Ashley Shannon
Why a Backyard Play Structure Is NOT on Our Wishlist This Spring
We love life in the coastal South! Charleston was never on my bucket list of places to live, but my family enjoys our local adventures! My kids and I live outdoors, no matter the...
10 Reasons to Watch a K-Drama NOW
I like my drama with a side of popcorn . . . and subtitles.
Although I'm not an avid television watcher, I make time for one particular genre: K-dramas!
K-Drama, otherwise known as Korean drama, are...
My House Doesn’t Look Like a Magazine
Early in our marriage, we had our first move of many. This move, in particular, was hard because it was the first time we lived in a city where we knew no one. No...
Goodbye, Charleston
Today I bought one-way tickets out of Charleston.
We're leaving the place I have grown to love.
There may be prettier places on earth, but at the moment, I can’t think of one. As I write...
Let Them Create (Art)
I’ve hoarded art supplies for years.
It started when I received a Lisa Frank sticker collection. (It was the 90s, after all.) The stickers, bold and beautiful, sat on their sheets. I would pull them...
Becoming a Mom was the Best Thing for my Chronic Pain
Hello, my name is Ashley, and I’ve had chronic pain since I was 16.
Generally, this is not how I like to introduce myself. I like to think that I am more than the (sometimes)...
Potty Training Magic
Oh, the magic of potty training!
When my firstborn was at this stage, I read all the books. I asked every experienced parent I talked to. I combed online parenting forums.
I made a plan and...
Today is the Day to Eat Outside
Today is the day we eat outside!
Red tomato sauce handprints stained my wall. Baby crumbs littered my floor. Our English mastiff, oblivious to my cleaning dilemma, sauntered by. She is too big to notice...
Raising Kids is Expensive: How to Save
Raising kids is expensive!
According to the Department of Agriculture’s 2015 estimate, it costs $233,610 to raise a child from birth to 17 years old.
Yikes!
(And that was in 2015!)
The yearly budget? For a two-parent, two-child,...
4 APPEALING Apple Snack Recipes Your Child will LOVE!
Apples, apples, apples!
Growing up, one of my chores was to pick up the fallen apples from my backyard. I usually made a game out of it, trying to throw the rotten apples directly into...