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Rachel Recommends

Pet Store Gift Card Winner & Some Reader Pet Pics!

Thanks to all who entered in this week’s drawing! The prize is purrfect for pet parents of pups and more because it is a $25 gift card to PetSmart! Before we announce today’s winner (drawn through random.org), a few of our readers sent us their fun pet pics! Kelly from Phoenix shared that their Holly […]

Funny Pet Pics & PetSmart Gift Card Giveaway Drawing!

To finish our pet week posts, today we bring you some of our family’s funny pet pics that include photos from our family of felines and pets that we have fostered. Enjoy these pics and be sure to enter in the drawing for your chance to win a $25 gift card to PetSmart! To enter, […]

Guest Post – 10 Reasons Why Adopting Pets Is Good For All

As I wrote about yesterday, we have four feline rescues, so when Mary from felineliving.net asked if she could share the infographic below and a few thoughts on kids and pet adoption, we agreed. Mary says: If your kids have been asking for a new pet, here are a few things to consider… Where to […]

Managed Moms Food Stuff & Recipes

Party Pleasing Simple Sixty Second Rosy Red Sangria Recipe!

Need an easy and pretty crowd-pleasing party drink? Thirsty for a fun, festive and simple Sangria recipe that can be made in mere seconds? Keep reading! Thanks to Sam’s Club, this party favorite drink is the speedy solution. It is also scrumptious and tasty, too! Almost too good to be true, but it works. I […]

Quick Simple Savory Salmon 3-Ingredient Recipe

Manic: January is crazy busy for all it seems and you want to make a quick homemade dinner for the family in record time. Healthy salmon sounds good but you don’t have the time or ingredients on hand to make it right. Managed: I remembered that I had the easiest salmon recipe that only requires the […]

Holiday Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe

Top your holiday desserts with this festive red and green topped homemade vanilla bean ice cream! Your holiday guests will love it! Who says ice cream is just for summer? If you own an ice cream maker, this recipe is for you. Your holiday guests will cheer when they see that ice cream is near, […]

Family Matters

Grad Party Planning Tips & Ideas

For those of you with graduating seniors, I wrote this and did this 3TV segment in 2016 with tips and ideas to have the perfect grad party. Ours went very well! Take a look and happy grad party planning. Manic: Graduation season with so much to do, events to plan and emotions to keep in […]

Clear the Clutter,Clear the Mind – My 3TV Segment

In case you missed my KTVK Your Life Arizona morning show segment, here it is with lots of helpul tips, tricks and a few awesome product picks to attack that spring cleaning and clear the clutter. This clears the mind and it feels great! Want more information about the tips and products shared in this […]

Smart Simple Spring Cleaning/Get Organized Solutions

Manic: Clutter! Closet clutter, under the kitchen sink junk, stacks, racks and sacks full of unorganized stuff! I am guilty of having such mountains of unorganized madness and it makes me manic and not managed! Managed: Taking a little bit of time each day this month to methodically to attack the stacks and regain control over all […]

Caring for the Caregiver

Have a caregiver in your family or a close friend who has suddenly become a caregiver for a loved one? Caring for a beloved caregiver can help that person and the person being cared for tremendously. I recently had the unexpected opportunity to do this and I was struck by the numerous ways a caregiver […]

Another Anniversary! 26 Years & Counting-Why It Works

Happy 26th Wedding Anniversary to my hubs. What a journey it has been and as we approach a very different empty-nesting chapter in late 2020 (is that really next year?!). I reflect on the peaks and valleys of a long-lasting marriage. Wedded bliss days and some challenging times make a 26-year union so far something […]

Hello 17: My 17 Wishes For My Girl

In one more year, I will have two adults. I won’t be able to say that I have two children. Umm…that flew by. Hello 17 one last time. One last year of having a kid before she becomes a legal adult. Happy 17th Birthday to my girl! 17 got here fast with speedy-beyond-belief-short years…and some […]

Guest Post: Ways To Help Your Teen Embrace Healthy Lifestyle

Manic: When your little kids turn into teens and suddenly you can’t control or police how healthy they choose to be every day, especially when they start driving. Managed: I have lived this twice now and it is one of the things I worry about. The nutrition my kids are taking in..or NOT taking in..since they are […]

