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Each year, so many of us scramble to put together the only kind of Christmas we believe our families will accept. Before we know it, our wallets are empty, our stress levels have skyrocketed, and somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten that it isn’t the trimmings and the trappings that makes Christmas Day so special.

My aunt Susie is one of those intuitive cooks. She can just throw ingredients together, no recipe required, and the final product is always irresistible. However, with two active little boys running around, she understands that time is precious. These unusual kitchen tools are time-savers that will make your favorite culinary masterpieces all the more

It can really be hard for parents to develop these character traits and attitudes in their teens. But I believe that by starting early and being consistent, teens can become much more self-assertive and less uncertain and unhappy.   One of the most important ways that parents can teach their kids to be self-assertive is

here Jessie Funk is bursting with talent; not only can she sing, dance, and do Disney character impressions that’ll knock your socks off, but she’s also a gifted motivational speaker. Jessie has been teaching and mentoring students for over a decade. She loves to speak at middle school and high school assemblies, leadership conferences and

I’m one of those people who takes pleasure in flipping through cookbooks—as long as I have something to munch on simultaneously, of course. Even as a kid I enjoyed them, my all-time favorite being Wookiee Cookies: A Star Wars Cookbook. Talk about creative! From “Dark Side Salsa” to “Hoth Chocolate”, this book covers all the

With Christmas getting closer by the second, many households have already put up their Christmas trees. It’s the ornaments that adorn the bare leaves, however, that make for the coziest winter atmosphere. Here you’ll find a list of creative ornament ideas that can both save you money and make your tree stand out. Hedgehogs With

From trick-or-treating to costume parties to visiting haunted house attractions, Halloween is a holiday for both the young and the young at heart. Other than perhaps Christmas, there is no holiday that children love more. Without boring or scaring them to death, here is a list of not-so-spooky books that you can read to your

The desire to write has been part of me for as long as I can remember. While still a child, I wrote songs—only in my head of course— I had no clue how to annotate them. Over the years, I have written pieces in a number of genres. Sometimes, the connections that occur with my

(This craft is an excerpt from The Ultimate Guide to Being a Superhero: A Kid’s Manual for Saving the World, Looking Good in Spandex, and Getting Home in Time for Dinner) Supplies: Large t-shirt (used or pre-washed) Scissors Heat transfer vinyl, in 1-3 colors (some retailers even carry metallic-looking vinyl) Mission: 1. Turn the t-shirt