Search Results for: blog serious summer fun

Shortening Summer Vacation

Know how to shut down an unruly kid in record time? Tell him that his school is shortening summer vacation. I’ve never seen a mouthy child go silent as quickly as I did last week while watching the evening news at our neighbor’s house.  Education leaders recently began serious talks about lengthening the academic year here. Of course, all my neighbor’s rowdy kid heard was:  “Next year, public school kids across the state could be dealing with a much shorter summer vacation.” The news reporter’s last three words nearly triggered an aneurysm in my neighbor’s kid. My child attends parochial … Continue reading →

More Fourth of July Fun Without Fireworks

Colorado is burning. So is Utah and parts of Arizona. Some of the nation’s most destructive wildfires are putting a damper on Fourth of July festivities from coast-to-coast. Due to extremely hot and dry conditions, and the fear that other areas may go up in flames like Colorado and Utah, officials have banned the use of fireworks during Independence Day celebrations in nearly every state. If you live in an area where kids are not even allowed to light-up sparklers to commemorate the United States’ birthday, then infuse your Fourth of July parties with these fun activities that don’t include … Continue reading →

Fourth of July Fun Without Fireworks

The scorching heat continues across the country, including here in the Midwest. In fact, our county has experienced such hot, humid and dry conditions the past few months that officials have banned fireworks. Yes, a fireworks ban leading up to and including the Fourth of July. Since we don’t want to end up like the poor folks in Colorado, who have lost so much due to a rash of destructive wildfires, we’re planning a festive Fourth minus the sparklers and other colorful explosives. Rather than celebrating Independence Day by lighting up, we’re planning a slew of kid-friendly outdoor activities, such … Continue reading →

Summer Reading Series: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Summer and learning. For most kids, the two don’t go hand in hand. Fortunately, if you disguise the lessons with a fun-filled feline adventure, you can likely avoid summer brain drain. That’s where Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons comes in handy. The eye-popping picture book written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean combines reading, math, music and slew of helpful life skills in a delightful tale featuring a laid-back cat with a passion for wearing button-down shirts. Thanks to Pete’s panache for crafting catchy tunes your kids won’t even realize they are getting schooled in … Continue reading →

More Summer Cash Savers

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but you can certainly save some cash this summer by taking advantage of Mother Nature’s goodness. Don’t let soaring food prices put a damper on your seasonal fun; rather, consider growing your own fruits and vegetables in order to preserve your family’s household budget. You might be surprised by how a little farming can yield big savings for the average American family. According to the Wall Street Journal, for every $1 you spend on green bean seeds, you have the ability to grow an average of $75 worth of produce. In addition, for every $1 … Continue reading →

Safety Tips For A No Bummer Summer

Summer is all about sun and fun, right? While this is true, for summer to truly be fun, you have to play it safe. Avoid summer bummers like injury and illness with the following safety tips that are aimed to help you and your toddler get the most enjoyment out of the beautiful weather. One of the most common – and most painful summertime ailments is sunburn. Gone are the days when a suntan was required summer attire, especially for kids. These days, sun protection is serious business. Of course, toddlers can be finicky, so enlist their help in choosing … Continue reading →

Mad Dash for Serious Summer Cash

My daughter is hunting for a summer job, so she can earn money to purchase this. She’s seven. I told her that if she picked up her toys, set the table for dinner and help fold towels, at least five days a week, I’d give her $5. She turned down my offer. “I want to walk dogs for money,” she replied dryly. “Not fold towels.” Well, then, I sure hope our neighbors don’t turn her down when she solicits her services or she’s going to be one poor kid this summer. And by poor, I mean the Bank of Mommy … Continue reading →

Daring Summer Adventures

Last summer my family and a bunch of friends traveled to Chicago to check out the Willis Tower’s new glass cube attraction. The Ledge juts out from the 103rd floor Skydeck of the former Sears Tower, and allows you to look straight down to the city below from 1,353 feet in the air. I could barely look at the glass case, never mind about climbing in. Conversely, my then 5-year-old had a field day on The Ledge, sprawling across the floor and posing for photos while sitting pretzel-legged against the back wall, so it appears as though she is floating … Continue reading →

Finding the Funny

In a previous post I shared my plans to create a family-themed scrapbook using the photos and memorabilia I collected during a recent trip to Hawaii to visit my parents and brothers. Since I don’t have as much time to scrapbook as I used to, I printed out some sentimental family-themed quotes to add to the layouts instead of journaling. However, as of yesterday most of the famous sayings I collected were on the serious side. They described more sentimental moments, and whereas my family is very sappy at times, they are also very funny, which is why I wanted … Continue reading →

End-of-Summer Fun in the Sunshine State

Florida’s pushing hard for you to spend your travel dollar in its neck of the woods. And who can really blame the state given the recent oil spill and the impending storms? Frankly, I find it hard to believe that the state is actively seeking out visitors, given that it is home to some of the largest and most popular tourist attractions on Earth. Some rodent named Mickey… ahem… Mouse. Still, in a previous blog I promised that I would spotlight some of the state’s non-over-commercialized hot spots, so here we go: MIAMI Not the Kardashian sisters’ Miami; rather, the … Continue reading →