The holiday season brings family and friends together, making it the perfect time to reconnect—even with those hard-to-reach teenagers. Anyone who’s spent time with teens knows that keeping their attention can be a challenge. Between the constant pull of screens, plans with friends, and their unusual sleep schedule, it’s easy for them to drift away. It’s normal for teenagers to pull away a bit from family as they start to explore their own identities and independence. Developmentally, they’re focused on figuring out who they are and may feel more connected to their peers.

Involving children in gift-giving from an early age helps them develop empathy, generosity, and a love for spreading joy. If you’re looking for easy, homemade gift ideas, these treats are perfect for neighbors, teachers, hostess gifts, or just to keep on hand for when friends stop by. Get the kids scooping, measuring, and dipping to create beautiful, tasty gifts that are fun to make and share!

Did you know that National Cookie Day is celebrated every year on December 4th? This delicious day was created in 1987 by Matt Nader, founder of the Blue Chip Cookie Company, who wanted to honor the beloved cookie during the holiday season—a time when many of us indulge in sweet treats. Even the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street has been a big supporter of this tasty holiday!

Visiting a farmers market is more than just a shopping trip—it’s an experience that brings you closer to fresh, local food and your community. Farmers markets offer a wide variety of activities and benefits, making them the perfect family outing. From locally grown produce to handmade crafts, here’s what you might experience at a farmers market, along with the benefits of enjoying fresh, farm-to-table produce.

Fall is a season full of exciting activities—festivals, carnivals, and seasonal celebrations—but for children with sensory sensitivities or those impacted by trauma, these events can be overwhelming. The decorations, costumes, loud mechanical displays, and sudden noises or lights may create discomfort or fear. With thoughtful strategies, you can help your child enjoy the season while avoiding stressful situations. Here are our Top 7 Tips:

At the risk of sounding like a slowing down old geezer, I will admit that one of my favorite things to do this time of year is sit on the front porch with my wife and watch the sparrows, finches, doves, cowbirds, and various other warblers visit our feeders and poke around in the yard. It is an opportunity to leave the phones in the house and chat while listening to avian choirs. Spring and early Summer are just fantastic with the warmer/hot days and cool nights. This year has been really unusual with warmer afternoons followed by lightning shows, heavy rains and then cool air.

There’s no doubt that Christmas cheer can feel more like seasonal stress when you’re hustlin’ and bustlin’ throughout December. However before you settle on plans for you and family, consider these 4 easy tips below.

2022 was a year for the books. On one hand you may wonder, “where did the time go?” but on the other hand we can look back and see how we grew as individuals and as an organization. Before we crunch the numbers and quantify our efforts, let’s highlight where it all started – at home. For us, our home-base is the network of families, donors, and staff members who make the mission possible. Our vision to help heal at-risk children and families begins and ends with our team – so thank you!

In the world of parties, dances, balls and soirées, there is an old phrase quoted in our title. It is important for those attending events to not forget the one they arrived with. It is not a good look and one can cannot anticipate a good outcome if they wander from their partner and ignore their presence. The ride home will not be pleasant and the relationship will likely suffer damage. Cowboys say it like this: “Don’t forget the one who brung ya.”

Autumn, fall, spooky season, Q4 – there are many names for this special time of the year. While the holidays can be a joyous and celebratory time, we know it can be a difficult season for children in foster care who are away from loved ones. We may never be able to make up for who or what is missed presently in that child’s life, but we can do activities to hopefully make them feel loved, valued, and connected wherever they are. If you’re looking for a few ideas to make these last few months of the year special for your foster family read on!