Tag Archives: screen free

31 ways to enjoy an old fashioned summer

Remember what it was like as a kid … spending summers traipsing through tall grass, only returning home for food and hydration? The lunch table consisted of balancing a paper plate (if any plate at all) on your grass-stained knees while sitting on the steps, carefully setting aside watermelon seeds for an afternoon “contest.” Today, […]

9 Snow day activities for Work-at-Home-Parents

The sound of a snowplow repetitively hitting the pavement as dawn begins to break can only mean one thing: SNOW DAY. Of course, your child instinctively knows this and is awake long before the usual alarm begins to sing. When you’re a Work-At-Home-Mom (or parent), you need to be able to carve out time to […]

How to ditch your winter blues with these activities

Power outages, sub zero temperatures, snow, sleet, freezing rain, icy windshields and slippery roads. It’s no wonder winter can make us feel a little blue. While we cannot change the weather, we can engage ourselves in activities that stimulate our senses and recharge our soul. Here are 15 ways to lift your spirits this season: […]

Local Orchard Mistaken for Hollywood Set

Tucked between two goat stables, a local bluegrass trio provides background music on a warm autumn day at a bustling apple orchard. In appreciation of the tunes, a group of kids, including my 6-year-old daughter, Lexi, dance an interpretative-irish-step-ballet-hip-hop number. My view of this Disney-coated mosh-pit is mostly blocked as I sit at a nearby […]

Getting outside with a purpose

When I first had the idea of a “screen free” summer, I was unsure of how to approach the subject with a 5-year-old. How would I explain that Sofia the First and The Pioneer Woman (girl likes her cooking shows) wouldn’t be spending much time with us during vacation? I wouldn’t. From my experience, which […]

Looking at a familiar place with new eyes

“This is so fun,” she squealed, sifting sand into a pail of water. Moments later she repeated the sentiment: “This is SO fun!” Hours earlier, Lexi walked out of school with an entire year of kindergarten behind her. As the tiny humans showered one another with affection, shouting “have a good summer … see you […]

This summer, my daughter and I are going on a digital detox. Join us?

Somewhere in between being an active child and having a child of my own, the hopping, skipping and jumping was replaced with clicking, swiping and scrolling. Well, not this summer.