It seems like the month of April has been an eye-opening one for us. Between the tornadoes and the burglary of a classmates’ house, my little four year olds seem to be growing up too fast.

Where did that innocent little girl go?

Grown up and on her own...

The schools around here were wonderful during the tornado scare on April 3rd, 2012. There were several funnel clouds actually sighted in Garland, but thankfully none touched down. My twins told me excitedly how they learned to tuck and duck against the walls of an inside hallway, and how one of the teachers walked around pulling plastic coins from their ears and juggling for them.  Yet, even with the distractions and the best efforts of their teachers, my son told me that he didn’t like those kinds of storms at all. After telling them often that thunder is nothing they need to be afraid of, their realization that the weather CAN be scary–and that even the adults in charge have to be scared sometimes–seems like a big step towards adulthood.

Just one week later, someone broke into the house of one of their classmates. This caused much conversation in the classroom, and my daughter crying at bedtime. She said that she couldn’t make her mind turn off, she was worried about the bad man coming in our house.  It took a lot of assuring that all our doors and windows were locked, that daddy checks them ALL before bedtime, that mommy and daddy would be there the whole night and even pointing out that no one could climb through her second-story window before she finally agreed to go to sleep. Poor thing, she has a great imagination but that backfired in this situation.

It is moments like this more than anything that make me realize how grown up they are becoming. We protect our children as best we can, but the real world makes itself known despite our best efforts. How do you prepare your children for the big wide world?

Spring Break Camping – Camp El Tesoro

Spring break is coming up and my family always likes to take a little excursion to celebrate the time off. We don’t make it a huge trip – usually just a long weekend somewhere fun that allows us to get away from the everyday stress of the school year. In the past couple of years we’ve trekked to Austin to visit my inlaws but the SXSW traffic has gotten so ridiculously crazy in March that we decided to try something new. For this year’s spring break, we are participating in a family camp at Camp El Tesoro, Campfire USA’s facility outside Granbury, TX.  El Tesoro (“the treasure”) is the oldest Campfire camp in Texas and sits on 223 acres next to the Brazos River.  It’s a year round camping facility that hosts everything from traditional summer camp for kids to retreats for families.  My boys are excited because they love the idea of getting dirty outside without getting in trouble and I’m excited because I won’t have to plan anything or cook any meals – they cover it all for one low fee!

I’ll update again when we’re back from our trip but in the meantime, check out the website for info on other activities offered for families (maybe you could even join us – it’s not too late!).

For more on family camps – read my previous post on family camp at Camp Allen.

Camp El Tesoro has invited my family to participate in their family weekend in exchange for my honest review of the event. Opinions provided here are my own. 

Mission Accomplished--Backpacks Organized!

We have survived the first week of school! I made it through by advanced planning but it was apparent that there were a few things that needed attention this weekend. My solution: a trip to The Container Store near Northpark after doing some internet research.

First, the three backpacks needed a home. We have pretty much established the routine that they get emptied of folders and homework when we get home, but then they either ended up on the floor or the chest freezer in our laundry room. Great location because it is on the way to the garage, but they were in the way. Enter the backpack rack: for only $4.99 it clipped on our door to provide a spot to hang all three backpacks plus accessories. Each hook can hold up to 8 lbs. (probably wouldn’t work for high school!) so this is a great solution for our three elementary school kiddos. And since it just clips on to the door, we can move it if needed and take it down during the summer time pretty easily. I already like the convenience of of having easy access to repack the bags for the next day.

Nalgene Jars

My next goal was to find some small containers for the lunch boxes. The plastic ware I already had was too big for small portions, and took up too much room in their lunch bags. Since my 4 year olds will be using them, they had to be fairly easy to open but leak proof as well. I took my son with me and I think he opened almost every different small container in the store. There are a lot to choose from! We ended up with some 1 oz. Nalgene screw-top jars for dips and ketchup, and some 2.5 oz.  snap on lid Decor Bright and Healthy snack and dip tubs for taking a few pickles or yogurt.  Both were BPA free too.

