Let’s be real, parents. This is a judgment-free zone. How many times have your kids begged you to play a game with them and your immediate reaction is pure dread? It’s not that you don’t want to play with the little boogers. You just don’t want to play what they want to play—because most of their games suck.

It’s the same idea as when they pick a crappy Disney character book to read. I love reading to my kids (my Bookworms series is proof of that). I just don’t love reading crappy books. So I decided to take what I did with children’s books and do it with kid’s games: I put together a list of kids games that adults won’t hate playing.

Keep this list in your pocket for your kids, for birthday parties, nieces and nephews, whatever. Just know that any and all parents involved will love you for it.

I think and talk a lot about not pigeonholing girls into what are typically thought of as “girl” categories. I’m the mother of two girls, so that makes sense, no?

I know that making girls believe they belong in certain categories (whether on purpose or by accident) can be seriously stifling. And I think the same thing is true for boys.

The whole gender neutral toy thing is sort of a hot button issue. There’s this whole should girls toys all be pink and purple battle that people spit fire over. I have a difficult time falling on either side of the argument because I don’t think either side is completely right.

Should girls only have pink and purple marketed to them while boys have darker more “masculine” colors aimed at them? No. You know why? Not all human beings are the same. Some girls (like mine) really like pink and purple. They have a pink and purple bedroom and I routinely joke about the fact that it looks like someone vomited pink and purple all over our house. There’s nothing wrong with that. They like it. Some girls really don’t like pink and purple. There’s nothing wrong with that either. They’re colors. There should be a variety available for the variety of personalities out there.

Then there’s the whole debate about boys playing with dolls and girls playing with trucks. As a mother whose three year old can frequently be found hammering away at her work bench while wearing high heels, I think it’s ridiculous that this is even a conversation.

I’m going a little crazy lately. Have I made that clear enough yet? Like, seriously considering ripping my hair out crazy.

Samantha came home from school the other day in full-on, in your face, non-stop energy mode. Most days, I can deal with this. But on this particular day I knew my husband would not be home to grant me a reprieve and I had spent the entire day (and the better part of the last week and a half) tending to a baby who felt like total crap.

I did not have the energy or patience to come up with an elaborate activity for her to do (the only kind she seems to accept) and I couldn’t imagine holding onto my sanity if she remained bored.

Luckily a package arrived in the mail addressed to Samantha at the absolute perfect moment. With all that has been going on lately, I had totally forgotten that Little Passports had offered to send us a trial package–and I’ve never been happier to get a package addressed to Miss Samantha.

In case you’re not familiar with Little Passports (I mentioned them in my roundup of experience gifts), it’s a subscription box service for kids that follows two characters on an adventure and teaches about geography, culture, and history in the process. Pretty cool, right?

She was a wee bit stoked.

A super simple way to remove sticky residue naturally—and make recycled bottle vases.

I’ve turned my kids into hoarders. I’m not sure if it’s nature or nurture, but it’s happening. While I might complain about the constant accumulation of scraps of paper, junky plastic mementos, and wrappers that smell like their favorite candy, these girls of mine definitely got their inability to let things go from their momma.

I absolutely loathe throwing something out that is still perfectly useful—even if I’m not sure how it might be useful to me at this very moment. Sometimes I’m good and I throw everything into a donate pile. Other times, not so much. I stash things in a closet or a drawer or in a pile on the dining room table waiting for some sort of inspiration to strike.

So it was with a few empty bottles. I know. Just throw them in the recycling, right? I couldn’t do it. I shoved them into a corner of the dining room hoping my husband wouldn’t notice them while I tried to figure out a way to repurpose them. Days went by, but when the rose of Sharon bushes outside my front door started blooming, inspiration struck.

VASES!

Vases from the florist are usually pretty boring. I get it, they’re not the star of the show. But I like something a little more quirky and interesting. My bottles—which were actually a wine bottle, a syrup bottle, and an empty candle jar—totally fit the bill. My only obstacle was that sticky residue labels leave behind. And I figured out an easy way to get rid of it.

I’m a big fat nineties nerd. I love it. All of it. From the floral dresses with combat boots to Saved by the Bell and Dawson’s Creek, the 90s are my jam. (I know. I’m a dork).

A bunch of people on my Facebook feed have mentioned watching Dawson’s Creek lately and that has sent me down Nostalgia Lane. I’ve decided to force you down that road with me with five of the best 90s one hit wonders. I dare you not to sing along…