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local updates and sandy musings from a local beach mom

recent blog posts

Bucket List - June 2019

Jun 8, 2019
3 min

Bucket List - June 2019

THE JUNE REPORT Check out our insider scoop on what's going on here on The Outer Banks in JUNE! You won't want to miss any of these hot NEW events, businesses and experiences! Go ahead and add them all to your OBX Bucket List! HEALTH The OBX Fitness Collective This new, innovative studio offers something for everyone. Finally an OBX gym that provides childcare while locals and vacationers break a sweat. This has been a long time need in our community. Located conveniently in

Outer Banks Mom Approved: Barrier Island Bagels

Jun 3, 2019
3 min

Outer Banks Mom Approved: Barrier Island Bagels

One of our family’s favorite breakfast spots is Barrier Island Bagels in the Southern Shores Marketplace. They were easily added to our Outer Banks Mom Approved list because of the way that they pay special attention to children, offer healthy and delicious options and because they are locally owned! Our kids always look forward to a special weekend trip to B.I.B! I could go on and on about their amazing bagels and smoothies. I could tell you that our kids crave the açaí bowl

Simple Beach Gear

May 22, 2019
4 min

Simple Beach Gear

Open for business! It’s that time of year on the Outer Banks and the doors are open, the homes are filling up and the memories are being made. It’s officially my busy season and I’ll be honest, the hardest part about being an Outer Banks mom is that as the school year dwindles down, my work ramps up. While our kids are excited to start making summertime memories, I know that peak season on the Outer Banks is my only time to make a living so our schedules always experience som

Sunshine Craft: Indigo Beach Blanket

May 20, 2019
2 min

Sunshine Craft: Indigo Beach Blanket

My kids are probably going to look back someday and know that they were raised by a true worry-wart. I am always offering up unsolicited safety advice to my kiddos, but being at the beach requires a little extra information. I always remind them what color their beach umbrella is and make sure that I have a unique and bright beach blanket for them to run back to. But hopefully, aside from being a worrier, they will also look back someday and remember that I was always willing

An Epic Kid Party

May 5, 2019
3 min

An Epic Kid Party

I’m sure that I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but there is a reason for that! Raising children here on this little sliver of sand is truly an amazing gift, much in part to the Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County and all that they do to educate and empower our youth. On Friday, my tiny Lulu and I headed down to Roanoke Island Festival Park for the 12th Annual KidsFest hosted by Children & Youth Partnership, or CYP. She continuously called it “Kid Part

Bucket List - May 2019 List

May 3, 2019
3 min

Bucket List - May 2019 List

THE MAY REPORT Check out our insider scoop on what's going on here on The Outer Banks in MAY! You won't want to miss any of these hot NEW events, businesses and experiences! Go ahead and add them all to your OBX Bucket List! HEALTH SeaCore Sea Core is the best new workout on the beach. Angelique was the first to bring the Pilates Reformer to the beach and her expertise is unmatched. She is also offering multiple barre classes that will leave your legs and hiney feeling beach

Extended Family Vacation - How to Feed the Masses!

May 1, 2019
3 min

Extended Family Vacation - How to Feed the Masses!

I grew up coming to the Outer Banks on vacation with my extended family and I always loved that my mom and her sisters would each take a night to cook. It was always more affordable and more convenient than going out to eat with a huge group and we got to try some foods that weren't in the normal rotation in our own homes by sharing the dinner responsibilities. Over Spring Break our family traveled to Destin, Florida to celebrate my Father-in-Law’s birthday. It was a mileston

Strawberries by the Sea

Apr 27, 2019
2 min

Strawberries by the Sea

I‘m convinced that the Outer Banks is the best place to raise a family. We seem to have this perfect pocket of beautiful beaches that meet rustic farmland and I know that I’m not the only one that feels incredibly fortunate to live here. Yesterday, I took our youngest to the beach to fly a kite and search for seaglass and today we headed across the Wright Memorial Bridge to pick strawberries with her Grandma. I’m telling you, we have the best of both worlds here on the Outer

Sending Balloons to Heaven

Apr 27, 2019
5 min

Sending Balloons to Heaven

Every Outer Banks local and every Outer Banks vacationer has a story about why the Outer Banks is their happy place. Whether this is home and always has been or it just makes you feel like you’re coming home every summer, the Outer Banks holds a special place in all of our hearts. I know that my Outer Banks story began with my grandparents. When I was a kid, my parents and grandparents got together to plan an extended vacation for my family, including my cousins, aunts and un

Outer Banks Mom Approved: Southern Shores Pizza Take-Out

Apr 24, 2019
3 min

Outer Banks Mom Approved: Southern Shores Pizza Take-Out

As the calendar inches closer to Summer it has me so motivated to keep working out and eating healthy so that I can feel good about going into beach season here on the Outer Banks. I feel so lucky to live here because running around outside with the kids is a part of my daily routine. Between chasing kiddos, long beach walks and morning Mommy & Me workouts, staying active seems to be an easy thing for me. But one thing that I have always struggled with is feeding myself! That

Outer Banks Mom Approved: Rundown Cafe Hosts Fried Chicken Night

Apr 8, 2019
2 min

Outer Banks Mom Approved: Rundown Cafe Hosts Fried Chicken Night

Last week Penny brought home a special report. All year, she has been hoping to earn a special award from her teachers and the look on her face when she got to tell me that she finally received this special report was so sweet. Penny was thrilled that her teachers had recognized her for being a helpful friend and she was proud to hang her award in our craft corner. Of course, we were so proud of her too! We do our best to give our kids one on one time whenever possible. So I

IKEA Norfolk Sneak Peek!

