Food Fun Family

Finding #JOY in the Holidays

Lolli — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 20:34:16 +0000

I received compensation for my work on this post. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.

In just a few days, my oldest daughter will be coming home for the first time since she left for college in July. I may talk and text with her nearly every day, but I cannot believe how excited I am to SEE her on Saturday and have her home for the holidays.

This week, I’ve tried to work hard to cross a few extra things off my to-do list so that I can truly SAVOR the time I have to spend with her – and with the rest of the family, too. It’s easy during the holidays to get caught up in the hubbub of shopping craziness, the pressure to decorate and bake and send Christmas cards. Too easy. This holiday, I am less concerned with what we GET for Christmas and more concerned with how we FEEL once the holidays are over.

The last few months have been rough on several of us. We’ve been busier than ever (a natural consequence of older kids, I think!) and seem to see less of each other. And it has definitely changed our home to have one of the family “missing,” as happy as we are for her to be loving college so much.

This holiday season, I am making a concerted effort to find the JOY in the holidays.

I am remembering my blessings – particularly my kids and my husband, as well as a safe home to live in, good schools, a job that I love and allows me to work from home, and so many other things.

I am making plans to spend time with each family member, even if it’s only to invite a child upstairs to wrap presents with me for an hour.

I am welcoming the kids into the kitchen so they can bake with me – and create holiday memories like my mom did with me.

I love the holidays, and I am rediscovering the JOY that I used to feel as a child enjoying the holidays (because, let’s face it, the holidays are much more fun when you’re a kid and have no responsibilities!).

What brings you #JOY during the holidays, and how are you finding JOY this year?

Bucket of Joy Giveaway:

To help spread #JOY this holiday, I’m giving away a Bucket of Joy sponsored by SOYJOY. Enter on the giveaway form below before 12/17 at midnight ET, after which a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Good luck…and go find some JOY!

Bucket of Joy contains:

Mason jar of SOYJOY bars in all seven flavors
Plush blanket
Wooden letters spelling JOY
Galvanized Metal Bucket

About SOYJOY bars:

SOYJOY bars come in 7 flavors, including: dark chocolate cherry, berry, banana, strawberry, cranberry, mango coconut, and blueberry.
Each bar is between 130-140 calories, making it a great healthy snack alternative (and a perfect stocking-stuffer!)
SOYJOY bars are made with real pieces of fruit and non-GMO ground whole soybeans
SOYJOY is certified gluten-free
Perfect as a purse-sized snack on the go that won’t crumble or melt (unless you want it to!)
SOYJOY bars make quick and easy after-school snacks
Pop an unwrapped SOYJOY bar in the microwave for 8-10 seconds for a warm, guilt-free treat

Connect with SOYJOY online at on us.soyjoy.com, on Twitter at @SOYJOYUS and on Facebook at facebook.com/soyjoy

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I received compensation for my work on this post. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.

Finding the Confidence to Step Out of My Comfort Zone #GoodNeighbor

Lolli — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 12:19:17 +0000

It’s not every day that a post leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy, but this one did. This story is mine, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I’m grateful to State Farm for giving me the prompt to write my thoughts down!

This is my friend Kristin’s family. Kristin and her family were my very first photography clients, back when her girls were in pigtails.

If you were to ask me to describe myself during childhood in just a few words, I’d probably say, “Happy but shy.” My shy and quiet nature certainly carried with me into adulthood as well. People may not be as quick to label me as “shy” anymore, but one thing has remained constant – I don’t love to be the center of attention and I rarely take personal risks.

A few years ago, I was discovering my love for photography. I enjoyed doing it for myself, but I lacked confidence in my abilities, and I was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of putting myself out there. I have loved taking photos for as long as I can remember, but venturing into that realm where I could call myself a photographer….that put me far out of my comfort zone.

The difference between taking photos of my own kids and the world around me versus taking pictures for other people was huge in my mind. When I took pictures for other people, something very personal was being put on display. Not only did I have to step out from behind my camera (a very comfortable place to hide!) but I had to allow myself to be ope and vulnerable to critiques.

