have a few ideas for you.
rachelteodoro
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is one of the largest destination events for the greater Seattle area during the spring. Mother Nature decides when the tulips bloom, but you'll likely find rows of colorful flowers in bloom during the month of April. During the tulip festival, millions of flowers come to life creating a magnificent display of color. I've got everything you need to know if you want to visit the Skagit Valley during the Tulip Festival.
rachelteodoro
We live in the greater Seattle area, the epicenter of COVID-19. After my no-spend challenge month in February, our home was in desperate need of toilet paper. Like, down to the last few rolls desperate. I didn't realize the dire situation we were in until I walked the aisles of my Costco and shelves were empty. Mind you, there were full shelves of cleaning products and soap {at that time}, but there was zero toilet paper and bottled water. These times we are in are a little crazy. I'm not remembering anything like this. Ever. I don't know anyone {right now, thankfully!} diagnosed with Coronaviris, but we have all been affected in some way by interruptions to our daily life.
I'm thinking it's safe to say that we should be prepared for anything. Not in a panic, but just a general, get yourselves ready. The polite buzzword I'm hearing around Seattle is "social distancing", others call it self-quarantine. As Coronaviris upends our life, here are some things that you might need in order to prepare to be home during this outbreak.
rachelteodoro
One of the things parents often wonder as they get ready to send their teens off into the world is "are they prepared." With a daughter about ready to move out this summer and head to college, this has been one of the things as parents, that we think of often. With heavy required course loads, teens don't' have the flexibility in their schedules to take life-skills classes, and schools often don't have them available anymore. Life demands can get in the way of us teaching our teens the basic life skills they need before they move out of the house and head to college, but I've got you covered! Here are 10 life skills your teen needs to be an independent responsible young adult.
rachelteodoro
Students often take a foreign language in middle or high school and part of the immersion into the culture is creating a recipe to try and share with the class. I know my teens have been part of several food sharing days and instead of mom whipping up something at home, I have gathered a few recipes that are easy enough for your teens to make.
rachelteodoro
During the month of February, I decided to take on a no-spend challenge. In case you aren't sure what that is, I laid out all of the details here. Essentially, you make a conscious effort to not spend any money on non-essential items. Every family will have different end goals and different rules for their no spend challenge, here are ours. I'm fairly budget conscious and pretty frugal and I learned a lot during this challenge that makes me think that having a no-spend challenge month at least once a year, would be a great reset for any family regardless of their financial situation. I just crunched the numbers and I'm shocked at not only how much I was able to save this month, but how much I was able to save annually, just by paying attention to a few of our reoccurring bills and making some changes. Want to see how our family did? I'm talking real numbers today. Come check it out!
