There are so many fun south Palm Beach County summer things to do. Have a blast while checking off all of these items on your family’s bucket list this season!
Continue reading Local Summer Things to Do & FREE Printable Family Bucket List
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
Florida VPK, or Voluntary Prekindergarten, is a free educational program that gives children a jumpstart for school by preparing them for kindergarten. VPK is for all 4-year-olds living in Florida. It helps them develop the skills they need to become good readers and successful students.
Continue reading What’s the Deal with Florida VPK? (Voluntary Prekindergarten Program)
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 hadn’t hit as a family yet? Tampa Bay’s gulf coast area—specifically Clearwater Beach and St. Petersburg (St. Pete to the locals). I was excited to visit a section of the state I hadn’t 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 Florida’s 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!
Continue reading Affordable Landscaping in Boca Raton is a Reality with Yards Plus
Of all the house projects I tackled during the 2020 pandemic, who knew my Boca Raton laundry room would be my favorite one. Yes, I have officially fallen victim to making the workhorse room of our house look worthy enough for the ‘gram. Good thing I married a handyman! And P.S. I’m not alone. If you search the hashtag #laundryroommakeover on Instagram, you’ll find drool-worthy laundry stations featuring everything from trendy floral wallpaper and custom shelves to cheeky signs and ornately stenciled floors.
But of course now that I have this gorgeous laundry room, why in the world would I want to mess it up by actually…doing laundry? 😉
I’m only half kidding, but you moms know what I’m talking about!
Sometimes, the laundry process can be arduous. Tedious. Overwhelming. I have no idea how my family creates so many dirty clothes every week–and I only have ONE KID!!! That’s why I’m so excited to introduce you to HappyNest, the Boca Raton laundry service us moms never knew we needed.
Continue reading The Boca Raton Laundry Service Local Moms Never Knew They Needed
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
Sponsored: This post was sponsored by Florida Prepaid. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and not influenced in any way by the sponsor. I was compensated for this post and given a Florida Prepaid discount code to share with my readers. However, that does not impact my views or opinions.
All photos in this post were taken by Naomi Phelps at Sweet Memories Photography.
My kid is the creative type. Sure, we’ve tried athletics here and there, but nothing makes my 6 year-old happier than playing make believe. Avery’s an actor, singer, dancer…and a dreamer. And let’s just say that her dreams aren’t small. A few might even be considered a little ‘out there’. For example: our annual Halloween photo shoot with Sweet Memories Photography. Avery came up with this year’s adorable oceanic theme featuring herself and her cousin Aden!
Yes, like many little girls her age (I’m pretty sure), #dailybocaavery dreams of being a mermaid. Florida kids, am I right? As for my nephew…I’m pretty sure she just dragged him along for the ride (although he is a big fan of Pirates of the Caribbean).
As parents, it’s our job to support our children’s dreams…no matter how crazy, big or small they happen to be. So we really have a responsibility to start saving early for their future.
Continue reading Your Kids Have Crazy Big Dreams. Save for Them Early with Florida Prepaid
Winter + Boca Raton? Frozen’s Olaf may have actually found the perfect destination in our town if an ice rink in Boca Raton opens by the end of 2021. Boca Ice and Fine Arts Center has received approvals to build a new 72,800 sq. ft. facility located on Peninsula Corporate Circle.
A cool community asset like this has never existed in Palm Beach County. This proposed new efficient, modern, state-of-the-art ice rink in Boca Raton will have a long list of community benefits. It should be able to interest local residents in every age group.
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
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 a summer this has been! Between crazy pandemic variants and the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, the topic of health has dominated the news cycle. What’s really news though is the topic of mental health–it’s making headlines on a global scale for the first time…well, EVER. The big story: Team USA gymnast Simone Biles stepped down from the Olympic Team Finals, not because she hurt herself physically, but because of stress after she didn’t land a vault. The GOAT gymnast put her mental health first. What a novel idea!
