Thanks to Juicy Juice for sponsoring our recipe and ideas for celebrating the summer together. Opinions are always our own. Get additional ideas for delicious family moments here.

Do your kids have a sweet tooth? Mine do. And yet, I have a really hard time serving sugary drinks to them just to keep them hydrated. This fun recipe has been a family favorite for a few years now, and it's all-natural. Just frozen fruit and fruit juice go into this super-sweet and satisfying blend!

To make it, you'll simply need two ingredients (yes, two!)

• Equal parts frozen blueberries (no sugar added)
• and Juicy Juice Apple Juice

Put into a blender, mix, and serve! The blueberry taste is overwhelmingly delicious. And the juice gives it the moisture needed to make it a proper slush drink -- without diluting the fruit profile.


My kids can drink this up so easily, especially on a hot day with some straws. It's a refreshing option for BBQ's and summer parties -- especially when you don't want to serve added sugar.


You can adapt this recipe to include any of the Juicy Juice flavors, and your choice of unsweetened frozen fruit! How about Berry with frozen strawberries? Or even bananas?




What combinations will you come up with? Get more ideas for ways to enjoy Juicy Juice at their website, or Like them on Facebook!

I’m going to guess we’ve all experienced what I went through the other day. I came home from shopping, tired from a busy day and began preparing dinner -- only to find out that I was missing a key ingredient from my pantry. I could either scrap the whole meal, which was already partially created or I could make a quick run to the store to get the missing item.

I opted to run to the store and ended up walking out with 5 extra items that I thought of as I was passing through the aisles. That quick trip to the store cost me about $20 from my budget that I didn’t really need to spend. A well-stocked pantry would have saved me. A well-stocked pantry that included even those staples that you may forget to keep on hand.

We all know that a well-stocked pantry should keep things like flour, sugar, salt, the spices we use the most, a jar or two of pasta sauce and other items that we use on a regular basis. For me, it would be things like canned beans and tomatoes, tomato sauce, tuna, and pasta. I know with these ingredients that I can easily throw together a meal if something comes up and I don’t have one planned.



The following items are some of what I consider "must-haves" for all busy families to keep on hand for whatever arises!

Surprise Guest Comes to Visit

You’ll want to be prepared to offer that guest something to drink and a snack to enjoy while you chat. Be sure to stock in your pantry:

• wine 
• coffee 
• tea 
• salsa 
• chips for dipping 
• crackers - something slightly better than saltines to pair with cheese (you do have cheese in your refrigerator, don’t you? It might be a good idea to keep some on hand regularly.) 
• smoked sausage - the kind that comes in a roll and wrapped in plastic. It can be paired well with that cheese and crackers 
• cookies or pastries - whether it is shortbread cookies already made or all the ingredients to throw a scone together without much hassle, serving something with the coffee and tea is a great idea 

Guests will feel welcome any time you are able to easily entertain them with food and beverages.

Bake Sale Tomorrow 

This happens a lot to parents, I know. It’s the day before an event at school that requires a treat or a bake sale to help support the marching band, it’s 8pm and your child just reminded you. If your pantry isn’t completely stocked, you may be making a quick run to the store.

Hopefully, you have these items in your pantry:

• cocoa powder - good for making cupcakes, brownies or cookies 
• chocolate chips 
• cupcake liners - I prefer the silicone reusable ones
• brownie mix - for those truly last minute moments when you can’t make them from scratch or for when brownie mix IS your idea of “scratch” 
• baking soda - even if you aren’t a baker, this is a great item to have in your pantry for cleaning naturally, for common household uses and in the event of a kitchen fire 
• powdered sugar - this can be used with shortening to make a quick frosting or sprinkled on pancakes and french toast when the syrup is all used up 

Assuming you have the more common staples in your pantry -flour, sugar (both brown and white), vanilla extract and oil, you are going to be able to whip up a delicious sweet treat without a run to the store.

Throwing Together a Last-Minute Meal 

We’ve all had this happen, we forgot to thaw out the chicken, work ran late, and there’s not enough time to put together that lasagna.  Or maybe you just didn’t plan a meal for dinner and you need to put together something to feed yourself and your family.

If you have these items in your pantry, you could make a delicious meal without much hassle:

• canned mushrooms - these go great into a jar of pasta sauce to improve the quality of your dish
• canned beef - this could be added to a number of items to make a meal like a pasta dish, tacos or a quick chili soup 
• dried lentils - this might not be an item you eat much of, if at all but lentils are a high protein food that could replace meat in your tacos, soups and pasta dishes. It’s quick and easy to make so it won’t halt your dinner preparation. 
• broth - whether it’s chicken, vegetable or beef broth, with this in your pantry you can throw together a quick soup in no time 
• canned veggies - it’s always good to have a can or two of your favorite veggies on hand for throwing into a last-minute meal. (Not a fan of the flavor or texture of canned veggies? Frozen veggies in a microwavable "steam" package taste great and are just as convenient!)

