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