Playing independently is a great skill; however, if we are more intentional with teaching play skills, we can teach our children so much more!

<p>So, fast-forward to early September. My little H noticed some Halloween costumes in Target and asked what he would be for Halloween. I told him it was up to him. Shockingly (no, not at all shockingly), he asked if he could be an excavator. I told him I didn&#8217;t think I could make that, to which he replied &#8220;Why? You made a bulldozer. An excavator can&#8217;t be that much harder.&#8221; Touche, kiddo! I knew I could do it.</p>

After that night in the Walgreens parking lot, I decided that I would be the village. If I’m at the park with my children and an unattended child there gets hurt, I will do my best to help, not wonder where their parent is.

Picnics have become our family’s new go-to, and our latest mission is to invite others along.

But I would argue that as parents, it is our responsibility to savor every age and stage of our kids’ lives. Even the exhausting ones, where your baby wakes up screaming during the night for a feeding.

Summer is here, and we are ready to hit the beach, or pool, or puddles, whatever warm, splashy body of water we can get into.

Yet, the majority of women grow up with self-consciousness and even outright anxiety about being out in public in a bathing suit.

Fresh produce and herbs are my favorite! If you don’t have a garden, no problem. I encourage you to drop by any of our amazing nearby farmers' markets and take advantage of in-season produce by making these favorite late June recipes.

I have substituted a lot of different veggies into our routine now. One of my favorites for its versatility is zucchini! Zucchini, to me, used to be just bread or chocolate cake with some zucchini mixed in, but I now use it for SO much more!

My job has allowed me to be able to spend time thinking of my least and most favorite in a variety of categories, often needing my second and third most favorite as well. Regardless, my new least favorite word is: nope.