Spring is here! Pending any awful pranks from Mother Nature, we will start being regulars at the park very soon. While we haven’t come close to listing all the wonderful parks the Fox Valley offers, here are 15 worth visiting this year. If we missed your favorite, leave it in the comments.

All the reasons we really like this easy-to-make, grab-and-go recipe. And bonus: it includes everything from veggies to fruit (avocado) to whole grains to protein! We call it “Not your Grandma’s Chicken Salad” since we’re replacing the often-used mayo with savory avocado.

Reading is one of the most important life skills. Yet some children and adults will never know the joy reading can bring. So, how do we instill in our children the love of reading? Here are some steps that we can take to start fueling the desire to read even before they can.

My younger daughter came home from school recently with a library book. It was called “The Book with No Pictures.” She requested that I read it immediately, and I’m not proud to say that I tried to blow her off.

I don’t remember what started the disagreement with my 11-year-old daughter. Maybe it was a late math assignment or a missing permission slip. But I’ll never forget the sorrow-filled way she looked up at me from her bedroom floor, tears streaming down her face, as she asked: “Mom? Why don’t you like me?”

Eating at a restaurant with a child (or multiple children!) can be a challenge. Time ticks about 10x slower when you’re awaiting the food for a hungry child. I put together these Restaurant Busy Kits and keep them right in my car. They’ve been a real sanity saver and have made dinners out actually enjoyable again!

Like any profession, and really anything in life, there is always room for improvement. I’ve been teaching for 6 years, and I learn something new every day. Once I became a parent, my outlook on teaching really started to evolve and transform, and I saw my profession from a whole new perspective.

Just about every birthday from age 5-30 was included, with mostly every other year of their twenties. The idea was that my daughters would read the letters on that particular birthday. So, on their 10th birthday, they would read the letter for that year (one letter from one person for each of my daughters per birthday).

I have decided to take a dose of my own medicine.  Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked in a Preventive Cardiology clinic where, day in and day out, I helped patients set goals to better their own health.  The typical method I used when helping people set goals was to make a S.M.A.R.T goal.  

Is it just me, or does every mom dread a certain little question from their husband after a long day at work? Every day as I leave work and call my husband to ask about his day, I hear it: “What’s for dinner?” Now don’t get me wrong – my husband is great and helps cook meals too, but no matter who is cooking, he always has to ask the question, and it drives me crazy.