This weekend I stuck my head in bag filled with peaches, and the smell nearly knocked me off my feet: it was pure, ripe summer. I had been at a farmer's market, picking up the most luscious-looking tomatoes, the most fragrant herbs, the sweetest blueberries you've ever tasted, and corn so sweet is was like dessert. That, to me, is the best summer treat on earth: the fruits and vegetables coming out of the ground are so bursting with flavor and juice and sweetness; it's the taste of summer itself. And in a way, its timing is perfect: just as summer is close to winding down, the natural world rises up with its show-stoppers to take our mind off of backpacks and pencils.

But ice cream cones take a close second. Is there any better summer evening than walking through the humid streets at dusk to get an ice cream cone? And now that I'm thinking about it, a cold glass of iced tea in the afternoon is irresistible. And what about homemade lemonade? Or a slice of cool, sweet watermelon?

By REDBOOK

As much as we look forward to the weekend, it can fly by faster than there is time to read the Sunday paper. Try these tips to make the most of days off with your family.
Related: Win a Trip for Two to the Virgin Islands

1. Don't ignore the warm body next to you.
"The best gift you can give your kids is a strong marriage," says relationship therapist Laura Berman, Ph.D., host of the OWN show In the Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman. "So why not set the alarm clock for 20 minutes of alone time?" If you're thinking, Um, I'd rather be sleeping, at least "cuddle in bed for five minutes before starting your day," Berman says.

2. Put "hang out" on the calendar - in Sharpie.
"Research links family leisure time with emotional bonding," says Eli Karam, Ph.D., president-elect of the Kentucky Association for Marriage & Family Therapy. "Blocking out three hours together even one Saturday a month can keep you in sync."

3. Ditch the cruise-director act.
You've had

Photograph: Leah Greenstein

The USDA has declared this week, August 7th through 13th, National Farmers' Market Week. We celebrate farmers' markets just about every week here, especially this time of year. But maybe we haven't given your local market proper attention.

Please tell us about your favorite market, or maybe it's a favorite vendor that keeps you coming back (the adorable egg man, anyone else?) or just a favorite piece of fruit or loaf of bread.

If you're looking for a market in your area, here's a national directory. As noted in our food policy news roundup today, more than 1,000 new farmers' markets have cropped up in the United States over the last year, making for a grand total of 7,175 reported markets in the country (about ten percent of which are in California). The USDA also noted that 12 percent of them are accepting SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

This post was written by Michelle Duggar. Photo: Darwin Wiggett/Getty Images.

In June and July our family got on our bus for an 11-city road trip to promote our book, "A Love that Multiplies." It was a great opportunity for us to fit in some family sightseeing and field trips together. And it was really great for homeschooling since the kids were able to learn more about the history of the different places we visited.

When we were in New York we were able to go to the Bowery Mission, one of the oldest missions in New York and in the United States, where we served food and helped cleaned up. That was a real highlight. The children really enjoyed getting to go there and sing and then visit with the homeless people there.

And they really enjoyed visiting with a volunteer who had been homeless 30 years ago. When he was homeless he actually ended up at the Bowery Mission himself. Now he's serving and helping there, and has just a really neat testimony of how he got back

By Amy Zerello

Check out these ideas for creating a fun experience for your child's birthday party.

By GalTime Tech Mom, Jennifer Jolly

iPad, iPod or iPhone, some of the hottest tech tools on the market today, can also be your biggest allys this time of the year. From digital cookbooks and grilling demos to an actual gadget called iGrill that lets you cook perfect burgers from across the backyard, here are a few simple high-tech tools to get your summer cook-outs off to a sizzling start. Oh, and don't forget to keep your gadget safe from spills, drips, dips and drops - tips for that, too!

COOKBOOKS GO DIGITAL

Cookbooks have come a long way since the old ear-marked, yellowing, cake spattered days of your mom's kitchen. Today's digital cookbooks are physically beautiful with gorgeous full-page spreads and they allow today's modern cook to get engaged with a recipe with enhanced audio and video. Here a few top picks:
• BOBBY'S BOLD FLAVORS by Bobby Flay - Food Network superstar, restaurateur extraordinaire, and grilling expert, Bobby Flay offers 25 free full

More from The Daily Meal:

• The Daily Meal's 25 Best Celebrity Owned Restaurants

• 10 Best Athlete-Owned Restaurants

• 101 Best Restaurants in America

• America's Greenest Restaurants of 2011

• 20 Sports-Crazy Restaurants

-Naa Ako-Adjei, The Daily Meal

The balloon dresses aren't just for blushing brides. Check out this video from the 2009 Balloon Fashion Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Also on Shine:

• Introducing, the edible wedding dress

• Kim Kardashian chooses Vera Wang to design her wedding dress

• Kate Middleton's knockoff wedding dress on standby

• Toilet paper wedding cress contest winners: 12 bridal gowns you could buy with a coupon

• The best mass retail wedding gowns (video)