We’ve been following One Good Deed, the blog of writer Erin McHugh as she chronicles the year she’s spending doing one good deed a day. Erin's blog has had all of us at JoFrost.com thinking what we good deeds we could work into our lives daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly. Since Erin’s now a pro at good deeds (and soon will have a book out based on her year of living "goodly"), we asked her to give us some hints on how parents and kids could get involved in her good deed movement and where she comes up with her ideas for daily deeds…

Are you a parent or co-carer looking for Jo's advice and want to take part in the next season of Extreme Parental Guidance? Click through for more details…

We're bringing the East and West sides of the Atlantic together this month for a Christmas recipe swap! We chose recipes that were similar, but ultimately served a little differently from each other. Take this holiday season to try out something new at your Christmas dinner table! Yorkshire pudding or Popovers, Mincemeat Pie or Apple, there's something for everyone!

Lately, we've been reading up on how technology (computers, cell phones, videos games, social media, text messaging, etc) is affecting kids and their ability to focus on school work. It's worrisome to read how grade point averages are going down, attention deficit is going up, and the pressure to be in-the-know is at an all-time high for 'tweens and teens.

What we found particularly interesting were the opposing quotes from parents. Some said their kids need to consume 4-8 hours of digital life a day because it will help them in the long term. Their feeling was, those who stay on top of digital trends and media are the ones who succeed in the world. Other parents are worried the mass consumption keeps kids in front of a screen and not moving around or engaging in face-to-face activities or conversations. Their belief is that passive entertainment is not how the real world works. But here's something every parent–regardless of what side they're on in the digital divide–needs to know…

Whether it's once a week or once a month, get everyone in your house involved in giving back to the community. Clean up a neighborhood park, bake some goodies to take to a local nursing home, or take some dog treats and tennis balls over to the local dog shelter to play with the pups. Start small …

When we set out to write our eNewsletter on health and wellness, we thought we’d find a ton of interactive sites and great info for parents. Though we did discover a lot of informational sites, we were hard pressed to find ones that hit the trifecta of being fun, resourceful and interactive. Luckily, thanks to people like Alice Waters, Jamie Oliver Tony’s Plate, and the Muppets of Sesame Street, all of that is changing. These fine folks (and Muppets) understand today’s caretakers are looking to the web for teaching tools and activities for kids. The sites listed below get a five-star rating from us; they are the peas to our corn, the dessert to our dinner.

It's almost Back-To-School time! Though for some of you, school may have started already (lucky you). Instead of the traditional back-to-school message, we wanted this August to be about YOU, the parents, grandparents, caretakers, etc. because we know you've worked hard and played hard this summer. As the children transition back into a new school year, make sure you take some time out of your busy day for yourself. Reinstate date night, take an evening off and order in a pizza, assign the kids some extra chores (like dusting, table-setting and vacuuming) to help you make the transition back into a routine.

As we enter into August, many families begin thinking (sometimes even counting down) the days left till the new school year commences. However, for the parents of those going off to college, the days are bittersweet. Filled with loves, tears, battles, stress, and excitement, college is an excellent and tumultuous time for parents and their newly minted college students. To help ease the transition, we've compiled a few links that will help parents and their teens to mentally and physically prepare for the journey ahead.

WARNING: The following will be absolutely killer on your lawn, but it's guaranteed fun for the kids (and adults!)



Create your own waterpark! 



While you're working on the yard, getting things together, have your children come up with a name for the water park. Then, have them decorate a large piece of poster or foam core board with the name of the park and some water-themed illustrations. They can also make signs for individuals "rides" adding their own names to each. Stake these signs into the ground by attaching the posterboard to a yard sick and hammering it into the lawn. 

We're putting this space on hold for the month to bring you an announcement about the website.