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How to Clean the Whole House in 15 Minutes

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...

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Alleluia! Finally a Recipe for Homemade Pizza Crust

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?...

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Why Do Parents Cry at Milestones?

  momtimes4.com By Julie Samrick As graduations and other milestones abound this time of year, it reminds me of the bittersweet moments in all parents’ lives when our kids grow and move on to a new...

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How to Teach Kids the Importance of Memorial Day

By Julie Samrick For many people Memorial Day  conjures images of 3-day weekends, discounts at the mall, and when we can officially wear white shoes without looking tacky.  But it’s important we pause...

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New Movie Not Quite “Epic” But Good

By Julie Samrick   Epic is a mixture of several stories we’ve seen before– The Littles, Avatar, The Wizard of Oz, and Honey I Shrunk The Kids.    The film is set when teenager Mary Katherine (aka M.K.,...

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The French May Not Have ADHD But It’s Only Getting Worse Here

By Julie Samrick “Mom, I need to read two chapters for a test tomorrow,” your 8th grader declares.  He shuts the door to his bedroom and for the next 45 minutes at least three different technology...

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Make Flower Cupcakes

By Julie Samrick My friend made these flower cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday party today and I was so impressed I just have to share them with you.   This is how she makes them: Bake and frost...

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Fun Facts About Fathers Day

By Julie Samrick It’s no coincidence that Fathers’ Day is in June, but could there be a better month for dads to revel in our gratitude?  There are barbecues to be had, baseball games to attend, and...

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16 Summer Lessons

  liquidbreaker.com By Julie Samrick With the exception of homeschooling families, there just isn’t as much time to hang out with kids during the traditional school year like there is during summer...

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Goodies Box: A Great Snack Idea for Every Taste

The first week of summer I wanted to stock up on healthy snacks for our family, but mostly for our four (always hungry) kids.  At the time beet chips from Whole Foods seemed like a great new snack...

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“Man of Steel” darker, more solitary in 2013

By Julie Samrick As a girl I swooned over Christopher Reeve as Superman.  I don’t know if it was his strength or that single curl of hair that fell on his forehead. Or maybe it was those goofy glasses...

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Jerk of the Week: Lil Wayne stomps on American Flag during music video

A new category will be on Kid Focused- Jerk of the Week.  This is for the person who does something so egregious he/she must be called out so parents don’t mistake the jerk for a role model to their...

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Monsters University has something for everyone

By Julie Samrick Did you know not a single G-rated movie has ever bombed at the box office? So why aren’t there more of them?  Instead kids’ movies of late are almost entirely rated PG or PG-13.  It’s...

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Despicable Me 2: Best parts are the original’s leftovers

In the first Despicable Me (2010) hardened criminal Gru (Steve Carrell) transformed before our eyes from a tough guy to a softie all by the uncomplicated, pure love of three little girls.  In the end...

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Middle school writer Jenny Lundquist taps into real teen issues

Bu Julie Samrick I had the pleasure of interviewing author Jenny Lundquist recently. She is a novelist with two books for middle school readers on bookshelves everywhere, but she’ll never forget her...

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Magic of 3

By Julie Samrick So much gets easier once a child turns three.  They’re beginning to really communicate; potty training is a thing of the past; less or no naps equal more freedom for all.  And though...

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Turbo is Terrific

By Julie Samrick Theo the garden snail may handle overripe tomatoes during the day but after hours he dreams of navigating the curves of Nascar’s track and the “terrifying, blazing speed” of it that...

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Easy money saving tip

I need to share a quick tip that’s saved me $82 in the past week and it’s only taken seconds of my time. It sounds like an advertisement, doesn’t it?  I want to shout it from the roof tops! If you have...

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Smurfs 2 is a sloppy sequel

Why are Smurfs blue?  And why is Smurfette the lone girl in a community of males? These questions are at the heart of Smurfs 2, the sequel to the hit 2011 Smurfs movie. Thinking he has a chance to rule...

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Why I won’t let my sixth grader have a cell phone

By Julie Samrick My oldest child begins middle school this week and his pleas for more technology have reached crescendo levels.  He’d like instagram on his iPod; he needs to check You Tube on my...

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