kids

U-Pick on the Eastern Shore

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:33:09 GMT

There are few family activities that yield as much as a morning or afternoon picking fruits. Farms all over the Shore offer opportunities to gather nature's summer treats, while teaching lessons from the land.

Mid-Shore Fun in the Summertime

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:50:00 GMT

Whether it's making mud pies, performing for a crowd, serving up an ace, or exploring a lighthouse, the summer camps and drop-in programs in our area provide something for everyone.

Tricks For Using Up Treats

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:34:00 GMT

Our candy-free stoop is not an attempt to change the world or even keep candy entirely out of our house; it’s really just our way of lightening the load of artificially sweetened garbage that the kids lug home on the last day of October.

A Nationals Family Affair

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:38:53 GMT

The names of every Nationals baseball player are written on our back door in bright-colored window markers. This master Nats list is the work of our ten and seven-year-old daughters.

A Perfect Pear

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:19:00 GMT

“We didn’t know all the sacrificing that would be involved when we were envisioning the business, dreaming big,” explains Alice. “I had no idea because before this I was home for three years with babies while Jordan was working in restaurants."

A Five State Day

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 23:30:21 GMT

We passed sights that made us laugh like the RV Hall of Fame and squealed with surprise when Mitt Romney’s motorcade flew past us on the interstate. The trip was—literally and figuratively—full of peaks and valleys.

Shutting Up a Snoring Spouse

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:44:00 GMT

Mr. Unsavory tackles problems of the slumbering variety.

The Wrong Kind of Sleepover

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:42:00 GMT

Ms. Savvy encourages the judgment to flow freely.

Potty Talk

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:40:29 GMT

It might look funny to see a child doing his or her business atop a Fisher Price Frog-shaped potty in the back of an SUV, but it sure beats wiping it off the slides or swings. As the Girl Scouts say: “Be prepared.”

Learning New Roles

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:47:59 GMT

I am trying to be realistic in realizing that this is our world, her time has come to enter it with some more independence, and I can’t—for the life of me—find a bubble big enough to put around her.

The Definition of a Dad

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:57:00 GMT

I was blessed, as it were, with two fathers: a biological and a stepfather who later adopted me some 25 years ago. Though these men ultimately both love me, one took care of me and the other abandoned me.

What's After Life?

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:27:00 GMT

Allowing children to choose their favorite underwear color seems harmless, but is it just as harmless to let them find their own spiritual path and figure out what they believe in as opposed to following in the footsteps of their parents?

Goodbye Private School

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:49:00 GMT

It had already been a struggle the year before—several hundred dollars extra a month meant we had stripped away as much as we could (cable: gone; YMCA membership: canceled; eating out: unnecessary).

Camping on the Shore: Assateague

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 20:38:28 GMT

For the true beach ambiance—relaxation without a lot of distractions—the walk-in sites are the way to go. You park in a designated spot and walk 200 feet down a wooden boardwalk, until you reach the campsites that lay behind the tufts of wax myrtle.