People always ask me how I can work from home during the summer, when the kids are out of school and underfoot all day. I always reply that the interruptions of summer don’t even come close to what I deal with during the school year.

I don’t know about you, but at my house THERE IS A LOT GOING ON. Sports practices, Cub Scouts, fundraising, volunteering, school plays, homework, dances…and OHMYGOODNESS the laundry. Summer laundry never has socks. Flip-flops rule!

The school year isn’t easy and if it weren’t for color-coded calendars, strict rules about homework (my daughter gets a break after school, but my son doesn’t…because that is what works, so I’m sticking to it), and carpooling, I don’t know how I’d get through it.

Both kids have to empty their backpacks when they get home, wash their hands, then have a snack. It’s a well-oiled machine over here! Just don’t look at my desk, or my to-do list. They can choose from fresh fruit, a cheese-stick, or if they’re really lucky, on chilly days I’ll have something warm for them. My son likes to have tea, my daughter likes to have Tyson® Any’tizers®.

And, in addition to being one of my daughter’s (and her friends’) favorite snack foods, Tyson® Any’tizers® has a “School Year Survival Guide” on Facebook; with tools to manage your schedule (including downloadable calendars), to rejuvenation tips for mom and dad. Yes, please.

Check out their great tips and share your own, oh and while you’re there don’t forget to sign up for promotions and events.

Trust me, your kids will thank you.

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This morning, the young, English-Irish boy-band, One Direction was on the Today Show. This is why I sang, “What Makes You Beautiful” roughly 5,000 times today. Send help.

I’m not necessarily a big fan, but they have catchy tunes and I had the show on behind me as I worked. I couldn’t help but hear the screaming. Their demographic is decidedly high-pitched.

I don’t know why young girls make shrill sounds to prove their affection, but it’s certainly nothing new. I did the same thing for Rick Springfield, Jack Wagner, and later John Stamos; which says more about General Hospital’s casting than it does about music.

Girls scream, weep, and reach their arms out to the performer and, if touched, vow not to wash their hand forever. Have you ever seen me with soap on my left hand? That’s because I’ve been Jessie’s Girl since 1982.

Of course, the yelling isn’t just limited to the fans of male singers. I once took my daughter to a Hannah Montana concert (this was before anyone knew her as Miley) and after listening to 18,000 fans greet the band, my ears rang for days. I’m pretty sure Taylor Swift wears her hair long to hide her earplugs.

So, what say you? Is this a right-of-passage for all young girls or should we be telling our daughters that screaming and crying over someone you don’t know is kind of ridiculous – because it is, you know?

But, for the record, screaming on a roller coaster is TOTALLY legit.

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When I was a kid, my cousins used to have marathon sessions where we played board games for hours. We would carefully set my grandmother’s dining room table with the board, pieces, and/or money. We would stack cushions on her wooden chairs so we could be assured a soft spot for the entire afternoon, tossing pillows as we went if it got to be too soft.

We also spent many days outside playing. Entire days. From morning until night, we ran, climbed trees, rode our bikes and had many a snowball fight in the winter.

These days, my kids don’t do much of either of those things.

Gone are the days when kids sat around the kitchen table and played board games all day; there are just too many distractions and kids are too impatient. And, to be honest, it’s not safe to let kids do the type of things that I did when I was young. It’s a different world. They get exercise with organized sports, but sometimes that is more work than fun.

That’s where Wonder Forge games come in. I recently received two of their games to try out and they provided active entertainment for my son. We moved, we didn’t get bored. We played like I was a kid again!

He has long been a fan of Jake and the Never  Land Pirates (he’s literally watching it on the computer as I type this) so I knew he would be excited to try the Never Land Challenge Game, but what I didn’t realize is that he would have fun while getting some gross motor skills! Okay, I did too. When was the last time YOU tried to balance something on your head? How about crab walk? That’s what I thought.

We also tried out the Dr. Seuss Fun Machine Game Tiles, which pair with an app for memory and matching challenges for 1-4 people. I won’t lie. My son had a hard time getting this away from me. I’m 41, but I’m a kid at heart!

Wonder Forge has won more than 100 awards for excellence and has many great games to choose from (I JUST noticed their MythBusters game – my daughter is a HUGE fan – and it has 5 star reviews). Check out their site and see for yourself; they are a great resource for family friendly games.

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My son’s Cub Scout troop went around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon to drop off bags in which people can leave canned goods. Next weekend, the troop will collect the bags from the porches of those who wish to donate and the boys will deliver the items to those in need.

Of course, my 10 year old son proved that no good deed can go without some tomfoolery, because as the first neighbor opened the door, my son asked, “Trick or treat?”

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