Frugal Fun: Make Your Own Snow Paint

It is mid morning here in Pennsylvania, and the snow is gently falling. The big fat flakes are slow and relaxed, too soft to cancel school. The two youngest kids and I are spending the time alternately playing and watching the progress of the snow. Molly is dressing up her magnetic dolls for the wintery weather, and little Henry is working on getting his knees up to crawl. It is a wonderful cozy day, the kind that makes me happy to be able to work at home and spend my morning with my babies. By the time 3:30 rolls around, … Continue reading

Family Weekend in New York City

Last Christmas, Harry, my husband gave me an incredible gift. It was a weekend trip to New York City for our family (Riley was 2 and Tegan, 7 months old). He had researched ideas on the web and thought about our favorite things to do. I was so impressed because normally Harry starts Christmas shopping three days beforehand. So if you’re looking for a weekend in New York City, here’s our itinerary. We arrived at the New York Helmsley Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The Helmsley is a beautiful, world famous hotel that is kid- friendly. Children under 12 years old … Continue reading

Your Child: The Reluctant Exerciser

Is your child a reluctant exerciser? The best way to work with a reluctant exerciser in your family is to set the right example for them. My neighbor across the street is great in this respect. Her thirteen year old doesn’t care for physical activity, but they walk together every evening or they go out rollerblading together. The plan is to keep her exercising and moving – whether she is doing it with her mom or with her friends. For those of you not worried about childhood obesity with your kids, there’s another great reason to encourage exercising in your … Continue reading

Stimulate Your Routines

With July 4th behind us, are you finding yourself in the midst of a mid-summer slump? Are you so busy with getting the kids back and forth to their activities, taking care of the house, work and waiting eagerly for the school year that you find yourself wondering how the heck you managed to fit in a workout previously? I feel your pain. I am so used to doing my daily workouts that when I have to skip a day or find circumstances robbing me of my valuable work out time that I am looking my mid-summer slump in the … Continue reading

Are You in a Unfriendly Ward?

At one time or another most people will experience a time when they feel a less than welcome in the ward. It can happen when you move into a transient ward or a ward with a lot of people moving in and out of the ward. It may happen after you have lived in the ward for a while, and you just feel like people are not your friends. It can be difficult to continue to go to church when you feel like you do not have any real friends in your ward. It may be that others are just … Continue reading

Weed Your Way To Fitness

I was out in my yard last evening, pulling weeds for about an hour. I have another hour’s worth of weeding to do today; just as likely I’ll spend some time pruning and I was thinking of moving two of the rose bushes from where they are to closer to one of the sprinklers. Who needs gym equipment when you’ve got a pretty active workout waiting for you in the front yard, back yard or both. When we do a lot of lawn and garden maintenance, there are plenty of activities to get our heart moving, to work muscles in … Continue reading

Need Some Inspiration? Get Active!

The treadmill is a great opportunity for people to shed pounds and improve their health because no matter what the weather is, the time is or the hours you keep – the treadmill is available for your convenience. According to some figures produced by the Sporting Goods Manufacturer Association International, they estimate that only 20% of the population of the U.S. exercises or engages in some kind of regular physical activity. While this may not seem like a lot – 20% is about six hundred million people. That’s a lot more than a drop in the bucket. What’s scarier about … Continue reading

Fishing Fun

A few summers ago my son went fishing with his great-grandpa Parke, we just went along for the ride. Tyler had a great time. It was also a good bonding experience for him and his great-grandpa, whom he still calls “my fishing grandpa”. Tyler was so excited when he felt that first tug on the line. Then with grandpa’s help they slowly reeled the fish in. His delighted cries filled the air as he pulled the fish out of the water. It was at least 18 inches long. During the next hour Tyler and grandpa caught two more fish. By … Continue reading

Mom Fitness – When You Need to Be Home

Mom fitness – and no I’m not talking about your fitness to be a mother, though it will improve your mental, emotional and physical capabilities where your children are concerned – when you are fit and trim. But most moms are so pressed for time or find their time curtailed by their responsibilities to hearth and home. Whether you have one child or five – kids come with a lot of needs that only Mom can take care of; whether she is rushing to get to the older kids to school, the younger kids to their playgroup or laying on … Continue reading

Tips to Minimize

When you are making a significant change in your dietary habits, it’s better to make the changes small. There’s an intense psychological reasoning behind this. For example, if you are changing your eating habits, giving up alcohol, picking up a heavy duty workout program while starting a new job and moving into a new house – well – you get the picture. You are setting yourself up for failure. There are way too many stressors that you are creating for yourself. Recurring failure in any area will feed the distress the other changes are already creating. So if you are … Continue reading