Sponsored post. Tonight I'm wiping up the tears and putting on my game face for the next seven weeks. Last week my husband got a job offer that will require him to be out of town for the next seven weeks to train for the new position; leaving me to hold down the fort at home. I'd like to say that I'm excited about this new job, but in reality I'm scared. His new job will require him to travel...a lot! Earlier in our marriage, I was the one who had to travel upwards of 60 days out of the year. I look back at those years and wonder how it was so easy for him. I don't ever remember him complaining that I had to leave, or worrying about getting our toddler off to school AND make it to work on time. He just....managed. Part of me really enjoyed traveling and getting to see new parts of the country; but the reality was I spent most of my time alone in airports and hotels. Right now we share most of the joys of parenting. He's able to help get the kids to and from ... [ Read More ]
Working through mom guilt…
It happened, my six year old told me something brutally honest this morning. "Mommy, put your phone down! You're always playing on it. Won't you play with me instead." (silence - let that soak in) ...I immediately set the phone down and finished helping her get ready for school. I made a conscious effort to not pick up my phone for the rest of the morning. I dropped the kids off at school, came home and went to work, but those words stuck with me ALL day! Am I really on my phone THAT much? Clearly, if a six year old thinks I'm on my phone too much then it's got to be true. Here's the thing though, I have made an effort for the past year to be more present in my kids lives. Not that I'm a absent mom (absent minded maybe, but not absent), but it's so easy to focus too much effort on the wrong things. I've made an effort to leave my phone on my desk when the kids are home from school in the afternoon, during dinner, and while they get ready for bed. ... [ Read More ]
A Much Needed Blog Break
Confession: My last blog post was almost one month ago! I've been blogging now for going on 8 years and sometimes I just don't have the time to blog. I have a ton of great blog posts (and a few sponsored posts) that I could write, but after I've worked online all day in social media the last thing I want to do is blog. I promise I'll find my blogging mojo again soon and bring you some fun new content!! You'll be here when I get back, right?? Want to follow little glimpses in my daily life? Be sure to "Like" and "Follow" me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ... [ Read More ]
Sunsets in Winter
The weather is warm this week in Florida and I decided that tonight we were going to watch the sunset on the beach. We don't typically go out on school nights, but we were passing by the beach and I had to stop. The ocean was calling my name. I needed to fill my soul with sunshine, sand, and salt air. Children were barefoot, rocks were tossed, sand was thrown in the air. I'll find the remnants of the trip for weeks to come in the bottom of my purse and on the floorboards of my Jeep. Children giggled and dug holes in the sand. They got dirty. The rays of the sun peeked through the clouds and glistened the ocean below. Strands of hair glimmered. Memories were made. Bedtimes were delayed. Dinner was quick and not very healthy. The ocean shimmered and waited anxiously for one final kiss from the sun. As the sun and the ocean became one, the clouds were tinted with every color of the rainbow. The day was done. Location: Honeymoon Island, Dunedin, FL About the photos above: ... [ Read More ]
Celebrate Diversity & Unity Through Cloth Diapers #ClothCommunity
Join us February 2nd as we celebrate the cloth diapering community. It's a day in which parents everywhere celebrate our diversities and our unity. #ClothCommunity Day is a campaign brought to you from many of your favorite cloth diaper bloggers. I have to give most of the credit to Mindy (Inquisitive Mom) for organizing the communities efforts to bring this to life. As a community, we've been online for 6+ years chatting about cloth diapers on our blogs and social media. My own journey with cloth began 6 years ago when my daughter was born and I reached out to the internet to research this new, modern cloth diaper. It's really funny to go back and read some of my early cloth diaper posts. I was just like many new moms that I encounter on a daily basis - nervous, confused, overwhelmed, and full of questions! You can laugh along with me here, and here, and here if you like. It was back then that I formed some of the friendships with other bloggers, companies, and readers. It's ... [ Read More ]
Pardon the Dust
Yes, things are a little different since you last visited! Sleep is calling before I could finish all the lovely updates. Pardon the dust and come back tomorrow afternoon/evening and see what's new! ... [ Read More ]
Best of 2014 on The Eco Chic
It's hard to believe that another year has almost ended and we're about to welcome 2015 in just a few more days! It's been a great year personally. My blog continues to thrive and has me looking forward to some changes in the coming year. I find myself blogging more and more about life, family, traveling, and hobbies rather than eco-friendly living. I hope you'll stay with me and share our families journey through life and I promise to still bring you some green living related posts. It's interesting to look back at the stats for the blog and see which posts were read most. Many of my older content (from 2010-current) still brings in many of you; but I wanted to share with you my top 10 posts from 2014! I left off the giveaway posts since those aren't really worth re-reading. My top post of 2014 is one I'm quite proud of. As I continue to educate and share tips on cloth diapering (even though we haven't cloth diapered in several years), I felt it was important to share with you ... [ Read More ]
Enter to Win 4 Tickets to Ringling Bros. Circus XTREME at Amalie Arena Tampa #RinglingBros #Ad
I have many fond memories as a child taking the trip into the city to see the Circus with my family. It was a big deal for us as a kid to see the show, eat popcorn and cotton candy, and to talk my parents into some over-priced souvenir. We only went 2-3 times as a kid but I remember how big everything was under the big tent! Fast-forward to my life as a parent and neither of my kids have ever seen a circus. My oldest is 11 and we've talked about it several times but just never made it to a show. My youngest will be turning six in January and the circus just happens to fall over her birthday weekend! What better time to take the kids to their first circus. Thank you Feld Entertainment & Amalie Arena for providing complimentary passes for the show so we can make these memories with our children. Interesting facts about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: Did you know that the first Ringling Bros. Circus was back in 1907? James Bailey and P.T. Barnum ... [ Read More ]
Coding with Kids – Hour of Code
My kids go to possibly the coolest school EVER! They attend a charter school (we're in Florida) and have the ability to learn Greek language, music, art, and even computer science. While they do still teach the basics and follow common core, they have a lot of freedom in the classrooms. My daughter is in Kindergarten and has been learning Greek since she was 3 yrs old (they also have a pre-K program). On Friday, I got our daily email from her teacher and she shared a very cool website that they worked on; Code.org. There is an ongoing movement to show the importance of teaching code to students of any age. With so much technology in our lives, our children have the ability to do so much if they are taught the skills early. Today is the final day of "The Hour of Code" week, which encourages you to spend an hour with your kids teaching them the basics of coding. Breathe....you don't have to know ANYTHING about coding to help!! You may even learn a little ... [ Read More ]
Cool Kids Gift Ideas
Affiliate links present in this post. My kids are on different extremes when it comes to Christmas gifts this year. My daughter is 5 (almost 6) and wants EVERYTHING she sees on TV or in the sales flyers. I seriously think if they came out with a LaLaLoopsy lump of coal she'd want it. My son is 11 and a little more difficult to shop for this year. There really isn't much that he's asked for. Here are just a few gift ideas for kids of all ages... Lottie & Friends Lottie is a relatively new set of dolls for children ages 3-9. Unlike traditional "Barbie" style dolls, Lottie is an actual child herself. She doesn't have boobs, doesn't wear make-up, no high healed shoes! She's just a kid. Lottie has some fun outfits that you can change and pets you can get. My daughter has been playing with Lottie for a few weeks now and really likes it. She looks at Lottie like a friend, tells her secrets, and tries to sneak her to school in her backpack. I happened to be ... [ Read More ]