Do you know the one item I can’t leave home without besides my kids and my purse? It’s my smartphone. With kids, you just never know what adorable thing they are going to do. I take a lot of photos of the kids, so I can remember these days when they are older. They just grow up so fast. When I look at old photos, I can’t believe how much they’ve changed. You know what I’m not good at? I am not good at getting photos of me with the kids. When we are at events, I am so busy that I hardly ever remember to ask someone to snap…

Does your family have “a plan?” I spoke with Michael Garcia from Merrill Lynch last week, and he gave some great advise on how to make sure you are covered on the financial family planning essentials. 1. A Money Management Plan The best way to manage your money is by finding a reliable financial advisor like Michael Garcia from Merrill Lynch. They have a lot of knowledge about ways to channel your money and the current state of the “market.” Michael says that managing your money is like washing your hair – “lather. rinse. repeat.” In financial terms, come up with a strategy (rinse), implement it (rinse) and monitor (repeat). The Real…

What do dads expect for Father’s Day? Surely they don’t really look forward to another tie or set of golf balls. Father’s Day are always a mom’s dilemma. Fortunately for me, Target is my one-stop shop for the Real Geek Dad. Here’s some suggestions for the tech dads in our lives. The VIZIO Smart HDTV raises the bar on entertainment and offers apps for  Netflix, Hulu Plus, VUDU, Pandora, Facebook, Twitter and more.  The Soundfreaq Sound Kick is the latest in wireless music systems and a perfect pick for music lovers. This Target Exclusive was also the winner of last year’s Wired Magazine “Gear of the Year” award. Play Angry…

This past month, we did the unthinkable. We sold our house in less than 24 hours. But let me not get ahead of myself, there were things that we did to prepare for the day that we listed that I personally believed helped us sell it sooo quickly. First, you need to find a good, reliable realtor. I was fortunate to still be connect with Stacie Gooch of Ebby Halliday who sold us the house. Gotta love Facebook 😉 We actually contacted her last November. She was great on informing us when we should sell our house. In North Texas, especially the suburbs, April – July is the best time, as many…

It’s summertime, which means there are many of you taking a family vacation. The good news for you if you are still trying to figure out where to go, hotels like The Westin Galleria Dallas are offering “local only” special to help you enjoy a “staycation” in your hometown. With all of the great-kid friendly activities that Dallas (my hometown) has to offer — we plan on having our very own family “staycation” this summer!  People come here all the time to see “The Big D,” why shouldn’t we make the most of this great city? Beautiful scenery is just one of the reasons to stay local this summer. Texas and Oklahoma residents…