Posts in Parenting
Developmental Milestones for Two Year Olds
Developmental Milestones for Two Year Olds

Aimery's second birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and all I can think is "Wow, I made it." Although I'm officially in the terrible twos (well, we've been here a while!), I have finally made it through the hardest years of his life. Don't get me wrong, I have baby fever like crazy and miss the middle of night feedings and the days where he wouldn't run circles around me and yell "NO!". But I also love the little boy that he has become and I'm looking forward to this next stage of life with Aimery.

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Parenting, HealthBeing Summer Shores LLCkids, parenting, development, health Comment
7 Things Moms Should Pack in Their Beach Bag
7 Things Moms Should Pack in Their Beach Bag

My favorite part of the summer is heading to the beach. Some days, I really do miss living in Antigua and Florida because I had the opportunity to hit the beach every single day! Although we aren't living anywhere close to the ocean now, my goal was to take Aimery to the beach at least two times! Last month we went to Atlantic City and had a total blast! When I pack for our beach trips, I really try to pack minimally so I'm not lugging around 1000 things while keeping up with a toddler. I've talked before about what to pack for trips to the water with kids, but what about essentials for us moms? Keep reading for 7 things you MUST pack in your beach bag!

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Parenting, TravelBeing Summer Shores LLCsingle parent, single mother, beach, travel, pennsylvaniaComment
5 Reasons "Me Time" Makes You a Better Mom
5 Reasons "Me Time" Makes You a Better Mom

Hey mama! YOU deserve a break today.

Actually, you deserve a break every freaking day. You deserve time alone. Time without your kids or partner or anyone else on the planet. You need "me time" at least once a day. When you take time for yourself, you become a better parent, and it does NOT make you selfish at all. A few minutes away from your family does not make you a bad mom and is not going to break your family. If anything, having "me time" might make your family stronger.

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3 Tips for Parents Wanting to Live a Healthier Lifestyle
3 Tips for Parents Wanting to Live a Healthier Lifestyle

Over the past six months, I have been on a journey to live a healthier lifestyle. Last year, my life was spinning out of control with our move and custody battle! I was completely burned out not taking care of myself. So when 2018 came around, I decided this year was going to be different. I decided to find time that I "didn't have" and go to the gym at least three times a week. I decided to make myself an actual breakfast instead of eating a half-eaten piece of Aimery's leftover toast while running off to work. I started drinking my coffee while it was hot, instead of after it's been microwaved three times and still finishing it cold. Does this sound familiar to you? 

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Parenting, Health, FitnessBeing Summer Shores LLCsingle parent, fitness, health Comment
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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ParentingBeing Summer Shores LLCsingle parentComment
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
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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ParentingBeing Summer Shores LLCnew york Comments
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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Parenting, LifestyleBeing Summer Shores LLCsingle mother, parenting, single parent, awesome, tips, donuts Comments
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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ParentingBeing Summer Shores LLCparenting, gift, fathersday, samsung, target Comments
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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ParentingBeing Summer Shores LLCsingle mother, mothers, community Comments
How we are Giving Back to our Community
How we are Giving Back to our Community

I choose Huggies for Aimery because I know that I can always rely on Huggies for 12 hours of protection. When I change Aimery before he goes to bed at night, it's important that I don't have to worry about him leaking in the middle of the night. Huggies Snug & Dry offers four layers of protection in order to absorb moisture quickly! Huggies Snug & Dry also features a wetness indicator with fun Disney designs, so I know when it's time for my little one to be changed. Huggies Snug & Dry is available for sizes newborns up to size 6!

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Our Feeding Journey and Everything I Wish I Had Done Differently
Our Feeding Journey and Everything I Wish I Had Done Differently

Aimery is going to be 18 months old in a few weeks, which means it's time for the bottle to be taken away entirely! It also means that our 18 month feeding journey has finally come to an end. I say "finally" because unlike a lot of mothers, I did not enjoy going through the process of breastfeeding, pumping, formula feeding, etc. I know some women absolutely LOVE feeding their baby, and I find that to be absolutely beautiful. But it just wasn't me. I found feeding Aimery to be really stressful, which looking back I realize that I stressed myself out when I didn't have too. I think I was just a very overwhelmed first time mom! It also makes me realize the SO many things I'm going to do differently next time. Here is a little bit about our journey from breast to pump to bottle.

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New Season for Being Summer SHORES
New Season for Being Summer SHORES

The last four months have changed my life forever. If you have been keeping up with us on Instagram, you may have noticed that things have been, well, different. I went from sharing every single detail of my life to going weeks without saying anything on my blog or social media channels. Let me tell you the secret that I've been holding onto for the last few months. 

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ParentingBeing Summer Shores LLCsingle mother, parenting, life, FEATURED Comments