Sandwich Sack--perfect for me, I teach at the home of the mighty owls!

Lunchskins Sandwich Bag

We rounded out our shopping trip with two ice packs and some lunch sacks. These are kind of expensive, but I know that I used at least 20 plastic baggies last week and I felt guilty. Plastic baggies are so cheap that the lunch bags won’t pay for themselves any time soon, but I try to teach my kids to be green, so I consider this my back-to-school splurge. Jacob chose a lunchskins bag, while I got a sandwich sack for myself and a smaller snack sack for my daughter (she only eats half a sandwich). They are cute, and I hope they work out! Seem very easy to wipe clean or toss in the dishwasher or washing machine.

My Saturday continued with my store run in the afternoon to hit the various sales–four different grocery stores plus gassing up the car. I think I need advice on how to organize that better! But, I finally got the last item on our school supply lists! Good luck with your second week everyone!

It’s our 3rd year of creating this list of things to do with your kids in DFW, and first we want to thank all you Moms who have used it, told your friends about it, and requested it for 2010!  We are all looking for cheap, free (if possible!), fun activities for our kids, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area has dozens. Now that our children are (or are almost!) out of school for the summer, we thought it’d be the right time to publish the best list of things to do with your kids this summer.

Oh, yeah – it’s now bigger.  But still, nothing over $5 per person!

And formatted on 2 pages to download, print, and hang on your refrigerator.  Or put in your purse.  Or your car.  Or wherever else you’ll be looking for inspiration when your kids say they’re bored this summer.  The list includes free museum admission days, free recent run movie schedules at your favorite theaters, “hidden gems” of indoor fun across the metro, and other activities that just may inspire you to get out your calendar to plan some outings.

Click the link and download the list now, or see the list below (as it looks in the download–warning, reading glasses are required so we highly recommend downloading the file).

38 Free or Cheap for Kids Summer in DFW

Have fun, Moms!

Before you read this post, let me level set with you on a few things:    1)  I am not a glamour-puss (by any stretch….as you can tell by the contents of my make up bag).  2) I consider Cosmopolitan a racy read.  3) I probably have about 10 photos of myself taken within the last year, all of which have been taken under protest and include one or more of children in my arms.  Incidentally, almost all of these are sans-make up with my hair in a ponytail….kind of like this one below.)

So, when I was offered a free photo session and 8×10 print by Allure by Carey Lynn Photography, a boudoir photographer who serves the Dallas area, I almost didn’t take it.  Me?  Take pictures in lingerie?  That was so far out of my realm of thinking (and comfort), it was hard to wrap my head around it.  But then I thought….why not?  I always have trouble thinking of gifts for my wonderful husband, his birthday was approaching, and all it would require from me was a couple of hours (plus purchasing some of the ‘props’, like actual lingerie, make up, and - oh, darn - a pre-shoot mani/pedi).  I agreed to do the boudoir photo session, and boy, am I (and my husband!) glad I did.

On the day of the boudoir photography session, I glammed up.  A lot.  During a pre-session phone call with Carey Zarate, the owner of Carey Lynn Photography and Allure by Carey Lynn Photography, she had suggested using false eyelashes for more drama, which sent me in a panic.  (False eyelashes??  What was I getting myself into??  Can you buy those at Target??) But again, I figured I didn’t have a lot to lose, so I went out and bought falsies (which you can, by the way, get at Target).  Other pre-session essentials were make up, hot rollers (also purchased specifically for this shoot), the aforementioned mani/pedi, and several lingerie options.  In all, I spent probably two hours getting ready.

As I drove the (thankfully) short distance to Carey’s in-home studio, I had to laugh at myself:  A mom in her mini-van, hot rollers in her hair, more make up on in that moment than the accumulated total I’d worn over the past year, lingerie outfits in the passenger seat next to me.  For once, I actually drove the speed limit on 121, hoping not to get pulled over.  Thankfully, I made it from my garage to the Carey Lynn Photography studio without encountering anyone.

