Recent Blog Posts

What do the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus have in common? More than you might think. Like Santa and his presents, the Easter Bunny and his eggs have their roots in European, religious folklore, invented to make kids behave themselves. It seems the parenting tactic of bribing your kids to behave is...
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With Easter only being a few weeks away and us planning on visiting the Easter Bunny at Grandpa Shorter's in Petoskey, I thought it might be time to start researching creative ways to decorate Easter eggs. My kids are getting older (6, 7 and almost 9) but they still love decorating eggs every year. ...
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While some may argue part-time jobs take teens away from their school studies and extracurricular activities, there are actually many benefits to a teen working. As long as they manage their time well, teens can gain valuable life skills through a summer or after-school job. 1. They begin to under...
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We have a saying in Michigan that goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. It will change.” The weather here is always unpredictable, thanks to the influence of the four Great Lakes that surround our pleasant peninsulas. In winter, their waters spawn blustery lake effect sn...
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Easter is right around the corner and April is only days away! Petoskey schools are on spring break this week and the kids and I are staying home, trying to find stuff to do locally that is free or cheap. After making my staycation list, we started talking about local Easter egg hunts that will be ...
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If you live in Michigan, we think you have a lot to be happy about. It was hard to narrow it down, but here are the top 10 things we think make Michiganders happy. 1. You’re never more than six minutes away from a body of water - In Michigan, there’s always a lake, river, pond or stream just do...
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With April being right around the corner it's time to start thinking about some fun, family friendly April Fools day tricks. Even the Shorter family got in on the fun this past week with the classic 'healthy veggies in the Krispy Kreme box' prank! Such a classic prank and super easy to pull off. The...
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Maybe your ancestors played the bagpipes and sang Danny Boy. Maybe they didn’t. It doesn’t matter, because we’re all Irish On St. Patrick’s Day! Here’s a list of places around Michigan where you can dance a little jig this weekend. Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls Boyne Mountain R...
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This week, people all over the world celebrated International Women's Day, a day to recognize the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. Below are a list of 10 women from Michigan who whose impact has been felt in Michigan, the nation and around the wor...
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When winter settles in, it can make it hard to keep up with your fitness goals. The snow and ice make going for a run dangerous. Working out at the gym gets boring after a few weeks. But you don’t have to spend the cold months hibernating. In Michigan, winter provides a whole new set of ways to bu...
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