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Thanks to everyone who entered to win the Vtech Sliver the TRex Switch & Go Dino!  (see my review post HERE )  The lucky winner was chosen randomly... ... and the sixth person to comment was Erin C. Young! Erin, I'll be emailing you to get your contact info and get this cool dinosaur in the mail for your son. For those of you who have dinosaur and car-loving kids, but didn't win the giveaway, definitely check them out on Amazon .  They really are cool little toys and I'm sure your kids would love them.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PA Tourism for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. My kids and I love getting in the car and discovering new places together.  Whether it's a kid-friendly museum or an outdoor adventure, it's fun to explore new places and see new things.  Many times we just head out for an afternoon or day trip and we're back home by dinnertime.  Other times, it's nice to plan a little mini-vacation and spend a few days seeing new places.  We almost never take a one or two-week vacation as a family, but rather several two or three-day road trips spread out throughout the year. Whenever I set out to plan one of these road trips, I often sit down with a map and draw a circle that goes 3-4 hours out from our home here in Maryland.  Then I'll look to find interesting places to visit within that radius, knowing that we'll see some fun sites but we won't be spending forever driving in the car to ge...

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of VTechKids for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. At some point in nearly every boy's childhood (and in many girls' childhoods too), there begins a fascination with two things ~ dinosaurs and cars!   At some point in nearly every adult's time as a parent, they discover the wonder of the Vtech brand.   Well, the folks at Vtech did it again.  The brand that's a favorite of so many parents and kids combined two of a child's favorite playthings into one cool toy. My kids and I recently had the chance to check out two new toys in Vtech's brand new line ~ these cool Switch & Go Dinos .  With a few simple twists and turns, they switch back and forth between dinosaur and car.  With a push of a button, a neat little LCD screen will show different facial expressions for the dinosaur and drivers for the car.  With a push of another button, sound effects bring the toys to life with up to 30 fun li...

This weekend marks the "official" start of the Summer Barbeque season.  To celebrate, I've put together these 10 ways to make this year's cookouts more fun than ever!    First, let's start with the fun foods... Wouldn't these cookies be so much fun at a cookout? They're really easy to make . You just put them together  using all store-bought ingredients (they don't require any baking at all!) Find out how we made them HERE . Perfect for Memorial Day,  Fourth of July or any time  you're feeling patriotic, these cute strawberries make a tasty BBQ treat! Simple directions HERE . For a fun way to get the kids (and adults) eating some more fruit, make this awesome Watermelon Shark The picture above shows a shark that I made, but I used the tutorial from HERE at Sun Scholars . When the burgers are done but the grill is still hot, make up a few of these campfire cones. Start with chocolate chips and marshmallows, then add in some extras like peanut butte...

Yesterday, I realized something that made me rather sad.  It's not that my kids are growing up too fast (which they are), it's not that every time I look in the mirror I see more gray hairs (which I do), but the realization that I came to is that  my oldest daughter is just like me. Why is that such a bad thing?  Because, along with a love of reading, a love of creative projects, and the ability to plan out some fun get-togethers, my daughter has also inherited  my undesirable traits  of forgetfulness and procrastination.   I will readily admit that I'm not the most organized person.  I try, I really do, but I'm terrible at remembering to RSVP or bring back library books on time.   I always wait until the last minute to do things.  I think many times I come up with my most creative solutions at the 11th hour, but you can pretty much count on me to be a frazzled mess at 2 in the morning before any big event or deadline.  Unfortu...

Like most kids (and many adults), my children love grilled cheese sandwiches.  There's something about the ooey, cheesy goodness that just brings comfort and happiness to your kitchen, especially on a dreary day.  While my kids like eating the grilled cheese sandwiches I make, I'm not really comfortable letting them stand in front of a hot frying pan to make their own.  We decided to come up with a more kid-friendly version they could help make using another one of their favorite ingredients ~ crescent rolls! Check out our awesome bite-sized version... They're easy, yummy and perfect for kids and adults! Here's what you need:   Don't you love two ingredient recipes?  Get yourself some KRAFT Singles (the best for grilled cheese making!) and a package of crescent rolls.  If you're lucky, you'll also be able to enlist the help of a talented young chef. Here's what to do: 1.  Unwrap your cheese slices and pop open your can of crescent rolls.   (Anyon...

Welcome to our latest Themed Collection! Some of the best times I've had with my kids have been on our many outings and trips. Whether it's discovering new places together or sharing with them a place I've been to before and seeing it through their eyes, getting in the car for a new adventure is always fun! Let's use this link party to share all of our kid-friendly road trip adventures! Think of it as our very own travel guide.  Share your posts about the places  you've gone with kids. Include zoos, museums, parks, historical places, amusement parks, local attractions, etc. If you've gone there, your kids liked it, and you wrote a post about it,  share it here! A few guidelines: 1.  You can link up as many outings and trips as you want, as long as they are kid-friendly.  To help keep this collection easy to navigate, please keep your title brief with the name of the place, the city and the state.  For example,  Herr's Snack Food Factory (Nottingham, PA...

We really like bananas here.  They're pretty inexpensive compared to some other fruits and all three of my kids like eating them.  Like most kids, my three also really like ice cream.  So when I saw a cooking segment on the Today show last spring showing how you can make "ice cream" from frozen bananas, I was all over it.  We made it several times last year and just made our first batch of the summer this weekend.  It's really yummy and hard to believe you can get the creamy texture of ice cream from only bananas. Check it out...   Here's what to do: 1.  Get some bananas.  We used several "extra ripe" ones that I found marked down at the produce market, but any ripe bananas will work. 2.  Peel the bananas, cut them into approx. 1/2" slices, and put them on a tray. 3.  Pop the tray in the freezer for a few hours until the bananas are frozen.  (Once they're frozen, you can also put them in a bag to use later). I realize these two phot...