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Life, kids, relationships, groceries, bills, cleaning, carpools, homework, regular work—it can all get pretty overwhelming! Often times we don’t feel like it’s possible to give ourselves a break so we continue on, resulting in more fatigue and more stress. Yuck. There’s a reason they say “Put your own mask on...

Suzanna Vicinus

30 Apr 2018

No babysitter? A Date Night-In can be fun, too. (And, a lot cheaper to boot.)

Babysitters are tricky business. First, finding someone you can trust who has a fair amount of availability isn’t easy, to say the least. Second, they are expensive! When you add the sitter fee to your nightly spend for date night, it could be $100 or more. Ouch. But date nights...

Sarah Lefebvre

22 Apr 2018

Top 5 reasons to take your kids to the library. Spoiler: It’s not just the books!

If you haven’t visited your local library lately, you may not realize what a tremendous wealth of resources they have to offer. Here are my top five favorites: #1 The Toys Kids love toys that aren’t their own. It is a scientific fact. Most library children’s rooms have toys for...

Worcester Central

15 Apr 2018

Green Tip: Find recycling options near you on Earth911.com!

How the heck do you dispose of a broken laptop, old glasses or cell phones? What should you do about that old arm chair or coffee table that’s still in really good condition? Learn all you need to know about reducing your impact, reusing what you’ve got and recycling your...

Suzanna Vicinus

08 Apr 2018

Parenting tips for air travel with the kids. No benedryl required.

Like many New England families, yours is probably ready to exchange their skis and snowshoes for bathing suits and sunscreen by the time winter/spring school vacation arrives. Unfortunately, in order to get to a warm climate quickly, we have to travel by air. Instead of being ecstatic about the change...

Worcester Central

25 Mar 2018

Easter Candy Rationing 101. How to successfully limit without (much) grief.

Worried about how to keep your kids from eating their body weight in candy on Easter? See our tips for stretching out the holiday treats and keeping that sugar rush (and crash) at bay. The Big Guy How to deal with the giant chocolate bunny? Avoid your child devouring all...

Worcester Central

18 Mar 2018

PEEPS S’Mores Easter Treats. Yes, please!

This wins my personal prize for cutest Easter treats EVAH! No campfire necessary! This recipe and photos are courtesy of CincyShopper.com. Check them out, they have tons of great ideas! Ingredients 8 pack Snack Size Hershey Bars 32 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″ Graham Crackers (Regular or Chocolate) 32 Marshmallow...

Worcester Central

18 Feb 2018

Elusive restaurant manners. Teaching kids to mind their P’s & Q’s.

Teaching your kids restaurant manners can be a frustrating and seemingly futile task. It wasn’t until my kids were about 4 and 5 year olds that I felt comfortable taking them out to eat—and even then, all the stars had to be in alignment to have a breakdown-free experience. But...

Worcester Central

10 Dec 2017

Cleaning Tip: Expecting guests? Tackle the bathroom first.

If you can clean only one room before company arrives, tackle the bathroom. This is the only room where people spend time solo and may have the time and tendency to notice a gross sink. While they’re in there, you can kick the dust balls under the couch. Want to...

Worcester Central

19 Nov 2017

Beyond the turkey sandwich. New recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers!

After you’ve had your fill of turkey sandwiches, there are still plenty of options for all those Thanksgiving leftovers! Extra crudite makes for excellent salad fixins’. Leftover stuffed mushrooms could be whipped into a saucy accompaniment for steak! The possibilities are endless! Check out these delicious recipes below using your...

Sarah Lefebvre

19 Nov 2017

Four festive Thanksgiving cupcake recipes! Sweet!

Thanksgiving is all about the pie desserts, but who doesn’t like cupcakes? Here are some fun ones to make for the holiday that will be gobbled up for sure! Turkey Cupcakes from My Recipe Magic Save some of those candy corn candies from Halloween to make these adorable turkey cupcakes. The...

Suzanna Vicinus

12 Nov 2017

Easy and fun Thanksgiving traditions you can start with your family this year!

You know what my favorite Thanksgiving tradition is? Making whipped peas. No one eats them but me, but every year when the bowl of bright green mashed peas gets set on the table, everyone makes exaggerated grimaces and the kids laugh and laugh. Mission accomplished. The holidays are a great...

Worcester Central

30 Oct 2017

Green Tip: Adjust Refrigerator and Freezer Temps

Did you know that refrigerators eat up most of the energy expenditures in most homes? Even adjusting the temperature a few degrees makes an enormous difference in conserving energy. By setting fridge temps to 37°F and the freezer at 0°F, you’ll save energy without creating a noticeable difference whatsoever.

Worcester Central

22 Oct 2017

Super cool homemade Halloween costumes that are so easy and cheap, it’s spooky.

With commercial children’s Halloween costumes being such a big draw for kids enamored with fictional characters, it’s easy as a parent to toss the cashier $25 bucks for the polyester screamfest and call it a day. But the generational tug of homemade costumes is pulling at our heartstrings! Here are...

Worcester Central

09 Sep 2017

Pro Home Tip: Drying small loads? Throw in a towel to speed drying times.

