Finding creative ways to keep kids entertained can be challenging, especially when school is out. But for Hillary B. Smith (Nora, ONE LIFE TO LIVE), boredom isn't an issue. She and husband Phillip "Nip" Smith, have a full slate of summer fun planned for daughter Courtney, 12, and son Phips, 9.

"We take picnics, we fish, we go canoeing," says Smith. "We're very family-oriented. We plan things for all of us to do together."

The family will be separated this summer while Phips is off at camp in Maine.

"This will be the first time he's been away," says Smith. "I said, 'That's it. You can't both go away at the same time. I can't handle it.' So my daughter's going to stay home. She has a horse, so she's going to be very involved in the horse shows and doing that circuit."

In fact, both children like the sporting life, something that Smith encourages.

"I make them play tennis because I feel that it's something you have to learn when you're younger," Smith explains. "It's a game that's inexpensive. It's fun, social and you'll need it later on."

All that activity usually keeps the kids out of hot water. But not always. "They have embarked on some pretty outrageous stuff," Smith admits. "My son used to get in trouble with my dog a lot. We were putting an addition on the house and we had this mound of mud in the back that was about 50 feet high. I remember that he wanted to go outside. I said, 'Okay, but stay out of the mud.' I looked out the kitchen window later, and sure enough, there he was with the dog on top of this huge, muddy hill. It was raining. And both of them are on their tummies sliding all the way down to the bottom. It was like, 'Oh, my God.'" - Elaine G. Flores