One of my favorite last-minute meals made from my pantry is nachos. I toss some refried beans or black beans (sometimes both) onto a plate, cover it with some veggies, cheese and salsa and pair it with tortilla chips, warmed up taco shells or soft corn tortillas. This is made with whatever I can find in my pantry or fridge and always fills us up. (For a more innovative nacho, you can also try our Totcho recipe -- made with tater tots!)


A well-stocked pantry only works when it contains items you will use and will use often. What items are missing from this list that you must have on-hand?

*Need to stock your pantry easily, without a trip to the store? We found that using Amazon's Prime Pantry option has helped us save money and avoid overshopping at retailers!

Words are art. But illustrations are, too. That's why the newest children's book title we reviewed is so super amazing. It's the perfect blend of storytelling and artwork, and my kids (who are all consumed with both reading and creating all day long) really took to this book! (And Disney Hyperion sent me a copy to check out and is partnering with me for a giveaway!)



Drawn Together, an amazing and epic tale of a young boy who connects with his grandfather in a surprising and life-changing way, is told with wonder, joy, and adventure!



About the Book

Author Minh Lê and Caldecott-winning illustrator Dan Santat join forces in a heartwarming story of a grandfather and his grandson as they learn to overcome their language barrier through a shared love of art and storytelling.

When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens—with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words. With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picture book about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.




In addition to being just a great read, we really value the message that it shares. My own kids are very close to their soon-to-be 90-yr-old grandmothers. While they haven't always understood eachother with words (my kids go on and on about programming on Scratch -- something Grandma wouldn't get), they connect in other ways. She makes them cookies. They color her pictures. Their bond is real because they choose to communicate without words!

Dan Santat’s illustrations are robust, vibrant, and packed with emotion, a perfect match for Minh Lê's poignant, and ultimately cheerful, story. Learn about the Drawn Together art process from Dan Santat himself!



You can find this book where your favorite children's titles are sold, as well as at Amazon.com! Learn more about it at the official website. 



Wanna Win? We are giving away one copy of Drawn Together, plus a sketchbook and kid-friendly art materials! To be entered to win, just use the form below by June 15th at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway open to US addresses only. Prizing and samples provided by Disney-Hyperion.

Summer slump is real. Kids get out of the habit of learning so quickly during the three months that school is out. Even as homeschoolers (who try to teach year-round), we slack off a bit during the hot weeks of June and July. That's why this series of reviews is so important!



We were asked to try out The Magic School Bus Science Club, a fun and easy way to get STEM and STEAM learning into your life. It is the perfect program for any child -- not just homeschoolers, and I was surprised at how little time commitment it took to do these kits.

The first kit we will be reviewing is the Fossils kit. Geared for kids ages 5 and up, we did the activities with our 13, 11, 7,-year-olds. (Kids need adult supervision for these activities, so I let my 4-year-old watch from the sidelines.) It came packaged as you see below, which is perfect because it comes through the mail if you order the kit as part of a subscription.



The activities were very straight-forward and generated a lot of conversation from my kids. Here are the main points of the kit and some thoughts on why I think it will work for all families:

1. Almost all supplies are included.

You have to read the directions, as some of the items needed will come from your house. I misread a few of them and assumed that the plaster of Paris needed for the molds needed to be bought separately (which is why one of the photos below is shown with clay). The kit does come with a small amount (enough to do the experiments), so read ahead to know what you'll need to gather. You should be able to do most -- if not all -- of the experiments with glue and scissors from your own supplies.

2. All worldviews are supported.

I always get a bit prickly when we do dinosaur or fossil studies. It's because we have a view of how old the Earth is, and we don't like to have to "revise" materials to suit our needs. The great thing about this kit is that is doesn't even go there. It talks about the process of how a fossil is made, but it doesn't get into time periods. It states the undisputed facts of the science behind the fossil and lets families tackle the age of the Earth on their own time. Bravo!

3. Experiments are simple.

This is the best thing ever for moms who like to "wing it" -- like me! Each experiment takes no longer than 10-15 minutes. We sat and did the whole kit in an afternoon and it was a nice way to stay out of the hot sun and learn something. I had some kids reading the text, others cutting, others gluing, and all engaged. I just read along and let the text and hands-on stuff do the teaching. Easy-peasy!




Here's what was covered in this kit:

• Fossil formation
• Plant fossil replica
• Mold fossil
• Cast fossil
• Painting fossils
• Fossil teeth
• Types of fossils