May 20, 2014 Just the other day, a friend and I confessed our guilty pleasure for when life gets just too complicated to deal with: romance novels. We laughed at the predictable plot lines and occasional cookie cutter character but let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good love story? Life gets tough, messy, and…
June 2, 2014 Summer is here, and it’s a great time to read! Whether you’re at a picnic, relaxing at the beach, or taking a summer road trip, toddlers love to browse colorful picture books to pass the time. Random House Kids has a fabulous New York Times bestselling series starring Duck and Goose, 2…
May 27, 2014 Summer is a time for relaxing on a hammock, eating watermelon, and running through sprinklers. Most kids want nothing to do with workbooks or education, but reading is a great skill to maintain over the summer. And we’ve got the perfect incentive to get your kids to grab a book the next…
May 22, 2014 May 25th marks National Missing Children’s Day and, while it is a very somber occasion, it’s also an excellent time to be mindful of the children whose whereabouts remain a mystery and reinforce everything you have taught your own kids about safety both in-person and online. The day was founded based on…
May 27, 2014 After months and months of anticipation, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are finally husband and wife (see the first photo here). The couple married at Fort di Belvedere in Florence, Italy over the weekend and – of course – it sounds like it was an extremely lavish affair. Despite his separation from…
May 26, 2014 Memorial Day memes have filled the internet lately. Most of them ask people to think of the day as more than just the unofficial start of summer or an extra day off. While I’m not so big on the “shaming” memes, they did make me think. I am guilty of letting these days…
June 13, 2014 Moms who work from home think that summer is usually the hardest time to grow their business. But that’s not true at all. Summer can be a time of making great connections, setting up growth strategies for Fall and getting your products into the most hands possible. Here are 7 ideas to keep…
June 2, 2014 In the middle of the seemingly endless Frozen-craze, my daughter found a smile-generating gem on You Tube that she has been quoting all week. Malinda Reese, a 19 year old performer, runs popular songs, like “Let It Go,” through up to fifteen versions of Google Translate. Then she sings the words as…
June 3, 2014 It was about five minutes until we had to leave for school. I had apples from breakfast in one hand and a baggie for a sandwich in the other. In the middle of the chaos, my daughter walks in with bright purple streaks running vertically up the middle of her eyelids. It looked…
June 4, 2014 Summer movie season is in full swing and, unlike some recent years, 2014 is actually full of action-packed blockbusters, promising comedies and romantic tales to lure us to the box-office. Here are just a few key titles you should consider this month if you’re feeling like heading to the movies (or grabbing a…
June 6, 2014 It doesn’t take a lengthy conversation with today’s youth to discover that they really don’t know much about the world’s history. We are so busy sharing images of cats on social media and texting our friends that we often neglect to connect with our children in meaningful ways. Now, we are faced…
June 10, 2014 We’ve all been there as parents. Our children face failure and we want to jump in to protect them. How do we, instead, use these moments to teach life-long skills that our kids need in order to thrive as their lives move forward? A partnership between If You Can, Great Schools, and SocialMoms…
June 11, 2014 It’s nearly summer and you know what that means – time to break out the flip flops! They are the perfect accessory for hitting the beach, the pool, or the local park to play. There are a variety of patterns and colors when it comes to choosing your flip flops, but now…
June 11, 2014 Father’s Day is fast-approaching and while many are scrambling for last-minute ideas for gifts and activities, there is one group that is often overlooked. In today’s modern society, more men than ever are raising children to whom they are not biologically related – after all, the divorce rate is at about 50%….
June 13, 2014 I love taking my kids to the movies, especially during the warm summer months, and I’m always on the lookout for a fun family film. I was excited to see that The Boxtrolls are coming to theaters on September 26! The Boxtrolls is a Family Event movie from the creators of Coraline…
June 16, 2014 If you’re not a soccer fan, you might have missed it. Last Thursday, June 12th, nearly everyone on the planet had their eyes turned toward Brazil and the opening of the World Cup. It is truly a universal event with teams working for years to qualify for each of the six global zones….
