What Moms Need most is a new series I am so very excited about where I'll be sharing posts to support moms in the very busiest season of their life. Here's the thing: I'm pretty sure there is no one who loves being a mom more than I do. I am crazy in love with my 4 boys and consider it a privilege to be their mom. I'd tell anyone that. It took me a long time, however, to admit (out loud at least) that sometimes I struggled with feeling like while raising THEM, I was
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Happy New Year! What’s Coming in 2020? And a Book Giveaway!!
A New Years Post with what I've got planned for 2020 AND a BOOK GIVEAWAY! I'm coming off a few solids weeks of sabbatical from all things online (social media included!) and it was such a sweet time with my family. There was lots of surfing and celebrating (and my parents are here so lots of great meals and laughter.) But we also had some stormy days with time to just hang out and be together. My very favorite thing. It also meant an outdoor photo shoot turned
Fall Coffee Date: Recent World Travels Edition (with great links, recipes, photos, and fun)
Well hello there..end of Novemeber!? Now that's just crazy. How are you guys? My fall has been anything but typical. The theme, it seems, has been TRAVEL. A lot of travel...some planned, some mostly-last-minute. If you follow on social media, you know I just returned from a 3 week trip to both Waco, Texas, and then on to Ericeira, Portugal. Now, that's an interesting travel package, isn't it? :) Well, I went to Waco with Luke and Dave
A Surf Contest Trip to Ericeira, Portugal
BOM DIA! In early November (2019) I had the epic experience of chaperoning my fifteen-year old son, Luke, on a surf trip to Ericeira, Portugal. Luke was selected as one of four kids, (18 and under) to compete in the Quiksilver Young Guns competition this year. Being a Young Gun has been one of Luke's surf-career goals, and it was really exciting to experience this awesome adventure. What is Quiksilver Young Guns contest? Every year Quiksilver hosts a contest
Easy Lentil Veggie Shepherd’s Pie
I love October for so many reasons, only one of which is the return of all of the comfort foods! I'm not great about following seasonal food rules (I could, and do -- eat soup year -'round) but I somehow feel good knowing it's legit time to start making hearty, warm, wintery foods. Yay! Since this Shepherd's Pie recipe has been making the regular rounds in the Swanson household lately, I thought I ought to share it with you. LENTIL, VEGGIE, SHEPHERD'S PIE: There could
25 Things I have Learned from Raising Boys
25 Things I've Learned from Raising my Four Boys Considering the fact that I'm still such a young thing (wait, why are you laughing?) it's hard to believe that two of my four sons are now adults. I mean, legally grown ups and all that. I couldn't be more proud of the young men they are in this season. I treasure who they are, but oh the ache in my heart for every moment we have shared along the way. Last summer, shortly before my oldest packed his bags for his
Fall Recipe Roundup
A roundup of some of my favorite fall recipes. There's only one time of year that I ask for just a *tad* bit of pity for the fact that I live in Hawaii. Fall. I am pretty sure that I love the autumn season more than the average person, yet, unless I travel, I don't really get to experience it at all. (any sympathy yet?) So, while we continue to have our tropical balmy evenings, and the ocean is bath-water warm, I tend to whine and complain a teensy bit around October and
Where the Magic Happens. {Raising Kids of Character}
We all want to find the magic solution for raising character-rich kids. Here's what I know. There is no doubt, my early parenting years were challenging. But when I look back on the first years homeschooling my older boys, I have mostly fond memories. I have often described the first three boys as being "eager to please", "self-directed" learners, and so on. Fast forward a few years and Levi...Levi has not exactly been the "eager-to-please" homeschool student. He