It was almost to much for me, and I might not have ever found the confidence to give photography a try had it not been for the enthusiastic support of Kristin.

Kristin was not only a good friend, but she provided me with just the right amount of encouragement so that I believed in myself enough to take that leap of faith.

It’s very possible that Kristin’s support and encouragement in my photography are what gave me the confidence to start a blog, which is an even more public, vulnerable, and critiqued platform than photography. She believed in me until I believed in myself.

My little blog may not be changing the world, but the encouragement of one special friend certainly changed me.

Have you had a friend – or a neighbor – or a teacher – or a mentor – who has encouraged you and inspired you with confidence to reach your dreams? I’d love to hear who those people have been in your life!

Like a good neighbor State Farm is there.

Connect with State Farm

State Farm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StateFarm
State Farm Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateFarm
State Farm Instagram: https://instagram.com/statefarm

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by State Farm via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of State Farm.

Keep Good Going – Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Lolli — Thu, 08 May 2014 20:22:06 +0000

This post brought to you by New York Life. All opinions are 100% mine.

Keep Good Going

What does it mean to Keep Good Going? It means exactly what it sounds like – it’s about paying it forward, about passing on the good things that positively affect you and your family and positively shaping the lives of others.

The Happiest Daughter:

“The Happiest Daughter” video tells the story of one little girl who has a fantasticly happy attitude despite her challenges. In the same breath, it tells the story of how all of us experience unexpected challenges. The important thing is making the most of whatever life throws at us.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Make lemonade out of lemons.” There have been many times that I have felt like my life was all lemons. Sometimes it’s easy to focus on the negative, the challenges, the shortcomings.

Celebrating Good

My secret in having a good attitude and making the most of what life has thrown at me has been to focus on the lemonade. Honestly, my experience blogging for the last 6+ years has been one of the things that has reminded me, time and again, that life is full of lemonade.

My mom was a great example of focusing on the blessings, especially considering the circumstances that she had to deal with as a young mother. But instead of dwelling on her challenges, she provided a happy, secure, and FULL life for me and my siblings that followed. My mom chose to Keep Good Going.

Join others in perpetuating the GOOD

New York Life has created a digital billboard to keep good going – to capture the real-time moments of families across the country (especially as we approach Mother’s Day this weekend!). You can join the positivity by sharing your own mom-related photos and the words of wisdom that your mom passed on to you.

How have you kept good going? What nuggets of wisdom has your mom taught you – in your childhood or since you’ve been a parent yourself? I’d love to hear!

Learn more about how New York Life can help you and your family Keep Good Going

© 2014, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.

Send Thanks – Virtual Thank You Notes

Lolli — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 21:44:42 +0000

This post brought to you by SendThanks.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Several years ago, I was teaching a class of 16 and 17 year old girls. Some class sessions were wonderful and inspiring, but more often than not I left class feeling like I had just spent 40 minutes talking to a pile of coats. The girls weren't horrible….they just didn't seem to pay much attention. Between whispered giggles, yawns, and checking their phones, I wasn't sure if they were even listening.

One week, one of the girls in my class handed me a small slip of paper. On the tiny scrap of paper, she had written, "I know it probably doesn't seem like I'm listening sometimes, know that I always am, and I appreciate your lessons each week. Thank you for being such a great teacher."

What a difference that little thank you note made! I looked at each of those girls differently from that day on, and I certainly planned my lessons with a different perspective, too.

About SendThanks.com

Have you ever noticed that it feels just as good to give thanks as it does to receive it? Have you ever had an instance where someone did something worthy of your thanks and you didn't have a chance to express your thanks?

SendThanks.com has a simple mission – "to celebratie our human connection and express appreciation for all that we have to be thankful for. To remember with gratitude family, friends and even strangers who extend themselves to others with love and friendship and who choose to respond with wise and compassionate words." Isn't that a wonderful and refreshing idea?

