Expert Bob Mahoney from Belmont Savings Bank Shares His Two Cents on Allowances

Like us, many parents have a difficult time trying to determine which allowance strategy is best for their family. In a quick, thoughtful vlog, Belmont Savings President and CEO Bob Mahoney offers a few suggestions about different options and what worked best for his family. Bob is the former president of Citizens Bank, and is the father of three girls, and is cofounder of Community Gems, a collaboration of non-profit agencies that work together with community partners to meet the diverse needs of youth and families.

We have tried different ways to provide allowances to our kids, many without success. Now that our oldest monkey is 15, he has a part-time job and pays for his "extras" himself... but we love to hear great strategies from our readers.

Please comment below with YOUR family's allowance strategy and your story!

More at Michael's - brighter and bolder than ever

It's spring and colors are alive everywhere. With all of this visual inspiration around us, we were thrilled to get invited to learn more about Michael's craft stores and their big redesign happening in the Boston area, and #getcraftyBoston with some blogger friends.

Check out my event photos from the Michael's store in Saugus, home of the nicest associates on the planet. Let me know what you think about the new brighter, wider, more colorful redesign!

My Boston city skyline project. Exacto knives and stencils aren't my thing. :)

My readers know I love creative projects and Michael's is like a giant playground for my family. With this new look, it's a faster, easier, brighter and more colorful shopping experience, which makes me very happy. Did you know...

·         27 Boston-area stores are unveiling a new look including brighter, wider aisles, more colorful design and better signage to easily navigate the store

·         All Michaels associates will now be wearing red to make it easier to find them if you’re trying to locate a specific product

·         Both the fun finds and home décor sections have expanded due to customer demand

·         This week, Michaels creative expert Jo Pearson, a fan favorite on TLC’s Craft Wars will be touring the stores the week of May 5-9 doing free demonstrations at the below Michaels stores and you could win a gift card, too:

Tuesday, May 6 4-6 p.m.

Michaels – Stoneham, Redstone Shopping Center - 119 Main St. Ste 1

Wednesday, May 7, 4-6 p.m.

Michaels – Everett - 17 Mystic View Rd

Thursday, May 8, 4-6 p.m.

Michaels – Chelmsford - 265 Chelmsford St, Chelmsford, MA 01824

Friday, May 9, 4-6 p.m.

Michaels – Saugus - Fellsway Plaza, 607 Broadway Saugus, MA 01906

Get creative and go have fun!


Disclosure: I attended this event and received compensation for this post in the form of a gift card, but exuberant love of Michael's is all my own.

Getting creative and crafty this spring

The end of the school year, and it's time to get crafty! I love to channel my creativity into my friends and family, and love making scrapbooks and jewelry that make a major milestone in life.

I'll be posting photos of some of my completed projects, but I'll be working on these (ideas, sources welcome in the comments below):

-- Making dance recital gifts for teachers
-- Organizing my 6th and 9th graders' school photos into an album
-- Making a scrapbook for my friend's wedding (way overdue!)
-- Making angel jewelry commemorating my mother in law's passing (slideshow here)
-- Figuring out how to best display my collection of business name tags and pins
-- Making a baby shower gift, mostly likely a repeat of my sister's "diaper cake"

Finding my voice, looking in the rearview mirror

It's been a while.

We've been publishing this blog for over three years now, nearly 100,000 page views and many, many fun posts later, so it's time to take a step back and see where we've been, and see where we are going.

It's kind of like looking in the rear view mirror while driving down the road, you know?

In other words, we are recalibrating, finding our voice. No longer are my two little monkeys little - they are both taller than me, with nearly twice my shoe size. With high school and college around the corner, we are looking at different issues and concerns... bigger and more complex things than toy reviews for certain.

Ideas welcome in the comments. For now, I'm going to look for inspiration from the beauty and creativity that flows around me, and from those who inspire me. Like this video by the uber talented Stella family (yes, Lennon & Maisy's musical parents), I'm finding myself staring at my own kids from the rearview mirror these days:

"My rearview mirror guides my fate, and steers my wheel and makes me drive straight down the road... down the road I'm supposed to go." - The Stellas