So, how do you feel about murder?! Well, more specifically a murder mystery birthday party, lol! When my daughter came to me and said she wanted a birthday party for her 16th birthday, I’m fairly certain I groaned! The idea of having a bunch of teenagers to entertain was frightening. But, we settled on having…
Have you considered giving experiences instead of gifts for Christmas? “Becki Svare has made a radical decision: She won’t buy any more Christmas presents. It started a few years ago as an experiment with her extended family. The holiday season began as it often did, with a dozen family members drawing names out of a…
Do healthy snacks for teens seem like an oxymoron? While I’m sure it’s better for us to not snack between meals, I have noticed that my teens don’t seem to buy into that theory! If you’ve got teens then you know they are starving when they get home from school (and pretty much any other…
I’ve come to realize something about myself. I don’t particularly care for holidays that have become all about gifts. Christmas had started to go that way, and so we made changes in our house that I feel like is for the better. We took gifts out of the equation for the most part. In fact,…
Do you have a teenager? Do you enjoy traveling with your teens? Lately, I’ve heard a lot of parents say that they hate traveling with their teens because they don’t want to do anything. Ok, hate may be a little strong. But, I have heard a lot of parents complain about traveling with their teenage…
This week for my Year of Adventure, I’m actually going to go back a year to the end of November last year. I decided to take my daughter and friend of hers to see The Nutcracker at a performance in Orlando. I specifically avoided the “family” show and instead chose an evening show. Because of…
My Year of Adventure ~ Week # 25 For the year of 2017, I have challenged myself to A Year of Adventure! For me, that means trying new things, going new places and stretching myself. This week, my “adventure” included learning that letting go, as a parent, is pretty hard sometimes! Letting Go is…
Scooby Doo was a big part of my kids childhood. Scooby and the gang accompanied us on many a long road trip, making the mile much more palatable! You remember Scooby and the gang. They always stumble into a mystery regardless of where they are. There’s always a monster. Shaggy and Scooby are always super…
I’m sure if you have kids, you’ve had some pretty awesome car-talks! And, no doubt a lot of arguments and refereeing has gone on! Sometimes there is more listening than talking. But, I love that there’s also a lot of laughing! I have found that a lot of connecting time happens in our minivan. I…
Are you looking for some summer reading ideas for your kids? How about a Kids Book Club?? You, or at least someone you know, are probably in a book club. The popularity of book clubs in America (and maybe around the world?) is pretty amazing. It would be interesting to know why people join book…
One of my favorite ways I used to get my kids reading was to find a great book and read together. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve done this since my kids are “too old.” Both of my kids are plowing through books on their own and don’t have time to sit and let…
Like probably everyone else, summer is one of my favorite times of year! I really enjoy having my kids out of school and to be able to do fun things with them. Of course, now they pretty much have their own schedules (being teens), but we still really enjoy our summers. Reading probably isn’t on…