About Today
Daily consumer tips and advice on more than 500 topics
Ways to Play Outside
My family didn't go geocaching or skating or horseback riding. In fact, I think picnicking was the extent of our outdoor activities as a family. And, you know, if you're gonna just go with one activity, I totally vote for the picnic: Good food? Check. Outside? Check. Laying down while eating outside? Check. I may picnic slightly differently than you.
- Getting Your Kids Into Birding
- Gardening With Your Children
- Getting Your Kids Into Nature
A Crow on the Lawn Means a Grub in the Ground
I'm not trying to be olde-timey here, but that seems to sum up the idea in the article. The pretty cool part of this article is how crows can tell there are grubs in the ground. No, I'm not gonna tell you and ruin your whole day. I mean, I already told you about bugs on my head. Wasn't that enough?
- What is a Lawn Grub?
- Worms: Pests With Benefits
Mother's Day Breakfasts
The goal for this year's Mother's Day is to go to bed early the night before. Last year -- I swear I'm not making this up -- I got up late and I had the kids "help" make breakfast. It consisted of me cussing and them covering their ears. I think I drank a quart of bourbon before we were done. So the upshot is, I'm starting earlier this year.
- Sure-fire Strawberry Shortcake
- Lovely Lemon Bars
This Year: Wine
We've been celebrating Mother's Day the old-fashioned way for a while now: by letting Mom sleep. This involves begging the kids to not fight or throw flour at each other. I'm not even sure where they found the flour.
Anyway, we'll make breakfast (see below), but I need to find something to give her. She reads this newsletter so I have to throw her off some. Maybe I'll get her tickets to Ireland so she can finally meet Bono in person. (See, that's just cruel. Why do you people make me do that?)
- Gifts Kids Can Make
- Project: What's a Mom For?
The Best Picnic Food
I'm having a hard time remembering the number of times we picnicked as a family. I know we picnicked in Echo Lake Park near where I grew up. Mom made the standard fare: fried chicken cutlets and potato salad. And it was the best.
- Perfect Picnic Potato Salad
- Brownies, Pies and Cookies!
Beginning Beekeeping... Wait, Are You Serious?
I'm not anti-bee as a rule, except when they are near me. So I guess my professional title, instead of Beekeeper, would be BeeOHGODGETTHEMAWAYFROMMEer. Anyway, we need bees and I'm all for you learning to do that. Away. From. Me.
- How to Attract Bees
- How to Keep Bees
Attracting a King. Or Monarch. You Know, the Butterfly.
Aww, pretty butterflies or, as my wife likes to say, fluttersby. Walking home from a little league game on Saturday, a butterfly landed on a player's cap and I'll tell ya, it was fun to watch. It only stayed there a second, but it made me wonder: If a cap can attract one, what can I plant that will attract scores of 'em?
- Annual Flowers to Attract Butterflies
- Oh, Great! My Garden Has Caterpillars! Now What?
What Do Single Moms Do on Mother's Day?
I was raised by a single mom (thus my appreciation of lavender, hatred of cigar smoke, and fear of spiders), and for the life of me, I can't recall what I did to celebrate with her. I imagine I just let her sleep while I shoveled eight tablespoons of Quik into my small glass of milk.
- What Is an Adoptive Mother?
- Mother's Day Advice from About.com
Starting the Fun Young
When I read articles like this, I get all worked up and think, "Bah! I did my teen years wrong! I need a reboot." But of course, I wouldn't relive my teen years for a million dollars. Well, maybe a million. Are we negotiating here, or is your offer not really valid?
- Run Safely in the Heat and Humidity
- Are Sports Drinks Better Than Water?
Learn the Lingo: Weather Forecasting
Growing up watching some local-to-NJ news, there was a weather man (Lloyd Lindsay Young) who pronounced humid not the way you just read it in your head, but as hum-id. I still pronounce it that way because someone has to keep the tradition going.
- Where Climate and Astronomy Meet
- What is Freezing Rain?