I’ve already shared with you why a salad bar makes a great meal for entertaining. The same principles apply to a taco bar – except instead of lettuce, you need a tortilla. I grew up in the suburban midwest. There, a taco invariably meant ground beef, cooked and crumbled with an envelope of taco seasoning. The meat was then crammed… Read More
The Salad Bar: Easy Entertaining
Easy entertaining with a salad bar? The humble salad bar may not be your first thought when you plan a party – but you may want to reconsider that thought. A salad bar is flexible, scalable and customizable – all great features when planning for a group. It also is healthy – and allows you and your guests to save… Read More
Napa Getaway: 36 Hours in Napa
A Napa getaway can seem like a far-off luxury when mired in the world of special needs parenting. Raising any child can strain a partnership – but this is often magnified in a special needs family when finding a caregiver for your loved one can be especially challenging. We have to carve out small windows of time for ourselves as… Read More
Father’s Day, Redefined
Father’s Day, like almost everything else in your life, is redefined in a special needs family. In ways large and small, the challenges of special needs parenting are often magnified on days when typically developing families can celebrate in special ways. In a special needs family, though, you learn to celebrate the mundane. Being a special needs father is not… Read More
Family Travel with Autism: Some Challenges in Denver – (Part 2)
Family travel with autism can be difficult. With a diagnosis of autism – or many other similar ones – you may find the radius of your family’s life starts to shrink dramatically, often overnight. Between an individual’s desire for routine, a full schedule of therapy, and an unprecedented level of exhaustion, it can be daunting to even think about travel,… Read More
Family Travel with Autism: Some Successes in Denver – Part 1
Family travel with autism can be difficult. With a diagnosis of autism – or many other similar ones – you may find the radius of your family’s life starts to shrink dramatically, often overnight. Between an individual’s desire for routine, a full schedule of therapy, and an unprecedented level of exhaustion, it can be daunting to even think about travel,… Read More
Refresh Your Mother’s Day: 6 Simple Ways to Rethink the Day
I wrote this in 2019, before our lives were changed by this global pandemic. It still rings true – with the exception of likely needing to hold your group brunch over Zoom. Is it time to refresh your Mother’s Day? Becoming a mom is a pivotal moment in your life. Overnight, your focus and attention shifts from the world to… Read More
How to Refresh Your St Patrick’s Day Dinner
Are you Irish? Or Irish at heart? Or do you just a love a nice hearty meal in the waning days of winter? The traditional St Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage often gets a reputation as a stodgy, old-fashioned meal. St Patrick’s Day, Refreshed You may have experienced eating – or making – this “traditional” meal… Read More
How to Have Fun with Fewer Calories
Can you have fun with fewer calories? The holiday season can be full of temptations – the buffet tables laden with food, your aunt’s famous cookies or tamales, that extra glass – or two – of sparkling, um, “cheer.” Consider ways to connect with friends and family in non-caloric ways. Plan a family hike or walk, play board games or… Read More