With back-to-school season comes…back-to-school kids’ injuries! đ Just because we’re (still) in a pandemic doesn’t mean other accidents aren’t happening. You’d think us parents would get a pass right now? Nope! Good thing our city has amazing pediatric emergency care in Boca Raton at local hospital, West Boca Medical Center. I feel so much better as a mom knowing that they’re there if we need them.
Continue reading Finding the Best Pediatric Emergency Care in Boca Raton
Washington, DC: Our nation’s capitol. Home of Olivia Pope and Carrie Mathison. A National Treasure. DC is one of those places that you have to visit at least one time as an American. Preferably once when you’re a kid and again as an adult. Your appreciation (or loathing?) for the city changes as you get older. However, there’s something about seeing the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial…you just can’t help but be proud of how far our nation has come. My family and I took a Washington, DC family trip from Boca Raton on our way to Maine this summer.
While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend driving the 14 hours there, taking your family up to DC for a few days is a fun, rewarding and educational experience you’ll never forget. Here are some of my top recommendations for visiting Washington, DC!
Disclaimer: I was not hosted nor compensated for any part of this trip. Continue reading How to Plan a Washington, DC Family Trip from Boca Raton
To quote Cher Horowitz from Clueless…”LET’S DO A MAKEOVER!” Boca Center, my favorite open-air retail plaza in Boca Raton will be greeted with a vibrant and refreshed new look in true South Florida style very soon. Plus, in even bigger news, gourmet food market Narbona will be opening in early 2022 along with its new restaurant coming to Boca Center!
Continue reading NEW Gourmet Food Market & Restaurant Coming to Boca Center
I posted recently that I cannot believe I’m already having to look at school options for my daughter. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was walking her home from the hospital to our little apartment in NYC?
We are very fortunate that our area offers so many options for our kids in both the private vs public school sector. But which one is truly ‘better’?
I reached out to Alan Stob, Chief Operating Officer at Grandview Preparatory School, to get some clarity on this debate. Continue reading The Great Private vs Public School Debate
With more and more celebrations moving to “the great outdoors” these days, why not consider hosting a DIY boho pallet picnic for your next party?
All photos by Sweet Memories Photography
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase from these links, I will make a small commission. Thank you for supporting MBM!
Continue reading How to Host a DIY Boho Picnic Party for a Birthday or Baby Shower
I recently wrote about our “good ol’ fashioned family road trip” to St. Petersburg and Clearwater Beach, Florida in my column on BocaMag.com. Road trips are officially back in high fashion thanks to this lingering pandemic! One area of Florida we hadnât hit as a family yet? Tampa Bay’s gulf coast areaâspecifically Clearwater Beach and St. Petersburg (St. Pete to the locals). I was excited to visit a section of the state I hadnât explored yet during spring break. On our long weekend St. Pete and Clearwater family road trip itinerary? Pirates, dolphins, a little Dali and some hands-on discovery of Floridaâs gulf coast!
Read on to start planning your own family road trip…
Continue reading How to Plan a St. Petersburg & Clearwater Family Road Trip from South Florida
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cinch, a Boca Raton home services and warranty company. All opinions are 100% mine.
Homeownership certainly comes with its challenges, am I right? Being married to a Boca Raton handyman, you think it’d be super easy to maintain our house, but it’s not always the case…especially when it comes to appliances and systems. Luckily, I have an amazing Boca Raton home services and warranty partner: Cinch Home Services. With a home service plan from Cinch, I have the peace of mind that if something breaks down in our house, we’re covered!
Follow Cinch Home Services on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and check out their blog.
Request. Repair. Relax
Pretty simple right?
Continue reading This Boca Raton Home Services Company Makes Homeownership Easy
When you’re sick of going to the same old restaurants (on Atlantic Avenue, downtown or throughout the mall), there just so happens to be a glorious cluster of fine and casual dining right at your fingertips (or taste buds?) in central Boca Raton that you may have overlooked. Located in a beautiful open air plaza, Boca Center restaurants feature a cuisine option for everyone in your family! Not to mention SO MUCH OUTDOOR DINING. And there have been a few recent additions you just may not have heard about yet.