Apr 3, 2019
4 min

IKEA Norfolk Sneak Peek!

Let’s be real for a minute. Life on the Outer Banks is expensive AF. Right? We’re all trying to find the balance of working enough during our busy season and saving enough for the off-season months. We’re trying to furnish homes with the perfect blend of high-price tag, locally bought furniture and second hand antiques. Enter IKEA Norfolk. This marks the 50th store in the United States for the popular chain. The Norfolk store opens to the public on April 10th, but this mornin

Trashion Show, a fashion show for the coast!

Apr 1, 2019
3 min

Trashion Show, a fashion show for the coast!

Just about a year ago, I sat down with one of my dearest friends and talked about an idea that I had. Mandy Harlow, the owner and creative entrepreneur of Heart of Harlow is an incredible source of inspiration to me but more than that, she allows me dream big and she encourages me to pursue the off the wall ideas that come to me. Heart of Harlow is an incredible Outer Banks business that is two fold, coordination and creative. Mandy coordinates so many local events and as a m

Taste of the Beach, Family Style!

Mar 15, 2019
3 min

Taste of the Beach, Family Style!

Foodies unite, the 2019 Outer Banks Taste of the Beach weekend is almost here! My family and I are pretty excited for this year’s Taste of the Beach lineup! Have you ever attended this epic week of food and fun on the Outer Banks? Every event on the schedule sounds amazing and we’re so excited to kick it all off on March 29 at 5 p.m. at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head. Live music from Jeremy Russell will start things off, followed by the movie, “Ratatouille,” under the

Momtrepreneurs

Mar 12, 2019
5 min

Momtrepreneurs

When most people think about the Outer Banks they are quick to think of sun drenched dunes, sea oats dancing in the breeze and a natural paradise for wild life and humans to share. But the Outer Banks isn’t just famous for beautiful beaches and a great family atmosphere! Many locals are so proud to own and support local businesses and when visitors are packing their bags, you can bet that they are putting an outfit aside for dinner at their favorite local-owned restaurant. Lo

Taking a Vacation from Vacationland

Feb 27, 2019
4 min

Taking a Vacation from Vacationland

We had the best time at Massanutten Resort last weekend celebrating my husband's birthday. On our way home we stopped for lunch and an elderly couple started talking to our girls about skiing and asked us where we lived. When we told them that we were heading home to the Outer Banks they were shocked. “Why would you ever leave paradise to come to the mountains and the cold?” Truth is, when we moved to the Outer Banks we had less than $100 to our name. We knew that we wanted a

Power in Reviews

Feb 13, 2019
4 min

Power in Reviews

Last week I was sitting at Waverider's Coffee and Deli in Nags Head. I was waiting to meet a friend for lunch and I took a seat in one of the many sun-drenched seats by the window and scrolled through my Facebook feed. I mindlessly clicked on the “thumbs up” icon while friends shared photos of the waves in Hatteras or snapshots of their children’s handmade Valentine’s Day boxes. I love Facebook for these simple joys. I kept scrolling and I noticed a local man and business own

Lifelong Memories are Made Here

Feb 12, 2019
4 min

Lifelong Memories are Made Here

We’re big on books around here. There’s magic in the escape that a good book provides and transporting to the setting with our kids is one of my favorite things to do. We read to our kids as often as possible and the book shelves are often overflowing. Now that Penny is in kindergarten she is so proud to be bringing home new books each week from her school library and sharing new stories with us. But recently at bedtime she has been asking me to tell her my own stories, stori

Self Care and Sea Glass

Jan 11, 2019
5 min

Self Care and Sea Glass

A few months ago my husband and I were on our way to a birthday party. We were running a few minutes late but realized that we had forgotten something at the store so we turned around, grabbed what we needed and headed back out of the plaza. We still had to drop off the kids who were strapped into their car seats in the backseat. My husband was driving and I was texting my Mom to notify her that we were on our way. The girls were so excited for my mom to babysit, they always

A Pizza Party Fit For Lulu

Jan 6, 2019
2 min

A Pizza Party Fit For Lulu

We had the best birthday celebration for our sweet Lulu! Our tiny girl is officially 2! Seemingly overnight her hair doubled in length and she started putting words together. She loves to say things like, “Me too” and “I’m ready!” Her birthday is December 30th so it always seems near impossible to put a real party together because of the busyness of the holidays. Penny has been hyping up the whole “birthday” idea this year and she has been teaching Lulu how to blow out candle

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Highly caffeinated Ramblings from an Outer banks mom who prioritizes family, waves and laughter.