Lori Lundin-Fish, PhD, LMFT, owner of Palm Beach Therapy Center and a licensed marriage & family therapist, is impressed by Biles and her decision. I am too!
Plus, being a parent herself, Dr. Lori has been an advocate for mental health as a mom for some time. Continue reading Importance of Mental Health as a Mom | What I Learned from Simone Biles
I love food. That’s probably rather evident looking at the ten extra pounds I’ve gained since having my daughter. But it’s true! Food, wine and coffee are my jam…or JAMBA in this case. Jamba Juice Boca Raton invited me and my family to try out some of their new menu items and I was ready to eat all the things as I drove to Boca’s University Commons.
As I sat at a table with my sister, nephew and daughter noshing on the Wake Up, Whirl’d breakfast blends and sandwiches (spoiler alert: they were YUM!), I naturally partook in one of my favorite Boca pastimes: people watching. And the conclusions I came to?
I’d like to meet the Boca mom who happily gets through her day of hardcore parenting smiling and with tons of energy without fueling up with a cup o’ joe. The good news is that for coffee lovers like this mom, Jamba Juice now has several new caffeinated options on their menu!
Take a break from Starbucks and instead order a Jamba Cold Brew Coffee Blend. My favorite? Jamba’s La Vida Mocha, an icy sweet coffee blend with hints of chocolate and 220mg of caffeine. That’s equivalent to 2 cups of coffee! There is also Jamba’s Lotta Horchata which was more #modernbocadad’s taste. That coffee blend features flavors of cinnamon and vanilla and contains 150mg of caffeine, equivalent to about 1.5 cups of coffee.
Jamba’s Cold Brew Coffee Blends are crafted using real whole ingredients and naturally sweetened with honey and/or nonfat frozen yogurt. Jamba is committed to using NO artificial flavors, NO artificial preservatives, NO High Fructose Corn Syrup, NO pumps, NO added purees and NO turbinado. Hooray!
Additionally, Jamba’s Cold Brew Coffee blends are lower in calories, fat and sugar than similar products, while offering more flavor and caffeine. Sign me up!
I get it. Mornings can be hectic and sometimes a mom can forget to grab something to eat. But the mom who willingly skips breakfast to maintain her figure or claims they’re never hungry? I’m never dining out with you because there’s no way I’d ever pass up a hot, healthy breakfast sandwich, especially if it’s quick and convenient.
Jamba has three egg white breakfast sandwich flavors to make breakfasts on-the-go easier for busy moms! While each sandwich comes with its own unique set of benefits, all Jamba Juice Boca Raton breakfast sandwiches are made with real ingredients and contain: less than 300 calories per sandwich, at least 11 grams of protein to keep you feeling full longer, calcium for bone health and iron for blood health
And they are tasty…especially my favorite, the turkey sausage and Gouda combo!
I may be the mother of the one weird kid on the planet who doesn’t like ice cream, but smoothies? Those are a win at every age. Plus, they’re so healthy! My daughter enjoyed a Blueberry Strawberry Blast Off at Jamba Juice Boca Raton.
And, my nephew had his first smoothie ever! He enjoyed the Strawberries Gone Bananas, a strawberry, banana and apple-strawberry juice blend. I may or may not have finished it off myself.
Be sure to check out the Jamba Juice breakfast menu at a store located near you!
Jamba Juice Boca Raton (University Commons)
1400 Glades Rd.
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Sponsored: This post was sponsored by Jamba Juice via Bloggin Mamas and all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and not influenced in any way by the sponsor. Any statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with provider, so please refer to this site’s Disclosure for more information. I was compensated and received a complimentary dining experience in consideration for this post, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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
We live where you vacation. I love to say that to non-Floridians, especially when a summer holiday weekend is on the horizon. And now after many visits, I’ve decided there are few places better locally to stay-cation during a Boca holiday weekend than at the Waterstone Resort and Marina! Continue reading Make Every Weekend a Boca Holiday Weekend at the Waterstone
