Healthy lunch foods with the kids

14 Healthy Lunch Foods to Stock up On

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It’s back to school time here! People frequently ask how the kids manage school when our business requires a lot of family travel. I shared some of our frustrations and schooling solutions last year. We’ve taken a blended approach by keeping our son in public school and using the district’s contract learning program when we feel it’s appropriate, opting out of certain things that don’t work for him and supplementing with our own curriculum at home. There were a few bumps along the way, but we got into an awesome groove by the end of the year. We’ve been continuing our at-home lessons through the summer and it’s been such a joy. Sometimes I really do think that I could teach them myself.

Fishing with kids

5 Tips for Fishing with Kids

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As I grow older, I really get the sense there are no guarantees in this world. The markets, employment, housing bubbles, and so on. Well, I suppose traffic in southern California is something you can always count on. That runs like clockwork! So many other things, though, don’t go as planned. I guess this is where the old adage comes in, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

Renting a car

10 Tips for Renting a Car in Unfamiliar Territory

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Chelsea and I recently flew with the kids across the country to Orlando for a conference and some much-needed vacation time. We waited until just days before takeoff to book our car rental, so we wound up getting the very last 7-seater in Orlando from a sketchy-looking off-airport spot that had a shag sofa in their waiting room.

Managing Siblings in the Water

6 Tips for Managing Siblings in the Water

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We’ve been spending just about every day lately at the beach or by the pool. It can be kind of a challenge to keep the whole crew engaged, entertained and safe in the water when you have a spread as we do from ages 6 to infant. Today, we’re sharing how we explore water play with siblings of varying ages.

South Lake Tahoe

24 Hours in South Lake Tahoe (with kids!)

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South Lake Tahoe is often thought of as ‘the side with the casinos,’ but we’ve spent a lot of time there as a family and always had a blast without spending a dime on a slot machine! We love South Lake Tahoe’s laid-back vibe, adventurous activities and drool-worthy food. Here’s a look at all the action you can fit into a single day on the south side.

Baby sleeps where

You Let Your Baby Sleep WHERE?

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Every time Chelsea and I have a baby, people inevitably ask where the baby’s sleeping in relation to us and his brothers. The concept of four kids under six years old IS mind-boggling, sure. The bigger issue people seem to be grappling with, however, is the idea of getting any baby to go from sleeping in the parents’ room to sleeping in a room with siblings. So, I’ll admit it. Here’s our big secret.

Red wine and ketchup BBQ sauce

Red Wine and Chipotle Ketchup BBQ Sauce

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There are a lot of tasty things you can do with BBQ. One of the great things about BBQ is that even with very little experience, you can make it your own. There are burgers, dogs, big sausages, fish, chicken, vegetables, and on and on. Basically, anything that suits you is possible.

Chuck E. Cheese's Birthday Party

The Best Kids’ Birthday Party Ever

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Our sweet little Sidekick is 4! His special day falls in the middle of what happens to be a really busy time of year for us, and it seems to always be kind of a last-minute celebration. This year, we decided to change that and celebrate by giving him the best kids’ birthday party ever! Truth be told, I’m having a hard time understanding how my children keep getting older, I seem to be perpetually stuck at age 29. Weird.

Beaver Creek

The Charter at Beaver Creek

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There is a distinct crispness to the air I breathe at just over eight thousand feet sea level. There even seems to be some sort of shortness in supply, as my California lungs aren’t yet adjusted to the thin yet clean air found at this outer sphere of the Rockies. Thinner though it may be, it still whispers and sings as it swims through the branches and needles of the evergreen trees standing tall around me. I close my eyes and the stress of civilization as I know it blows away.

Water baby

8 Tips for Introducing Baby to Water

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It’s my fourth baby’s turn to learn to swim! I’ve always lived near the ocean, so swimming has been a huge part of my life. For our family, it’s important to start water play with the kids at a young age so that they’re comfortable and happy during all of the time we spend poolside (and lakeside, oceanside, riverside, you name it!).

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