Holly at Nap Time

School is just about out for the summer, and the age-old question comes back to all of us parents: how do we keep the kids entertained without busting our wallet? The pools and parks are great, but sometimes it's just too darn hot to be outside. Then what? AMF has the answer this summer - the AMF Summer Unplugged program. Kids 16 and under can receive 2 FREE games of bowling every day from Memorial Day to Labor day. Wow! How Does it Work?? Visit this link to find a participating AMF location near you and sign up! Program is good for two FREE games of bowling each day for kids 16 and under (does not include shoe rental). Free games must be played during open bowling before 8pm. Coupons will  be emailed to you each Sunday for the upcoming week. Fun For the Whole Family Just because the FREE games are reserved for kids 16 and under, doesn't mean that there can't be fun for the whoe family at a great deal. Families of registered kids can pay a ONE TIME fee of just $2

The drippy faucet, the clogged shower drain, the humming garbage disposal, and the consistently running toilet. For decades, these are problems that have plagued stay-at-home-moms and housewives everywhere. When I was still working full-time, the little problems around the house didn't really bother me all that much, mostly because I wasn't around all the time to notice them. But the stay-at-home mom gets irritated by the little things easily - we all know that!  I knew it wasn't fair to ask my husband to fix things. In the little time he has at home (he works full-time and is also going to school for his MBA) he needs to be relaxing and enjoying time with his daughter. I also knew that we don't have the money to call out a handy-man every time that we have a little problem at home.  With a little research and a simple tool set, I decided that I could at least attempt to solve promblems for myself. Enter YouTube . With a little help from handy-men and women all ar

Shopping with a toddler. As any mom well knows, you can barely get into the store without a sympathetic look from a woman shopping kid-free, or a better-you-than-me stare from a middle aged man. We all know it. Shopping with a toddler is not easy. With AJ, shopping really has no middle ground. She's usually either fantastic, or a little devil. No in between. And then one day as we went to the grocery store to pick up a few items, she spotted the pimped out shopping cart. She knew exactly what it was for, and climbed right on in. Part shopping cart, part toddler dream - AJ was so happy to be driving and steering her way down the aisles of our local grocery store. "Beep, beep!" she would exclaim as she pounded on the horn. Thank you pimped out shopping cart, for making our trip to the grocery store bearable. AJ even seemed to understand when it was time to load up the car and go home. She, thankful for her experience, said bye-bye to the car and we went happily on

                        Max on Life                                                          By Max Lucado As a pastor, Max Lucado received a lot of questions. Difficult, the answer might change your life kind of questions. In his book, Max on Life , he attempts to answer 172 of the "tough questions" that Christians face these days. More than a few of them are the kind of questions that I'm sure you've pondered, but would never have the courage to ask a person of religious authority. Max doesn't promise to know all the answers, but he does direct each question to guidance in the scripture as well as using real life examples. I enjoyed reading Max on Life . Max covers 7 categories of questions, including: Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Haves/Have-Nots, and Hereafter. Whether you're a devout Christian, or you're not really sure what your place is in this world yet, Max on Life is the launching pad for the answers that you're seeking. Max answers

It's Friday, and I'm trying to get back into the swing of answering one of the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind each week. The difficulty is that the questions seem to be getting more and more difficult. :) That's kind of how life goes though, isn't it? If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Newborns come into this world knowing nothing at all. As parents, it's our responsibility to mold them into upstanding citizens and guide them in the ways of life. It's not easy. Nobody ever claims that it is; the fact is that once you're a parent, you'll always be a parent for the remainder or both yours and the child's life.   BUT - if I could only offer a newborn child one piece of advice to go out in the world with, it would be to Know God. I feel like it's a subject that I could write on and on about, but that I don't need to. The truth is that if you know God, and seek God, then everything else

Tithing: Test Me in This By Douglas Leblanc Tithing by Douglas Leblanc is part of The Ancient Practices Series. If you're a Christian looking for information on tithing, this is the book for you. It's relatively short, consise, and unjudging. Tithing is the act of giving 1/10th, or 10%. This means different things for different people. For some it means giving 10% to their church, for others it means giving 10% to those in need. The tithe has long been a debate in the Christian community, and Leblanc does his best in this book to share the stories of 11 Christian and Jewish families and their personal takes on tithing. I enjoyed reading Tithing. The personal stories were both touching and inspirational. Time after time, the stories came back to their title theme: test me in this, from Malachi 3:10 : "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the flo

I love BabyLegs in the Spring. There isn't anything more practical and reliable for those little legs on chilly mornings and cool evenings, when the day between is warm. Just carry them along in your diaper bag and use them as needed. There's no better way to add style to your toddler's wardrobe! (And as my BabyLegs drawer can attest... we're big fans in our household.) I was thrilled to review some of BabyLegs Spring Line, and you better believe I've got another giveaway for you - a BabyLegs Grab Bag worth $50!  AJ rockin' the Blooms Leg Warmers  One of the items we reviewed this Spring is the Blooms Leg Warmers . LOVE them! One of the greatest thing about these little leg warmers is that they are going to provide years of style for my little girl. BabyLegs one-size-fits-most leg warmers are stretchy, stylish, and made to last. Not to mention they are the perfect accessory to any outfit. Everytime AJ wears BabyLegs out we get complimented. 

I remember when I was around eleven years old, our school teacher sat us all down and did her best to create a fun lecture about personal hygiene and how we were all old enough, and privileged enough to start using deodorant. She then passed around miniature sticks of deodorant for all of us, and I remember that my friends and I felt so cool to take this very adult step. Looking back on it, I'm not sure whether or not this was standard public school protocal at the time, or whether there was a stinky kid in the class that my teacher had taken pity on, but this suttle approach to our changing bodies was just right. Unilever is taking a similar approach, offering support to tweens and parents alike, in a new campaign called Don't Fret the Sweat . Also, don't forget to check out Facebook.com/DontFretTheSweat for money saving offers and tips from the experts. Parents can also get valuavle information about how other parents are communicating and transitional their tweens