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Cream Cheese Blondies

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Pile of cream cheese blondies

Today is the first day of school! If you haven't gone back already, you will probably be heading back soon, so today's recipe is a great one to file away for your first day. I don't know about you, but I think my kiddos could always use a little pick me up on the first day. And to be honest, I could too. Don't get me wrong, once the day starts and everyone is back into the routine it is usually a great day - a day full or reconnecting with old friends, meeting new people, setting goals for the new year, and getting excited about new opportunities.  By the time we all reconvene in the kitchen around 8 o'clock at night everyone is smiling and laughing and talking over one another trying to share about their day. Like most things in life, the anticipation is so much worse than the thing itself. But, no matter how many times we've done this, those anxious mornings don't seem to go away. In the old days, back when the kids were small, I always celebrated back to school with a ...

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Back to School Pep Talk – 5 Tips for a MORE Relaxing and Rewarding Year

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It's that time of year again . . . . Colorful Crayola displays are popping up all over the stores, Pottery Barn catalogs arrive in triplicate seemingly every day and every morning news show is featuring spots on the latest and greatest back to school tech as well as tips to rock the new school year. We can no longer deny that we are officially in Back to School season. In fact, our school district starts on Tuesday, August 20th. In addition to the ubiquitous School Supply lists and unapologetic push for more consumerism - new shoes, new clothes, new backpacks and lunchboxes and hundreds of dollars worth of supplies, another thing that is commonplace this time of year is a book bag full of mixed emotions. I have been going "back to school" for longer than I can remember. First as a student, through twenty-two years of formal education, then as a teacher (18 years, I think), and also as a mom (this is my 14th year of back to school as mom - many of those years overlap with my ...

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Eggplant & Avocado Salad

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The last few days have been crazy around here. Good crazy - but crazy nonetheless. I accepted a new, temporary, position the starts pretty much immediately and I'll share more about that next week. (I know - there have been a lot of secrets here lately, but I promise I'll provide more information soon). My son's band, Longview, went "on the road" for the first time and played at a block party in New Jersey. It was tons of fun and they experienced their first "groupie". We enjoyed a great weekend with family and even snuck in a visit to the Jersey shore - one of my favorite places on earth. I know that may sound crazy, but growing up in N.J. I spent countless summer days enjoying the beach and boardwalk. Life inland just isn't the same and I always feel a little disappointed if I don't make it to the beach at least once each summer. This trip we visited Asbury Park, which is a really cool rock and roll town with an artsy vibe. It makes me so happy to just see the ocean, ...

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