I just recently watched a heart touching video that reminds me of how hard kids have it. Sometimes I forget that among all the great moments of being a kid, there are quite a few hard moments. Moments, that I’d soon forget.

I send my kids off to school each day and hope and pray that they are treated kindly, are surrounded by friends, and they aren’t bullied. I hope they shine like the stars they are and have the confidence to get past anything tough they come across. (more…)

I had a blog post for Hallmark scheduled to run yesterday. It was in queue, all ready to go, when the tragedy in Newtown, CT took place.

My Hallmark post was to be about their very special North Pole Countdown Ornament, but I just couldn’t push publish. I have something else I’d like to talk about. In light of the tragedy in Newtown, CT I’d like to take a moment to talk about our teachers.

This is my final post for the Hallmark 2012 Life is a Special Occasion Campaign. It has been such an honor to work with such an incredible company. Even more so, it has been such a gift for me to explore personal topics and share them with you in a way I might not have before. With all the wonderful things I had the chance to write about in the past year, one very special thing has stuck with me… Tell Them.

(more…)

It’s kind of crazy how memories can overwhelm you sometimes. I was sitting here thinking about Jingle, the dog that goes along with the Hallmark Jingle All the Way Interactive storybook. My daughter, Ella, has really taken to this stuffed dog. He gets buckled into seat belts, sits by her feet at dinner, snuggles in her bed at bedtime and more.

I remember my brother Larry surprising me with my very first Cabbage Patch doll when I was a young girl. This was back when Cabbage Patch Dolls were the “hot toy” and quite expensive. He had to wait in a huge line, probably at a Wal-Mart, to snatch one for me.            (more…)

We sit down and have a family meeting on Sunday evenings. It’s a way for our family of 6 to make sure we are all on the same page for the upcoming week, celebrate accomplishments from the prior week, and more. We assign chores, distribute allowance, plan our weekly menu and share our goals for the week. (I capture it all in my Erin Condren Life Planner… love that thing!)

One thing I’m good at is setting goals. I can set goals all day long… implementing and accomplishing those goals is a different story. As we sit down each week to discuss our goals from the week before, I’ve discovered I’ve passed on that lovely skill to my kids as well. We are all great at goal setting, but tend to fall short of following through and reaching our goals. I decided after several weeks of the same answer of “No” to the “Did you reach your goal?” question, it was time for a change. (more…)

When we visit my parents in Mission, Texas each year (near South Padre) there is always plenty of memory making fun happening.

We get to go to the beach…

We swim in their retirement community pool and hot tub under the palm trees…

We go to the zoo…

We hang out and get to explore parts of Texas we haven’t seen before…

We get to cook, play board games, do art projects, ride the golf cart and more and more and more. There is plenty of fun when we go to Grandma and Grandpa’s.

But no matter what, if you ask the kids what they remember the most about visiting Grandma and Grandpa this past Spring Break, they will all tell you “Pepper Pancakes!”

“Pepper Pancakes?” you ask. Yes… pepper pancakes made our top memories of Spring Break 2012 and any time I make pancakes now I get a little shout from the galley “Make sure you put pepper in them!”

To make a long story short, my mom was making pancakes for dinner and Jacob was helping her. She is a grab and dump kind of cook (an excellent cook, I might add) and doesn’t do a whole lot of measuring. As she was grabbing and dumping she reached for what she thought was the salt and instead grabbed the pepper. Before even realizing it she dumped quite a bit of black pepper into the pancake batter. This, naturally, got a HUGE amount of laughter from the kids. She then decided to mask the pepper by adding a little bit of cinnamon. Needless to say, we ate the pancakes and they were actually not that bad. The best part of it was all the laughing that happened all night long and anytime Grandma went into the kitchen. She will be forever have a reputation for her infamous pepper pancakes!

What is one of your favorite food memories…where food or a recipe didn’t turn out quite as expected, but the memories tied to it are far greater than the food ever could have been?

Disclosure: I am honored to be a 2012 paid brand ambassador for Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion. All opinions expressed are my own. For special discounts, product offerings and news about Hallmark, feel free to sign up for their newsletter.

It’s a rainy, stay inside with a good book and cup of coffee kind of day. A snuggly, beautiful, happy day. What better kind of day then to share a little happiness with you all?

I am bubbling over with happiness today because Nick and I had the opportunity to bring recording artist, Shannon Curtis, and her husband Jamie, into our home last night for a private concert. Shannon’s soulful voice filled the air as our friends cozied up in our living room and kitchen to listen. Shannon’s music has depth and meaning and is delivered with such raw emotion. I was definitley in my happy place, filled with joy and love last night.

You’ve seen me write about my love for Shannon’s music before, and it was so surreal to see that love of her music spill over to a love for the person she is. Genuine, kind and beautiful to her core. Her husband, Jamie, is just as wonderful.

Night turned into morning, and we shared cinnamon rolls and great conversation around our kitchen table. Again… pure happiness to personally connect with someone you’ve had an online relationship with for over a year and to be able to share such intimate time with them. Thank you, Shannon and Jamie, for sharing your talents with us. Having you join our friends in our home was beyond special to me. Thank you!

