Author Archives: Tricia Sportsman

Shop Tampa Bay 2015 :: A Local Holiday Gift Guide {Kids}

We can’t forget about some of the most special people in your life…our kids! To complete our Shop Tampa Bay Local Gift Guide, we are featuring some great local businesses that offer some unique and special gifts for your kids (and others, too!). Get ready to find the perfect gift this holiday season! As part of our […]

Putting the “Goodwill” into Halloween!

This weekend, I had an epiphany. Well, actually my mom had an epiphany… But she passed it onto me…So I’m taking credit for it.. Why, every Halloween, do we spend a small fortune on costumes for our children that they will wear once (maybe twice if you do a Zoo Boo or something like that)? […]

Ovaries Before Brovaries: Galentine’s Day

If you’re showing up late to the Galentine’s Day party with me, here is the gist: It is an unofficial holiday on February 13 (or 14) for girlfriends celebrating girlfriends. You leave your men and children at home and have a girls’ date. Amy Poehler’s character on Parks and Rec coined the term. She explains […]

How to Better Navigate the Holidays Post-Divorce or Separation

What is normally a happy, satisfying, sentimental time of year can feel drastically different the year following a divorce or separation. Many people are anxious or sad when thinking of what “new” holidays will feel like. Whether the separation was your choice or not, planned or not, it is common for both people to struggle […]

Should I Make Halloween Less Scary for My Child?

The Whispering Woods and Other “Scary” Things I love pumpkins, dead leaves, scary movies, ghost stories, haunted houses, trick-or-treaters, zombies, and Halloween decorations, but when my oldest daughter, Emerson, was a baby I had to decide if I should I make Halloween less scary for my child. Did I want her to experience Halloween? What […]

The Holiday KISS – Ways to Keep It Simple

Thanks to my high school English teacher, I have a mantra to help me survive this holiday season – the K.I.S.S. formula – Keep It Simple Stupid. I don’t know about you, but Halloween and all the hoopla around it was ridiculous! From the Booing, the Trunk-or-Treating, the Book-O-Ween school parades, the neighborhood block parties, to candy donations, to the […]

How to Make 10 Halloween Cocktails for Adult Trick-or-Treating

When you’re walking your kids around the neighborhood, nothing screams neighborly like offering an adult treat during Trick-or-Treating. Here are 10 Halloween cocktails for adult Trick-or-Treating you can make this year!   Black Widow Cocktail It’s a mix of blackberry juice and vodka. Simple, but spooky at the same time. Caramel Apple Sangria This fall […]

How to Manage Your In-Laws This Holiday Season

You know the time has come when there is a chill in the air (even in Florida from time to time). These last two years have been trying times, and very much unlike any other years. It is not even comparable to the time that you fell into the toilet with the lights off because […]