TheMorrisonFamilyBlog

 You don't necessarily have to gut your bathroom and do a complete overhaul to make it kid-friendly, especially since installing everything at child level would make for a tough sell down the line (unless your buyers happened to be little people). But there are plenty of easy-to-implement design ideas that can help your kids to navigate the world in which everything is made for people two or three times their size. And you can certainly add items that will turn the bathroom your kids use into a place of fun and wonder, rather than a torture chamber for hygienic chores. Here are just a few things you might want to try. Wall decals . Painting the bathroom a bright hue is an easy and eminently affordable fix that will instantly make the space more suitable for children. But if you want to take the décor to a fun place you might consider using wall decals to set the scene. Websites like Blik Surface Graphics (whatisblik.com) offer all kinds of wall graphics that kids will love (from an...

 I'm not athletic. It seems to be a gene my children acquired, thought they are eager to try new things. I remember in fifth grade coming home from school on my birthday to discover a pair of white rollerskates with green wheels and getting enough money to go back to school to rollerskate in the after school program. I was so excited. The eighties were amazing and rollerskating was what we did. Rollerskating and roller skates have come along way in thirty years. We use to be limited to roller rinks now it seems the kiddos are rollerskating everywhere!  Those boot shoes with the big wheels seem only an obscurity when you visit a rollerskating rink. Gone are the lace up boots, the kiddos these days are tearin' it up in HEELY's. Let's be honest, if someone told us thirty years ago we'd be skating in our gym shoes we'd have rolled over laughing! Heelys is offering a fantastic Labor Day Special starting today (August 31) through 11:59pm September 3, when you buy any ...

 When you're traveling with your kids , keeping an eye on everybody is an ongoing challenge. With everything to going on, keeping track of one or more unruly human beings can add to the stress of simply getting to where you need to go. You've got enough on your plate when the whole family's trying to enjoy a visit to a new location, and the following tips will help you focus your safety efforts and make sure that when you travel with the kids, you do so with the calm and collection of a true professional. Traveling with Kids: The Safety Tips   Keep Your Eyes Out If you're traveling with the kids, try to maintain some kind of constant visual on them at all times. Getting used to having your kids within eyesight will eventually start to feel natural, and you'll simply feel uncomfortable if you can't glance around and do a headcount. This is a good thing. Being able to spot your kids at a moment's notice should be one of the first objectives of vacation parenti...

 Every once in a while you hear a song that makes you stop everything that you are doing and listen.  This is what happened to me when I started listening to Chris August's new release, " The Upside of Down ." The music was playing while I was busy cooking dinner, and absent-mindedly straightening the house when something about the music seemed familiar.  We have attended a Contemporary Church occasionally, but we haven't been in a while, and I was listening to the song thinking I know I had heard that before, but I knew that couldn't be true since this is a newly released album. The song that was playing was " This Side of Heaven ," and although I think it is a great song, it was the song that came on next that really got my attention. Maybe it was just God's way of saying, " Slow down, you have to hear this. " The song title, " Restore " is a story about a couple who is madly in love, they get married , and then their relations...

 The family vacation is an American tradition. Everyone grows up with stories about road trips down the coast and holidays spent camping and fishing in state parks. Unfortunately, that idyllic paradigm has been compromised in recent years. With work days getting longer and paychecks getting smaller, it's becoming harder and harder to find opportunities to get away with the family. When those few precious vacation days do come around, you want to make sure you get the most out of them. One of the best things about family vacations is that they don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Some of the most iconic American attractions are actually quite inexpensive. Before you give yourself a migraine trying to pinch pennies while keeping every member of the family content, consider these five time-tested activities for your next family vacation. Five Fun Activities for Your Next Family Vacation 1) Hiking This is one of the best family activities. Hiking provides time for you to connect w...

 With twelve days left until the kiddos are back in school, we're living summer to it's fullest. Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend an early screening of Oogie Loves movie. My kiddos are movie junkies. I try and snuggle with them on the couch at home, and we love the experience of a movie theater. My husband and I often speak about how when we were younger it seemed a G movie came out every week. These days, they are rare. Oogie Loves is rated GGG.   I will admit when we received the invitation to attend, I wasn't the cool mom. I had no idea what Oogie Loves were. My eight year old, The Divine Miss M, was far more savvy. She knew exactly what it was about, shared their names and gave me the biggest hug ever for being "the best mom in the whole galaxy!" All righty!   So we checked in. The kiddos enjoyed a continental breakfast:   The kiddos stayed for some Camp Oogie Loves fun which included learning the Oogie Love Cheer and crafts--like decorating their ow...

