Making homemade ice cream on the last day of school is a long-standing tradition at our house. Every year, I lose sleep attempting to make enough to satisfy two full classrooms of kids while swearing that  “I am never doing this again!” But the truth is that I love it and I love treating my…

Nothing says summer like time in the sun, surrounded by friends and family, and enjoying a delicious meal cooked on the grill. Whether hosting a huge cookout or just firing up the grill for a quick dinner, Libby’s wants to help you make your meal quick and easy so that you spend less time cooking,…

It’s time to pack our bags and head out on some fun family adventures this summer! While you’ve got all the clothing essentials covered, swimsuits at the ready, and the perfect walking shoes for playing tourist, keeping the kids happy as you’re en route to your destination is a high priority. I’ve taken my kids…

With school ending for the summer all over the country and only two weeks left in the countdown at our house, kids are ready to check out from homework and worksheets and studying. Around here, for the first couple of weeks, we tend to just veg out and recuperate from a long, hard year of…

  Memorial Day is just around the corner and it’s time for barbecues and family fun! Though there should be time reserved for reflection and remembrance of those who sacrificed all for our country’s freedom, there most certainly should be plenty of celebration of those freedoms, as well. As we kick off the summer with…

My kids, like many across the country, are counting down the days to summer vacation. We’re wrapping up end of year projects, finishing up testing, and making plans for the lazy days of summer. The kids have worked hard all year and we’re excited to celebrate their growth and accomplishments, especially this year, was we…

It hit me like a ton of bricks this week that we’re just five short weeks away from the start of summer vacation. I have one who’ll be starting middle school in the fall and this school year has simply flown by and I am certain the summer will, as well. I’m sitting here at…

Mother’s Day is complicated for me. On the one hand, I so much enjoy watching my children find creative ways to let me know how much they love me, while on the other hand, it’s a day that can rip off every scab from the loss of my own mom nearly 9 years ago. With…

As a parent, one of the important things that I am trying to teach my children is to respect the Earth and to take care of it for the future.     Though reinforcing these points is important throughout the year, Earth Day is a great time to start some new eco-friendly efforts around your home…

Every year, Easter tries to sneak up on me. I’m sitting here just two days away from Easter, realizing that I have pretty much missed every single one of our traditions this year. The next two days are about to be a whirlwind of bunny-prepping, egg-dying, and holiday food-making! And to get started, I’m going…

Parents who are home, whether as stay-at-home or work-at-home parents, typically have a daily routine that is based around the hours that their children are at school. While ideally, that schedule can often be flexible enough to accommodate scheduled days off and the occasional weather-related break, there are times when you just have things that…

  If you’re like me, you’re beginning to work on putting the Easter Bunny stash together, in preparation for setting out the kids’ Easter baskets in a couple of weeks. I love giving the kids a few favorite candy treats in their baskets, but including some non-candy items is, for me, just a sound parenting…

We’ve been waiting for weeks for the weather to turn to warm. Spring teased us for a minute in the mid-Atlantic, giving us a few days where we were in flip flops, then taking a violent turn with a winter storm and sub-freezing temperatures. While we haven’t quite made it back to the short sleeves…

  Spring break season is here! While we’re in an area where the kids don’t get out until Good Friday, I’m already thinking ahead and making plans for my kids and coming up with some ideas to fight those dreaded words – “I’m BORED!” My kids are getting older now and they can easily entertain…

While the weather is still confused about what time of year it really is, we’re moving quickly into spring break season! If you’re like me and just itching to plan a great break for your family but not able to take the time off for or spend money on travel, creating a staycation is a…

  St. Patrick’s Day is a day where just about everyone celebrates being Irish, even if it’s an honorary nationality, awarded you for your love of Guinness. While the roots of this special day a religious feast to honor St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland, it has become a celebration of all…

While the groundhog said that we’d be looking at another 6 weeks of winter, the weather here in the Mid-Atlantic didn’t get the memo. We have had some amazingly warm and beautiful days lately and the extended forecast is hinting at more above average temperatures to come. While I’m not fully convinced that we’ve seen…

Post sponsored by Mirum Shopper. All opinions are our own. This is the year of 40. Until now, I haven’t been one to really dread a birthday. Sure, I’m well aware that I’m getting older but I’ve never really felt “old”. I’m not sure what it is about the number 40 that magically makes you…

Today’s Festive Friday is sponsored by Gorton’s Seafood. All opinions are our own. Nostalgia. It gets the better of every one of us sometimes, particularly when our kids show even the smallest glimmer of interest in something that we enjoyed as children. The sights, smells, and feelings of a time that things were just a…

  There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment when you reach a goal or finish something that you’ve worked hard to complete. Hard-fought achievements should be celebrated, no matter how big or small. Recently, my middle son finally broke a time in swimming that he’d trained and fought to reach for months on end. Though…

Science Fair projects can be one of the most stressful parts of the school year for students and for parents. Coming up with creative ideas, assembling the perfect display, and getting everything done on time can be a challenge, but the satisfaction of presenting a great project is well worth the struggle. This science fair…