Life with Dylan

Category: articles

  • Write What You Know

    I started writing for OC Moms in late August and found that I really enjoyed writing for something other than my blog. I was able to reach a broader audience and start fine tuning my writing skills. 

    If you have read any of my articles, then you know that I was mostly writing about things to do in Orange County with your family. 
    (and if you haven’t read my articles, look up and click the tab that says OC Moms Articles – now start reading) 🙂
    Well, as much as I enjoy writing about fun activities and places to take the kiddos it was hard work sometimes. I would get writers block and spend hours just looking at the blank screen. Why was I having such a hard time writing about places I loved taking my child? Places that I knew readers would find fun for their families?
    Then one day I was talking to a friend and she told me to find my niche. She asked, what are you passionate about?
    I thought for a minute (insert light bulb over my head) and I said – Beauty, Makeup, Skincare. She said then that’s what you need to write about. I pitched the idea and a few weeks later I wrote For busy moms: Easy homemade sugar scrub and that was where it all began. 
    My editor liked it. Readers liked it. And the words just flowed across the computer screen – No more writers block. I was writing what I knew and it showed. 
    I will now be writing weekly beauty-related articles for moms and I love it. Today’s article talks about how at-home facials can refresh and rejuvenate busy moms. 
    Future articles will include makeup tips, product reviews, skincare questions answered, and much more. 
    Is there a beauty topic you would like to know more about? 
    Let me know. It might just be the next article featured on OC Moms.

  • Holiday Travel Done Right

    Nothing says the holidays like traveling through the busy airports. Families fumbling through the security lines and hoping that no major meltdowns happen on the plane.

    After a recent trip to visit family, I took the opportunity to make a list of all the situations I encountered and share my tips with the OC Moms.

    Delayed flights, crying babies on the plane, and long security lines.

    This year, make sure you are one step ahead with some useful mom tips for traveling with the kids.

  • Beautiful You Mondays – Sugar Scrub

    Beauty isn’t just what you put on your face. Beauty is much more than that and it starts with how you feel inside, how your whole body feels. Nothing makes the skin quite as soft as a sugar scrub. So this week I decided to share an article I wrote for OC Moms about how to make your own sugar body scrub.

    Not everyone can afford a day at the spa – and even the busiest of moms can whip up a batch of this in no time at all. Customize your sugar scrub anyway you like. Make some for yourself or give a few to your friends. (They make wonderful gifts)

    Whether you choose to revive your body and senses in the morning or relax and unwind at night, a sugar body scrub is the perfect way to kick start your Beautiful You Monday.

  • Welcome to My World

    Those of you know me, know that I’m 100% girl. Not a tomboy – never have been. I grew up playing with Barbie and was one of those girls who put my makeup on after leaving the house. I quickly became an expert at applying eyeliner on the bumpy bus ride to middle school. I grew into a woman who loved makeup so much that I became a licensed esthetician and branded my own line of cosmetics for heaven sake.

    Then I gave birth to a little boy and my world forever changed. I was introduced to Matchbox cars, snakes and bugs, little shoes covered in mud, and the almighty building block. From the time Dylan was 16 months old he was playing with these large plastic things, Mega Blocks, that seemed to entertain him.

    December 2004

    It didn’t take long until he was playing with LEGO Duplo and then it happened. I bought him a LEGO set when he was 4 years old and shortly after took him to LEGOLAND. I made my first exceedingly large purchase to the LEGO store when he was 6 years old. Not realizing what I had started – until I saw the excitement on my child’s face – and our world has never been the same.

    December 2009

    Wooden blocks? Yeah, he played with them at preschool but never really asked for them at home. Rather than build something with the blocks, he would sort them by shape. He had Lincoln Logs and those seemed good – for a little while anyway. He made fences for his animals and would build the log cabin.

    Nothing held his attention longer than 30 minutes – that is until LEGO came into his life. I don’t even want to know how much I have spent on all the LEGO creations in his room, but how can I put a price on his happiness? (or the hours of silence I get when he is building)

    I recently wrote an article for OC Moms about why building blocks are great gifts for kids and after doing some research I learned a lot about the different types of blocks that are available for children.

    And over the years I have learned that the world of LEGO isn’t so bad – I actually like building with them – but don’t tell my son that. It might tarnish my reputation of being a girly-girl. I really hope that Santa brings him what he wants this year because I want to help build the Millennium Falcon!

