Kids & Teens

3 Key Medical Concepts to Teach Every Child

May 29, 2020 / 9 Comments

“The kids are playing doctor!” More than one horrified mom has made that statement over the many, many decades that curious kids have been re-enacting their exams at the pediatrician’s office. “I’ll be the doctor and you can be the patient!” Kids instinctively understand that the well-being of their bodies is important.  Visits to the pediatrician are one of their earliest memories.  With a natural interest already in place, it makes sense to include them in family health training.  After …

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The Ultimate College Student’s Emergency Kit

May 30, 2020 / 14 Comments

My daughter packed for college very thoughtfully and methodically. She sorted through her favorite books and mementos, then she went through her clothes, sorted them, and made decisions about what to take with her to her new hometown. During the winter, it’s colder than where we live, so she packed jackets, heavy socks, and all the winter-weather clothing she owned. A college emergency kit wasn’t exactly on her list of priorities. As she did her packing, I was doing some …

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Camp Mommy: Easy At-Home Kids’ Activities for the Best Summer Vacation Ever

June 30, 2021 / 5 Comments

Summer vacation is starting! Summer camps can cost hundreds of dollars a week. As great as those experiences can be and as much as kids can learn, the cost adds up fast. After several summers of my kids complaining about having to get up for camp, mine are only signed up for a few day camps each. That leaves a lot of time for them to drive me insane and get really bored. So, I put together this list of summer …

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40 Ideas for Gardening with Kids (that actually make it fun)

May 30, 2020 / 3 Comments

I’ve gardened with kids, and it can be a scary endeavor. Images of crushed plants and premature picked fruit can make one think that it may not be worth including the kids. It doesn’t have to be a nightmare. I have gardened with 5 kids and am still around to talk about it. Here are some pointers I have used, along with some brilliant advice from others. This is also a great time to take our Gardening Self-Assessment! This quick …

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gifts for adventurous kids

Skill-Based Gift Ideas to Suit Every Survival Kid

December 3, 2020 / 4 Comments

My kids were raised in an adventurous family. We live to swim against the stream and take on challenges of all kinds. At times, it seemed as though I was raising feral children, but now in their teen years, they’ve turned out okay after all! Adventure is good for kids because it developed self-confidence and an “I can do it attitude.” Over the years on this blog, we’ve posted lists of skills kids should have and it occurred to me …

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emergency planning with kids

Do you play the ‘What if …’ game with your kids?

May 29, 2020 / 1 Comment

Our family likes to play the “What if …” game, and it’s something you might want to consider for your family. Playing the “What if …” game lets us talk through different scenarios and do some emergency planning with kids. Hopefully, it will give them tools that we hope they will never have to use. However, if they do ever face an emergency situation, we’ll hope that it was a situation that we’ve talked about before. It doesn’t take much …

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Prepper College Student

The Well-Prepped College Student

May 29, 2020 / 2 Comments

Having the kids away from home without parents is inevitable and a source of worry for all parents. For preppers, there are even more worries because your home is likely prepared for any number of disaster scenarios. If your kid is already preparedness-minded, getting them into a prepper mode for college, or just moving out, will be easy because they share your point of view. Even kids who may think you’re daft for preparing, though, can also be prepped with …

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Surviving the Family Road Trip With Fun, Surprise Envelopes!

May 28, 2020 / 9 Comments

Apple pie.  The American flag.  The family road trip. All long-standing American traditions, and this summer the Paranoid Dad and I decided to maintain the tradition of the road trip.  It was our turn to pack up the kids and head east to a family wedding in Texas.  We would be driving some 2,400 miles, round trip, with a 7 year old and a 10 year old and two 40-somethings whose first question upon arriving at a hotel is, “Are the beds any …

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help kids stay cool

3 Simple Tips to Help Kids Stay Cool in Back-to-School Weather

May 30, 2020 / 1 Comment

It’s hot out there and kids from coast to coast are going back to school. As a former classroom teacher in Phoenix, I well remember the sight of 25 sweaty, red faces coming in to class after lunchtime recess! If your kids are going back to school and you’re concerned about the heat, here are a few tips that I shared recently on The Weather Channel. They’re simple ways to help kids stay cool. 1. Overheating Teach kids to be …

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Why Your Child Needs An Emergency Bucket

August 6, 2022 / 4 Comments

Unfortunately, lock-downs are happening more and more frequently at schools across the country. During lock-downs, students are often stuck in classrooms for a few hours at a time with no access to food, water, or bathrooms. This is not a good situation for kids and teachers alike, and a simple emergency bucket just might be the solution. And it’s not just the threat of violence that might cause kids to be stuck in a classroom. Natural disasters or a catastrophic weather …

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