I updated the site design this morning. I will be making tweaks to it this morning, but it should be all done by afternoon. Let me know if it is not working for you! I mostly tested it in firefox, so if you use a different browser and it looks strange let me know.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Family Insurance for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I enjoy watching comedy programs, but so many times they are not family friendly.  Many comedians seem to think they have to tell off color jokes to be funny, but of course that isn’t true.  So I was excited to see that  American Family Insurance is sponsoring a Stand Up For Family Comedy Special.  This special is hosted by Bill Bellamy, and it features many of today’s hottest comedians providing fun entertainment for the whole family. [Read more...]

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunkist S’alternative for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Most food in the American diet  includes “hidden salts” that can be dangerous to your health. How much sodium are you consuming on a daily basis? Many people consume too much, and don’t even realize it.  To help bring awareness to this problem in a fun way Sunkist has created the Sunkist Sodium Quiz You can take this quiz on Facebook to find out where you fall on the sodium scale. [Read more...]

Like most mothers I see plenty of stained clothing as part of the laundry.  My son is a pro at messing his clothes up, especially when he plays sports.  He loves to slide on the grass and doesn’t mind getting into lots of mud.  In addition my oldest daughter is kind of clumsy, and she frequently spills coffee and other things on herself. 

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I haven’t made a menu plan in a few weeks, and things always seem to go more smoothly when I have a plan.  This is a hectic week for us, since my daughter is going away to college on Sunday and we have a lot of packing and planning left to do. [Read more...]

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kalahari® Resorts for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

This spring my family and I visited an indoor water park and resorts for the first time.  It was great fun, and my kids loved the experience of playing in the water park, running around the resort, eating, and then doing it all over again.  These resorts are a great place for families to relax and have fun at a reasonable price.

Kalahari Resorts is one of these family focused indoor water park and resort.  The  Sandusky location of Kalahari Resorts has many exciting features.  Of course there is the water park, with a lazy river, big slides, little slides all the fun stuff you would expect.  They have one slide called the Zimbabwe Zipper, which reaches speeds of 40 mph.  I know my teenagers would enjoy that one, although I might skip it. 

The resort also has an Outdoor Adventure Park, which features a three-level ropes course, 400 foot long Zip Line Tour, 32 foot high Adventure Climbing Wall and the Safari Adventures Animal Park.  There is truly something for all ages.  Personally I think the Zip Line Tour sounds fantastic, as long as it doesn’t go too high. 

Right now Kalahari and IZEA are running a great contest in which you can win a free stay at a Kalahari Resort valued at over $200.  It is very easy to enter, just click on the link and leave a comment. 

The resort is always running deals and specials, which you can check out at http://www.kalahariresorts.com… 

you can also connect with Kalahari on Facebook or Twitter:
http://twitter.com/KalahariRes…
https://www.facebook.com/kalah…

Hershey’s has recently rolled out a new website to support their nation wellness campaign, Moderation Nation.  This campaign was created by the Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition^® (HCHN), in collaboration with the American Dietetic Association and the American Council on Exercise, to help people access practical tips, tools and resources for achieving balance in nutrition and physical activity while enjoying chocolate in moderation.  This sounds good doesn’t it, and I love chocolate in moderation.

The Moderation Nation website has a number of different tools designed to promote fun ways to be active and promote nutrition.  Hershey’s asked me to take a look at the website and share it with you.  I really liked the Moderation Eating section.  This has a neat tool called the Meal Balancer tool.  This tools looks at the main dish you are preparing, and suggests sides to complement it and balance the meal out.  I need this, since when I plan menus I generally just plan out the main dish, since by the time I have done that I am out of ideas.   Then when I am cooking I throw together a side on the fly, or skip it, or serve the same boring thing I always serve, like potatoes. [Read more...]

Here are some fun (and free) summer craft ideas you can download.  My kids are already complaining about being bored and they haven’t even been done with school for a week!

Summer Crafts

4th of July Crafts

We are going to try some fun Harry Potter science experiments this week and make some jewelery using sea glass.  Hopefully that will keep them busy and happy for a while.  Do you have any good craft ideas for older kids?