    2011 Christmas Wish List LEGO

    What kind of building blocks do your kids play with?
    Do they have a special LEGO set on their Christmas list?

  • Help Local Schools by Recycling

    File Photo – The Orange County Register

    If you are anything like me, you want to help your child’s school – but writing a check for $100 just isn’t in the budget. Sure, you can buy a magazine subscription from the school fundraiser – but do you really need another magazine delivered to your home?

    After doing some research I found that many local schools, including my son’s school, have community recycling days. Cans, plastic bottles, newspapers … some even have plain old paper recycling (the junk mail and envelopes from bills)

    You can read my article from The Orange County Register on OC Moms website. There are some great ways you can help local schools raise money for science, art, school gardens, and so much more!

  • Change is Good

    You may have noticed that things look a little different around here. The blog Life with Dylan is going through some changes, but change can be a good thing.

    When I started this blog 4 years ago, the main purpose was to inform friends and family of what Dylan and I were doing. Many family members who live out-of-town appreciated this and still do.  However, things have changed over the years – I changed – my life with Dylan changed … and so must my blog.

    I will still write about the places we go and our visits to LEGOLAND, but I will also be adding more articles from OC Moms, more thought-provoking blog posts, and a few surprises along the way.

    Mondays will have a new feature on beauty and makeup.

    Wednesdays of course are Wordless Wednesday.

    Fridays will be a mixture of Fill In The Blank Friday and Five on Friday

    and my newest favorite … Say It! Saturday

    The focus of Life with Dylan will be changing from Dylan to me, Michelle. My thoughts, put into words, to tell a story. Sometimes the story will be heartfelt, other times it will be funny, and sometimes it may simply be about my life with Dylan!

    So stick around … I think you will like what comes next.

  • Why Veterans Day is Special To Me

    Many people think of Veterans Day as just another day that schools and banks are closed. An extra day to sleep in and get some things done around the house … but how many people does this day mean something more to? How many families are affected by this day on a personal level?

    While I was growing inside my mother’s womb, my father was fighting a war in Vietnam.

    This week Dylan has to write a report, A Veteran’s Story, and interview someone he knew that fought for our country. He interviewed his grandpa and learned about life as Sargeant in the United States Marine Corps.

    Explaining what a veteran is to a child can be difficult, depending on the age of the child, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to teach Dylan more about the men and women who fought and are still fighting for our freedom. Along with his report, we visited the Lyon Air Museum where he got a first hand look at the military history of our country.

    We took this opportunity to share our experience with the readers of The Orange County Register and OC Moms with an article about how you can teach your children about Veterans Day too.

    Do you have a special family member that you honor on Veterans Day?

    If so, take a minute and say Thank You today and let them know how much you appreciate them.

  • Did You See That Tail Fluke?

    What another surfer was almost swallowed by a whale off the California coast?

    Hey, did you see that guy in his kayak that almost got toppled over by the blue whale?

    Oh, and don’t forget about the blue whale that came so close to a boat in Dana Point that passengers got an eye-to-eye view.

    MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

    Yes, it seems that everywhere we turn someone is having a close encounter with these magnificent creatures of the ocean. I recently wrote an article for OC Moms about whale watching and now I want to go on another trip. Read my article and find out where you can go whale watching along with some great tips for taking the family out for the day on a whale watching cruise.

    ‘Thar she blows …

  • The OC Children’s Book Festival is Back!

    If your kids love books, then you need to attend the Orange County Children’s Book Festival this Sunday, October 2nd  … I have taken Dylan every year for the past 3 years and he absolutely loves it!

    There is something about a new book when you first open it and you feel the spine loosen a bit. The smell of the pages. The beautifully illustrated pages. Children’s books are the best!

    (more…)

  • I’m in Print Today!

    Today may be just another Tuesday for most of you, but not for me and Dylan. Today an article I wrote for OC Moms made it in print. Page 3 of the Life section in today’s Orange County Register you can find my article about tips for visiting the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch.

    When I showed Dylan the newspaper this morning he said, “My Mom is famous!” Well, not famous honey … more like accomplished  and recognized. Either way, it’s a big day in our house.

    If you don’t get the paper, you can still read the article online.