With just a bit of creativity and a few simple touches, you can transform your home into a dreamy summer retreat the whole family will love. Here’s how to create a staycation that feels just as special as any trip — no passport required!

Create a Backyard Oasis

Turn your backyard or patio into a mini paradise with cozy lounge chairs, an umbrella for shade, and a few potted palms or flowers to set the mood. Bring out soft blankets and oversized pillows for instant resort-style lounging.

If you have a kiddie pool or sprinkler, let the kids splash around while you sip a mocktail nearby — think sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice and a fancy slice of citrus on the rim. Instant vacation vibes!

Host a Tiki Night

Set up a simple tiki bar with a pitcher of tropical mocktails (pineapple juice, coconut water, a squeeze of lime) and serve them in colorful cups with tiny umbrellas. Pair it with easy finger foods — think fruit kabobs or shrimp skewers — and play some island music in the background.

Let the kids join in by decorating the “bar” with paper flowers and string lights to create a magical summer glow.

Plan a Family Spa Day

Transform your bathroom into a relaxing spa. Set out fluffy towels, light a candle, and put on soft music. Create a DIY face mask with ingredients like honey and yogurt, soak your feet in warm water with a sprinkle of Epsom salts, and maybe even paint each other’s nails for fun.

A family spa day is such a sweet way to slow down and connect while pampering yourselves, resort-style.

Movie Under the Stars

Nothing says resort fun like a movie night outside. Hang a white sheet or use a portable screen, grab a projector, and snuggle up with popcorn and blankets. Pick a family-friendly summer classic, and you’ll feel just like you’re on a hotel rooftop.

Add Special Touches

It’s the details that really make a staycation sparkle:
fresh flowers on the table
a new fruity candle
setting the table outside for breakfast or lunch
playing a relaxing playlist

These little extras help everyone feel like they’re somewhere special, even if they’re just steps from their own bedrooms.

A staycation is about more than saving money. It’s about enjoying your family, unplugging from the usual routine, and soaking up the sweetness of summer together. With a bit of imagination, you can make memories that rival any faraway trip.

This summer, bring the resort to you — no packing, no travel stress, just plenty of time to laugh, relax, and reconnect with the ones you love most.

It didn’t really matter which foreign language program you chose, so long as you practiced for a minimum of fifteen minutes a day. Practicing once a week for an hour is not nearly as successful as fifteen minutes every day, as long as you really study Every. Single. Day. Here are ten valuable tips to help you along the way:

Listen to Greek radio & podcasts
You can do this on your smartphone or on your PC too. as much as possible. Talk-shows are best. Even if you don’t understand what they are saying, listen to the sounds. You will become familiar with the language and the tempo and pace. At some point, you will start to recognize words, sentences, and dialogues. You’ll feel like you’re progressing fast! It helped us to slow down the speed at first because Greek people tend to speak fast, but overtime we recognized more and more and became familiar with pronunciation, accents, etc.

Stick stickers with Greek words all over your house and make flash cards
So that you see, read, and speak these terms daily. That’s how you learn those Greek words. “Mirror, toilet, table, door, lamp, etc.” Also make cards or sticky notes for basic greetings, introductions, and commonly used phrases in Greek. Build a solid vocabulary of essential words and phrases to help you communicate in everyday situations. Purchase a set of flashcards that teach the most common verbs (basic verbs that are used daily, such as “to be”, “to do”, “to make”, etc). Try to start using these words daily and become familiar with speaking them, hearing them, and using them.

Listen to Greek songs
Look up the lyrics too. Read them on your phone or print them out. Read along
the song out loud. Translate them, or read the translation of the lyrics. This will give you a larger Greek vocabulary and will improve your feeling for the language.

Look up the most important Greek grammar rules
Be sure to look up the most common grammar and verb conjugations at the beginning. Otherwise, you will never learn to make whole sentences and really understand the Greeks.

