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

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

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

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

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