If you haven’t listened to Shannon’s music yet, stop what you are doing and head over to her website now. Her newest single, Anti-Gravity, has become one of my favorites. Other favorites of mine are Before the Sun, Boomerangs & Seesaws, Waking Up With You… actually, I love all of her music. Please go check it out. Perfect Saturday and Sunday morning, lounging around, cooking and enjoying your coffee kind of tunes. You’ll love her, I know it!

More happiness… I started pillow journals with my kids. I can’t remember where I saw or heard about this idea but I think it’s a really great one. Each kid is given a journal and the first page is filled with a journal entry from a parent, asking questions, sharing praise, talking about silly stuff. The journal is placed under the child’s pillow and they then have just a few days to fill out the next page in the journal, answering questions, asking questions and sharing general silly stuff. They then place it under your pillow. It’s a back and forth way to journal with your child, and I am excited to see how it works. I’ve already received the journal back from Ella and Kelly and am loving the sharing it’s started between us.

Other things that have made me smile…

Gretchen Rubin’s new book, Happier at Home, releases this week. I can’t wait to read it!

Finding time to read… that makes me happy. I finished The Island today and am going to start Dare Me next.

My sister and three kind friends, chatting with me about specific parenting experiences when I was struggling. Thank you!

Reading comments about your best friends over on my Hallmark post.

I’ve had fun taking really cool iPhone panoramic photos with the DMD app. Have you tried it?

And, my pretty new red Blendtec blender (stay tuned for a giveaway next week!)

Now it’s your turn to share. What’s making you happy right now?

Let’s talk friendship, shall we?

I don’t have a best friend. I’ve always been one of those girls to have a lot of good friends but as an adult, not a best girl friend. You know, that one friend you can call up and she’ll drop everything and be there in minutes with chocolate ice cream and wine? Or the first friend you call when something happens to a family member, no matter what the time? I crave that friend who understands and will happily participate in an over night slumber party watching Dirty Dancing, Footloose, Say Anything, St Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club? I have no one to call to come indulge my girlhood fantasies of a Gayle / Oprah type friendship.

I love and adore the friends I have. They are some of the best women in the world and I am so lucky to have them for whatever I can get them for. But a best friend is different, right?

I’m thankful my oldest two kids have found “that friend”. Kelly and Kylee have been friends since they were six months old and that friendship has blossomed through the years. Kylee is Kelly’s “I’ve got your back” girl, and Kelly is the same. Kylee lives 6 houses down from us and I bet most outsiders wouldn’t know that Kylee and Kelly don’t belong in the same house. They are rarely seen apart.

Jacob and Daniel are very much the same way. Daniel is our across the street neighbor and was the one I mentioned in my Project 365 post yesterday. They’ve been friends for almost 7 years now and are such a good match. It’s been fascinating to me to see how a boy best friend relationship works. It’s kind of a cool thing… a mutual understanding and respect that I don’t think a lot of girls have with each other. Either way, I am so glad they have each other.

When I was growing up, my mom used to say all the time to me how proud she was because of the friends I chose. I never knew what she meant by that until I had kids. Friends are important, but best friends… who you chose to spend most of your time with… influence you in a way no one else really can. Being associated with the wrong friend can bring you down. Being surrounded by great people can lift you up. I’m thankful my kids have found their bff match because I know from experience how difficult that is to do. A friend is special, but a best friend? A best friend is a rare and wonderful gift.

I’m going to caveat this with… my husband is my best friend and I am so thankful to have him in my life. He’s my lifeline and who I would call first (or nudge) if something happened in the middle of the night. If I was really nice to him, he may even indulge me in a chick flick movie marathon someday. The friendship I’m referring to in this post is a girlfriend bff. Just wanted to make sure I was clear!

Now, tell me about your best friend, will you? How did you meet? How long have you been friends? How have you nurtured your friendship thorough the years? I want to hear all about it!

Disclosure: I am honored to be a 2012 paid brand ambassador for Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion. All opinions expressed are my own. For special discounts, product offerings and news about Hallmark, feel free to sign up for their newsletter.

I’ve always known and hoped that I would be a mom. When I was in Kindergarten, we had a “Star of the Week” program where the star would be interviewed. One of the questions in the interview was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My immediate answer, firmly stated without any hesitation? “A Mommy.”

What I didn’t know when I was in kindergarten was how hard being a mom can be. My mom made it look so easy. It wasn’t until friends of mine started having kids and then I had kids of my own that I began to understand that being a mom is not all singing, arts and crafts, park playing and sprinkler splashing. From the moment a new baby comes into your life, your role on earth changes and you soon discover that you can’t do it well on your own. It truly does take a village.

Luckily, I have a pretty awesome village… full of great friends and family who truly care about the well being of my kids. Well, and the well being of me too. Some of the best advice from my village has been…

My friend Amy, a week before Jacob was due, told me to skip the pretty PJ’s in the hospital and to opt for either just the standard gown or pajamas you don’t care about getting ruined. “You’re just going to be a big, fat, fluidy mess.”

