Last week was a miserable time to fly to the westcoast...trust us, we were there. The weather was severe enough to cause several flight redirects, delays and cancellations. There were babies crying, kids screaming and adults complaining everywhere we turned...at the airport and on the plane. And did we mention the turbulence? We were all shaking in our seats...literally. All in all, it was a frustrating, exhausting and noisy experience for those of us traveling.

Sunday, our two boys decided to surprise us with a delicious breakfast in bed...a bowl of cereal is the extent of their culinary talents. As we were listening to them bustle about downstairs (yes, we know everything that goes on in our house), we had a debate as to who would spill milk all over the floor...yep, it was the seven year old! Poor things...they were so upset! Independence is always so important to little ones, but let's face it...those gallon jugs of milk are heavy! After we dried the kids tears and cleaned up the mess, we all sat down together for a family discussion...the thought was wonderful, but maybe next time they should surprise just one of us and recruit the other to help. Milk containers are just not designed with kids in mind.

Summer vacation is finally here, and if you haven't done it already, it's definitely time to break out the barbecue grill. Many childhood memories feature Dad commanding our little charcoal grill, while the rest of us frolicked in the pool. Unfortunately, his skills were pretty much limited to puck...achem, hamburgers and hot dogs. The side dishes more than made up for it, though...particularly Mom's amazing pasta salad. Besides, it's more about the joy of being in the company of family than about the food, especially for the kids...yeah, right!

The Daily Kool kitchen is pretty small. It's one of those longer, narrower styles that doesn't exactly lend itself to more than one person at a time. Bottom line....we always seem to be running out of room, especially when we are cooking and preparing for company. Oh, how we wish our kitchen was large enough to have a big, beautiful island in the center of it!

The Daily Kool family is very proud of our home. While it may not seem like much to some people, we have spent countless hours decorating every nook and cranny to create a warm, livable environment. We love it and it's all ours...well, ours and the bank's, anyway. The only problem with home ownership is that there is always something that needs to be fixed, refurbished or just maintained. We learned quickly to expect the unexpected and by necessity, we've become quite savvy and adept at many do-it-yourself home repair projects.

Our four year old loves to play chess. Yes, you heard us right...four. Is he some kind of prodigy? Nope. Don't get us wrong...our son is definitely very bright, and we claim our bragging rights as often as we can (doesn't every parent?). But, we don't think that Mensa is quite ready to extend an invitation to him yet. We do, however, give the folks at Winning Moves complete credit for our son's love of the classic strategic game with their wonderful edition of No Stress Chess.

Today (June 1st) marks the beginning of hurricane season, which typically lasts through November 30th. Having lived in Florida for three decades, particularly through the record-breaking 2005 season, The Daily Kool family recognizes how nerve-racking this time of year can be. Anyone who has experienced the devastation from category 5 hurricanes like Andrew (1992), Katrina (2005) and Ike (2008) can attest to the importance of preparation this time of year.

When we were growing up, our mother was the primary handyman...uh, handyperson of the house. Our father could assemble a computer from parts alone in an instant, but changing a lightbulb would cause him to throw up his hands in horror...yeah, it didn't make much sense to us either. The one tool he held with complete confidence though, was a screwdriver.

Over the past year, people have been keeping a close eye on the stock market more than ever. Our parents at The Daily Kool are no exception. Our father, in particular, is almost obsessed with keeping track of how the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P500 are doing at any given time. Unfortunately, as a result, he spends too of his day feeling tied to his computer and internet connection...much to our mother's annoyance.

Though many professionals are recently adopting a more informal attire in the workplace, the males in The Daily Kool family are die-hard suit wearers. Sorry, President Obama...no business casual in the office for our men, especially Dad. He is meticulous about his appearance, even on the weekends...he wears a polo and dress pants to clean the pool, for goodness sake! Okay, we are the first to admit that his standards may be unreasonably high (and quite possibly, unnecessary)...but, the majority of men (and women) we know do like to look good. Unwrinkled, pressed pants are often high on their list of wardrobe priorities. After all, who wants to come to work looking like they've just rolled out of bed (even if they have)?

Father's Day is coming up soon, and it's time to start thinking about how to honor him for the special man he is. We have always been able to count on our father for unconditional love, support and guidance. Dad (okay, we still call him "Daddy") is an extraordinary man...why should he receive an ordinary gift for Father's Day? That's why The Daily Kool will be featuring some unusual and "kool" gift ideas for Father's Day all this week.

Every week, we try to spend a little time in the kitchen, fostering our love for baking. Lately, The Daily Kool family has become obsessed with baking the perfect brownie. You know which one we're talking about...moist and extravagant truffle-like brownies that have a crackly top, yet are tender with slightly chewy edges. Yum. A perfect edge is the pride and joy of any brownie baker, yet is often unattainable with a standard brownie baking pan.

Once a month, The Daily Kool family gets together with a group of friends at the park for a great big picnic lunch. We have such a good time! We all split the cost of a pavilion, and each family is responsible for bringing one food dish and at least one game for the kids to play together. This has to be one of the best ideas we've ever had...just imagine an afternoon of fun in the sun, coupled with great friends, yummy food and our children's infectious laughter in the background. Did we mention the food? Imagine a picnic table filled with delectable delights...salads, dips, sandwiches, casseroles, desserts...the list goes on and on. The one thing that has always put a damper on our picnic is the sheer number of pests that inevitable try to horde in on our buffet. Seriously, folks...we're tired of constantly shooing flies away from our food...sure, it gives our arms a good workout, but this is just not the way we want to tone up our biceps. We needed to find a better way to protect our goodies.