Going Green Earth-Friendly Family Tips

Go green and get free stuff from some companies that have great recycling programs like MAC Cosmetics and Apple! This article corresponds with my segment on the Your Life Arizona show that aired this week. When my morning show producers asked me to do an earth-friendly segment, I jumped at the chance. My parents raised […]

Super Helpful SAT & ACT Phone App Study Guides

Here we go again. I have a high school junior again and that means it is ACT and SAT prep time. Class of 2020 parents, the time is now. Stressful, I know. I have two super cool phone apps SAT/ACT study guides that my son found to be very helpful in 2015 when he was […]

Healthy Back To School Food For Thought Ideas

As seen in my 3TV segment on the KTVK morning show, Your Life Arizona, here is what I showed along with some ideas on creative better foods for the lunch box, after school snacks and more. As the mother of two juniors now (one in high school and one in college), I have a lot […]

Our Creepy & Surprisingly Simple Scorpion Sting Story!

Manic: Enjoying a dinner out with my husband and a phone call comes in from our teenage daughter telling us that she just got stung by a scorpion! Managed: Thankfully our response, awesome advice from my wonderful mom-in-law and how well our girl took matters into her own hands and took care of the aftermath. Read on […]

For Parents: Senior Year Is Hard On Your Heart In The Best Way

Moms (and dads) of teens. This is written for moms, but I sure have seen my fair share of emotional papas who find senior year to be bittersweet on their hearts, too. Read this or bookmark this to read before or during your child’s senior year in high school. It just may be therapeutic for […]

AZ To DC On A Train: Our Amtrak Family Travel Adventure!

Manic: Considering traveling from Tucson, Arizona all the way to Washington DC. By train. With six of us traveling together. Hubs, myself, our college guy, our teenage girl and my husband’s dear parents. Was this idea manic or managed? Managed: We did it on Amtrak and my answer, our experience and a few train travel tips are […]

Dorm-Bound Kid? My Bittersweet Memory & Encouraging Words

Can’t believe this short and sweet…or shall I say bittersweet…video below was shot two years ago! That went by fast! For those pensive parents about to move a beloved kid out of their familiar and loving home into a new and unfamiliar dorm room, this sweet memory of mine is for you. I made this […]

College Dorm Bound? Pack These Essentials For A Smooth Move

Is your kid college dorm bound? Pack these essentials for a smooth move…and don’t forget the Kleenix, parents. This is a bittersweet experience for sure! Compiled by us, our son’s wish list and the best part…suggestions from other parents who have been there, done that…and then had to go back to the store […]

Antibiotic Resistant Ear Infection That Landed My Teen In Hospital

If your kid has ear pain, get it checked out right away. Parents, read our story. We did everything right and our teen’s ear infection still turned into a 3-day emergency hospital stay. Even with our quick & thorough actions, our 16-year-old girl still had to be admitted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) for an […]

Why Moving Cars In My Jammies This Morning Filled My Heart

Three different times this morning, I ran out in my nightgown (don’t judge…I did throw a cardigan on!) to move cars. This made my heart and my face smile because these cars belong to my daughter’s pals. The cars were all there because four friends found one common night that they could stay together. At […]

My Favorite Survival Tool Tip For Parenting Teens

LA here we come. My teen girl and I are headed to LA once again to check out potential colleges. She will go off to college in just two short years. Those years will be short…and we will have some long days. Long and challenging days are gonna happen when raising teens who are straddling […]

A Look Back-Son’s Grad Video I Made Is Also Family Love Letter

Happy Graduation Month to so many! For fun, I took a look back today at my son’s grad video that I made for him in 2016. I worked super hard on the video below and I was able to use some of the skills I learned working in a newsroom. Two years later, it still […]

A Letter To Moms & To My Younger Mama Self

Dear Moms of babies, toddlers, school-aged kiddos and teens, I have a little letter for you that celebrates you, includes a bit of reflection and maybe even feeds your Mama soul a little bit. I hope so. I write this to you because I just read a social media post by a super successful and well […]