Finally, the cold, long, and snowy winter of Chicago is over, even though we always expect some snow until mid-April. Now it's time to plan for fun and memorable spring activities for our family. That means lots of nature activities outdoors, enjoying the blooms and flowers, particularly tulips. Also, it's time to get started with our vegetable … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Spring Bucket List for Families
All the things we love about having teenagers
My daughter is in middle school and my son is in high school. Despite the negative rap about teens in general as well as having teens, parenting in our household has been relatively low-key and easy (tolerable), courtesy of my teen son and daughter. It is almost like the widely advertised terrible twos and horrible threes that never visited our … [Read more...]
DIY Earring holder that organizes studs and dangles
I think each person has a tendency to accessorize with one type of jewelry more than the others instead of owning equal amounts of necklaces, bracelets earrings, or rings. My daughter and I, for example, love earrings more than others. We both have jewelry organizer boxes but they have a limited number of spots for earrings to give space to … [Read more...]
Children’s books that help kids and teens with anxiety and worry
Children of all ages worry about things whether we, parents and caregivers, think they are rational or irrational. They worry about their loved ones, their environments, their performance, physical appearance, and well being. Pandemic and lockdowns in the past 11 months made a negative impact on all of our mental states including children and … [Read more...]
Reach your goals using a habit tracker + free printable
I have been setting new years resolutions or goals for as long as I can remember. I have journals filled with lists of 10 resolutions from each year. Some items got completed or accomplished and crossed over, some goals came back year after year. I've tried many different types of journals and agendas to keep track of my steps towards completing or … [Read more...]
Painting a scenic landscape mural on our garage
We have a detached garage which we see the backside of when we spend time in our backyard. Half of it is siding and the other half is an old non-functional metal door. It also has a window. Our backyard is surrounded by our chicken coop and vegetable garden on one side and a small strip of soil patch where I plant bulb flowers on the other. … [Read more...]
Birthday Celebration and Decoration Ideas during COVID-19 Pandemic
My son turned 15 during Phase 2 of the reopening plans in our state, Illinois. We were under a state-wide shelter-in-place order, visiting our family and friends only when necessary from a considerable distance and with masks. Therefore, any way to celebrate a birthday the traditional way was out of the question. I decided to come up with ideas to … [Read more...]
Compost tumbler vs compost bin: product review and comparison
I have been composting since I’ve started my vegetable garden in my backyard in 2008. It gives me great satisfaction to be able to compost our kitchen waste, grass clippings, dry leaves, and all other garden waste to use them in our garden again. We initially purchased a standard rectangular stationary compost bin and set it up at a corner of my … [Read more...]
5 must-have bike accessories to enjoy cycling with your kids
While winter seems to be sticking around a little bit longer than we'd like it to, we are ready to hit the trails for biking with my kids. Sometimes we bike around the neighborhood parks with a pit stop at the playgrounds, but we usually prefer to bike for longer distances without having to go through city traffic on our favorite trail, … [Read more...]
How I stopped yelling at my kids with this one simple questions
Tell me. Who do you yell at most frequently in your life? Your parents? Your siblings? Your spouse or partner? Your friends? Your neighbors? Your coworkers? Your boss? Your business partners? How about your kids? Think about it and let it sink in while I tell my story.This is the story of how I used to raise my voice at my kids until I … [Read more...]