Author Archive: Ashley B
Ashley is a Writer, Stay at Home mother of 4, not to busy to take time to slow down and smell the flowers. I also teach a Mommy and Me Dance Class to share my love of dance.
Keeping Kids Entertained Over the Winter Break
Because of where Christmas and New Years Day fall during the week, many kids have over two weeks off from school this year. While summer vacation is a great time to throw open the back door and let the kids play outside all day, winter’s cold temperatures tend to keep kids cooped up inside. Children […]
Mothers Against Drunk Driving: Holiday Tips to Stay Safe
December is bursting with festivities, and with those festivities are often alcoholic beverages. It’s fine for you to have a few drinks, of course, and drinking moderately can help set a good example for your children of appropriate and responsible alcohol usage. Of course, every year we hear of injuries and fatalities caused by drinking […]
Holiday Bargains: Gift Baskets and Care Packages
The holidays are quickly approaching, but if you’re like anything like me, you spend the first half of December wishing that you’d started your holiday shopping earlier! With many of us feeling the economic pinch, you might not be in the position to spend a lot of money on Christmas and Hanukkah gifts. Homemade gifts […]
Hanukkah Traditions
I grew up with a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, so I was exposed to all sorts of holiday traditions. Although we celebrated Christmas at home, we’d go to my paternal grandmother’s house every December to observe Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights. We’d gather at some point during the celebration to light candles […]
Fall Foliage Photography
This time of year, I love looking at photos of fall foliage. It brings me back to when I was a child and young adult, enjoying football games, hot apple cider, raking the leaves into a pile to jump in, pumpkin carving, apple picking, and all of the other delights of fall. Since moving to […]
Start a Summer Book Club with your Kids
If you’re looking for a way to encourage your kids to read over the summer, one idea to consider is starting a summer book club. Getting the kids together with their friends to read or discuss what they’re reading turns reading from a solitary activity into a social activity and gives everyone a regularly occurring […]
Family Fun on the Fourth
Independence Day is the biggest holiday of the summer, and it’s one that kids love to celebrate. Fireworks, picnics, and barbecues are staple activities, but there are some more unique family activities out there that can make your Fourth of July fun. How about a Fourth of July makeover or a neighborhood parade? Maybe your […]
Summer Learning
As summer vacation approaches, one thing that concerns me is summer learning loss: studies show kids lose over two and a half months of math skills and around one month of skills in other subjects over the long vacation period. As much as I want my kids to have their well-deserved break, I know their […]
National Park Week: April 20-28, 2019
As the snow melts and the weather warms up, you and your kids are probably itching to get outside. While the backyard and the neighborhood parks are fun, they lose their novelty soon enough. National Park Week, which takes place during the last week of April, is the answer to your kids’ pleas of “I’m […]
How You Can Help Families Affected By Autism
You probably have seen and heard that April is Autism Awareness Month. The “ribbon” for autism looks like it’s made up of jigsaw puzzle pieces, and some people have been wearing clothing with the puzzle symbol or decorating their Facebook profiles with the design. By now, most of us are very aware of autism; according […]
