Anyone else feel like the time goes by way too fast, with nowhere near enough of it spent with our loved ones? I definitely do. As a working mom, and especially in this season of the busiest time of the year, I struggle to make sure I’m paying attention to spending time with my family. Sure, we can do little things – cook dinner together, read a few extra stories – but are we really spending quality time together in the day to day? No, not nearly enough. We’re always stressed, tired, and just not looking for those special experiences – so it’s definitely something we need to work on.

I have a confession to make – Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays.

Growing up, it always just seemed like a lot of work, and my favorite part was passing out the candy – because then I could take the good stuff for myself (I mean, why would I give away all those peanut butter cups?). My girls, however, LOVE Halloween. They get that from my mother-in-law, who has made Abbie’s (and now Ella’s) costumes for the past few years. Abbie usually picks her costume by mid-September, and my mother-in-law then has plenty of time to sew it.

When Abbie was born, I was determined that once we started solids with her, she would be the best eater. I was going to be sure to introduce all different kinds of foods, and that she would like everything – fruits, veggies, protein, and more. There was no way my kid was going to be the picky eaters my little sisters were – including one sister who subsisted on frozen pizzas and bologna sandwiches for years.