A few months ago I got to interview the AMAZING Tori Kelly for Curl Magazine, and now that issue no.14 is available I want to share a bit about the interview plus a brief excerpt. Tori Kelly’s New Book Tori is known for her amazing wavy hair, and in the interview she shares her own journey toward hair acceptance and how it inspired her to write a book to encourage kids to find that same love for themselves. Check out The Curly Girl Blues. Tori’s Hair Secrets Tori also shared a bit about her favorite hair products and how she gets that amazing volume. She inspired me to try my diffuse again ..read more

I love the simple pleasures in life: naps, chocolate, books, gardens. But you know what else I love? Gadgets! I love shiny technology, especially when it makes my life a little easier. That “making life easier” is what started me on my fitness tracker journey. I’ve had smart step counters for about 8 years now, and I recently upgraded to the Fitbit Charge 5. It’s a great fitness tracker, but there are a few areas where Fitbit needs to improve. Why a Fitness Tracker When I first got a fitness tracker, my decision had little to do with health. My oldest kid had just started kindergarten, and I ..read more

Photo by Paul Nicholson. Spring and fall are GLORIOUS in Tennessee. Spring, especially, delivers a much-needed dose of warm sunshine with a dash of wildflower color mixed in. That means we find some awesome ways to have fun around here, and one of our favorite family activities in Tennessee is the Tennessee Renaissance Festival. Renaissance Time in Tennessee About an hour south of Nashville, the Tennessee Renaissance Festival is where you’ll find plenty of family adventure — including impressive jousting tournaments, hilarious skits, and brilliant costumes. Read more about the festival ove ..read more

  Photo by Paul Nicholson.   The fact that I’m now a travel writer is hilarious to me. Why? Because I’ve never considered myself a true globetrotter. I don’t even like to fly!   Somehow, though, I’ve made it through 12 countries and countless U.S. road trips. And I’ve picked up a few travel tips along the way.   Here are some of my favorite parent travel hacks I’ve written about for L.A. Family Travel.   Traveling with Kids When You’re Scared of Flying   Yep, I hate to fly. To be honest, I’m *scared* to fly. No matter how many times someone explains Bernoulli’s pr ..read more

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash. This is a sponsored post in partnership with Responsival. We have a mental health crisis in this country. And it’s not just that so many of us are struggling.  There are too many hurdles to accessing mental health care. If you’ve ever tried to find a therapist, you know what I mean. When you’re drowning and reaching for help, the last thing you need is red tape. But that’s exactly what many of us experience when searching for help with our mental health.  Finding In-Person or Online Therapy That Takes Insurance Combing through listings, tryi ..read more

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash When writing a recent feature for Curl Magazine, I got to learn about the work of Essie Justice Group, a nonprofit that works with women with incarcerated loved ones. The Isolation of Incarceration A 2019 study found that almost 45 percent of Americans have experienced the incarceration of an immediate family member. Despite this staggering statistic, those with incarcerated loved ones experience loneliness and stigma, as well as social and financial difficulties. Essie Justice seeks to build this common experience into a source of support and change ..read more

Photo by Paul Nicholson. The past twenty-two months have been … a lot. If you’re like me, you may find yourself staring out the window as you mull which mask to wear, which plans to change, what’s safe to do … or you might find yourself unable to form any thoughts at all. I’m out of shape. I’m out of sorts. I can’t muster up much enthusiasm for anything. I know why I can’t focus. I know what the past two years have been like. But my internal critic says I’m wrong. “There was a tornado!” But my house wasn’t touched. “There’s a pandemic happening!” But I haven’t lost close friends or fami ..read more

A few years ago, I started working on more sustainable, low-waste kitchen habits. I started with the basics (reusable shopping bags), progressed to choosing products packaged in glass rather than plastic, and eventually started buying in the bulk aisle with my own containers. And then the pandemic happened. And honestly? Some days I just couldn’t deal. Whether it was depression or virtual school or the sheer overwhelming exhaustion of it all, I let most of those good habits slip. There were other issues, too. Our state temporarily banned reusable bags in stores in an odd attempt to banish ..read more

Photo by Noemie Roussel on Unsplash. Fellow curly girls, do your curls last? Or do they disintegrate into flatness or frizz after a few hours? Do you spend hours washing and styling your hair each week? For a recent Curl Magazine article, I interviewed professional women who need fuss-free curls that will last through their busy days, including an entrepreneur, a teacher, and an interior designer. We turned to some curl specialists for answers and got techniques for true curl longevity. They told me how to style curls that last, how to protect your curls, and how to refresh your hair as you ..read more

A ..read more