On SendThanks.com, you can easily set up an account and send virtual thank you notes. Notes can be emailed to your recipient, shared on social networks, or simply posted on the SendThanks.com site. Signing up for an account is free and only takes a couple of minutes. Here is a quick thank you note that I created:

You can visit SendThanks.com to send a quick note of thanks to anyone, for any reason, anytime – it’s fun, fast, and free. If you'd like to get more involved in the Send Thanks community, you can create your own journals (private or for the whole world to see!), express yourself through writing articles, or design albums with your favorite photos, videos, and music.

Who would you like to send a virtual thank you note to? I'd love to hear your thanks-worthy stories!

© 2014, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.

The Bucket List I Never Knew I Needed to Write

Lolli — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:43:11 +0000

Sometimes I wish that I had made a bucket list when I was younger…but even if I had, I’m pretty sure that meeting celebrities and hanging out on movie sets during filming would not have even occurred to me as something that I could do…or even wanted to do.

All of New York City was covered in a low fog today, but the temps were gorgeous!

I never knew how much I would enjoy interviews and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks.

I never knew how much I could love New York City, or how comfortable I could feel there. Or that I would count the days til the next opportunity to take the train back into the City.

Don’t get me wrong….living in New York City with my family of seven is NOT and will not ever make it onto my bucket list. But I love traveling to New York City as often as I do, and I love the fact that I feel like I know my way around. Even just a little bit.

I remember (vividly) the first time I traveled to New York City, for another day of celebrity interviews and a movie premiere. I was there with my friend Jill and during a break we stopped at a restaurant named Rare and had (as I remember) some really tasty burgers.

Yesterday, as I approached my hotel, I recognized the restaurant right away…connected to my hotel. It was quite a profound moment, actually, when I realized how far I’d come and how many amazing life experiences I had enjoyed in the 3 years since my first visit.

When I was little, there was no such thing as a “blogger.” I didn’t know that I would want to become one someday, but it has been absolutely perfect for me.

After this weekend – this short and sweet weekend trip to New York City – I have decided to add a few things to my bucket list. AFTER the fact.

That’s ok, right?

Here’s a start to that list: sit on a movie set while the actors are shooting a scene; interview a celebrity; shake a celebrity’s hand; have a famous person as me about MY life; stay in a fancy hotel; order room service without guilt; receive VIP service in a public place; meet a stranger who knows who I am because of something I’ve written or done….

What would you add to your “after the fact” bucket list?

Side note: As a funny but slightly nerve-wracking turn of events, I got the the train station on Sunday afternoon only to discover that I had left my entire wallet AT HOME. I had my phone, my camera, my iPad, my computer, clothes and toiletries, cords and plugs, a checkbook and about $35 in random cash inside my purse.

And I decided to wing it. My husband scanned and emailed my driver’s license to the Disney rep in New York City who notified the hotel. And I spent 28 hours away from home with no ID, credit cards or debit cards.

Thank goodness for Amtrak, a printed ticket, good shoes for walking, and a per diem at the hotel.

By the way, “Enjoying a per diem at a fancy hotel” is totally one of those things that I am adding to my “Done That” Bucket List.

© 2012, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.

My Journey to BlogHer

Lolli — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 19:30:35 +0000

Months ago, with BlogHer well in the distance, and no money in my account to purchase an early bird ticket, I took a gamble. I applied to be a volunteer and figured that I’d go only if I was chosen as a volunteer and got the free ticket. As luck would have it, I was chosen, got my volunteer ticket, and then searched for a few friends to share a room with at the Hilton. Since I can take the train to New York City, I figured that I’d be able to get away with fairly minimal costs for the trip. But still, BlogHer is not cheap.

So when I heard about the “Journey to BlogHer” contest with Dodge, I figured it was worth entering. When I read their prompt (describe your journey to becoming a blogger and why you want to win a trip to the New York City BlogHer Conference) I was inspired to write this short paragraph about my own journey to BlogHer:

When my 4th grade teacher asked the class what we wanted to be when we grew up, I answered simply “I want to be a Mom/Writer.” I always knew that I wanted to be a mom and I developed a love for writing at an early age.

