Today is my 35th birthday, and I feel young. I feel vibrant! I feel really on top of the world and in control of my life.

Whether you’re shopping online or in-store, grocery shopping can be time-consuming and costly. And some foods and beverages can expire quickly, wasting money and sending you back to the store for more.

From the longer daylight hours to the start of the growing season, spring is undoubtedly on the way.

We have been living through this global pandemic for over a year now. Our lives have been changed forever, and we have to find new ways to celebrate life! Last year, we were afraid to open the doors to family, friends and our neighbors. Some of those people were claimed by the virus, but they will be with us forever in our memories and dreams.

Presley Conway, the Cumberland Valley sixth grader who appealed for midstate votes to catapult her into the finalists of a national competition sponsored by Sun-Maid, the raisins people, got the good news this week: Thanks to your votes, among others, she made it.

If parents in the Midstate are anything like the rest of Americans, that magical moment when the kids slip downstairs to make breakfast can’t come a moment too soon.

With the stress of the ongoing pandemic, children starting to go back to school in person after months of virtual school, sport and activity cancellations, and the change of what was considered the “normal” routine, it can be easy to consider your child’s weight gain of a few extra pounds as temporary. But this weight gain may not be trivial.

About three years ago, my good friend Beth recommended watching “The Goldbergs,” an ABC period sitcom about a family of five. At the time, although I had heard of it, and maybe caught a glimpse of it in passing once or twice, I never figured out a way to carve out the time to sit down and watch. 

We can all agree on this: Kids are expensive. I am not a financial guru and this isn’t going to be a “how to manage money” article. I’m simply a single mother who is sharing her experience in this parenthood journey. One of those least talked about experiences is money.