Summer

Summer fun is not reserved for the young, tan, fit mom. It’s for every mom who’s playing in the sand, not thinking about how she looks while doing it.
I don’t owe my kids a hot mom, but I do owe them a joyful one, every summer, no matter my size or shape.

With the kids at home this summer, the pressure is on to maintain fun and variety in the kitchen, so meals don’t get boring. Here are some fun tips to add a little diversity to your family’s daily menu!

Many travel experts are predicting a surge in travel this summer.  While popular destinations are welcoming visitors, the uptick in traffic plus higher prices may translate into more expensive travel.

If you’re planning a trip this summer, learn how to incorporate some smart spending strategies with these tips.

With summer vacations looking a little different this year, infusing new energy into playtime – and making it a family affair – can turn time at home into a fun “staycation.”
Help battle boredom and get the whole family involved with these fun and engaging activities

Between school, work and entertainment, it can seem like your family's faces are glued to the screen!  Technology is fine, but your children also need some stretches of unplugged learning and fun. 

Here are some tips for creating non-screen fun as a family.

Summer is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a few more staycation plans in your home or around town.

Here are 5 fun creative staycation ideas to wrap up the summer...

Learning shouldn’t stop just because school is out. In fact, stepping too far away from the books can result in a learning loss. However, research has shown that encouraging kids to read just six books, or 20 minutes a day, over the summer can help prevent the summer slide.

Lazy summer days may sound refreshing to parents, however, they may be detrimental to their children’s educational advancement. Parents can help their children avoid this “summer slide” by reinvigorating creativity, innovation and education during the summer.

Enjoying the great outdoors is a perfect way to create fun memories with family or friends. Here are some recipe and activity ideas to make your family's summer loads of fun!

With summer temperatures soaring as they are, it's important to know the typical symptoms of heat stroke. Knowing both the indications and treatments for heat stroke can be a life-saver!

Whipping up some grilled grub is one of the true joys of summer!  Spice things up with Mexican Beef Sliders with Jalapeno Salsa and Avocado Cream, coupled with a side of Roasted Potatoes, then cap off with Strawberry Cream Cheese Tartlets.

Summer may be a break from formal education, but keeping kids excited about learning can be an easy way to keep them active and engaged instead of zoned out on screen time. Here are some ways to encourage your kids to keep learning while school is out with these fun and educational summer activities.

After a long year stuck at home, now may be the perfect time to start thinking about a family vacation! Consider these tips for planning a future trip – even if you’re not certain exactly when you’ll take it.

Research shows time and again that those married couples who date regularly, and furthermore, try new activities together, tend to have more meaningful relationships.

Here are some fun romantic ideas that will encourage time together that will hopefully create lifelong memories.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who wear sunscreen or sunblock every day, we need to talk. Even if you're careful, you still may be doing yourself more harm than good.

Here are a few facts you should know about sunscreens:

A licensed professional counselor talks about the power that self-talk has on body image - and how our belief about our bodies can leverage so much influence on how we do overall in life.

How can we make the most of summertime for our teenagers? Let them sleep until noon and have video game marathons? No!  Have them join the work force. Getting a summer job is a rite of passage, a step on the path to independence.

We wouldn’t expect our bodies to stay healthy if we binged on sugar or never exercised. We can’t expect our souls to stay healthy either when we don’t feed our spirits the Word of God and experience Him in deep community -- even over the summer!

Summer break is great for kids to cut loose and take a break from school, but parents and teachers know well, the “summer slide” can set in and make for a rocky start to a new school year come fall.
Help your kids stay engaged through fun, educational summer activities and programs in your area!