As a quiet introvert, I always had difficulty vocally expressing what was inside me, but on paper everything came out. Fast forward 28 years to today; I never would have guessed that my young dream to be a “Mom/writer” would be realized in such a profoundly emotional, fulfilling, stimulating, and socially exhilarating manner. Today I have more friends than I ever did as the “quiet girl.” I love what I do…because of the chance I have to express myself in writing daily, challenge my brain, make friends, and still be a good mom to my 5 kids.

BlogHer ’12 is the reward, the place where all I’ve worked for comes together, but mostly, Blogher is my opportunity to connect with those people who have brought an added dimension of meaning and purpose to the life of this stay-at-home-mom-turned-blogger. I’m one of the lucky ones. I am doing exactly what I envisioned I wanted to do when I was a young girl. BlogHer will help me keep doing that…and do it even better.

I’ll admit – it took me just a few short minutes to write the paragraph. I hit submit and tucked the contest in the back of my mind.

Imagine my shock when I received an email a few weeks later declaring me one of two winners (I found out later that the other winner was my friend Emily Vanek from ColoradoMoms.com). The coolest part (besides the prize) was the fact that my little paragraph was chosen by a panel from Dodge out of hundreds of entries, not randomly, but on merit. Apparently, they liked what I had to say.

So in addition to the BlogHer ticket (and, by the way, I was able to release my volunteer ticket so that someone on the waiting list could go), Dodge is giving me 5 nights at the Hilton, a new iPad (something my husband is over-joyed about, since he’ll be getting my old iPad), transportation to New York City, and $750 spending cash. I’m using some of that cash to see Newsies on Broadway on Wednesday night.

Yes, I am still overwhelmed by the incredible blessing that this Dodge Journey to BlogHer sponsorship is. I can’t wait to meet fellow bloggers, old and new friends, and connect with the many brands that will be at the conference. If you’re going to be there, please make sure to grab me for a hug!

© 2012, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.

Thankful Turkeys – a Thanksgiving Craft

Lolli — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:24:00 +0000

The other night, we made Thankful count-down-to-Thanksgiving Turkeys. We had so much fun making them! I love how each turkey started out completely unique, but then everyone started noticing the cool ideas from other family members, and added clothes or other features. We made enough feathers for each turkey (it was supposed to be 17) so that we would be able to pull off a feather a day until Thanksgiving and write something that we were thankful for. We have a little canning jar filled with feathers now. I thought I’d share a few things that the kids and I wrote down (there were a few duplicates)

We are thankful for:
teachers
books
lions
family
life
church
candy
the scriptures
sunlight
food
clothes
breakfast
bed
my things
friends
Mom and Dad
brothers and sisters

PS–you’ve gotta love Reese’s mean face here–she was mad because Necco wanted to hold Dad’s turkey that she had made for him. Necco consented to let Reese hold Dad’s turkey if she could hold the wooden lollipop turkey. It was too late, though. Reese wouldn’t give up the attitude, and Dad’s turkey didn’t even make the picture. Reese’s turkey is laying by her feet. Twizzler is holding my turkey in his right hand. :)

© 2008 – 2014, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.

Food Fun Family

Finding #JOY in the Holidays

Bucket of Joy Giveaway:

Bucket of Joy contains:

About SOYJOY bars:

Finding the Confidence to Step Out of My Comfort Zone #GoodNeighbor

Connect with State Farm

Sponsored: Enjoying Everyday, Even the Ordinary Days #EveryDayMoments

Connect with the Everyday Card and Soliel Moon Frye:

Keep Good Going – Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Keep Good Going

Join others in perpetuating the GOOD

Send Thanks – Virtual Thank You Notes

About SendThanks.com

The Bucket List I Never Knew I Needed to Write

My Journey to BlogHer

Thankful Turkeys – a Thanksgiving Craft