My name is Ari and I’m a work-at-home mom to a 2-year-old little boy, a.k.a. The Munchkin. In a previous life I was a professional educator, but these days I split my time between freelance web design, writing and acting as the entertainment director for my son. Nice to meet you!
I started Sweet Happy Life in June 2011 to help me keep track of the recipes and activities my toddler loves. In some ways I think of this site as prep-work for future children – whenever they come along I won’t have to wrack my brain for food or entertainment ideas, I’ll just delve into the archives of this site! But more than this I enjoy documenting and sharing some of our experiences at home. These years go by too quickly.
All the recipes on this site are vegetarian and family-friendly. The only exception is the “Just for Grown Ups” category, which indulges my obsession with coffee. :)
Why Sweet Happy Life?
The name of this site comes from a song by Peggy Lee called “Sweet Happy Life.” Just before we moved to Vermont the munchkin and I heard this song and it made me think about all the things I wish for him. Don’t we all want our children to lead sweet happy lives?
Previously…
For three years I wrote another blog called Baking and Books and briefly a vegetarian blog called The Vegetarian Family Table. The recipe archives for Baking and Books can be found here, while everything from The Vegetarian Family Table has been moved to this site.
FAQs
Can I use your photos/text on my site?
Unless otherwise noted everything is copyright 2006-2012. However, you can share my photos on your site if you link your post back to Sweet Happy Life. (A visible link, not a teeny tiny one in white font that no one can see.) Please do not repost my recipes unless you have modified them significantly, in which case, a link back to this site is the considerate thing to do. You may not republish this blog’s feed elsewhere.
Do you take all of the photos on this site?
All of the photos with a Sweet Happy Life watermark on them were taken by me. The others are stock photos from sites like iStockPhoto.com. For the most part I use stock photos only in the toddler activities section. I think it’s important to have images to go along with a post, but I’m not too keen on putting photos of my son on the internet so stock images were a good compromise.
What kind of camera do you use?
Until recently I used a Nikon D70 for most of the photos on this website. However, I replaced my Nikon with a Canon T3i. I use an 18-55mm lens and couldn’t be happier. I love my camera. :)
