Over Thanksgiving my kids and I discovered the Food Network show, Chopped. The premise of each show is 4 chefs from different walks of life demonstrate their culinary skills for 3 judges by creating 3 courses (appetizer,entree and dessert), using 3 specific ingredients for each one. The goal is not to be “chopped” after the… Read more
Making homemade pizza crust is something I've tried to master for quite some time. I've even been known to say it's on my bucket list. How could combining some flour, yeast, and oil be so difficult? Why is it so
By Julie Samrick This weekend my kids wanted to go to the park. They wanted to swim. My husband said, "We need one day to clean up. Every room in the house looks like a hurricane hit it!" He went in the backyard
By Julie Samrick Dear Tracy, I am sorry I can’t make your bachelorette party later this month. I would like nothing better than to kick up my heels with you and dance, to celebrate the next wonderful chapter of
By Julie Samrick Can you tell what this is? It’s a clay gorilla, created in its entirety by my seven-year-old daughter. The school assignment was to create a rain forest animal at home and
By Julie Samrick It’s evident why 16-year-olds throughout America’s classrooms continue to read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby nearly a century after it was written. The slim novel is packed
By Julie Samrick Like many other little boys, when my now 9 and 10 year old sons were little they were obsessed with trucks. They could point out and identify every variety- cement mixers, big rigs, tow trucks, and
By Julie Samrick It’s hard to keep movie spinoffs fresh, and so is the case with Iron Man 3. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark, defense contractor turned Iron Man in the third installment of
By Lowry Manders I recently heard author Bruce Feiler interviewed on NPR about his book The Secrets of Happy Families and as I listened I thought to myself, “I have got to get a book published!” He is echoing so much of the things I preach (and try to live) about how to create happy ... Read more
By Julie Samrick “Christmas will never be as magical until you have children of your own,” my mother told me sadly after I declared there was no such thing as Santa Claus. When another little girl spilled the news to me at school, first putting any doubt in my head, I quickly lumped the ... Read more
By Erin Kurt Throughout the years of being a teacher, mother and parenting coach, I realized that there are some very powerful phrases, that if used consistently, can be extremely effective when parents are trying to get their child to listen or to get them to do something instantly. Here are ... Read more