My friend Ami, when I came to her crying because all the parenting magazines were telling me I was doing everything wrong. “Kris… you have great instincts, but on this one, I don’t get it. If you don’t like what the Parenting magazines are telling you to do, then stop reading the Parenting magazines!” I haven’t picked up one since.

Ami also told me that the first 8 weeks of parenting are a blurry, hormonal hell… something no one dared tell me before. You know what? Especially with the first one, she was right.

My sister, when I called after a rough transition from a money making, working professional to a one income family. “There were times when I dug through the couch cushions to gather up loose change to get milk at the store for the kids. Yes, taking a hit in the bank account is hard, but God tends to provide. What you are doing is worthwhile… the most important job you’ll ever have. No salary, even 10 times the amount you were making, could make up for the work you are doing as a mom.”

My own mom, whenever I call frustrated by parenting… “Kristen… go take a Midol and call me tomorrow. Everything will be fine.”

My friend Sandy, when I mentioned that Nick and I rarely have date nights… “For your kids, you need to invest in your marriage in the exact same way you would your 401K. It’s non-negotiable. Take money from your paycheck and put in a monthly date night fund. Keeping your marriage romantic and alive is the best thing you can do for your kids.”

My friend, Kristen… also a mother of 4… “Now is when you need to put your super woman cape away and start asking for help. People want to help… stop trying to be the hero and let your friends and those who love you help you when you need it!”

My closest friends on the block, when they see me outside, dragging a screaming toddler through the streets to take the others to school… suddenly that morning a Starbucks shows up on my porch or that evening a bottle of wine appears with 2 wine glasses and a listening ear.

I have a wonderful village… and it is because of them that my kids are turning out to be the special, young people they are. The advice of my friends and family, the offers to lend a hand, the straight forward truths they aren’t afraid to share… all of that is something I appreciate more than words could ever express.

Take a moment, like I did, and share an unexpected card with your friends to say thank you. They may not even remember what they’ve said to impact the way you parent, but letting them know you remember will mean the world. Oh… and drop by with wine or coffee. After all, it’s important to keep your village nice and fueled.

Disclosure: I am honored to be a 2012 paid brand ambassador for Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion. All opinions expressed are my own. For special discounts, product offerings and news about Hallmark, feel free to sign up for their newsletter.

I have four kids and you’d think by the time Leah came along I’d have this whole parenting thing down.

What no one seems to tell you is that whether you have 1 or 10 kids, God sends you a different one each time. You get the experience of starting over, learning the ropes again with each new little being. If it were only so easy to read a manual and have parenting down pat… you know how to raise one? You know how to raise them all. I’ve learned, that’s totally not the case!

Four kids and Leah has been my only one to…

Smear blood red vampire Halloween makeup on the couch…

Have an obsession with lotions, shampoos and sunscreen… and therefore continues to waste bottles of each and all, all the time…

Dump hot honey wax (for eyebrows) onto the carpet…

Eat over half of container of butter all in the matter of a few minutes while I was on the phone…

Give herself her own haircut…

Color on walls, have insane fits in the car every time we go someplace, etc. The list goes on and on and on and on.

Her siblings have nicknamed her “The Disaster” which is about as fitting of a name as you can get for her.

She is also the absolute only one who can do all these things, turn around with a twinkle in her eye and a grin and instantly melt our hearts, causing us to smile at her rotten behavior. She’s spunky, smart and full of life… and too darn cute for her own good.

I tell myself that someday this behavior of hers is going to suit her well. She’s headed into an all boy preschool class next year. Most mom’s might be worried about this but I have a feeling those boys won’t know what hit them when Leah walks into the room! She will hold her own, now and forever.

And all I can hope is that someday she’ll be blessed with a little disaster all her own… so she can be the one trying not to crack a smile when her daughter is too cute for her own good.

Disclosure: I am honored to be a 2012 paid brand ambassador for Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion. All opinions expressed are my own. For special discounts, product offerings and news about Hallmark, feel free to sign up for their newsletter.

Kristen Doyle

Freelance Writer, Food & Lifestyle Photographer, Mom

Kristen Doyle is the creator of the award winning website, Dine & Dish. Since early 2006, Kristen has been sharing her favorite recipes, photographs and life stories with an ever growing audience of engaged readers.

Kristen has expanded her reach to include working with major brands (Bush’s Beans, Green Mountain Coffee, Hallmark, Zatarain’s…just to name a few) as well as providing editorial content and direction for nationwide print publications and websites. Her freelance writing career spans working with magazines on a local and national level as well as creating valuable web content for a variety of sites across the web.

Kristen is a busy mom of 4 young kids, loves to entertain, has a passion for photography, and believes in keeping things simple. An avid reader, a kind of runner, a horrible gardener, and the wife of an outstanding man, Kristen’s ultimate life goal is to connect and create meaningful relationships with others.

Kristen is available for editorial and photography projects, speaking engagements and ambassador partnerships with your brand. If you are local to Kansas City, give me a ring & let’s meet for coffee! I hope we get the chance to connect!

You can connect with Kristen by email at kristen <at> dineanddish.net or through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Google+.