You know how it goes. You throw a small load into the dryer and it takes twice as long because the clothes stubbornly lay flat against the inside dryer arms. Looking for an easy fix? Throw in a couple of dry towels. This will encourage the clothes to move about...

Worcester Central

09 Sep 2017

Procrastination busters. Start your day by eating a frog.

Everybody wakes in the morning with a list of things to do. If you’re like me, some of those tasks persistently show up day after day. Why? Because that particular task makes my upper lip curl with disgust, so I avoid it. But it never goes away and just continues...

Worcester Central

09 Sep 2017

Explaining 9/11. How to talk to your kids about tragedy.

The day we all changed was September 11, 2001. We suffered death on that day, all of us. A death of a loved one, a death of presumption and of tranquility. My kids weren’t yet born in 2001, but each year as memorials are broadcast over the television and ribbons...

Sarah Lefebvre

06 Aug 2017

Worcester just got a little bit sweeter with these new dessert shops!

Looking for something to sweeten up your summer? Worcester has two new dessert spots that have had grand openings in just the last two weeks! Tastetea Rolls 423 Park Avenue, Worcester MA (508) 459-0260 Specializing in ice cream rolls with names like “That’s How I Roll” to “Campfire”. Ice cream rolls...

Suzanna Vicinus

04 Jun 2017

Stumped? 7 Great Father’s Day gift ideas for Dad!

Father’s Day gifts, aaaaargh. Aren’t guys just the most difficult to buy for? And Father’s Day to boot…it’s gotta be something “special” from the kids, but also something that he’ll enjoy and actually use. Here are a couple of ideas that we came up with for the Dad who has...

Suzanna Vicinus

29 Apr 2017

Hey Family: Win Mother’s Day this year with these no-fail gift ideas!

I love Mother’s Day. I also love Father’s Day. And birthdays, and anniversaries and Valentine’s Day. I love these events because they are celebrating someone you care about and it gives us an opportunity to show that person how much they mean to us. Who wouldn’t want to make that...

Worcester Central

08 Apr 2017

Tie-dyed Easter eggs. With a real tie. Very cool.

When my sister and I were little, we used to color Easter eggs by melting down crayons and literally painting on the color. Now, they make it so easy to color and decorate Easter eggs that all you need to do is drop it in a bowl of colored liquid...

Suzanna Vicinus

22 Mar 2017

Enough already! 7 Ways to beat the cold and be warm again.

I’m cold. I’m always cold, truthfully, but now, I’m just perpetually cold. This snow storm was just another March kick in the keister reminding us that Winter isn’t done with us yet. I’m over it! My plan is to outsmart Mother Nature with some simulated warmth until the real thing...

Sarah Lefebvre

12 Feb 2017

5 More Snow Day Activities to Save Your Sanity

Feeling cooped up? Here are a few activities to help keep you and the kids busy on yet another snow day! Laundry Basket Skee Ball If you can get all the laundry done and out of the laundry baskets, try a little game of indoor skee ball! This looks easy...

Sarah Lefebvre

06 Feb 2017

WCKC Winter Bucket List: Kids and family fun in Greater Worcester!

The groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter (sigh) which means more time for winter activities I have planned with my family! During the summer, I sometimes feel TOO busy, but not in the winter. The dreary winter months leave me lacking in creativity when coming up with fun things...

Worcester Central

08 Jan 2017

House Cleaning Tip: Minimize the upstairs/downstairs trips!

Although it’s probably great for my glutes, I loathe running up and down the stairs all day long shuttling this upstairs and that downstairs. To avoid the neverending trips, leave a basket at the foot of the stairs and toss in any toys or miscellaneous items that were brought downstairs during...

10 ways to improve your mood and ‘tude. Peace is closer than you think.

No babysitter? A Date Night-In can be fun, too. (And, a lot cheaper to boot.)

Top 5 reasons to take your kids to the library. Spoiler: It’s not just the books!

Green Tip: Find recycling options near you on Earth911.com!

Parenting tips for air travel with the kids. No benedryl required.

Easter Candy Rationing 101. How to successfully limit without (much) grief.

PEEPS S’Mores Easter Treats. Yes, please!

Elusive restaurant manners. Teaching kids to mind their P’s & Q’s.

Cleaning Tip: Expecting guests? Tackle the bathroom first.

Beyond the turkey sandwich. New recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers!

Four festive Thanksgiving cupcake recipes! Sweet!

Easy and fun Thanksgiving traditions you can start with your family this year!

Green Tip: Adjust Refrigerator and Freezer Temps

Super cool homemade Halloween costumes that are so easy and cheap, it’s spooky.

Pro Home Tip: Drying small loads? Throw in a towel to speed drying times.

Procrastination busters. Start your day by eating a frog.

Explaining 9/11. How to talk to your kids about tragedy.

Worcester just got a little bit sweeter with these new dessert shops!

Stumped? 7 Great Father’s Day gift ideas for Dad!

Hey Family: Win Mother’s Day this year with these no-fail gift ideas!

Tie-dyed Easter eggs. With a real tie. Very cool.

Enough already! 7 Ways to beat the cold and be warm again.

5 More Snow Day Activities to Save Your Sanity

WCKC Winter Bucket List: Kids and family fun in Greater Worcester!

House Cleaning Tip: Minimize the upstairs/downstairs trips!

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