Quinn and I love watching Christmas movies together, so when Red One hit the theaters, we couldn’t wait to check it out. This movie did not disappoint. It was a nice combination of humor, love with a sprinkle of thought-provoking moments. We officially have another classic added to our list!
Kicking off 12 days of Christmas with a blast from the past. This makes the 12th year of celebrating Christmas with Quinn. While each year is filled with wonderful memories and family togetherness , the first one together will always have a special place in my heart.
A meal with all of the fixings for Thanksgiving is always nice, but something I love even more is additional time with my family and observing Quinn get to interact and have fun with her cousins.
Yesterday, I surprised my eleven year old and took her to see Hamilton the Musical. From the seats to the ambiance to the acting to the singing and rapping, we loved everything. With the election results not what either of us had hoped for days prior, part of me was concerned with if this play, addressing many political issues would leave us both emotionally drained.
Surprisingly, the energy of the actors and many of the audience members left us both hopeful despite the uncertainty of the future. I’m thankful for Lin Manuel’s genius and enjoyed many of the illusions to hip hop culture and rap songs too. I’m grateful for the opportunity for Quinn and I to bond and neither of us are throwing away our shot to celebrate positivity and community in the face of change and possible challenges ahead.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of my daughter and me taking part in the Boo at the Zoo event for some Halloween fun. We both love getting dressed up in costumes (always a mom and daughter theme, 🤗) and Quinn loves trick or treating for candy too.
What we love even more is that this is not just a mother daughter tradition but a cousin tradition too! With the busyness of life, we may not see each other as often as we’d like, but this is one outing we all faithfully attend donning costumes, smiles and ready for some quality time with family. I’m grateful to have this time with some of my favorite “boos.” 🥰🤗🎃💀
It’s that time of the year where my daughter and I pack in as many fun-filled autumn activities as possible before the cold weather arrives. Today, we had a sweet time with our cousins at Hersheypark.
Though it was jam-packed with people everywhere we turned, I secured my usual role as bag holder, and Quinn and our cousins, Merissa and Ellie, managed to get on quite a few rides. They even did a little trick or treating and received a bag load of Hershey candy from Reese’s cups to Kit Kats.
With the sun shining along with an occasional breeze, it was a perfect amusement park day. Though it’s only the first weekend in October, our activities are off to a fantastic start.
I love playing games, and so does my eleven year old. So when the weather thwarted our outdoor plans, we pivoted with a fun-filled day of playing games indoors. We played Hungry Hippos, Guess Who, Sorry and a few others.
I won some, and Quinn won some, but best of all we both had a winning time together enjoying each other’s company and strategizing on how to out beat the other.
After a fun-filled summer break, my eleven year old is not only entering sixth grade but wrapping up her last year at her school. I’m happy that she’s excited to meet her new teacher, new classmates and learn along the way.
Though she’s at the same school, I know there will be more transitions and challenges as Quinn gets older and goes through changes, but I’m hopeful that she will encounter teachers and students who are kind and welcoming.
I have a few that I’ll be taking even more “baby steps” as her mom, and will try my best to be supportive without being overbearing, allowing her to navigate some situations on her own, knowing that I’m there if she needs me.
Here’s to a wonderful school year where we both grow, feel confident and learn along the way.