Julia Willhite
I'm Julia and I live in Olathe with my husband of 14 years, my 8 and 4 year old daughters, and a sweet old blind pug we call Boopers. I’m a
social worker turned SAHM and love Dr. Pepper, thunderstorms, and talking to other adults. I hate coffee, diet culture, and washing dishes. I'll talk your ear off about the best local parks and which restaurants have wronged me by changing their long-standing menu items. I try to walk the line between knowing a lot of stuff and not being a know-it-all. Some days I'm better than others.
Family Friendly Charcuterie Boards
Last year, in an effort to stop the non-stop snack requests, I started putting out a snack tray in the afternoon to offer a variety of foods to my kids. Sometimes on a plate,...
Valentine’s Day 2021 Guide: A Date Night at Home
With COVID-19 still making date night out a challenge, this Valentine's Day we're celebrating with a little at-home date night after the kids are in bed. There are lots of great local choices for...
The “2020 Effect” on Friendships
I've been reflecting recently on how 2020 was a year that brought a lot of change and clarity to friendships in my life. I've spoken with others who also experienced this. One friend put...
Kansas City Hot Chocolate Guide
Hot chocolate season is upon us! It is the perfect kid friendly drink for the holiday season whether you're going to see lights or enjoying a family night at home. It is especially
great on...
Introducing the New Wonderscope Children’s Museum
The new Regnier Family Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City is an incredible addition to family attractions in the Kansas City area. It is located at 433 E. Red Bridge Road in Kansas City,...
Why I Left MLMs Behind
Last year was a big year of changes for me, and one of the things that changed was my participation in a multi-level marketing company (MLM). There was no big drama when I left...
Guide to Kansas City’s Favorite Drive-Thrus
Supporting local restaurants is something that is really important to my family, even more so during the current pandemic. I especially love drive-thrus because it means I don't have to get out of the...
Kansas City Ice Cream Guide
National Ice Cream Day is July 19th this year, and we are so lucky that here in the Kansas City Metro there are an abundance of locally owned ice cream shops where we can...
Kansas City Donut Guide: A Dozen Favorites
There are lots of great places in the Kansas City metro where you can grab a donut, and I polled the contributors of the Kansas City Mom Collective to compile this list of a...
How to Get Mental Health Care from Home
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Now more than ever, mental health care accessibility is on my mind. This year, the National Alliance on Mental Health's theme is "You Are Not Alone," which seems...
Kansas City Berry-Picking Guide
Berry picking has been a fun family tradition for a few years for us, as well as the "uh, what do we do with 14 pounds of berries?!" freakout that comes next. Berry picking...
Dear Me: A Letter to my Teenage Self
About a year ago when my therapist kept encouraging me to journal, and I kept resisting this suggestion, I set out to figure out WHY I had such a strong aversion to journaling. After...
My View: What Am I Preparing For?
All the hand sanitizer is gone. I’d heard this, but hadn’t seen it until I was at Target this morning. When COVID-19 hit the Kansas City area over the weekend it made me wonder:...
The MVPs of Indoor Play Time
February feels like a LONG month, spent mostly indoors for us. Between the inevitable ice and snow days and the (too many) days off school for holidays and conferences, we spend a lot of...
The Best Family Pizza Spots in Kansas City
If your family is anything like mine, pizza is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at mealtime. Kansas City has a TON of options for pizza, including many locally-owned restaurants. I've rounded up some of our contributors'...