When I arrived at Carey’s in-home studio, she greeted me warmly and made me comfortable.  She showed me the various backdrops she had available, and we chose the best ones for the outfits I’d brought.  She also had props on hand (think feathers, scarves, petticoats) that could be used to mix things up.  I shook the rollers out of my hair and we got started.  Surprisingly, it didn’t take me long to get in a groove and overcome the discomfort I’d had about being actually photographed in a boudoir photo session.  Carey was very encouraging, and the way she took the shots was very discreet, so I knew the outcome was going to be a lot more about the “idea” of sex appeal versus skin.

Turns out I was right.  In about 10 days, we were able to meet again in her studio and review the images she’d captured.  I had been expecting to get maybe one or two good shots, but ended up having a hard time deciding which one to select for my “portrait”.  I ultimately ordered a book of images–I didn’t figure my husband would argue (!).  Just so you can see the amazing work Carey did – behind the camera, as well as (I’m sure) lots of Photoshop, here are two examples:

When Jim found out about the present (by accident; I’m awful at keeping secrets and surprises), he got absolutely giddy.  His face lit up at the thought of a boudoir photography book of me.  So, actually, we both got a gift out of this – he gets the actual book, and I get to see how excited he is by getting the actual book.  I guess you could call it the Father’s Day gift that keeps on giving – Boudoir Photography.

Carey Lynn Photography is based in The Colony, Texas.  In addition, she is available to come to your own home for your convenience and serves the Dallas metro area.  I highly recommend her for both boudoir photography as well as extremely cute children’s photo books (think fairies, ABC’s, counting).  You can see lots of examples for all her family & children offerings at http://www.careylynnphotography.com and her boudoir offerings at http://www.allurebycareylynn.com.

If you are like me, Mother’s Day gifts are the last things on your mind right now.  After all, we just finished Easter, we’re in the middle of school testing, and we’re starting to plan for summer camps and vacations.  But ladies, the best gifts for Mother’s Day take some planning – because they are personalized.   So pass this post on to your significant other and let them know they should get clicking now to meet the Mother’s Day gift ordering deadlines.

1)  Photo Jewelry

Diamonds?  Pearls?  Pandora bracelets?  While I would never argue about getting such an expensive gift, what I really want is a piece of photo jewelry.  None of us have enough ways to show off the most important people in our lives – our family.  And I personally love all the different styles that are coming out that give you even more options for showcasing great photos of your beautiful children.

Clay tile photo jewelry:

Lockitz (http://www.lockitz.com) – The clay tile photo  tile jewelry created by the two women behind Lockitz is truly beautiful.  I have a friend who has one of these pieces (the Harper Page, which is shown here; runs around $125 but call for prices) and it is stunning.  It also garners many compliments any time she wears it.  There are several other styles on their site, so browse around.  They like to offer individual attention and even suggest you call them to order so they can better understand exactly how you want your piece to look.  Talk about customer service!

Another great option to consider for clay tile photo jewelry is Elemental Memories (http://www.em-jewelry.com/).  She has several different options you can select from online, generally around $100.  Order deadlines for Mother’s Day 2010 are April 23 for normal shipping and April 30 for rush.

Photo Charm Jewelry:

For a more bargain alternative to clay tile photo jewelry, several companies online offer simple photo charms.  Instead of a photo tile where the picture is adhered to a wood tile, they appear to use “charms” where the picture is slid between glass.   Kimbra Studios (http://www.kimbrastudios.com) has many design options and is getting a lot of great press about their products.  Their prices are lower, too; you can get a necklace with pendant charm plus chain for $80 and up.

2)  Custom Photo Purse or Bag

Who needs Kate Spade, Louis Vuitton, or Hermes when you can slap a picture of your own beautiful children on a bag and tote it around town?  I’ll take Jack, Luke, and Kate over an expensive handbag any day.

My go-to company here is Gina Alexander (http://www.ginaalexander.com/).  Every photo handbag is handmade and they are high quality.  You can read about mine (and see it!) in a post I did a few weeks ago, called My 5 Compliments a Day Purse.  Unfortunately, her Mother’s Day 2010 deadline for ordering has already passed….but there’s always Christmas!  (Or your birthday or anniversary!)

