Tip: Traveling Sandbox Toys

With the plethora of collapsible kitchen items and travel accessories, you can make a flat pack sand toys kit for that family trip to the beach

1-2 collapsible bowls
1 collapsible colander
2-3 plastic cookie cutters
2 collapsible travel cups
1 set collapsible measuring scoops
1 small plastic shovel (optional)

And you are good to go!

A family of three distinct personalities and one plan for the back deck....

Last night my family had Chinese take-out for dinner with each family member getting their own dish to highlight that we all have distinct personalities and at dinner I introduced a plan for the back deck that worked with all personalities and my family was a go (to quote an old favorite TV show, the A-team, "I love it when a plan comes together.")

To elaborate—one planner, one who does well under pressure and one with an organizing gene and the plan: to order a new picnic table and benches in 48 hours from internet research and the organizer gets to set it all up and have a budget to buy cushions (she is only 8 years old).

Not the usual Monday

Tea with one friend, lunch with another, the gym in between and the solution to our backyard dilemma-- just replace the table and benches now and the rest when we someday redo the backyard (removing the PIA above ground pool).