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Simple Ways to Save This Summer

Be happy with what you have. That’s one of the best ways to save money, according to my dad. He used to employ that line a lot when I was in high school trying to pump him for money to buy designer jeans. Twenty years later, I see his point. When you stop looking for fulfillment in material things, it’s much easier to spend less money and find contentment in the items you already have. Of course, if you just lost 20 pounds and your pants don’t fit any more, then by all means, spend, spend, spend. Now that summer … Continue reading →

Extreme Fun in the Extreme Heat

This week’s heat wave has left many families deep-fried and looking for ways to cool off. Our city was under an excessive heat warning for five straight days. Unfortunately, when you have young kids, sitting around in air conditioning the entire time isn’t an option. When the mercury starts to rise, it’s time to flex that creative muscle to come up with ways to beat the heat and still have fun in the process. Some ideas include: Blind Man’s Catch: This game is basically like Water Balloon Toss, but with the added challenge of being blindfolded. Split a group of … Continue reading →

Fun Ways to Cool Off This Summer

Summer doesn’t officially start until June 21st, but you wouldn’t know by looking at the thermometer. The heat is on across the nation and that means plenty of moms and dads are looking for ways to keep their kids cool during summer break from school. The following are some simple ways you can beat the heat this summer indoors and out: WATER BALL TOSS Gather and then fill up five buckets with water. Place the buckets in a line with the first bucket in front of the second and so on so that the fifth bucket is farthest away. Use … Continue reading →

Sleeping in the Heat

I have a hard time falling asleep when it’s too hot in the room. I just can’t get comfortable! If you have the same problem, here are some tips to help you sleep easy in the heat. Heat rises. You might be cooler on a lower story than an upper one. Help prevent heat build-up inside. Use blinds to keep the sun out. Open windows at night if the temperature is cooler. Cool off with a shower before bed. Keep in mind that hot showers can increase the humidity, which can make the heat seem worse. Cool off with a … Continue reading →

Five Cool Ways to Beat the Heat!

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Boy-o-boy is it hot here on the East Coast and I see that the rest of the country is also baking under the summer sun. Oppressive heat is just no fun at all for families, as being outside for long stretches becomes increasing difficult and kids wear themselves out more easily so extended sightseeing or playtime itineraries are nearly impossible to manage. It is important then to find fun things to do with your kids while staying cool. Here are five tips for having fun beating the summer heat as a family. Play in a sprinkler. Sprinklers are cheap, easy … Continue reading →

Winter Break Sanity-Savers: Indoor Fun

School’s out for winter break, more than half of the country is still digging out from the Christmas Storm of ’09 and your kids are beginning to bore of their new toys from Santa… now what? If you are desperately looking for ways to preserve your sanity while the kids climb the walls, you are in luck. Forget about sending each child to his room to sulk; rather, consider gathering the entire clan in the kitchen to make the following edible projects. After all, nothing says winter warm-up better than a cup of Snowflake Hot Chocolate and spicy Gingerbread Cookies. … Continue reading →

Staying Warm (and Why It’s Important!)

Winter “officially” starts on December 21st for the Northern Hemisphere… but it’s cold right now here in the Pacific Northwest. With the economy the way it is at the moment, it might be tempting to try to keep energy bills lower by keeping the house cooler than you might normally like it. Here are some tips to help you keep warm if you’ve got the thermostat set low. Number one: Check doors for drafts. If you can see daylight around your door, then the cold air can get in. Think about weather stripping or a draft stopper to help keep … Continue reading →

Whistling with a Blade of Grass

This activity comes with a warning. Teaching the kids how to whistle through a piece of grass is a fun thing to do, and it will thrill them. But a little of this whistling goes a long way. The sound gets annoying pretty quick. The first thing you need to do is to find a blade of grass. The blade should be flat, not round, and several inches in length. Wider grass makes a lower sound, thinner grass makes a higher pitched sound and is a little harder to work with. Pick blades that aren’t torn and that don’t have … Continue reading →

Family Fun Week in Review

Cool off inside and outside with great ideas in Family Fun. Jeff started off our week with a review of the game Sequence. It sounds like a great game for younger children and mixed ages, too. And it fosters decision making. Don’t miss Inside Fun for Hot Days and Five Cool Ways to Beat the Heat!. Lauri shared her summer way to grocery shop in Farmer’s Market Fun. In Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, Jeff shared great ideas for making walks fun for young children and their parents. Lauri’s family is anxiously awaiting the release of The Deathly Hollows. … Continue reading →

Cookie Tips

No matter what diet you are on, you want a cookie. Your family is asking for a batch of fresh cookies and you want one too. There are alot of ways to bake cookies that you can eat too. There are also some things that shouldn’t be done when baking cookies. Here are some tips: 1) Don’t replace regular butter or margarine for diet or light butter that would come in a tub. They contain too much water and too little fat. So the result could be a really bad batch of cookies. 2) If the batter is dry, don’t … Continue reading →