There is another alternative that a photographer friend tipped me off to, called Bagettes (http://www.photogiftsbybagettes.com/).  She was carrying their very cute “hipster” bag the day I saw her ($40 online, shown above), which is a mini-shoulder purse.  Prices are generally lower than Gina Alexander, and a few items are still available to order for Mother’s Day 2010 through April 15.  Check the website for the full line up and order deadlines.

3)  Sterling Silver Stamped Jewelry

A friend of mine (a mother of 3 kids) has a triple band stamped ring that always used to make me envious.  Until I got my own!  Now, I wear my Jack, Luke, and Kate ring everyday with pride.  My husband ordered it from Nelle & Lizzy (website: www.nelleandlizzy.com), which is also where my friend got hers (Triple Band rings are $98 online).  It came in a cute box with a ribbon, stuffed with lavendar seeds.  How nice!!

Their line up of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and charms are, as they describe it, “understated yet meaningful.”  I love them.  Order deadlines for Mother’s Day 2010 is April 29th  with no rush charges.

4)  Personalized stationary

Even in this age of email, Facebook, iPhones, blackberries, and online social networking, nothing is nicer than getting a hand-written note from someone you care about.  As someone who writes (a lot), I am a sucker for personalized stationary, even though the majority of my writing is on the web or email.  (I aspire to spend more time on handwritten notes – really!!) But as a Mom on a budget, I don’t splurge on this as often as I’d like for myself, so these products are always a great gift for me.  My favorite source is Expressionery.com (http://www.expressionery.com).

Some of my favorite products that they carry are the customized stamps (PSA Essentials, $45), Paper People by Laura Kelly designs (folded card image show – $31 for 25 cards), and various personalized note cards, memo sheets, etc.  Right now through May 31, Expressionery.com is offering 40% off their entire site with the code:  MOM2010.  This is a dangerous for stationary junkies like me, and I can’t wait to take a few moments to browse the site for some deals!!

Our work at MomsOutLoud showed us very clearly that moms need to connect with each other to survive this adventure we call parenting. I’m really excited to continue that effort with the new DFWMama. I love to reach out and get a different perspective from other moms and frankly, sometimes I need it. Finding out things like – yes, it’s normal for your young boy child to refer to his “shooter” as he’s going to the bathroom – is reassuring to everyone. Myself included.

Welcome aboard!

Today I have HUGE news to share with you: MomsOutLoud.com is now DFWMama.com.

This IS April 1, but no, I’m not “April fooling” you.  This is serious.  And exciting.  Seriously Exciting.

But you’re probably thinking: “What?  What’s happening to this fabulously wonderful local Mom’s website that has everything a DFW Mom could possibly want right at her fingertips?”  (That wasn’t overboard, was it?)

The short answer is:  It’s getting even better.

And the long answer is ……

First, some history.  I started Moms Out Loud in the spring of 2008 (yep, that’s almost exactly 2 years ago) with the vision for creating a website for Dallas-Fort Worth Moms that would really be a forum for them to share their experiences, connect with each other, and find great information for their families.  I started the weekly newsletter that summer with 100 Moms on it.

Four months later, when MomsOutLoud.com was launched (October of 2008), we already had 1000 Moms on our newsletter.  And, as we’ve added more great information, more ways to connect with each other, and more of you have shared your voices with us, we’ve continued to grow.

I am proud to say that you all have – within our first year of going live – made us one of the biggest Mom’s websites in DFW, even though others have been around far longer than we have.  You even made us #1 in unique visitors for December of 2009.  And, you’ve told your friends about us, so that we’re now up to almost 7500 Moms on our newsletter – all based on your word of mouth among Moms.

Thank you all so much for your belief and support of MomsOutLoud.com!

(Click this link to watch a short Thank You Video)

And now we’re going to take this great community and information resource to the next level.

