The third annual "Peace, Love & Horseshoe Crab Festival" celebrating the annual spectacle of migrating shorebirds and spawning horseshoe crabs takes place this weekend at the DuPont Nature Center in Milford.

This was my wife’s first Mother’s Day with two children. Last year, around Mother’s Day, we were booking flights to Ethiopia in preparation of picking up Dawit –– our almost 5-year-old, after a two-year adoption process.

My daughter cried in my arms when I told her that her best friend was moving to California this summer. As her quiet tears dropped onto my shoulders, I realized I didn’t have the words that would comfort her. I only had words an adult might understand. New job. New opportunities. New adventure. Change. But those words fall flat to a girl who just turned 8; a girl who’s shared many of her childhood adventures with her best friend of five years.

Since I have extremely short hair, it never made much sense to me to go to the salon to get my hair colored. I knew my roots would show almost immediately and I’d have to shell out a bucket of money to re-do it less than three weeks later. I thought using one of those “washes out in 28 shampoos” colors at home was a better plan because a) it was a lot cheaper b) the returning gray would be more subtle because it would show up gradually and c) if I screwed up the color, I only had to live with it for a month.

Occasionally, it absolutely makes sense to splurge. For me, that splurge usually comes in the form of flowers or plants and this time of year, my gardening gloves are itching to hit the dirt. As long as our budget warrants it, the budget will include garden spending in the spring.

Not only do costs vary from company to company, they also vary wildly within the same company, depending on where and when you pick up the car. Renting a car at an airport can double or even triple the price you’d pay at “off-airport” or “neighborhood” rental locations.

Local blues band Bad JuJu is hosting a pet food drive and benefit for the Kent County SCPA this weekend at J.W.'s Sports Bar and Restaurant.

Lori Reardon’s great-grandmother used to make an angel-food cake for each of her 12 grandchildren on their birthdays. Each cake was topped with a rich, “secret” frosting. Now Reardon’s mother makes the angel-food cakes for her extended family -- 24 cakes a year.

There’s nothing like traveling to Europe and discovering just how stupid you really are. For instance, it’s vitally important to understand the delicate connection between interior lights... and the toilet.

Weekly financial Q&A, with advice on impulse spending and finding a part-time job after retirement.

“Ugh! What stinks?” asked my son pinching his nose. “It smells like something died in here!” I glared at him. I had spent the past 20 minutes looking in every nook and cranny in the kitchen to find the source of the stink.

It seems that finding underwear on the floor and wet towels on the bed are a constant. I also used to want to scream when I found half-eaten bowls of cereal swimming in milk sitting in the sink, or rings on the table from glasses that had wet bottoms.

I’ve been working with a mom of an adorable, 2-year-old, whom she adopted as a newborn. They read, play on the floor, and participate in social and educational programming. His language skills are excellent. He hits her as well, for no apparent reason.

I read books about people who did things like go live with the Amish, or start herb farms, and I dreamed of doing the same. But I’ve reversed course now. I’m going for a messy, complicated life.

Weekly financial Q&A, with advice on sticking to Dave's Baby Steps plan, and tips for a young professional athlete.

Sunning with indoor tanning equipment to get the cosmetic effect of darker skin is what some teens are after as prom and vacation breaks approach. But professional opinions differ on what — if anything — constitutes safe tanning.

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but something happens to people when they’re in the presence of toddlers. They become semi-comatose and transfixed by everything the children do.

In 2011, almost 21,000 children in grades 3 through 12 were surveyed to see how children eased their way into cyber-life and, possibly, cyberbullying. To make a long story short, starting with 8 year olds was smart because they could read the survey; but it was also pretty dumb, because as it turns out, 8-year-olds are already entirely immersed in digital technology. Over 90 percent were already interacting online with other kids, usually in games. Silly me. Rates of cellphone ownership surprised me as well.

We’re smart, evolved humans, and I think it’s high time we got this Mother’s Day thing right. It’s all about showing love and appreciation and creating a tailor-made celebration for those we love. With the big day right around the corner, now is the ideal time to share some insight on planning the perfect Mother’s Day (whether it’s for you or a mom in your life).

Ever wonder where your pennies, nickels, dimes and other coins come from? The answer is Denver or Philadelphia. Find out how it’s done with a free tour of the U.S. Mint. The United States Mint website (www.usmint.gov/mint_tours) promises a tour that covers “the present state of coin manufacturing as well as the history of the mint.” School and youth groups are welcome at both locations.