Aimery's Nursery
Aimery's Nursery

I moved back into my parents home with Aimery nine months ago. I made an overnight decision to leave our home in Florida and fly up to PA. The decision was not easy to make because I had to give up my dream of living near Miami. But it was an easy decision at the same time, because this was the safest place for Aimery and I while filing for custody. It has been a very humbling experience moving back to a city that I always said I would NEVER come back too, along with living with my parents again. And then another humbling experience accepting the fact that getting back on my feet was going to take a lot longer than I thought, and I'm still here nine months later. But over the last few months, I have really started to appreciate living here, and decided that it would be fun to finally show off the space that Aimery has been living in over the last year!

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Amazon Prime Day Sales for Parents
Amazon Prime Day Sales for Parents

Although I have been an Amazon Prime member for years, this is the first year I will be shopping Amazon Prime Day! This year seemed like the best time to start since I'm now living the single mom life and looking to save money. Amazon started hosting the Prime Day back in 2015, and every year it becomes a bigger sale! Last year, there was apparently a TON of deals for parents to stock up on everything they need. The deals are BETTER then Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's like Christmas in July! Here are some things to keep an eye on when the sale goes live at 3pm ET today!

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How to Survive a Road Trip with a Toddler and NOT Go Insane
How to Survive a Road Trip with a Toddler and NOT Go Insane

I'm pretty sure there should be a rule that road trips with toddlers should never happen, ever. It's almost as bad as flying with them alone. But it is inevitable that we as parents will be locked in a car for over three hours with a toddler at some point of our lives. Aimery and I tend to do these often because we live what seems to be in-the-middle-of-no-where Pennsylvania where to get to any large city or beach takes at least two hours of driving. It seems like we are going on a long drive at least once every other week - whether we are heading to the airport or going to the beach. But through it all, I think I have finally mastered how to survive on a road trip with Aimery.

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No Child Support? No Problem! 5 Ways to Cut Costs as a Single Parent
No Child Support? No Problem! 5 Ways to Cut Costs as a Single Parent

Being a single parent is hard for both moms and dads who are providing for everything alone. And making ends meet without child support? Talk about overwhelming! Although it may seem impossible to pay bills every month while being the sole provider for your children, it IS possible! Over this past year, I have learned a few tricks to save extra money every month. Keep reading!

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Parenting, DivorceBeing Summer Shores LLCsingle parent, single mother, child support, custody, cut costs, saving money Comments
4th of July Party Tips
4th of July Party Tips

It’s officially fourth of July weekend, which means it’s time for backyard BBQs! Growing up, my family never really had a fourth of July tradition. Every year, we always did something different! Some years we would travel to Maryland and hang out with my cousins, and other years we stayed local and did fireworks with friends. When I left to travel and then go to college, I was never really home for the 4th of July - until this year when I moved back! Since I’m starting my own traditions with Aimery this year, I decided to celebrate the holiday by hosting a 4th of July BBQ at my home! 

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Mindful Parenting Tips
Mindful Parenting Tips

Things in my life have been really stressful over this past year. Between moving to another state, becoming a single mom, and running my own business... well, you could say I'm always stressed. SO stressed actually, that when Momtrends asked me to attend an event in NYC to discuss topics like meditating and mindful parenting, I didn't know how I would ever make time to go to the city for the afternoon! Also, the idea of meditating made me nervous because although I've practiced prayer and yoga, I didn't know how to meditate. I decided to push my fears aside and make some time for me to go into the city to attend the luncheon with Headspace and learn about mindful parenting.

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What to Pack for a Lake Trip with Kids
What to Pack for a Lake Trip with Kids

Some of my favorite childhood moments were those spent at the lake. Growing up, my family always went to Deep Creek Lake with our family and friends for a week out of the summer. It was always a lazy, lots of jet skiing week filled with fun memories. When all the kids grew up and life got in the way, trips to the lake every summer weren't a priority with everything else going on. We actually haven't been to that lake in years! I'm SO excited though, because my parents decided to book a lake house for a week this August. Aimery will finally be able to have the same experiences that I did when I was younger, and I'm really looking forward to experiencing Deep Creek Lake with him.

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10 Reasons Why Being a Single Parent is Awesome
10 Reasons Why Being a Single Parent is Awesome

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how hard it is to be a single parent. Between all the stress and struggle, it can seem like single parenting is downright impossible some days. But even though parenting solo is difficult, there are actually a lot of positives too! If you are a newly single mom, then I hope this post encourages you to know that single parenting really is awesome! 

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How to Survive Traveling Alone with a Toddler
How to Survive Traveling Alone with a Toddler

Aimery and I do a lot of traveling together - we are always going somewhere! Over the last two months, we did two international trips to Canada to visit Aimery's father. We have decided that right now it's best if Aimery and I travel up to Canada together for visits. After our last weekend visit, I'm pretty confident that I (kind of) know what I'm doing while traveling with a toddler! But let me just say, traveling with a toddler is NOT easy. And doing it alone? Almost impossible. Keep reading to find ways to make traveling less stressful for both yourself and your little one. 

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The BEST Father's Day Present!
The BEST Father's Day Present!

If you follow us on Insta, then you know that Aimery and I pretty much live at Target. I always find the BEST deals there and we LOVE their popcorn. I mean come on, how else am I supposed to shop for hours with an almost two-year-old? Target's popcorn, that's how. Priorities. This week we ran to Target to look for the most perfect Father's Day present... And what better present than a new Samsung Galaxy S9+?!

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10 Tips for the Newly Single Mom
10 Tips for the Newly Single Mom

I've just passed the 7th month mark of being a single mom. If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that my story is a little different then most single moms you may now. I became a single mom after leaving an unhealthy marriage when my son Aimery was 14 months old. You can read more about that journey in this post. As the months go by, it gets easier being a single parent. In fact, it's starting to feel like the norm! Since I wrote an update on everything I've learned since becoming a single mom, I wanted to also share 10 tips for other newly single mothers.


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My Anti-Aging Skincare Routine
My Anti-Aging Skincare Routine

Something that I have struggled with while being a mom is keeping up a good skincare routine. By the time the end of the day comes around, I’m sometimes so tired that skincare is the last thing on my mind! More times than I would like to admit, I’ll forget to wash off my makeup and apply my favorite products before going to bed. Since becoming a single mom, I have struggled with making time for my skincare even more and my skin is definitely paying for it now! I have decided that it’s time to start making more time for myself, which includes taking a few minutes every day to develop a great skincare routine.

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Mozzarella Tomato Pie
Mozzarella Tomato Pie

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite dinner recipes, just for fun! I LOVE finding easy recipes to make during the week that allow for simple ingredients, short cooking time, and easy clean up! Oh, and leftovers! This mozzarella pie recipe is my favorite because it's made with SO much cheese and it's all together just fab. Your whole family is going to love it. Scroll down for more photos and a link to the recipe!

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Becoming Finanically Stable on One Income
Becoming Finanically Stable on One Income

I've been going through a LOT of life changes recently! Becoming a single mother has really changed the way I spend money. I have been learning how to budget this month, and also finding how I can save for our future. Living on one income isn't always easy, but I make it work for us. I'm finding what is important to spend extra money on, and what I can cut from my monthly expenses. Here are five ways that I am becoming financially stable on one income:

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