This Memorial Day weekend, our kids are having a couple of their close friends at the house for a sleepover for the first time. They've been planning it for a week. They've picked out games, snacks, movies, crafts...they are so excited! We do have a bit of a challenge, though...our entire downstairs has hardwood floors. Even though we have a regular sleeping bag in the house (our beloved Puff the Magic Dragon one from about thirty years ago), unfortunately, it is pretty much out of the question for this weekend. There isn't enough room in our kids' two twin-size beds for the four boys to share either. How can we have a successful sleepover when we have no comfortable place for the kids to sleep?

Is there any child who does not love bubbles? There is just something so magical, so alluring about the way these iridescent spheres float in the air and drift slowly down in mesmerizing fashion...then, POP! Such a simple pleasure for kids and the parents who cannot help but be drawn into their bubble ecstasy. Bubbles are such a world-wide phenomenon, it has even become a recognized art form. Don't believe us? Check out "The Gazillion Bubble Show", produced by Fan Yang who holds 14 Guinness World Records for bubble artistry. If you are ever in New York City, this is an absolute "must see" for the entire family...it is spectacular! The Daily Kool family has seen the show, and we cannot recommend it highly enough! But we digress...

Memorial Day weekend is coming up soon, and it seems like almost everyone we know is taking a family vacation to Disney World. What's wrong with you people? Are we the only ones who think that it is going to be much too crowded...not to mention, blistering hot? True, there have been times that we've given in to the lure of our Magic Kingdom addiction during almost unbearable climate conditions. How on earth are we supposed to stay cool in the blistering heat of the Florida sun?

Many of you may know about our beloved pooch Pepper from PoodlePicks. It may surprise you to know that he has been, by far, the most challenging dog we've ever had. At almost eight years old, he still suffers from separation anxiety. We've never had to baby-proof our house with the kids, but to this day, we do have to Pepper-proof. Before we leave the house, we have to go through the routine of closing every door, completely cleaning off the dining room table, locking the pantry and strategically putting up gates to block off the kitchen and the stairs. Heaven forbid we accidentally skip anything...we will undoubtedly come home with garbage all over the kitchen (he figured out how to open the can), empty bags of baking chocolates strewn across the floor (he breaks into the pantry and zooms right in on them), or even smelly feces on the stairs. Of course, he only does these things when we're not home...when we are, he's a perfect angel. So tell us...who's trained who here? This situation is completely our fault, of course. When Pepper was a puppy, we were told that we should purchase a dog crate for him. But where on earth would we put a large, ugly and obtrusive wire crate in our small home?

Last year, we were having an outdoor birthday party for our oldest son at the local city pool. His parties are always a hit, not because we go overboard, but since his birthday always falls on Labor Day weekend, it's inevitably the first party of the school year. And since he's in a smaller private school where all the kids know each other, we make sure to invite all of the children in his class...26 kids and everybody showed up, with siblings and both parents in tow. Seventy-five people were coming...yikes! We needed food...lots and lots of food. Fruit and veggie platters were a must...plus plenty of candy (our son loves M&Ms) to keep the kids on an energetic sugar high. There was only one problem...how would we keep everything fresh in the scorching Florida heat?

A couple of months ago on a rainy day, The Daily Kool family took on an insidious task...we decided to clean out one of our overflowing "junk" drawers. You wouldn't believe how much...well, junk...we had accumulated in one relatively little space. Oh, yes...we were lucky to get out alive. So here we were, arguing over whether we should toss out a key chain version of a shrilling chicken, when our children picked up a set of dice and began rolling away. We looked at each other and, expert procrastinators that we are, immediately said, "Break time!" Our children were about to learn an old classic...Yahtzee.

Periodically, areas in The Daily Kool home fall victim to the chaos of a busy life filled with activity, children and pets. Okay, are you ready? We confess that sometimes, we are just too busy (or too tired) to clean. There, it's out. Whew! Don't get us wrong...it's not we spend our time living in squalor. But, at some point, just about every room of our house has seen a period of what we consider unmitigated disaster...except, the kitchen. We are absolutely fastidious when it comes to the appearance of our kitchen...this is our domain, the room held in highest regard. We keep every crevice absolutely pristine, so imagine our surprise, when we realized we were missing the boat with our garbage disposal. Our garbage disposal is like any other...it's a magnet for dirty, greasy build-up and offensive odor. Sure, we'd been using the Plink garbage disposal cleaner and deodorizer tablets every few days, but we really weren't getting down into the nitty gritty of our disposal's grossness. Plink smells great, but its effects are very short lived...plus, it seems to be more of a deodorizer than a cleaner. We've tried it all...baking soda w/vinegar, ice, even citrus peel...all okay, but not exceptional. We really use our garbage disposal a lot, so it was definitely time for a more effective solution. Enter the Fuller Brush foaming garbage disposal cleaner.