 If you're like me you love handmade anything and are always on the look out for a craft fair or marketplace. Thanks to  Zahoomi  the craft show comes to you online. Anyone who enjoys crafts realizes that sometimes in your browsing you see something that strikes you as the perfect gift. You still have rows and rows to browse before committing only to discover you forgot where the seller was  or you bought an item, took it home and realized it had far more use in your life than you imagined and you want to buy more. It's common knowledge that getting in touch with the seller can be difficult, if not impossible once the fair ends. As a crafter, you've stumbled across something popular. You're making it hopefully for the masses, but displaying your product is costing you in fees and driving your cost up to pricing that's unattractive. It's a struggle to balance the overhead with the cost and still offer it at a fair price and make a little something. This is where ...

 It seems everyone is in back to school mode. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 79 million students will be heading back to school this fall. With the relaxing, and often even boring, summer break officially coming to a close in the next three weeks, it will mean a drastic change for most families. The school year goes hand in hand with a busy family schedule – one that leaves many families unsure how to slow things down and make it a little less hectic. “Families across the nation experience a major time crunch once the school bell rings,” explains Shawn Davis, otherwise known as Chef Big Shake, the founder of CBS Foods and The Original Shrimp Burger. “We only have so many hours in a day, and we have many things we need to fit into them. It’s crucial that we take the time to find ways to slow the pace, if only for our peace of mind.” Here are 5 back-to-school time-saving tips that families can use to help slow the pace and help make life a little less hectic: Identify time wast...

 When you're a mom, everything in your bag needs to serve some purpose. There is no room for random items. Your bag needs to be curated with ease of use and purposeful placement in mind lest you find yourself frazzled and frustrated and you dig through your bag while trying to comfort a crying child who needs a snack, stat. Here are the top five items that need to be in mommy's bag of tricks at all times. Snacks Kids get hungry- all the time. Usually, this happens when standing on a crowded bus or while in a long line at a store. Keep a snack in your bag at all times to avoid the hunger meltdown. Small bags of crackers or dried fruit and nuts are a compact, self-contained treat that could save your sanity at a moment's notice. And don't forget the juice box either. Thirst usually follows closely after hunger and having a healthy juice box on hand will eliminate the possibility of having to buy a can of soda or other too-sugary beverage on the go. Tissues Hands get stick...

  Emilie M  Handbags will be launching this fall and they're changing how I view handbags. I've been using the Riley 3-compartment double shoulder bag in black and raking in the compliments. I chose the bag because of it's classic color and size. It goes with everything and as we gear up for our favorite season, the Emilie M. Riley bag is the perfect size to keep my girlie stuff at hand and store whatever the kiddos collect at Fall Festivals. [caption id="attachment_17032" align="aligncenter" width="229"] Emilie M Riley 3-compartment purse[/caption] It looks pretty darn fab! I love the textures and if you could touch it, it is S-O-F-T! [caption id="attachment_17033" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Riley has two outer zippered compartments[/caption] The inside lining is incredible. We're talking soft satiny material that complements the bag's out side. It's done in blues with a soft aqua hue. It m...

 International travel can be an expensive venture without the proper, prior planning. Solo, adult travelers can usually plan trips on the cheap that include public transportation, backpacking, and hostels, but what do you do when there are children involved? Most parents enjoy traveling with their children. They want to give their kids the chance to experience the world while they're still young. But trotting the globe with a cadre of minors comes with a whole new set of complications...and expenses. Children get tired and cranky. They can't walk long distances or carry their own luggage. Backpacking is almost certainly out of the question. Many international hostels require residents to be 18+ years of age, further exacerbating the financial predicament. So what're you, a parent with small children, supposed to do? Leave international travel on hold until your kids grow up? Fortunately, it doesn't have to come to that. There are several proven strategies for border-hop...

