May can be a crazy month for families. End-of-year exams, concerts, projects, planting, parties, recitals, graduations, summer planning, spring cleaning, UGH! – I get exhausted just thinking about it! This spring, as you’re trying to take care of all of your family obligations, be sure to take care...

As my children get older, one of the things I enjoy most is hearing stories from their day- their adventures, funny stories, and even the things they found challenging. I also enjoy asking them questions each year on their birthday trying to capture their thoughts and feelings at that moment in...

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner on May 5. This holiday is a great time to learn about and celebrate Mexican-American culture with your friends and family. But as you do, it’s important to be mindful that some common elements of Cinco de Mayo celebrations (or really any holidays centered...

Last month we shared some great outdoor activities you can do on sunny weather days. But what about those rainy days, which we seem to have had a lot of lately! Here are some...

I had to work last Saturday. As a 4-H staff person, it’s not unusual to have to work on weekends, and I generally don’t mind. However, when I got up on Saturday, I admit that I wasn’t looking forward to it. I was scheduled to meet youth and volunteers from our...

Even though it doesn’t quite feel like spring yet, the faintest hint of warm weather makes me anxious to open my windows and doors to let the fresh air in. It also makes me itch to start going through closets, cleaning out the garage and sprucing up the outdoors! But with so many tasks and often...

Spring has sprung! March 20 marked the vernal eqinox, the first day of spring – and I am SO excited! Every year I hold high hopes for this season, and (though the signs sometime arrive later than I hoped) spring never disappoints. The grass greens and flower buds poke their heads into the sunshine...

One of my favorite gardening memories from my childhood is the small square patch of the garden that my grandma let me plant with marigolds in whatever design I wanted. While the rest of the garden had evenly spaced rows of beans, tomatoes, lettuce and more, my little flower garden was a...

Here in the United States, St. Patrick’s Day – March 17 – has become a fun way to celebrate Irish-American culture. You and your family can join in the excitement with these engaging and educational activities! Catch a Leprechaun You’re probably already familiar with Rube Goldberg machines. You...

The day after Russia attacked Ukraine, when I picked my 10-year-old daughter up from school, she asked, “Is it over?” I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, so I asked her what she meant. She said, “the war with Russia and Ukraine-is it over yet?” Knowing that we hadn’t talked about it at home...