I am excited to announce that we have partnered with a larger Mom’s website, TodaysMama.com, to be their presence in Dallas-Fort Worth.  TodaysMama has been in business for six years and has grown from their home base in Utah to cover almost 20 markets.  Their vision is exactly the same as ours: to provide great information and support to Moms in local markets by giving a voice to the local experts – Moms in each community.  They even do it with the same tools as MomsOutLoud.com – a calendar of events, local business directory, great content written by local Moms, a weekly newsletter, and – of course – lots of giveaways and discounts.  But because they are established in several markets, they can get even more information, freebies, and perks from national businesses….as well as bring you information from Mom writers in different parts of the country that provide tips, ideas, and advice for our lives as Moms.

I actually found TodaysMama.com through a friend.  She stumbled upon their site, and sent me the link, remarking on how much it looked like MomsOutLoud.com.  I checked it out, and was amazed at how similar our sites were.  I was fascinated.  Did someone else share my same vision and then go out and build it, just like I had? I subscribed to their newsletter, fanned them on Facebook, and followed them on Twitter.  That was way back in October of 2009 – six months ago, and a year after MOL had gone live.  Seeing how awesome their content was and how genuine and supportive the site felt convinced me I needed to talk to them.

So, I called up Rachael Herrscher, their CEO, to introduce myself.  At first, it started as networking, sharing learnings and ideas.  The more I got to know Rachael (even meeting her in person at a social media conference in Houston, Mom 2.0 Summit), the more I liked and respected her.  I started feeling that TodaysMama.com was exactly where MomsOutLoud.com could be – in three to five years.

For those of you who know me, either from my past life in corporate or – especially – from my current life on the web, you won’t be surprised at what happened next.  Maybe it’s because I am one of seven kids, but I always figure, the more the merrier.  Just ask Maria, Minette, or Holly.  My motto is:  figure out how to make things bigger through collaboration, partnerships, and finding synergies.  (Did I really just say synergies?  Must be that old strategy consulting training!).

I talked to Rachael about formally working together by combining MomsOutLoud.com and TodaysMama.com.  A few discussions later, here we are.

MomsOutLoud.com is now DFWMama.com, a part of the TodaysMama community.  We’ll get the best of both worlds: keeping the local information and community but also getting access to more national content and perks.  We’ll still have the calendar of events, the business directory, local business discounts and giveaways, and even better local content because TodaysMama has already gotten several local writers signed up as contributors for the DFWMama.com site.  (One of them is yours truly, plus several others who have written on an informal basis for MomsOutLoud.com like Hillary Gorman, Polly Harrison, Mariah Humphries, Minette Riordan, Julie Liberman, Stefanie Ritz, and Mina Frannea.)

I am so excited about the future for DFWMama.com.  I truly believe that Rachael and her team will be able to take it to great heights and that you all will love it, just like I do.

As for me?  I am ecstatic to be taking a little time to go slower in the next few months.  I’m going to get back into doing what I love to do (and why I started MomsOutLoud.com in the first place) – writing.  Like I said, I will be writing for DFWMama.com, as well as writing on my own blog, My Kind of Mom (http://www.mykindofmom.com – I apologize, but it’s still under construction at the moment!  But the most amazingly talented blog designer is working on it, so I know it will be awesome).

And what’s even better is that by taking this step back to slow down personally, I’ll be able to enjoy my three kids more…especially my “baby” (almost 1 yr old) Kate.  She was born in the midst of all this crazy, exciting growth of MomsOutLoud.com so I didn’t get a traditional maternity leave with her.  I’m definitely going to make up for that lost time.  Plus maybe even enjoy some evenings with my husband that aren’t illuminated by the electronic glow of my laptop!  But, I promise, no more RV trips – at least for a while.

I am so thankful to all of you for believing in MomsOutLoud.com and nurturing its growth.  I look forward to – with all of you – helping DFWMama.com blossom and grow starting right now.  Please look around the site, check out some of their great national content (on Best of Today), and look for their weekly newsletters that bring it all to your email box.  I’ll see you around on DFWMama.com!

