Mary Salazar
Mary Salazar is an Iowa native and life-long Hawkeye who loves coffee, books and 90's music. When she isn't working for a metro school district as an administrator, she is spending time with her daughter Lily (2009) and her husband Mateo.
Road Trip to Iowa City
I may be biased being a University of Iowa Alum, but there are few places you can go for a family day trip from Des Moines and see and do so much more than...
Reclaiming Holiday Time
When we moved to Des Moines over a decade ago we would hop in the car and criss-cross the state to visit relatives from both sides of the family during the holiday season. I...
New Orleans Travel Tips
You may think of New Orleans as an adult’s only destination; and while that is true for a lot of the city, there are ways to make your trip to NOLA a family affair....
Thoughts from an Exhausted Mom
My name is Mary, and I am an exhausted mom. In fact, I’ve been putting off writing this post about mom exhaustion because, get this, I’m exhausted. It seems like one of the universal...
Summertime Car Must-Haves
Summer is a great time for a family road trip (or day trip). Maybe you’re taking the family cross country. Maybe you’re just heading to the mall. Either way, here are some must-haves to...
Girls and Puberty: 5 Things I Did
Parenting is never easy. Every age and time in your child's life is full of seemingly endless changes. Once kids hit the age of 10 or so, you can see it coming…the dreaded phase…puberty. ...
5 Reason to Buy Girl Scout Cookies
February 1 marks the start of my favorite season: Girl Scout Cookie season! The 2022 cookie season marks my daughter’s seventh year as a Girl Scout and her seventh selling cookies. It is a...
Tales from a First Time Wrestling Mom
My name is Mary, and I am a wrestling mom. I should clarify to add that I am a girl wrestler mom. I know, I didn’t see it coming either. Here’s how it happened...
Trader Joe’s Holiday Must List
Is it even the holidays without a box of Candy Cane Joe-Joe's from Trader Joe’s? If you have never been to TJ’s, as I affectionately call it, add it to your shopping list and...
I (shamelessly) Love Hallmark Christmas Movies!
Most nights, when I have a few minutes to sit and watch TV, you can find me watching either a rerun of Law and Order SVU or anything on Bravo. However, once October arrives,...