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DIY Summer Camp

Spring break wraps up today. Tomorrow it’s back to school; much to my second grader’s chagrin. After nearly two weeks of vacation all I can say is… I’m not prepared for June. Spring break gave us a taste of summer and now I know why area day camps filled up in February. As in the second month of 2012, nearly a half-year away from the start of summer vacation. Parents around here don’t fool around when it comes to getting rid of their kids when school is out. I mean immersing their children in valuable summer enrichment programs designed to … Continue reading →

The Law of Attraction, Cozies and Cats: An Interview with Author Jennie Bentley

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about how I wish I knew any authors who featured cats in their work so I could interview them for the Pets Blog. Well, in yet another display of the Law of Attraction at work, wouldn’t you know my wish was granted this past Sunday when I was on a panel at the Southern Festival of books with Bente Gallagher who writes as Jennie Bentley? Her first mystery in her DIY Home Renovation Mystery series is called Fatal Fixer Upper and it’s due out November 4th. In the process of talking about her book … Continue reading →

DIY Aquarium Backgrounds

Feeling artistic? Think about painting your own aquarium background. Why use an aquarium background? It adds color to your home and aquarium — there are many different backgrounds available at your local pet store or online retailer. Find one to coordinate with your room. It helps hide wires. It helps hide aquarium equipment. Already have fish in your tank? No problem — you’re not painting on the inside of the tank. Paint on the inside surface of the tank can be very harmful to your fish. Here’s what you’ll need: Glass or acrylic cleaners (plain old water and vinegar works … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for January 28 – February 3

So long January, hello February. Here’s the articles Aimee and I wrote to round out one month and start another. Monday, January 28 Sad Stray Pup Update The stray pup I helped puppy sit a couple weeks back was reunited with his owners, but I wasn’t too pleased to find out who they were. Code Red: Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away What to do with the pets if your family lives in one state, you live in another, and there’s a death in the family? Tuesday, January 29 Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away: A … Continue reading →

The DIY Water Cat

Ever since I started incorporating viral animal emails into my blogs, my sister’s always on the lookout for ones that’ll especially tickle me. She hit the nail on the head today with a forward she sent me entitled “Water Leak.” Her message preceding the “story” was: “I DON’T want to give them any ideas, but…” Then the forwarded part of the joke followed: Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills, they knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren’t representative of their actual usage, and no matter how much they tried to conserve the high bills continued. Although they … Continue reading →

7 Common DIY Mistakes (7)

This is it! We at the end of our series on the seven most common mistakes that people make when doing projects around their home by themselves. It has been a long road, and we have covered so much. If you have missed any of these articles, just take a look at the links below this one. You’ll find everything there that you need to catch up on the discussion. And we can come full circle talking about a common mistake that can really be overcome within any of the other mistakes. What I mean is, that avoiding this mistake … Continue reading →

Simple Sanity Savers

Believe it or not, summer vacation just started for students attending Chicago public schools.  Last fall’s highly publicized teacher strike, which affected nearly 400,000 students, forced kids to stay in school through the end of June. But, now they are free and can join the rest of their compadres in making the most of summer… or what’s left of it. If you are looking for ways to keep your kids busy during their break from school consider the following simple and affordable projects: FLOWER POWER Rather than letting fresh flowers go to waste after they’ve sat pretty in a summer … Continue reading →

Affordable Snow Day Fun

  With yet another wicked winter storm readying to slam into several states from New Mexico to Illinois, millions of parents are gearing up for a snow day.  For kids, having a day off from school is a dream come true, but for many moms and dads the unexpected break is a true nightmare, especially if said children turn restless and cabin fever strikes. To preserve your sanity as Old Man Winter blasts into your neck of the woods, consider the following fun and affordable projects and games designed to keep your kids busy and out of trouble: DIY Decorative … Continue reading →

Summer Science

My 7-year-old daughter channels Bill Nye the Science Guy on a daily basis. I don’t blame her; growing up, I constantly tried to recreate Mr. Wizard’s experiments in our garage, much to my mother’s chagrin. Since school left out for the summer my mad scientist has stirred up a bunch of weird-looking concoctions from various benign ingredients she found around the kitchen. However, last week she actually got to experiment with real science projects thanks to our “friends” who help staff a Parks and Rec summer program. If you are looking to prevent brain drain this summer consider the following … Continue reading →

Valentines Food: Heart Felt Cooking

Scouring the internet for ideas for a Valentine’s party? Valentine’s Day is not known for its dedication to superb nutrition, but it can be a great time to create lovely goodies for friends and family. But first, what does cooking teach your kids? For one, it teaches them about nutrition. As they work with you to create meals or treats, they get to know what’s important about a meal. After many long discussions, my daughter now knows about carbohydrates, protein, fat, fruits and vegetables, and why each of them is important at different times. Cooking is also a wonderful way … Continue reading →