The recent passing of Sam McBratney reminded me of tender, deep memories of reading his best-selling book. It seems like just yesterday we were reading this book, but it’s been a surprisingly long time. It was a gift to us when we had our first child, and was read many, many times. We didn’t have…
We’ve been home for seven months now, due to a coronavirus causing COVID-19 disease. This period has been long, but the uncertainty hasn’t waned. The things we have done seem like the stuff of movies. As we went into our time at home, I couldn’t help but find similarities to the movie, Bird Box, as…
This tutorial is for a child size cloth mask with a filter pocket and straps. I saw a lot of people posting on social media about making cloth masks, and it looked like an easy craft to pass the time, so I thought I’d make some for fun. I’m sharing how I made them in…
Are you feeling like the idea of family costumes is inconceivable? Does it seem like pulling it off is like trying to find the six-fingered man? Putting together theme costumes can be as complicated or as simple… as you wish. After a family viewing of The Princess Bride, our four year old went around performing,…
If you ever need a family or group costume, I highly recommend Wizard of Oz. It’s easily adapted to small or large groups, and we all love the color and magic of that 1939 film. The kids immediately knew which characters they wanted to be. I was so happy to see them so into…
On the lookout for family or group costumes? This classic is a crowd-pleaser. Who doesn’t love the nostalgia of Popeye the Sailor Man? And how cute is Swee’Pea? Our family may be known for our family costumes, but this one was one of our very first. When our older son was two, his first time…
Forget bipartisan politics. This Coronavirus has all the strong opinions coming out. There seem to be two extremes in the spectrum of reaction. As a mom with some health department and emergency management background, I’ll offer what I can here. You’re already doing things right. This health event involves a lot of the same…
I’ll never forget the first time I discovered lice on my kids. I didn’t know what lice or nits would look like, and when I found a suspected egg sack, it was too small to see what it really was. I used my kid’s microscope to see what we had. It was definitely a nit,…
Every year, when it comes time to trick-or-treat, I run into a last-minute scramble for a container for the kids to collect candy in. I love the tradition of the orange pumpkins, but they are awkward to carry, and take up a ton of space to store all year. Plus, they don’t jive with the…
Today is Harry Potter’s birthday! We did a little craft to celebrate! The kids have really been into making wands with Legos or whatever they can get their hands on, so we made wands today. These wands just happen to be yummy. I also decided on this craft because it’s so stinkin’ easy and we…