June 17, 2014 It’s that time again. Summer. If you haven’t celebrated your last day of school yet, you probably will soon. Then life starts to look very different. Endless days of unplanned play can lead to difficult decisions, one of which is just how much TV your kids should watch. For the first two…
July 15, 2014 Summer is here, and with it vacation fun with the family. I don’t know about you, but the first thing I grab when we’re heading out the door is something to occupy my kids on the trip! Otherwise I’m stuck answering “How long until we get there?” hundreds of times. Whether we’re off…
June 20, 2014 In the past, it used to be that the best shows only premiered during the fall but over the years, production teams have come to realize that the wide-open time slots during our lazy summers can bring in huge audiences. As a result, the space has become competitive which means that the…
June 23, 2014 Today, it’s not uncommon at all to see blended families making their way through life together. Sometimes, a couple have children from previous relationships and are happy with what they already have and some people choose to add to their new unit. Choosing to have another baby is a deeply and profoundly…
June 23, 2014 In the halls of our school this week, a mom reads over a flier that tells her she can keep her child’s learning up with a convenient summer camp. For a mere $500, her child won’t fail at all of life. She looks at me and asks the same question I’ve fielded…
June 17, 2021 The decision to try for a baby can be really exciting but it can also be stressful. Couples who want a child may hope it happens right away but, sometimes, it can take a while. If you’re also juggling the demands of a busy work/life schedule and possibly other children, it can seem like…
June 30, 2014 I get it. I do … a commercial is a commercial. Companies make them so that we’ll watch them, talk about them, and share them. And then, of course, buy their stuff. But sometimes they put aside the old stand-bys of “sexy” people in less clothes and flashy sequences of “cool” to…
July 3, 2014 So far, this summer has really delivered in terms of great movies and, while it will be hard to compete with June, the new releases in July definitely sound promising! If you’re looking for a good reason to get out of the summer heat and into a nice, cool movie theater, here…
July 7, 2014 Giving birth is a wonderful, miraculous, exhilarating event. But it’s not easy. It’s not easy recovering afterwards either! New moms are exhausted, needing sleep and added energy. Often times they have issues with breastfeeding or their hormones are out of balance. Now For Mothers Healing Mix is a new solution that helps with…
July 2, 2014 As our last birthday theme leaned slightly toward boys, so this week I present a theme with lots of hair, flowers, and art: Rapunzel from the Disney movie Tangled. We threw this party in a park during the spring for my daughter’s eighth birthday. I find that each theme lends itself to…
July 8, 2014 “See a penny, pick it up, then all the day, you’ll have good luck…” And hopefully, when you grow up, you’ll appreciate the value of money and spend it wisely! I’ve started a new line of parenting inquiry. It all started when I misplaced my debit card and had to go in…
July 7, 2014 The sun on our faces and the wind in our hair can make us feel like we don’t have a care in the world. After a while, though, the trips to the beach, amusement parks and ice cream shops can really add up. Before you know it, all of that “carefree” spending…
July 10, 2014 Big news in Hollywood – two of our favorite leading men about to become fathers. One of these stories, however, is far more shocking than the other and has female moviegoers around the world feeling depressed. It has been revealed that Ryan Gosling is expecting a baby with A Place Beyond the…
July 14, 2014 Let’s face it, parenting can be brutal. You read the baby books, hear all the advice, search Google for answers – but sometimes a parent just has to do whatever it takes to get through the day. We like to pretend that it will only last while they are little. It doesn’t. We…
July 15, 2014 Last week, I told you about my research into how parents help their kids learn about money in Teaching Money: How Some Families Handle It. These ideas represent the standard approach of allowance or instruction that parents use to expose their children to financial decisions. But in the process of gathering information…
July 17, 2014 As a personal trainer, Jillian Michaels made a name for herself by pushing contestants to succeed on The Biggest Loser. Some of her methods over the years have been questioned – is she a bully? Does she cheat by giving her team members caffeine pills? – but nobody has concerns over her dedication….
July 22, 2014 Summer often means picture time: family pictures, senior portraits, weddings, and special occasions. I recently sat down with Daisy Portraits’ Larissa Annen, to ask those questions that we all have when we think about hiring a photographer. I have a nice camera and cute kids, why do I need a professional? Your kids want…
July 24, 2014 There’s a large box around the corner from our office. We’ve been told that the box contains something fast, smart, personal and it brings everyone together. A few guesses have drifted around the office. Perhaps it’s a speedy robot that cleans, cooks your favorite emails, and has the answer for world peace….
July 25, 2014 There are so many things being said about the upcoming iPhone 6 right now that it’s hard to keep track of what’s true and what isn’t. Of course, until Apple actually makes any official statements, we will have to rely on speculation. Right now, though, the Wall Street Journal is claiming that…
July 28, 2014 This week, as promised, Larissa Annen of Daisy Portraits talks about taking candid photos. While she obviously values professional photography, Larissa feels parents taking their own pictures of their kids is equally important. Here are a few tips she gave me for taking great pictures on your own. Be Ready. Keep a…
August 5, 2014 We’ve heard it said “It takes a village to raise a child,” but these days, where are we supposed to find a village? Our lives have spread out and turned in at the same time. Parents spend enormous amounts of time picking up, dropping off, and generally transporting. By the time they’re…
August 8, 2014 It’s really about to happen. The man who said he never wanted to marry again is about to head to the alter. George Clooney and his fiancée, Amal Alamuddin, have secured their marriage license. It looks like the perpetual bachelor is definitely off the market. Back in 1989, Clooney married actress, Talia…
August 11, 2014 Some schools near us started back to school today. Thank goodness my kids have a few more weeks of summer vacation, but it reminds me that we need to start getting ready. I’ve said before that our family has an insane number of traditions, and many of them revolve around school starting again. I…
August 12, 2014 It’s the second week of August. Some kids are already back to school. Labor Day creeps closer and we know that summer, the season of fun and adventure, is on its way out. But before we say goodbye, let’s look at the craziest, strangest, and biggest water fun available (perhaps you can plan…
August 12, 2014 Details are still emerging but the world is reeling from the shocking death of actor, Robin Williams. Known for his high energy and quick wit, many find it hard to believe that he battled such severe depression. Yes, even funny people can suffer from the disorder. The surprising end to this colorful life is an…
August 14, 2014 The high-profile couple have battled issues for years but David Duchovny and Tea Leoni are getting divorced after 17 years of marriage. They have been officially separated for months and have cited an “irretrievable breakdown” in their relationship as the cause for their split. The pair married on May 13, 1997 and…
August 22, 2014 Mariah Carey has been one of the biggest (and most beloved) divas in the music world for more than two decades now and fans have definitely seen her go through her share of ups and downs over the years. When she found love with much-younger actor/comedian/host, Nick Cannon, people were surprisingly supportive….
August 25, 2014 The three most dreaded words in childhood: Back. To. School. If it hasn’t happened for you yet, it will soon. Need some inspiration? Here’s A Message From Your Kids’ Teacher to parents via Jimmy Kimmel. “Remember: We don’t suck, your kid sucks.” Okay, maybe that wasn’t exactly inspiration. Although, students can be pretty…
August 26, 2014 It seems from the moment he was born, my son loved all things that move: cars, trains, trucks, airplanes and so on. We had to find variations on this theme until Star Wars finally broadened his interests! I was happy to get away from wheels and branch out into the sky for his…