Austin Reviews and Articles

"I hosted a lego party at my house for my son's 6th Birthday. It was a huge success! They arrived 15 min early for set up, and when each kid arrived they engaged the kids and included them with the activity. It was easy, fun and organized. I highly recommend!" -Anonymous Parent…

An Ozark town in Southwest Missouri known as a family vacation destination, Branson is proud to call itself the live entertainment capital of the world. This unique city has a lot of fun things to offer for all age groups.   My family and I decided to spend our Christmas holiday in Branson, a…

Get 15% OFF NOW to Brickworld Indianapolis at the Indiana State Fairgrounds March 21 -22, 2020! Enjoy hands-on activities, such as the LEGO and DUPLO play brick areas, seek and finds, fighting robots, etc. Buy your favorite LEGO sets, minifigures, and LEGO accessories from various vendors. Hours:…

The question comes up often “What did you learn from being a surrogate? Are there any things you would have changed or done differently?” Well of course I learned a thing or two and might have changed some things looking back.  This pregnancy may not follow the pattern of your …

Normally, I would start out my blog by talking about how I had two healthy babies for a family so deserving, but this time it’s not about the parents. This isn’t about me either; and, yes, of course, I was pregnant. I went through all the steps in my surrogacy pregnancy with the parents …

What does Oprah have to do with my surrogacy journey? Great Question! I’m sure she’s not aware of her involvement in this miraculous happening in my life, but I have to give credit where it’s due. I happened to be watching Oprah’s talk show while on maternity leave in May of …

Questions are just part of life in general: What do you do for work? From there it can snowball! How did you get into this? You were a surrogate?!? I hear these questions, and many more daily.  I knew at a young age, even before I had my own kids, that I would probably be a surrogate. Why? How…

All surrogates start this journey with a moment of just knowing that they want to be a carrier for someone. I was in my early twenties when my moment came to me. As I started my research on how to become a surrogate, I didn’t find an overwhelming amount of information. I felt as if the website…

This surrogacy journey, my second, only took 11 months from start to finish. I have never heard of a surrogacy journey going so quickly. For such a short journey, this is a long post, hang in there with me! I’ll start from the very beginning. I applied to be a gestational surrogate through ou…

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES 2019–20 MUSIC FOR FAMILIES SERIES, WITH CONCERTS FEBRUARY 29, AND APRIL 4 AT DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL All concerts feature giveaways and lobby activities before the performances, including coloring stations, instrument petting zoos, photo stations, piano mats,…

Hello Austin Kids Guide My name is Nicole Verdin and I am a development intern with Marathon Kids, a nonprofit that utilizes running as a vehicle to show kids they can achieve more than they ever thought possible and put them on the path to healthier lives. Currently, Marathon Kids serves 30,0…

It's Christmas Eve! In a time of year full of traditions, there is one I think I cherish the most, and it will happen this evening, after Mass and dinner out, when all my kids--even the adult ones--will gather in the living room before the tree to open one present each. The tradition has its roots…

       As a homeschooling mom, I had been bugging my husband to visit the Alamo since we have been in South Texas/Mexico the past year. With only a month left in our adventure in this part of the country, he finally agreed. Instead of taking the whole family though, we made a lon…

There are all sorts of ways to spend quality time together as a family. Family movie night, family dinners, unplug times (no screens allowed so they have no choice but to talk to you), scheduled family meetings and one of our favorites is family game night.  But how do you get everyone to the t…

  Evenings spent on the patio are amazingly relaxing, but your space might need a little styling to make it perfectly cozy.   Maybe you haven’t even started and are looking for design strategy to create your space, or maybe you have all the right elements but just need a little di…

Bank of America, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank credit and debit cardholders can receive FREE general admission to more than 225 cultural attractions Saturday and Sunday, December 5th & 6th. The Bank of America Museums on Us program offers FREE weekend general admission to Bank of Ame…

THE SOCO STROLL LIGHTS UP THE HOLIDAYS Month-long Holiday Crawl Through South Congress and Music Lane Kicks Off on Black Friday   (Austin, TX) – It’s been a challenging year but Music Lane and Austin’s iconic South Congress Avenue Shopping District are teaming up to bring …

Screen Time: How Much is Too Much? Parents know instinctively that young children need to run and play. They need to create their own play universe and go outside to exercise their muscles. They need unstructured time to make up games and act out their stories. Instead, many children are choosing …

Shoott was incredible from the booking, to location and photographer. I had a smooth experience with them and my photographer really made me enjoy my session. Didn't feel rushed even though he had more sessions booked. I would recommend this company to anyone. I got my pictures fairly quickly and my…

Love every picture Salma took.Was very hesitant because it was rainy and gloomy that day but the pictures came out so nice.Salma was very patient and took her time while my daughter had to change outfits!…