Posts in Lifestyle
The Best Christmas Gifts for All Five Love Languages
The Best Christmas Gifts for All Five Love Languages

The 5 Love Languages is both a theory and best selling book on how to improve your relationships with the loved ones in your life. Chapman’s advice is simple and uncomplicated, but still very impactful and easy to implement.

In a simple summary, every individual has both primary and secondary ways that they prefer to give and receive love. As individuals we are all unique in how we express emotions, and sometimes we have a hard time communicating or acknowledging those feelings with our loved ones because we we’re aware of their particular love language.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseHoliday SeasonComment
DIY Yayoi Kusama Painted Pumpkins
DIY Yayoi Kusama Painted Pumpkins

Halloween is coming up quickly this October and we decided to get crafty with some DIY pumpkin painting. My 2-year-old daughter Scout insists that Halloween shouldn’t be scary, so instead we decided to make it colorful and full of art.

Keep reading to see my step-by-step guide to planning and creating your own Yayoi Kusama inspired painted pumpkins for the fall season.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseHoliday SeasonComment
Creating a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board in 3 Simple Steps
Creating a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board in 3 Simple Steps

We are officially entering into the month of December, which means the magical holiday season is upon us. It’s a time for gathering with family and friends, spending quality time with loved ones.

Putting out a spread of food is a must and one of my favorite ways to feed a crowd is with an impressive charcuterie board filled with an abundance of foodie favorites.

If you’re new to building charcuterie boards, fret not! These culinary creations may look tricky or intimidating, but I promise it’s actually quite simple when you follow my easy steps. And the best part is that there’s really no wrong way to build a charcuterie board, it’s all about what you and guests like to eat!

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseRecipes Comments
Top 50 Questions About Surrogacy Answered
Top 50 Questions About Surrogacy Answered

You may know me as the blogger who travels all over California, but I actually do have a full-time office job working as a Marketing Manager for a Northern California surrogacy agency. I wanted to write this blog post because there are so many questions and concerns that potential surrogates have and the information available online is very limited.

I’ve seen so many happy families with their surrogacy babies and I know there are many more women out there who would make excellent surrogates. In general there’s a shortage of qualified surrogates compared to the amount of Intended Parents waiting to get matched.

So buckle up! All of the conversations I’ve heard happen behind closed doors I’m putting in this blog post because information is power. Your top 50 surrogacy questions answered with all brutal honesty I can muster. If there’s something holding you back from filling out a surrogacy application, hopefully I can address your concern and put your mind at ease.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseModern MamaComment
Buy a House in a Year - A Complete Checklist to Buying Your First Home
Buy a House in a Year - A Complete Checklist to Buying Your First Home

For years my husband and I were paying high rent costs for our tiny apartment in San Francisco. All the photos in this blog post were taken during our last year of renting. While we loved living in the city, we knew eventually we would be moving into the suburbs to buy a house and start a family.

One day we received a letter from our landlord that our rent would be going up again, and this was the kick in the pants we needed to lay out the groundwork to homeownership. This notice was the straw that broke the camel’s back and we made the decision to get serious about buying a house and putting a permanent end to paying rent.

This guide compiles all the research and steps we followed in the process of buying our first house. It took us about a year to complete all these stages in our journey, not to mention saving up for the downpayment.

It’s never too early or too late to begin your own plan of action towards owning your first home. My advice is to take it one step at a time and give yourself a reasonable amount of time to complete all the steps.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseHomeownershipComment
How to Host a Moroccan Christmas Party - Just Like Phyllis from The Office!
How to Host a Moroccan Christmas Party - Just Like Phyllis from The Office!

The Christmas party episode of The Office was pretty memorable. The theme was ‘’nights in Morocco’’ as stated by Phyllis Vance, who wanted to plan an original Christmas party. After enduring so many traditional holiday parties put on my Angela from the Party Planning Committee, Phyllis was ready to flex her power as the new head of the PPC with an exotic party theme.

Whether you want to replicate Phyllis's Moroccan Christmas party at home, or would like to know what parts of the party were actually Moroccan and what parts were not, here is everything you need to know about that episode.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseHoliday SeasonComment
Vintage Board Games for Date Night
Vintage Board Games for Date Night

There’s something so romantic and nostalgic about vintage board games. It brings you back to a time before technology had taken over our lives and people really took their time to enjoy each other’s company.

For myself and my husband, our perfect date night consists of lively conversation, good food and drinks, music playing and cell phones turned off.

The board games listed in this blog post were each chosen because they are great options for two players. Each game has its strengths and will set the tone for a romantic evening. So grab two glasses of wine, light some candles, play some chill background music and let the competition begin!

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseComment
Side Hustle Ideas for Moms to Boost Their Income
Side Hustle Ideas for Moms to Boost Their Income

As a busy mom, you know that there’s never such a thing as too much money. Whether it’s for planning that next family vacation, back-to-school shopping, or simply a hefty grocery run, a few extra hundred dollars per month can stretch quite a long way.

If you’ve been looking for a side hustle that is both lucrative and respects your busy schedule, this article is here to help! We’ll be showcasing five of the best side hustle ideas for mothers, including how you can easily get started.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseModern MamaComment
10 Easy DIY College Care Packages for Students Away from Home
10 Easy DIY College Care Packages for Students Away from Home

When a family's young adult leaves the nest and goes away for college, you may be excited for them to start the next stage of their life. But this big life transition comes with mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety, not to mention homesickness for those who have a close relationship with their parents and siblings.

Homemade care packages are a great way to let the college student in your life know that you are thinking of them. This small token can go a long way in showing support for students who aren’t used to living far away from home and family.