Continue reading Best Boca Center Restaurants Roundup for the Whole Family
I have an unhealthy obsession with tiny homes. You’d never know it considering I currently live in a 4 bedroom house in Boca. But, my current dream for retirement in 20 years or so involves a big pickup truck, a hitch and a luxury custom tiny home on wheels. The former Manhattanite in me knows I can live in a small space with my hubs and be (mostly) happy. I’ll definitely need some extra clothing, handbag and shoe storage, but everything else I’m willing to compromise on! So, for our 10th wedding anniversary, I thought we should give this type of living a whirl and commit to renting a tiny house in the Florida Keys for the weekend. It was time to put my mini living dreams to the test and see if my 6 foot 2″ husband and I could feel at ease in 200 or so square feet!
We took this amazing photo using this $20 selfie-stick tripod. #affiliatelink
Continue reading Renting a Tiny House in the Florida Keys with Your Family
Feeling the urge to get outdoors and embrace your inner cowgirl, but don’t know where to start? Experience one of the last untouched pieces of Florida wilderness at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo in Central Florida about two hours northwest of Boca Raton. Families have the opportunity to kick back and relax (in their favorite cowboy hats of course) in “the beautiful, great wide open.” The Ranch, which is situated on 1,700 acres overlooking the scenic Kissimmee River, features horseback riding, an award-winning Saturday night rodeo and so much more. And believe it or not, it’s totally possible to do Westgate River Ranch on a budget! Let me tell you how…
Continue reading How to Enjoy Central Florida’s Westgate River Ranch on a Budget
Never have I received more Instagram DM’s than when we embarked on our recent family road trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving break. And it wasn’t even a sponsored gig this time! I knew I had to write a blog post about it for you all who may be considering a similar escape to the mountains. We decided to go because our extended family members decided to do something different for the November holiday this year. We’re staying home for Winter Break, so I definitely wanted to find a fun (safe) change of scenery for our fall vaca. I’d like to think we succeeded, taking a memorable 12+ hour drive north to the Smoky Mountains. Here are my travel tips on how to take your family on a dreamy yet safe road trip to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in the fall!
Continue reading A Dreamy, but Safe Family Road Trip to Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Never in a million years would I have thought my family and I’d be taking so many road trips in 2020. Like most, I’m still too nervous to get on a plane with my husband and daughter…but we’re all craving a major change of scenery. Luckily, we live in Florida and there are so many fun, active and cultural things to do right in our state’s backyard–even just two hours from Boca Raton! This in and of itself makes for a great long weekend away. So, let me ask you this: What do you get when you combine space, surf, sun and tons of cool animal species? A SUPER FUN Space Coast family road trip!
And we have all the COVID-era tips and tricks to help you plan the best visit for your crew… Continue reading How to Plan a Space Coast Family Road Trip from South Florida
If you’ve read Modern Boca Mom for some time, then you’re probably familiar with the fact that my husband, Handy Andy and I have been renovating our east Boca house for about…say…7 years now. We love a good home improvement project, but have been primarily focusing on interiors and our pool/patio. #priorities Being at home since March, however, I could clearly see that our front and backyards were craving a little TLC. They were in desperate need of an artist, a landscape designer to take them from drab to fab! Finding affordable landscaping in Boca Raton is no easy task, but I found a great company, mamas.
I am so thrilled to introduce you to Yards Plus and it’s founder, Sayeed Aljamal, who I partnered with for this home makeover project!
Yards Plus is Palm Beach County’s premier landscaping specialists. Serving Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach, they specialize in providing complete landscape planning, design, management, renovation and maintenance services.
They did a fantastic job on our yard. I have been especially thrilled with the customer service and post-project text follow up to make sure everything is going…er GROWING…ok!Â
Continue reading Affordable Landscaping in Boca Raton is a Reality with Yards Plus
Since the day #modernbocadad and I moved into our “forever home” almost 7 years ago, we wanted to make over our Boca Raton patio and pool. Our pool was built in 1981 and while our ages may be close, it was in much rougher shape initially.
