Summer camp at home: Week 7 -- Racing cars

With Cars 2 out this summer -- and also because my boys just love cars -- we had to have a week about car racing in our summer camp at home. Last time we went to Disney World, we had to visit Ridemakerz in Downtown Disney to check out the kinds of toy cars we could custom make. My preschooler made a ... well, a rescue dump truck. How's that for customization?Anyway, this week will be about cars

Uhma Spa: The Miami Beach eco-chic urban sanctuary

There are spas all over Miami -- many of the beach resorts have spas -- but Uhma Spa is one that was designed and built to be environmentally friendly as well as naturally relaxing. I got a chance to visit this spa on the Chevy Eco Chic Tour last weekend and experience how being "green" is the perfect choice for a spa.Uhma Spa uses bamboo flooring as well as domestic wood and low-VOC paint on the

Ecoist handbags and accessories reduce trash and help families

You've probably seen those bags made out of candy wrappers and chip bags -- they've been in lots of fashion magazines. I had heard about them, too, but had no idea the company that sells them, Ecoist, is right here in Miami.Last weekend when I went on the Chevy Eco Chic Tour, I got to visit the Ecoist office and learn more about how the fun bags are made. Our group went to an upstairs room in the

Driving to green Miami hotspots with Chevrolet and GreenerMiami

Last weekend, I got to drive the new Chevy Volt, an electric/gasoline sports car. My husband is a Big Car Guy, and I was excited to drive a vehicle he hadn't driven yet! (Score one for the wife!) I texted him this picture of me so he would be extra jealous. I also got to ride in the hybrid Tahoe, a Chevy SUV. Both rides were great.The folks at Chevrolet and GreenerMiami organized a "crawl" of

Summer camp at home: Week 6 -- Out on the ranch

Summer is halfway over. It's hard to believe that in a month, I'll be lining up things my preschooler needs to go back to school. So we're going to enjoy summer while we have it -- a more fluid schedule and more impromptu fun.This week, we're going to be cowpokes out on the ranch:- Visit a local farm. There's a county park a couple cities away where we can see ponies, a pig, goats and even

Miki House children's clothing comes to Florida -- win a Bloomingdale's gift card!

Finding fun clothes and accessories for children that are also unique is something I like doing for my boys or for friends who are having birthday parties or showers -- and a visit to the new Miki House store in South Florida is a great place to shop for them!Miki House has super cute, high-quality clothing for children 6 months to 6 years. The company started in Japan 40 years ago and now has

Summer camp at home: Week 5 -- World Traveler

With our patriotic "America, the Beautiful" themed week of summer camp at home a couple weeks behind us, it seemed natural to have a week focused on other countries of the world as well.It's never to early to teach little ones about the world they live in, and that includes different cultures. Even if my four- and two-year-olds don't get everything we might explore this week, I think they will

Ranger Rick's Geocache Trails comes to South Florida

Ranger Rick, the National Wildlife Federation's ambassador to kids who want to learn about wildlife and nature, is the host of a new adventure -- geocaching! Ranger Rick Geocache Trails is a fun way to get families outside, learning about the outdoors and exploring the world!Geocaching has become a popular outdoor activity. Using a GPS device or app, people find caches that others have hidden by

Meet Mr. Steve, Super Why and Hooper from PBS Kids

If your kids watch PBS, they're probably familiar with Mr. Steve, who plays catchy, fun songs with children in between shows. (His songs get stuck in my head for sure!) You and your kids will have a chance to see Mr. Steve at a South Florida library in just a few weeks!Visit the South Regional / Broward College Library in Pembroke Pines on Thursday, July 21, 10:30 am until noon as part of the

Walt Disney World Vacation Field Guides books for families and kids

As much as my family loves Disney World and as often as we've been there, I have never experienced Disney World with an adventurer or explorer's mind. Now that I have two excellent books by Tracie A. Cook, though, my family's next vacation in Disney World is going to be more interesting and exciting!Cook, a former teacher and perennial Disney enthusiast, has written Walt Disney World Adventure: A

Summer camp at home: Week 4 -- Space

With the last space shuttle launch happening on Friday, this is the perfect week to focus on space for summer "camp" at home.We live about a three-hour drive away from the "Space Coast" of Florida and plan to go there to get a better view of the launch. (We can sort of see it where we live, but it still looks like a shiny blip.) Years before our children were born, my husband and I had it on our

Bird seed ornament favors

I wanted to title this post "Bird seed tree hanger favors" simply because I don't think these creations are particularly ornamental. Birds are going to eat them. And then they won't look nice anymore. But most people think of these as ornaments, so....When I saw these on a DIY blog, I knew they would be perfect to put in the goody bags at my baby's owl-themed birthday party. Guests received an