 On Tuesday we headed to Cowabunga Bay. The kiddos LOVE this water park, filled with a lazy river and totally tubular water slides. I spent the day reading and they spent the day immersed in water. If you look closely above the Hale'iwa sign in the center you can see The Beauty Queen squirting water on the folks below! The bell rings and the kiddos come running to be doused with a giant splash from the bucket above. The three kiddos on the right are mine!

 With a barrage of TV commercials and flyers in your mailbox about after school sales, where does one start and stop to get the best deals for back-to-school clothes ? Not only are parents thinking about their budgets in a time when a pair of jeans can cost $200, but they are also thinking about how to make sure that their child is happy and eager to return to school. So before you carve out time and map out routes to hit all the sales, I've got a little advice. Start with a plan. Planning as many aspects of back to school shopping as possible will not only benefit your budget, it will make shopping quicker, easier, and less likely impulsive. It also gives your child more of an active involvement with family finances and decision making if they are involved more than just choosing what they would like to have. The first thing is to establish the budget. I don't recommend laying it all out on the line with the budget. Let's face it, a child may not need to know the details o...

 It's back to school season and in addition to new clothes, pencils and paper it's time to start thinking about locks. Masterlock is our choice and just in time for school, they've launched a modern twist on the classic Masterlock padlock, meet DialSpeed. My husband uses Masterlock key locks to secure gang boxes at his job. I use the combination padlock on the pantry downstairs, however, my husband can never remember the combination. I can admit it, I know it's a pain to spin it to the left, then to the right...and forgetaboutit if you slip past the second number too quickly! Am I right? Our cries of frustration have been heard! Masterlock revamped the combo lock and made it more user friendly. The DialSpeed appeals to my kiddos who have nimble texting fingers. They can open it in a matter of seconds, versus my old school eyes and fingers. Master Lock dialSpeed,uses integrated, touch-based usability without physical dials or even number combinations. It still looks lik...

 Ice Cream. It's our favorite. During the summer we can be found churning our 1950s hand crank ice cream maker. It's family time cranking and talking. It's dreaming about flavors and making them happen. It's a cool treat for a hot summer day. It's easy for me to say it, "My family LOVES ice cream". While we love creating our own ice cream, sometimes it just isn't practical. It takes time, ingredients and arm power. Still, the taste is worth it. When we're crunched on time and/or ingredients, these days we're reaching for Dreyer's Slow Churned Ice Cream. My husband jokes with me every time I come home with Dreyer's because well, Mr. President , once worked there. He will kid and say, "Thinking about Mr. President again, I see."  While it's true Dreyer's puts a smile on my face, it has nothing to do with Mr. President and more to do with  20 different flavors and half the fat and one-third the calories as regular ice cre...

 My girls love affair with pretend makeup is in full force. Finally, they have their own makeup that I don't have to worry about cleaning curtains, scrubbing faces and removing it. It's Lily Bug Pretend MakeUp and it is packed with playing power. When it arrived, The Divine Miss M went nuts. She LOVES to play dress up alone, with her sister or with her dolls. She spends hours pretending to be getting ready for a fashion show, or walking her dolls down the cat-walk. Sometimes she meets important people, like Katy Perry or the Jonas Brothers. Other times, it's quiet tea time for two! Lily Bug allows her imagination to explore all possibilities with pretend makeup that looks real, but doesn't make her look like she's going on 40! Out of the box, it just kept coming. The Divine Miss M couldn't believe the selection. There was lipsticks, compacts, lip gloss , mascara, blush, eye shadows, a makeup bag and more! The variety on the lip and eye category is outstanding! ...

 Everyone's heard the saying don't lend money to family or friends unless you're willing to lose both. But not all situations are cut and dry, and occasionally exceptions to the rule need to be made. Will loaning money to friends or family ultimately destroy your relationship? That's a difficult question to answer. If the loan isn't managed properly, many times this is what happens, however, if it is, and the particulars have been discussed thoroughly enough by all parties involved, sometimes it does not. Lending money to friends or family for business reasons is usually easier to consider than lending money to friends or family for personal purposes because even though the loan is familial, often working under the guise of "doing business" allows room for legal speak to enter the conversation. When you loan money to a family member or friend for business reasons, often it is really an investment you are making rather than just a giving a loan. Establishin...