See all those spots? No matter how hard we tried to clean them, black algae would constantly settle in, especially during the hot, summer months. The pool’s surface had worn away in many places due to its age and, in my opinion, was an eyesore considering it was a focal point of our house. Continue reading Boca Raton Patio and Pool Makeover Reveal featuring Outer
Like most Boca moms, I LOVE me some cute accessories. So, I consider it a major bonus if my workout class includes a cool prop to use. It just needs to distract me from the inevitable sweating and minor pain during a (much needed) exercise session. My favorite workout class is POUND Fitness Boca Raton! Continue reading POUND Out Your Stress & Worries at Organic Movements Boca Raton
Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for… I think Sweet Memories Photography and I might have outdone ourselves this Halloween! We started a tradition 3 years ago taking cute costumed photos of #dailybocaavery. Then, we added in my nephew Aden after he was born– it’s a fun (but tiring) process. Boca Raton photographer, Naomi Phelps, and I scout locations, get the kids dolled up (with the help of my sister of course). Then, we basically bribe them to pose adorably for the camera. Hey- gotta do it for the ‘gram! Avery informed me back in March that she wanted to be Anne, the trapeze artist from The Greatest Showman, for Halloween. I think it was the pink hair. Maybe Zac Efron. Of course, no such costume exists on Amazon. So, I had to somehow “Rewrite the Stars” and create a DIY Greatest Showman costume for her. And obviously, Avery convinced her aunt to turn Aden into a tiny ringmaster to match.
What do you do when the pumpkin patch you swore was open actually isn’t yet. BUT, you still need to get your daughter and nephew’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse Halloween photoshoot done?
You hire the most fabulous professional photographer you know, Sweet Memories Photography, and have her take you pumpkin and gourd shopping at the market down the street. đ
Continue reading Mickey & Minnie Mouse Halloween Photoshoot by Sweet Memories Photography
When you need to get out of the house, here are some of the best local and top attractions in Boca Raton *and beyond*!
What do you do when it’s pouring rain out and you somehow need to get your kid’s Boca Halloween photoshoot done in a beautiful, photogenic “fall setting”? You hire the greatest professional photographer you know, Sweet Memories Photography, and IMPROVISE!
Yep, that’s us/#dailybocaavery at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market with the best of intentions (aiming for festive pumpkin patch and hayride photos) and the worst South Florida weather. Lightning, thunder, the works!
But, you would never know it looking at these photos that Naomi Phelps of Sweet Memories Photography took. That’s why you work with a pro (and make sure to find a location with some cover). Continue reading Boca Halloween Photoshoot at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market
Modern Boca Mom’s Guide to conquering the Boca Halloween season was previously published in 2014 as a #SceneMom contributor to LL-Scene.com
Pre-mommyhood in NYC, I always considered the Halloween âHorror-Dayâ season to be really fun, full of no-pressure costume creativity, cocktails with dry ice and tipsy pumpkin-carving parties. October always previewed the cooler weather to come, but never fully revealed how long and awful winter was going to be.
It was a great month to live in New York City with or without (but mostly without) children.
Fast forward, Iâve left my 20âs behind and here I am tackling âBoca Halloween Seasonâ (yes, it becomes a season once youâre a mom) as a blogger and South Florida parent of a toddler.
Fast forward 17 months, Iâve left my 20âs behind and here I am tackling my first official âHalloween Seasonâ (yes, it becomes a season once youâre a mom) as a blogger and South Florida parent of a toddler.
Continue reading Modern Boca Mom’s Guide to Conquering the Boca Halloween Season
This post is sponsored by the Storm Basics promotion at Publix. The opinions and text are all mine.
Is your family new to South Florida? Welcome! The good news is youâve relocated to paradise! The bad news isâŚwellâŚwe tend to get almost daily monsoons in the summer and a few bad tropical storms each year. If you havenât been through a hurricane before, this native Floridian doesnât want to break it to you, but: YOU NEED TO PREPARE NOW. Itâs a good thing that thereâs no better time to storm prep in Boca Raton.
Plus my favorite supermarket, Publix, has you covered! They are truly a one-stop-shop destination for all the storm supplies youâll need for you and your family to feel ready for the hurricane season. Take advantage of the Storm Basics promotion at Publix through 8/27/21 and get prepared. Simply pick up an Extra Savings flyer in-store or access it online to learn more!
Here’s what we recommend new families to Boca Raton stock up on before the next named storm shows up a little too close to us in the Atlantic⌠Continue reading New to Florida? Now is the Time to Storm Prep in Boca Raton and SAVE!
Welcome to our latest installment of MOMpreneur Monday, highlighting businesses and brands that were founded by female entrepreneurs and fellow mamas!
Continue reading MOMpreneur Monday: Lolo Lullaby Pediatric Sleep Consultant
