By Melanie Vitovsky

When I was 15 my family hosted an exchange student for the summer that came from France. It’s an experience that I’ve always remembered and I made a lifelong friend that summer. So, when the opportunity came last year for me to be able to participate as a host family, I jumped at it.

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By Chrissy Bernal

We have a busy intersection here that often has people who stand on the corners with signs.  We’ve seen some funny signs like, “My family was kidnapped by Penguin Ninjas; need money for Ninja classes.”  However, most of the time, we see signs indicating that the person wants to work for food or would just like a donation.

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By Chrissy Bernal

The school year is ending and summer is beginning.  The kids will be home and will be thrilled to relax for a bit.  Before you know it…. “Mom, I’m bored!”

So what are you going to do with the kids?  Here are some tips:

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By Chrissy Bernal

April was Multiples Awareness Month and it made me think of a question that I’m often asked.  How do you help them establish their own identities?

When you have multiples, it can be difficult to treat them as separate people.  My girls are often referred to as “The Twins”.  They do things so similarly including sleep in the same position.  They have their special ability to communicate with each other and they dress alike often.

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By Chrissy Bernal This month I’m walking in the March for Babies March of Dimes walk. It goes perfectly with April being Multiple Births Awareness month. Multiples tend to arrive ahead of schedule and March of Dimes focuses on reducing the number of premature births so that babies can remain in the womb for as long as possible. Although some twin pregnancies go to 40 weeks (full-term read more

By Chrissy Bernal Assuming you don’t totally avoid television, radio, Twitter, Facebook…you’ve no doubt heard that Snooki is pregnant. In a weird way, I was relieved. I know you’re thinking, “Um, why would you be relieved that a woman who makes her living by being drunk on national TV is pregnant?” Here’s my thought process… There has been a sort of “Jersey Shore read more

By Chrissy Bernal We’ve had several issues with my step-son’s mother over the years, so I appreciate you all allowing me to share with you what I’ve been dealing with as it’s cathartic for me, and if I can help other parents at the same time, that’s even better. When you get married, you get married “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.” You marry your spouse and read more

By Chrissy Bernal As I was flying back from a business trip to Atlanta, I was enjoying the peace and quiet. Yes, despite being sandwiched in the middle seat of a not-so-generously-appointed airplane, I was enjoying the quiet. My phone wasn’t ringing. I wasn’t hearing the “ding” notification of an incoming e-mail or text message. It was just me, my headphones filling my ears with soothing read more

By Chrissy Bernal Mompreneur, WAHM. We hear these phrases more and more now. In the past, women either chose to have a career or stay at home with the children. That ultimatum has changed and many women are able to choose both. I’m blessed with having the opportunity to work from home. Yes, I’m a Mompreneur/WAHM. (Work At Home Mom) It is estimated that approximately 50% of moms work read more

By Chrissy Bernal 2011 was a very reproductive year for many of my friends. It seemed like at any given time, at least one of my friends was having a baby. In turn, this means a majority of the conversations I had contained at least one phrase uttered by the new mom indicating that she simply didn't have enough time for herself--not enough time to shower, not enough time to put on read more

By Chrissy Bernal Christmas can be a stressful time for families--especially if money is tight. There are ways to ease that burden, though. Each of them stems from removing the focus away from monetarily valued gifts. 1. Focus on traditions and creating memories. I couldn't tell you even a 10th of the presents I received for Christmas as a child, but I can tell you countless read more

By Chrissy Bernal One of our twin girls, Sienna, is special needs. Aside from being a Primordial Dwarf, having conductive hearing loss and glasses, she has an unknown variant of a syndrome called Dandy Walker. It's fairly unheard of, so it's not really clear what impacts it has on people who have it. When she was born, doctors told us she would be a vegetable if she survived. read more

By Chrissy Bernal In years past, it has been a fun family tradition. After a lovely Thanksgiving afternoon, my mom, sister and I would have our list ready, store ads in hand and alarm clocks set for 2:00 a.m. Yup, Black Friday shopping fun! We would arrive at the chosen first store for the day and drink our coffee and muffins. It was a lovely time to visit and giggle about read more

By Chrissy Bernal   October was Breast Cancer Awareness month, of course. So, it's not surprising that many things around town were adorned with a splash of pink. Football players wore pink, some died their hair pink and Facebook profiles were changed to reflect the month. I had a friend who died his goatee pink. I’ll actually be attending a fundraiser this weekend and purchased a read more

By Chrissy Bernal Junior High is such an awkward time. I remember how dramatic each little thing seemed. Looking from the outside now, I can see how small the "tragedies" actually are. However, this week, my daughter was stuck in between two bickering girls. Apparently, there is a very sweet and shy girl who has a very giving heart--we'll call her Susie--that must intimidate this other read more