Yesterday, I took my daughter and her two besties to The American Girl Place in Chicago for her 7th birthday. We made reservations at the Cafe for lunch and planned for her to pick out her very first “big girl” American Girl doll. Since we didn’t know what to expect from our visit to the …

After our recent family cruise, we had planned to stay an extra day in Fort Lauderdale before we headed home to snowy, cold Chicago. We wanted to take one extra day to unwind, possibly visit the beach, and just relax after we got off the boat but before the chaos of real life started again. …

We took a family cruise last week and chose the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam to accommodate our multi-generational family.  We were traveling with ten people ranging from 2 to 68 years old. Since we had three children (ages 2, 4 and 6) and the grandparents, we were looking for a cruise that would appeal to both young …

We just returned from a weekend adventure to the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. If you haven’t heard of this indoor/outdoor waterpark resort, you should!  Kalahari is a full-featured resort that offers something for everyone in the family from the babies to the grandparents. While Wisconsin can be brutally cold in the winter, it’s always …

It’s a holiday week and I wanted to share a little slice of heaven that I like to make for the holidays!  Some may call these “Oreo Balls” or “Oreo Truffles” but I like to call them “dessert balls”.  I’m not sure where the original recipe is from (possibly Ms. Crocker, the Pillsbury family or …

It’s National Fire Prevention Week– Have you looked around your house recently? Did you know that many potential fire hazards go undetected? This is one safety hazard that is easy to let slide because it is not something that stares you in the face on a daily basis. By checking your house frequently, and by …

Tip #1:  Make Your Own! No need to buy new! Make the costumes out of things around the house.  It’s not only creative but a fun way to celebrate the season. Here is how we made a zebra costume with a black hoodie, pair of black sweatpants, white duct tape and some craft foam. No time to …

In honor of planning for a Green Halloween, I decided to make the little one a Halloween costume this year.  I’m not all that crafty so the costume had to be easy.  Plus, I didn’t want to spend a lot so it had to be mostly made with things I could find around the house.  …

Is Six Flags Fright Fest kid-friendly or should you steer clear of it with kids? We were looking for something fun to do this weekend. It was predicted to be a gorgeous weekend (80 degrees and sunny is usually unheard of in Chicago in October!) and I wasn’t going to let this one by without …

It’s almost here — the first official day of the fall season starts tomorrow and that means it’s time to go leaf-peeping, make an apple pie and snuggle up on the couch reading a good book together. Fall is my favorite season of the year when the weather gets cooler and it paves the way …

Sometimes we just want to pass on spending money on a costume that will get worn once, maybe twice. There are creative ways to dress up your child for Halloween, plays, events or even just as a fun activity on a rainy day. Here are some we have made or seen that are worth passing …

We’re far enough into the new school year now; Back To School night has long passed (or is happening now depending on when your child started school) so you and your child have a pretty good feel of what is to come and what is expected this year. Each teacher is different so what worked …