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When Mother Nature Rains on Your Summer Fun

Hundreds of towns and cities throughout the south are cancelling or postponing their Fourth of July festivities due to massive storms slamming into the region.  Torrential rains have turned the area into a soggy mess forcing parents to scramble to salvage their family’s mid-summer plans. If Mother Nature rains on your parade, cook-out, party or other outdoor activity this season, consider keeping your kids entertained inside with these summer-themed projects: Campfire Prints:  Have kids use crayons, markers or colored pencils to draw a large circle on a piece of paper.  Next, have them glue gemstones on the circle to mimic … Continue reading →

Summer Fun in the Dark

The heat is back. Actually, it never really left. After melting in 100-degree temperatures last week, the first part of this week has been relatively “cool” with the mercury hovering around 90. However, that reprieve is definitely over. Yesterday and today the heat index topped the century mark and forecasters are calling for highs near 100 degrees yet again from now through next Wednesday. Currently, our city has a burn ban and a watering ban in effect. Basically, unless you are going out to sit in a swimming pool, lake or pond, most clans are spending the summer chilling in … Continue reading →

Staying Cool with Kids

It’s so hot… my neighbor’s chickens are laying omelets. It’s so hot… squirrels are picking up nuts with potholders. It’s so hot… you can wash and dry your clothes at the same time. It’s so hot… you can catch fried fish in the lake. The last one’s no joke. The heat wave that has blanketed much of the nation, including here in Wisconsin, has caused a rash of deaths among local fish. Thousands of Northern Pike and Perch are dying in area waters because of the recent string of record breaking hot temperatures. DNR officials say the fish can’t survive … Continue reading →

Making Clean-Up Fun for Kids

My 7-year-old loves to help. I’ve seen her practically jump out of her skin when asked by her teacher for volunteers to vacuum the story corner rug. I’ve also witnessed as she put away board games and puzzles, without being prompted to do so, prior to pick-up at summer day camp. Both times I nearly fainted on the spot. My kid abhors cleaning, so when I inquired why she was so willing to lend a hand to others, she matter-of-factly replied: “Because it’s fun.” Clearly, the fun factor is missing in our home or I would have clean carpets and … Continue reading →

Springtime Fun at the Zoo

Yesterday we went to the zoo with my moms’ group. Earlier this week we were enjoying temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s. The last two days have been cold, rainy, and miserable. Today was beautiful and hot. I am so glad I slathered suncscreen on the girls before getting them dressed. I brought the spray with me so we could reapply. I brought Jessie’s new sun hat too. I couldn’t put a hat on Baby E because of the Doc Band. We started off our zoo adventure in the children’s zoo. There’s a great water play area in … Continue reading →

Birthday Photos

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It’s birthday month in my family. It seems like every couple of days we celebrate another birthday. While most of these birthdays aren’t of little children anymore, it still makes me think of cute birthday parties from when we were growing up and the photos we’d (try to) take of the events. I sometimes ended up being the photographer on those events. I won’t claim to have been a good photographer then, and the photos prove my lack of experience. There are cake pictures where the only thing visible is the candle flames. There are grainy photos, dark photos, and … Continue reading →

Rainy Day Fun for Preschoolers

Summer may have officially started on Monday, but you would never know by looking at the massive puddles sitting on our street. It may be summer, but that doesn’t mean Mother Nature is taking three months off from watering the world. When summer storms come barreling through and you are bombarded with bored preschoolers suffering from cabin fever, you need to be prepared. Here are some rainy day ideas: Cook: Instead of chasing preschoolers out of the kitchen, invite them in and put them to work. Get out your recipe books and have the kids pick a few dishes they … Continue reading →

10 Free or Cheap Things to Do With Kids During the Spring

I was reading a blog post by Tricia Edgar this morning called “How Goes the Outdoor Challenge?” It got me to thinking about things my kids and I could do this spring. As a single mom, I don’t have a lot of money to budget for activities, but there are a lot of free and cheap things that can be done with kids. Here’s what I found: 1. Take a nature walk or hike. Stop along the way to talk about the things you see: leaves, rocks, birds, animal tracks, etc. 2. Go for a bike ride: Your bikes have … Continue reading →

Dessert Fun with Kids

My 5-year-old loves to lend a hand in the kitchen, but because I’m normally in such a rush to get dinner made and served, my young daughter doesn’t always get to participate in meal preparation as much as she would like to. Recently, her daily pleas to help out more at dinnertime prompted me to set aside a couple days whereby she took control of the dessert making. The following recipes are easy enough for a kindergartner to make (with a little bit of help from mom or dad). What’s more, they’re the perfect project for budding chefs to work … Continue reading →

Teen-Friendly Outdoor Fun

Traveling with a teen is not always a pleasant experience. However, if you plan your trip so it (or at least part of it) appeals to your son or daughter’s fearlessness, innate competitiveness and curiosity, then there’s a very good possibility that your weekend together could be one to remember… in a good way. The following activities are ideal for teens, who enjoy spending time in the outdoors and aren’t afraid of physical challenges: ROCK CLIMBING There are numerous state and national parks that offer rock-climbing opportunities, such as Joshua Tree National Park in California and Custer State Park in … Continue reading →