Mary
Mary, a native of Rockford, Illinois, attended DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois where she received her BA in Secondary Art Education. In 2007, she moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa after accepting a position as a high school visual arts teacher with the Cedar Rapids Community School District. She and her husband, Collin, who is a teacher in the Iowa City Community School District, reside in Cedar Rapids with their daughters, Zoey and Munroe. Zoey is five and Munroe will be turning one in October 2016. In addition to being a full time mommy, full time teacher, and writer for the mom’s blog, she is also a professional artist who has shown and published works both nationally and internationally. Mary enjoys traveling, painting, and most of all, spending time with her family.
What Pride Taught Me: How to Discuss and Celebrate as a Family
Pride Month is not just a time for the LGBTQIA+ community to come together, but also a time reserved to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. It was a time that inspired a...
Make These Easy Chocolate Croissants this Valentine’s Day
Since moving to Europe I've "upped" my baking game by adding one very yummy item to my baking agenda: the croissant. I use this easy chocolate croissant recipe!
In Europe, where I live as an...
Celebrating Los Reyes Magos: A Spanish Tradition
As Americans start to pack up their Christmas decorations, Spaniards continue to celebrate the holiday season beyond Christmas and the New Year. Since moving overseas to Madrid, we have found that the festivities begin...
How to Celebrate the Holidays Without Family: Advice from an Expat
This year has been filled with so much uncertainty. As the holiday season is upon us, many are faced with the hard decision to simply say no to family gatherings as we attempt to...
The Dragon Your Kids Have Always Wanted
As parents, we know how much our children LOVE playing and snuggling furry (and even scaly) friends. "Can we get a puppy?" or "I want a pet!" are phrases that we hear all too...
How to Prepare Your Child for a COVID-19 Test
Spain was in a mandated lockdown from March until June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the numbers started to go down and the country's efforts had flattened the curve, the country began...
6 Quick and Easy School Time Snacks for the Online or In Person Learner
Summer has come to an end and now it is time to prepare for the school year.
This year might look a little different . . . and because of that six of our Iowa...
Nine Tips To Help Parents Plan for Online Learning
2020 has left many of us feeling, well. . .lost. This is a very uncertain time for all of us. No one is exempt from the stress and uncertainty from this pandemic and now...
Virtual Learning — To Do or Not To Do
My husband and I are American expats currently residing in Madrid, Spain with our two daughters — ages 4 and 9. On March 10, residents of Spain received a push notification on our phones...
Advice: How to Talk to Your Child About the Holocaust
“I recognize that we who survived the Holocaust have a responsibility to tell our stories to give hope to the slogan ‘Never Again.’” - George Elbaum, Holocaust survivor
It is never easy to talk to...