by Betsy Stern | Feb 1, 2022 | uncategorized
It may be near zero outside and months away from spring, but it’s never too early to start thinking about SUMMER! If you’re anything like me, dreaming of warm, sunny days on a gray January morning helps make the long winter bearable. And, for those of us with kids... 
by Betsy Stern | Jan 25, 2022 | uncategorized
My kids both LOVE the bathtub. Even now that they are old enough to use the shower if they choose, they still love the comfort and warmth of a good ol’ fashioned soak in the tub. They still make “potions” out of soap and water. They still love to blow bubbles. They... 
by Betsy Stern | Jan 17, 2022 | uncategorized
Last winter, our local park district brought activity bins to neighborhood parks with a bunch of fun snow activities inside. They had brick makers for building snow forts and games you could play in the snow. The most popular item in the bins BY FAR (in our... 
by Betsy Stern | Dec 25, 2021 | uncategorized
Both my kids are excessively motivated by rewards. They love praise. They love to hear they did something well. They love treats, prizes and stickers for a job well done. We learned early on with my oldest that rewards seem to work A LOT better than nagging,... 
by Betsy Stern | Dec 21, 2021 | uncategorized
My family LOVES games – board games, card games, charades, hide and seek…you name it, and we are IN! My kids are now 10 and 7 so our repertoire of games has expanded quite a bit, and they are now able to play more advanced options. Which brings us to our... 
by Betsy Stern | Dec 13, 2021 | uncategorized
As the holiday season ramps up and I find more and more packages arriving at our front door, I realize (as I do every year) that we have a LOT of stuff. Staying on top of clutter and excess items can be a never-ending job. My kids are constantly growing out of... 
by Betsy Stern | Dec 6, 2021 | uncategorized
The holidays are sneaking up on us, and we are now deep into gift finding/buying/making season. Whether you love to hit the mall looking for just the right thing for your loved ones, or whether you love to sit in a cozy house crafting something unique, there are a... 
by Betsy Stern | Nov 29, 2021 | uncategorized
I don’t know about you, but this time of year I start getting the itch to purge. My son has a December birthday, which is closely followed by Christmas, and I know very soon we will have toys, gadgets and gifts arriving and filling up our home. I LOVE to give. It’s my... 
by Betsy Stern | Nov 22, 2021 | uncategorized
It’s gift season, and if you’ve been paying attention to the news the past few months, there is likely to be a lot of delivery and supply chain issues this year. That means ordering from online retailers may spell trouble for getting your gifts in time (unless you’re... 
by Betsy Stern | Nov 15, 2021 | uncategorized
Last week we received several toy catalogues in the mail, and my kids absolutely love to go through each page and circle toys they are hoping to receive. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say my 7 year old daughter circled over 100 items. She loves Barbies and...