Recent Blog Articles

Confessions of a Foodaholic

Ashley Longnecker / March 25, 2015

I have big problems. I wake up and think about food, I get done eating and think about what I am going to eat next. I go to bed thinking about food. I have been known to ‘sneak’ food. I’ve planned outings around food. I celebrate with food. I get depressed and I fix it with food. I am happy so I eat food. I’m sad, so I eat food. 

This is an ongoing struggle for me. It’s real, and it’s painful. Painful in my pants, and also painful in my heart. I hate that I cannot get control over this issue. I try to make healthy meals and then one thought of chocolate and it breaks my whole healthy eating routine. I know it’s a self control issue, but I also believe it’s something bigger. What, I still don’t know but it’s real and it really sucks. 

Last March Jonathan and I started eating really well. We cut out sugar and grains. We did a cleanse for 21 days. We even did Whole30 for the month of August. Then life happened. Celebrations happened. Holidays happened. And for one reason after another, sugar crept its way back into our lives. Last year I had done so good (in my opinion) and was down 30 pounds. Now, I’m almost back to where I started last year and it’s becoming harder and harder to deal with it. I want to eat good. I want to get a good exercise in everyday. I want to cut out sugar and dairy and grains again. I felt AMAZING the month of August last year. But those first 2 weeks on Whole30 were a $(%)!! 

So Fresh And So Clean?

Ashley Longnecker / March 17, 2015

It’s no secret that I like things clean. I love newly washed sheets on the bed, floors that my feet don’t stick to, bathrooms that don’t smell like pee, all the toys in their place and a sparkling kitchen sink.

But you know what else I love? Spending time with my family. Being outside with the kids on when it's nice.  And relaxing in the evenings with my husband who has been busy working all day. 

Good iPad Games for Your Older Kids: Part 2

Jonathan Longnecker / March 10, 2015

We're back with more iPad games for your kids that aren't stupid, "free" or crammed with in-app purchases and ads. They also look and feel like someone actually cared when making them. In other words - these are good, solid games that are worth paying for. 

This time I wanted to focus on games for the older kids in your family. Don't worry! I'll let you know if there's stuff like language or violence that you may want to watch out for. Looking for games for your younger kids? Check out Part 1.

Waking up from the American Dream

Ashley Longnecker / March 03, 2015

Are you excited?

This is a question I have been asked over and over for the last 5 months since we made our traveling plans known. 

These last 5 months have flown by. There has been so much organizing, selling, painting, preparing and planning going on that I sometimes just stop and have to remember to breathe. Every now and then I’ll find myself trying to think about what it will be like when we are actually out of the house and living everyday in our 5th wheel. But it’s hard. I’ve never slept in a 5th wheel let alone stayed in one, ever. This is a whole new experience for our family. We’ve never pulled a 42 foot trailer behind a truck. We’ve never tried to cram 6 people’s belongings into a 420 sqft space. 

Good iPad Games for Your Kids: Part 1

Jonathan Longnecker / February 10, 2015

Hey, you know what's fun? Grabbing one of those crappy free games on the App Store and letting your kids try to play it. It's jam packed full of annoying ads, game play mechanics that require in app purchases and so many popups there's no way you could possibly enjoy playing it, let alone your kids (who keep accidentally tapping the wrong thing and ending up in a web browser with some ad or in the App Store trying to get them to buy another app).

I lied. This is not fun. This isn't how games are supposed to be. 

I remember throwing a cartridge into my Nintento or Sega Genesis (yeah I'm old) and just losing myself in the graphics, music, story and game play. You know, back when games were fun?