Around the Home: Front door sign

Wreaths seem to be the most common front door decoration. When I saw this sign (found at Target), I wanted to put it on the front door, though. Not inside the front door -- on the outside.(Also, the tone of the colors matched the tone of the paint on the outside of the door very nicely.)I think a sign on the front door gives guests a better idea of who lives inside. And some, like this sign, can

Host an owl-themed birthday party

It's hard to believe, but my baby is going to be two years old this week. Sniff, sniff.We had a party for him on Saturday with about 40 family members and friends showing up. I don't think my baby knew everyone was there for him -- but he had a good time.It was my husband's idea to have the party at a local wildlife rehabilitation and nature center, where biologists bring out various animals for

Summer camp at home: Week 3 -- America, the Beautiful

There's a long holiday weekend ahead! Independence Day is next Monday. I know lots of folks will be traveling or barbecuing with friends and trying to stay cool. In my plan to keep my boys entertained and learning something for the 10 weeks of summer at home, we're going to keep things simple this week -- not too many activities, both to recoup from my baby's birthday party last week and also

My preschooler's 9 trips to Disney World

On my family's most recent trip to Disney World a couple weeks ago, I found myself thinking my oldest son had now been to Disney 10 times.And I was a little shocked. So I started thinking about that.He is four and a half, so that averages out to be about two times per year. Going to Disney World twice a year doesn't really sound that impossible. Disney World is a three-hour drive from our home ..

10 time savers for busy moms

"Why are you always doing two or three things at once?" my husband asked me recently."Well, duh, I'm a mom," I wanted to say. But what I said was, "That's how I have to get things done."True, isn't it? For any mom?In addition to multitasking my way through the day (which I don't really do all the time), here are other things I do to make the most of my time or to make tasks easier.1. Prepare the

Cars 2

...Two days until the premier of Cars 2! I saw this huge Cars 2 poster in Downtown Disney when my family was there a couple weeks ago. (My husband would call it gigananormous.)From Kung Fu Panda 2, to Mr. Popper's Penguins (which I took my boys to see when it opened on Friday!), Cars 2 and Winnie the Pooh and others, there are a lot of kid-oriented movies this summer. Which do you want to see?

Great American Backyard Campout

This coming Saturday, June 25, is the Great American Backyard Campout. Organized by the National Wildlife Federation, the idea of the Campout is to get kids enjoying the outdoors -- where they feel safe and comfortable.I think it's genius!(Not to mention, I know plenty of grown-ups who would say yes to camping in their own backyard over a wilderness area. Any month of the year.)If you ask me,

Summer camp at home: Week 2 -- Camping

My family loves camping, and because Saturday, June 25 is the day of the Great American Backyard Campout, next week seems like the perfect week for a camping theme for our summer camp at home.My love of camping started early. As a kid, my family camped at a state park and national lakeshore near our house. Later, my husband and I were invited to go camping with friends two months after we were

SeaWorld's Aquatica is the best waterpark for kids!

Crazy confession: There are fewer things I love more than waterslides. (Yes, I'm 11 years old on the inside.) I could live at a waterpark, and I think my favorite waterpark is Aquatica -- at least this point in my life -- because of all the major waterparks in Florida, I think Aquatica has the most for little kids.My family and some friends went to Aquatica last week. It was the second time my

Win a Crayola Timer Light Toothbrush and flossers

What's more fun than a toothbrush that looks like a Crayola crayon? How about a toothbrush that also lights up?The GUM Crayola Timer Light Toothbrush helps kids brush for a full minute by flashing a light that signals to them when to stop. Kids push a button in the bottom of the toothbrush to start the light flashing, and they start brushing their teeth. When the light stops flashing, kids know

Summer camp at home: Week 1 -- Mr. Popper's Penguins

Today begins the first full week of summer for my preschooler. I've got big plans for our summer together, which lasts 10 weeks. If you are looking for things to do with your children over the summer and ways to keep them entertained, please check out my initial post about having summer camp at home. I will post what we are doing each week in more detail.This week, the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

Public gardens are some of the best kind of public spaces, and I was lucky to stumble across one recently: the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The tall wrought-iron gates were open, so I stepped past them into the lush, tamed jungle, looking around at the green and pink and white as though I was collecting colors, and wondered which way to go first. A young couple was to the right, peering over a

Ways to save money on gifts and cards

I love gift bags. I love them so much that I started saving them way back when I was engaged to my husband. I'd get these nice gifts in gorgeous bags that were too amazing to just throw away. Then the wedding came, and the holidays we spent together, and all those gift bags piled up.I couldn't keep all those gift bags, so I started reusing the nicest ones to put gifts in that I'd give to family