Immerse yourself when in Greece
Read the signs along the road, of stores. This way you will practice yourself in reading. If you have the opportunity, write down the words and later look up the translation in your dictionary. Our paperback frequency dictionaries provide ample space to make notes, and we encourage you to do so!

Surf to Greek internet pages and read the text
Even if you don’t know all the words. You are practicing your reading skills. For example, the Greek Wikipedia is a great source of Greek texts, and you learn about something interesting at the same time.

Books: It’s fun to try and read a children’s book in a foreign language, especially when you’re already familiar with the book in English! Start with simple Greek texts, such as children’s books or short stories, and gradually work your way up to more complex literature. Reading Greek texts will enhance your vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension skills. Children’s books offer a surprisingly wonderful amount of beautiful, mature vocabulary words (beyond simplistic “pat the dog” or “the cat sat”) and include adjectives and verbs in various tenses. Finding a few favorite children’s books, such as this one, and rereading it until you can almost recite the story yourself, is a great way to become very familiar with speaking and understanding where the adjective is placed (before the noun), and how to conjugate verbs, how to use possessive pronouns, etc while enjoying delightful, whimsical Greek tales.

Movies: If you’ve ever looked at the menu of a DVD, you know that there are different languages you can listen to a movie in. Usually they’re only the common languages of French and Spanish, but if you’re studying one of those languages, try watching the movie in it! Children’s movies are especially easy to follow along with, because they use more simple language, “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles” for example. If you have any family favorites that your children can practically recite from memory, it will be even more fun to hear them in a foreign language! Your children don’t have to understand every word, but will learn to figure out what’s happening and get used to the spoken word. Listening will help improve their ear for the language, and their pronunciation.

Video Games: Just like movies, some video games come with the ability to set the language, so this is a great way to add a little fun to the mix. Even Microsoft executives have been known to refresh their French by changing the language on the games they play!

Listen and Speak to Native Speakers: Immerse yourself in the sounds of Greek by listening to native speakers. In addition to trying to watch Greek movies, listen to Greek music, and find podcasts or online resources that provide authentic Greek language content, try to engage with Greek people- they love to discover people trying to learn their language. It makes them proud! Many will be happy to chat with you and help you practice. If you are shy, just try to listen to their conversations and see what words or phrases you can understand. This exposure will help you familiarize yourself with the rhythm, intonation, and cadence of the language also. You may be able to find language exchange partners (people in Greece offer this online, as they want to practice English) or join Greek language communities to practice speaking. Engaging in conversations with native speakers will improve your fluency and confidence in using Greek in real-life situations. At present, we have a Greek tutor from Greece who speaks to my sons via Zoom once a week to help them practice.

In general, immerse yourself in Greek culture. The music, the food, the history, the people… it’s all magical. Immersing yourself in Greek culture will deepen your connection to the language. Watch Greek movies, listen to Greek music, try Greek cuisine, and explore Greek history and traditions. This cultural immersion will make your language learning experience more engaging and enjoyable. Remember, learning a language requires dedication, consistency, and patience. Embrace the process, celebrate your progress, and enjoy the journey as you explore the beautiful world of Modern Greek. Kαλή επιτυχία! (Good luck!)

Fun Trivia about the Modern Greek Language

The Greek language is the native tongue of the people living in Greece and Cyprus. It’s of the Hellenic family, and independent of the Indo-European language family, so despite the importance of Greek in world history, the language isn’t related to any other in the world. It’s unique and has been learned by some of the wisest and most impactful individuals in history, and some of the most important written historical and religious works are in Greek (usually ancient Greek, a predecessor of today’s Modern Greek).

Because it’s not related to other languages, some aspects of learning Greek may be more complex for some, but other aspects are simple because a lot of other languages borrow from the Greek language. The 24 letter Greek alphabet is the basis of the 26 letter English alphabet. The word alphabet is derived from the first and second letters of the Greek alphabet (Α/α (“alpha”) abd Β/β (“beta”).

