Psst! Do You Need to Attend this Free Workshop?

 [Sponsor] I interrupt your busy day to bring you a very important message from Darlynn Morgan of Morgan Law Group on how to name legal guardians for your kids: If you have kids under the age of 18 and you have not legally documented who you want to care for them should something happen to you… Continue reading Psst! Do You Need to Attend this Free Workshop?

What We Can Learn from the Maddy Middleton Tragedy

  Last month 8-year-old girl Maddy Middleton was abducted, raped and murdered in her Santa Cruz apartment complex. The perpetrator was not a stranger and this was not a random abduction.  The killer was a 15-year-old boy who lived in her building who lured her to his apartment. Her tragic story shook me to the core.… Continue reading What We Can Learn from the Maddy Middleton Tragedy

Not Scary Movies for Kids

Not Scary Movies for Kids 

20 Not Scary Movies for Kids

(Links in post are Amazon Affiliate Links)

Last week I went out to dinner with five of my class of ’92 high school girlfriends I hadn’t seen in years.  Old photos were passed around and we laughed our you know whats off at the styles back then. I think the shoes were the most offensive – does anyone remember Reebok high tops with big scrunch socks?!  How on earth was that ever considered cute? Wow.

We had four hours to catch up and many parenting topics arose, which gives me endless parenting blog fodder. I love it.

This post was inspired when a friend mentioned her kids are so sensitive to “scary” stuff, that she has been forced over the years to find not scary movies for kids her family could watch together.

Of course, what scares a kid can differ from child to child, so these movies listed below are not necessarily scare-proof. However, a great way to check out the details on a movie before you watch it with your kids is www.commonsensemedia.org. The age recommendations for the movies below were taken from that site.

You simply plug in the movie and you can get the full rundown of the story line and ratings on things such as educational value, positive messaging, violence & scariness, and more.

Please add any not scary movies for kids you have discovered in the comments. Would love to keep this list going!

It’s Not the 80’s Anymore…

[Sponsor]

Your Parent’s Estate Plan: Made in the 80’s… Out of Date Today!

by Darlynn Morgan,

Orange County Estate Planning Lawyer 

As with anything from the 80’s… hairstyles, clothes, VHS, cassette tapes, fads and trends, rest assured that mom and dad’s estate plan is probably right up there with shoulder pads: painfully out of date!

If you take the time to ask your parents if they have an estate plan, you may find them proud to say that they have a will or trust.  They probably feel confident knowing that at some point in their lives, they created legal plans to do the right thing by their family…

…or did they?

When to Update an Estate Plan 

Even if mom or dad HAS a will or trust, your next question to them should always be, “when is the last time you UPDATED your plan?”

when to update an estate plan

Get Out of Your Snack Rut

 

I am in officially in a snack rut.  And with summer here and kids home all day, I needed some new healthy snack ideas for kids. Stat. Because when I am not prepared, the kids go and help themselves to stuff in the cupboard, you know the cereal bars and packaged stuff. Not good.

So I called upon my friend, Kelly, a personal trainer with a passion for fitness and nutrition, to give me some new healthy snack ideas for kids. To read more recipes from Kelly visit www.sneakersandskillets.com.

11 Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids

(and adults too!) 

by Kelly Evans

healthy snack ideas for kids

1. Go for Fresh Veggies + Fruits 

Before getting into recipes and snacks you have to put together, I just have to shout out to the fact that the best snack option ever is… RAW VEGGIES! I know you may cringe and your kids might not be super excited, but the health benefits are insane, and if you are buying fresh, organic produce, you may just find they taste a whole lot better! The tastiest raw veggies in my opinon (get organic for better taste and better nutrients) are….