We’ve rounded up all the DFW Easter Egg Hunts. Click links below to get info for the one nearest you in Dallas-Fort Worth.

This is a huge list of Easter Egg Hunts and Easter activities for your family in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  Just click your city below to see all the info for the event in your local community!

Friday, March 26

Frisco, Easter Eggstravaganza (60,000 EGGS on the field at Pizza Hut Park!!!!)

Saturday, March 27

Allen, Eggcellent Family Adventure

Bedford, Easter Egg Hunt

Flower Mound, 27th Annual Easter Egg Scramble

Fort Worth, Groovy Spring Fest

Frisco, Aqua Egg Hunt

Grapevine, 35th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Irving, Simon Kidgits Club Breakfast with the Bunny, Irving Mall

Keller, TreeMendous Easter Egg Hunt

McKinney, Easter Celebration in Chestnut Square Historic Village

Plano, Eggs Over Easy Egg Hunt

Richardson, Easter Eggstravaganza at The Heights

Rockwall, Easter Egg Hunt

Southlake, Eggtacular

Sunday, March 28

Alvarado, Country Critters Farm Easter Egg Hunt

Southlake, Easter in the Park

Saturday, April 3

Arlington, World’s Largest Easter Egg Hunt

Coppell, Community Egg Hunt

Dallas, UMC Oak Lawn Egg Hunt

Grand Prairie, Easter Trail

Grand Prairie, Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza

McKinney, Easter Egg-Stravavaganza

Plano, Egg-citing Easter Saturday

Wylie, Easter Egg Hunt at In-Sync Exotics

One of the most celebrated and beloved books in children’s literature returns to Dallas Children’s Theater (DCT) due to popular demand!  Discover the secrets of C. S. Lewis’ enchanted Narnia in THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE; a classic adventure by a master storyteller running March 19 through April 25, 2010 at the Rosewood Center for Family Arts.

Four courageous siblings step through a not so ordinary wardrobe and enter a mythical land that changes their lives forever.  This thrilling tale appeals to every generation.  Dallas Children’s Theatre Associate Artistic Director and director of the play, Artie Olaisen, states, “Outside the wardrobe the children are treated as youth, but when they step into Narnia they are seen as equals without condescension.  Narnia is in a state of chaos under the servitude of the White Witch.  The adult inhabitants are unable to solve the land’s problems, and it is the children who are destined to bring freedom to the land.”  Hurled into a battle between the forces of good and evil, they each must summon the courage to help free Narnia from the clutches of the White Witch and discover the heroes within themselves.

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE is the first in a series of seven children’s books by C. S. Lewis, altogether entitled, The Chronicles of Narnia.  THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, published in 1950, is revered as one of the most beloved books of classic literature, and its epic storyline filled with heroism and drama allows it to successfully transfer to the stage.  This is the fourth time DCT has produced the show, and the third under the direction of Artie Olaisen.  It remains one of DCT’s most requested productions.

Enjoyed by ages 7 and above.

DALLAS CHILDREN’S THEATER, ROSEWOOD CENTER FOR FAMILY ARTS

5938 Skillman Street, Dallas, Texas 75231

PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES:

Fridays             March 19, 26 & April 2                             7:30pm

Saturdays            March 20, 27                                        1:30pm

Saturdays            April 10, 17, 24                                    1:30pm & 4:30pm

Sundays            March 21, 28 & April 11, 18, 25            1:30pm & 4:30pm

NO PERFORMANCES APRIL 3 & 4 FOR EASTER HOLIDAY

Ticket Prices:

Friday – $18 Adult & Youth Section A; $12 Adult & Youth Section B

Saturday/Sunday – $23 Adult / $21 Youth Section A; $18 Adult / $16 Youth Section B

Saturday/Sunday senior discount – $20 Section A, $16 Section B

Saturday/Sunday college student discount – $19 Section A, $14 Section B

DCT Box Office: 214-740-0051

Tickets also available on-line!  www.dct.org

Target Time Family Series: Saturday, March 27 at 1:30pm, all tickets $11.50!

(Sponsored by Target Stores)