Tag Archives: outdoor fun

Seasonal Parent-Child Bonding on the Cheap

A winter storm watch has been issued for my neck of the woods.  Meteorologists are predicting nearly eight inches of the white stuff will fall in less than 24 hours.  As a parent, who was born and raised in Hawaii, and despises the snow and cold, I am really not looking forward to dealing with icy roads and below freezing temperatures.  Still, my kid is a Wisconsinite, so I have to do what any good mother would do—suck it up. Sacrifice; it’s the hallmark of good parenting, right? Winter presents a unique challenge for many parents.  Some days, Mother Nature’s … Continue reading →

Mother’s Day Fun

My Mother’s Days have changed a lot in the thirteen years I’ve been a mom. At first – getting a break from the baby was the best present of all. I remember taking a long hot shower, luxuriating in a cup of coffee, browsing at the library, and taking a walk all by myself. Nowadays, I like to spend at least part of the day with my family. I like to do something that is fun for all of us, but I also like to stretch their horizons a little. So I don’t pick things like putt-putt or an arcade … Continue reading →

Trampoline Games

In May Heather Long talked about the fitness benefits of owning a trampoline. But along with fitness benefits a trampoline can provide hours of family fun. We recently got a trampoline and our three kids have enjoyed it immensely. So I thought I’d share some fun games that kids can play on the trampoline. Some of them you might remember from your own childhood. Crack the Egg The child who is the “egg” sits in the middle of the tramp and holds their knees close to their chest with both arms. The other children jump and try to make the … Continue reading →

Saving Your Pride with Knee Pads

The warmer it gets outside, the more my daughter wants to get outside and play. I am all for that, in fact, I’d rather she played outside than sat inside watching television. One of her favorite things to do is ride her bike. The problem with riding her bike is that she can ride a lot faster than I can walk. So I got creative and decided to go for my husband’s roller blades. Roller blading is a great sport and it can be really invigorating. I thought it would be a great way to let her bike and allow … Continue reading →

Forget the Cleaning – Go and Play

Today was a beautiful spring day, albeit a little windy, but beautiful nonetheless. My kids are out of school on spring break so I decided to take advantage of the fact and have some fun. Even though Monday is typically cleaning day for me I decided to forget my dirty laundry and dishes. I ignored the fact that the bathrooms needed to be cleaned and that the kitchen floor crunches when you walk on it and we went to the park. I stood and watched, the wind blowing my hair. My kids shouted, “Hey mom, watch me!” as they slid … Continue reading →

Roses are Red

Roses are red, yellow, pink, white and a dozen other colors. Roses are grown in hot houses, in plant pots and in gardens. Roses are romantic and ideal and as I mentioned yesterday, something I always wanted to do. There’s a great channel on the satellite and cable programs called HGTV and I went there for some help with what to plant and how to care for it. From a rose expert named Norma Booty, I learned the following: When you’re just starting out to grow roses, you want to choose shrub roses. They work well in a wide variety … Continue reading →