You Already Know Some Greek
As a native English speaker, you may already have a vocabulary that includes about 25% Greek at the root of the words. You may be speaking Greek words on a daily basis and not even know it! Here are some cool Greek words we learned in the last year that we all use and didn’t know were Greek:

Astronaut = Αστροναύτης (Astronaftis)
Biology = Βιολογία (Viologia)
Cosmos = Κόσμος (Kosmos)
Dinosaur = Δεινόσαυρος (Dinosavros)
Echo = Ηχώ (Echo)
Enthusiasm = Ενθουσιασμός (Enthousiasmos)
Harmony = Αρμονία (Armonia), the “h” is rejected in modern Greek.
Idol = Είδωλο (Idolo)
Irony = Ειρωνία (Ironea)
Machine = Μηχανή (Mechane)
Mystery = Μυστήριο (Mysterio)
Ocean = Ωκεανός (Okeanos)
Panther = Πάνθηρας (Pantheras)
Planet = Πλανήτης (Planeetes)
Psychology = Ψυχολογία (Psychologia)
Sarcasm = Σαρκασμός (Sarkasmos)
Strategy = Στρατηγική (Strategiki)
System = Σύστημα (Systeema)
Technology = Τεχνολογία (Technologia)
Therapy = Θεραπεία (Therapia)
Thermometer = Θερμόμετρο (Thermometro)
Tragedy = Τραγωδία (Tragodia)
Triumph = Θρίαμβος (Thriamvos)
Type = Τύπος (Typos)
Utopia = Ουτοπία (Utopeea)
Zoology = Ζωολογία (Zoologia)

For some great elementary books to learn Greek, check out Greek123. With these books, you can learn from the most basic (kindergarten) to advanced Greek (about 8th grade and adult levels). The books and workbooks are fabulous, engaging, easy to use and understand, and incorporated all aspects of learning- reading, writing, speaking, listening. We love them!

Since language learning is the most fun when it’s not based solely on a textbook, all those other sources of learning Greek have been part of our learning loop. Here it is:

1. Review vocabulary words
2. Watch a short YouTube cartoon
3. Read a children’s short story or picture book in Greek
4. Practice speaking with short sentences and verbs in known tenses
5. Listen to a short Greek audiobook story
6. Watch a long Greek cartoon movie
7. 10 minutes of narration or copywork in Greek from a children’s book (eventually dictation)

The idea behind looping our foreign language learning is that my boys are exposed to Modern Greek in the written word, practice writing it, learn to understand what they are hearing from different sources (sometimes cartoons or movies, other times words without visual clues). It’s not boring, and we can keep it short. Usually a video or short story is 5-8 minutes long. If they keep watching the same videos over and over, they will become more familiar with the language and the new vocabulary will become second nature in no time.

Καλή επιτυχία και καλή διασκέδαση!

Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp by Minoru Tonai and Jolene Gutiérrez, illustrated by Chris Sasaki, is a moving historical picture book that introduces young readers to the experience of Japanese American families during World War II. Told through the story of one family, the book gently explains the injustice of incarceration camps while emphasizing resilience, dignity, and the strength of family bonds. The illustrations and narrative work together to make a difficult chapter of history understandable and meaningful for children. I was especially hit by the picture of the father when he’s first taken from his family, and a subsequent picture showing that his black hair had turned completely white… the stress of his situation, and the extreme length of time of their separation was utterly heartbreaking This book is best suited for ages 7+.

Tiny Garden: A Picture Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jax Chow, celebrates patience, growth, and the quiet wonder of nature. Through simple and lyrical storytelling, children follow the journey of an adorably small garden as seeds are planted, tended, and slowly transformed into life. The story invites our young readers to notice small details and appreciate the rhythms of the natural world. With beautiful imagery, it’s a lovely choice for ages 4–8, especially for families who enjoy gardening or outdoor exploration.