In this guide I’ll outline some easy to recreate DIY care package ideas, which can easily be tailored and customized for each individual student.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseComment
Top 10 Best Cities in North America to Own a Vacation Property
Top 10 Best Cities in North America to Own a Vacation Property

It’s a widely accepted fact that owning real estate is one of the best financial investments you can make. My husband and I own two homes in Sacramento - we live in our East Sacramento house and we rent out the other to tenants. Our next big venture will be to invest in a vacation home that will most likely be rented out the majority of the time.

The process of acquiring real estate requires a lot of research beforehand. But the type of research you’ll be looking into really depends on the end use of your property. In the next several paragraphs I will go into detail about all the important checklist your vacation property must have to be successful.

Additionally, this blog post explores the top ten cities in North America that we have been looking into and I’ve reported my findings to help anyone make an informed decision about investing in their own vacation property. Whether you're getting a house for convenience, sentimental value, or investment, I've outlined why each city should be a contender in your house hunt.

Read More
Travel, LifestyleGennifer RoseHomeownershipComment
Healthy Kombucha Swaps to Help You Reduce your Sugar and Alcohol Intake
Healthy Kombucha Swaps to Help You Reduce your Sugar and Alcohol Intake

Once upon a time, many years ago, this gal had a slight addiction to Diet Coke. I loved the carbonation, the slight sweetness and the extra zip of energy that it gave me. Fast forward into the future, I am now very aware of the unhealthy additives in sodas and I very rarely ever drink the stuff.

Removing soda from my life means that I had to somehow replace my favorite afternoon pick-me-up, which is how kombucha entered my life. I don’t remember the exact day when I first tried kombucha, but I know that it left a strong positive first impression and it wasn’t long before I was hooked. It really is a win-win when you can find a new guilty pleasure habit that is truly good for you.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseHealthy & Natural LivingComment
Top 5 Affordable Clean Beauty and Skincare Brands That Won't Break The Bank
Top 5 Affordable Clean Beauty and Skincare Brands That Won't Break The Bank

Change can be a hard thing, especially when it comes to our ritual beauty routines. While we’ve been loyal to old-school beauty brands for decades, we were blissfully unaware of the detrimental and toxic ingredients hidden inside our favorite makeup and skincare. But fret not, there’s a new era of beauty beginning and I’m here for it!

When you begin doing research on the latest and greatest clean beauty products on the market, you’re sure to have a moment of sticker shock when you see the prices. Not only are the averages prices doubled, but in many cases tripled from what you are used to spending. It really is a mental exercise to wrap your mind around spending the extra dollars for quality ingredients that both benefit your own body and the planet.

The good news is that with a bit of strategy and resourcefulness, you can actually find bargain deals on clean beauty products that perform beyond your expectations and even still feel luxurious and pampering. I myself have been down several rabbit holes searching the internet for my new favorite and go-to clean beauty and skincare products to always carry in my cosmetic bag. Read on to see my discoveries!

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseBeauty & SkincareComment
Top 30 Abundance Affirmations to Elevate Your Mindset
Top 30 Abundance Affirmations to Elevate Your Mindset

Often times when we are embarking on a new endeavor, half the battle is getting our mind into gear and finding the ideal headspace to grow and thrive.

I personally was born with a natural tendency to lean towards pessimism and doubt. Whereas my husband is the opposite and always assumes the best scenarios will always play out. I believe there’s a happy middle point where you can take the best of both those perspectives and put them to work in an abundance mindset.

In this blog post I will be discussing the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset and explaining how to harness both their powers into a manifestation action plan to achieve your goals and live a more joyful and full-filling life.

Finally, at the bottom you will find my list of top 30 abundance affirmations and a simple guide on how to easily incorporate them into your daily routine.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer Rose Comment
Over 50 Easy Tea Party Recipes + Guide to Hosting a Proper Tea Party
Over 50 Easy Tea Party Recipes + Guide to Hosting a Proper Tea Party

Although my entire my family was born in California, we have British heritage and growing up we went to England fairly frequently. One of my favorite British traditions is afternoon tea time. This long standing tradition has also become an American favorite and is the perfect party theme for gatherings with family and friends.

In this guide I will give you brief background to British afternoon tea, provide over 50 easy tea party recipes, hosting tips and finally a helpful shopping guide to plan your own tea party soirée.t actually cross the pond I was inspired to re-create my own Downtown Abbey afternoon garden tea party.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseRecipesComment
DIY Terrarium Kits - Shopping and Gift Guide
DIY Terrarium Kits - Shopping and Gift Guide

It was a gorgeous sun soaked Sunday afternoon in San Francisco and the perfect day for some DIY fun. I live in downtown SF which is essentially a concrete jungle with few signs of nature near by. Adding some green to our apartment was one of the first items on my checklist when we moved in because it instantly brightens up a room. Since we are limited on space with urban living, tiny terrariums are the perfect space savers in addition to being too cute to resist!

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseHome DecorComment
10 Simple Ways to Be a More Eco-Conscious Parent
10 Simple Ways to Be a More Eco-Conscious Parent

As modern parents, we think a lot about the future generations and how our actions today will impact our child’s tomorrow. At times it feels like a daunting task, saving the world from pollution and global warming. But the good news is that small and simple steps can make a difference. We don’t have to go to extremes to reduce our carbon footprint, collectively we all just need to make better choices. The future belongs to our children, and it’s up to us to protect it.

Read More
LifestyleGennifer RoseEco-Friendly Living, Modern MamaComment