Time for Haiku: Four Seasons of Poems introduces children to the beauty of poetry through the traditional Japanese form of haiku. Each poem captures a small moment in nature – falling leaves, winter snow, spring blossoms, summer sunlight – helping young readers learn to observe the world carefully and create words to describe its wonder succinctly. The concise format makes poetry approachable, and I was drawn to this book because I already loved how haikus say so much with so few words. This book is ideal for ages 6–10, and it’s wonderful for inspiring children to write their own poems.

Hide-and-Seek Mommy: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Marta Altés is a playful story designed for younger children. As little ones lift each flap to search for Mommy, they experience the joy of discovery and the comfort of knowing that a loving parent is always nearby. Interactive elements make this book fun and engaging for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s best for ages 2–5, and it’s perfect for reading together at bedtime as you snuggle with your tot.

Finally, The Lionharts: A Graphic Novel offers an exciting blend of adventure, courage, and friendship. Told through dynamic panels and fabulous artwork, the story follows young heroes who must confront challenges and discover their inner strength. Graphic novels like this are fantastic for readers who love visual storytelling and may be transitioning from picture books to longer chapter books. This title is best suited for ages 8–12+.

Together, these books show just how powerful illustrated storytelling can be—opening young minds to history, nature, poetry, family, and bravery.

Bisquick is the key ingredient for these easy recipes, letting you spend your Christmas day watching your kids unwrap presents and laughing with family, instead of hours in the kitchen. I perused Betty Crocker’s list of Make Ahead Meals with Bisquick to help me get my Betty on, and I found some really great recipes I wanted to try and share…like how about some Impossibly Easy Pizza Bake? Or Impossibly Easy Bacon Cheeseburger Balls? Or Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie? Yum!

What makes Betty Crocker’s Easy Meals so impossibly easy? They have few ingredients, pretty much all of which are in your pantry or refrigerator already, with baking times that are usually only 20-45 minutes. This weekend I wanted to try out Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie with my family (truth be told, my husband picked it out and was very excited about it), and the ingredients really were all things I had on hand:

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

(only 7 ingredients!)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.
4. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Once the ingredients are mixed it can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking, so you can have it ready to bake the day before a big event or holiday- what a great time saver! That means I can just pop this into the oven after a busy and fun-filled Christmas Day (or Saturday), made-ahead, and enjoy a delicious dinner with my family in about 25 minutes without any extra work on my part. I never knew Bisquick was so convenient, but now that I do, it’s the newest staple in my kitchen.

So while it baked, my husband and I took my sons down the block to the park. Usually just my husband takes them, while I stay home and make dinner, but then I would have missed my sons pretending to play chess with non-existant chess pieces (and they actually made up an entirely new game with the boxes too, which is amazingly creative, and I’m glad I didn’t miss it).

And in case you were wondering…it was really, really, really good. I can see why Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie is an enduring favorite recipe by Bisquick for so many, it’s soooo good.The cheeseburger pie slices can be topped in the same way you’d top a regular cheeseburger, whether with ketchup and mustard or avocados and sour cream- whatever your taste buds want. Lately I’m on a cilantro kick so that peppery herb garnished mine, and it was awesome.

You can find also find our Make Ahead Pizza Bake recipe here.

And when I’m serving a delicious feast that everyone loves, it’s the best of all.

I recently hosted a Tuscany inspired home-cooked dinner party with my favorite people, and Luscious Rosa Lasagna with a combination of marinara and Alredo sauce. You can visit VivaBertolli.com to find the original Luscious Rosa Lasagna recipe with some great additional tips. It’s really easy, cheesy, and beautiful (cream and rose colored, truly luscious rose).

Luscious Rosa Lasagna

Ingredients
1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 jar Bertolli® Tomato & Basil Sauce
1/2 jar Bertolli® Alfredo Sauce
8 uncooked lasagna noodles

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine all cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Combine both sauces in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a small baking pan (11 by 7-inch), cover bottom with a layer of sauce mixture, then layer 3 uncooked lasagna, sauce mixture, and cheese mixture repeatedly until finished.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375º F. Remove foil and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Family dinner parties are simply the best times.