March 12, 2019 It seems like every time we turn around there’s a new holiday “tradition” designed specifically to irritate already stretched thin moms. Christmas comes with elves and shelves. Valentine’s requires decked-out boxes filled with “punny” homemade cards. Even St. Patrick’s Day has come far from when the main activity was scoping out your…
March 26, 2019 Have you ever wondered what to do with leftover Easter candy besides eat it? Every year, the kids end up getting far more candy in their Easter baskets than I really want them to eat. They get it at church, at school, from relatives and of course, they get some from the…
April 8, 2019 These days, almost every home in the country houses multiple battles and weapons collecting operations a day, leaving parents worried about eye strain and missed study time. It seems Fortnite has pulled kids from all regions under its addictive spell. Moms, on the other hand, are noticing some other things about life with…
April 11, 2019 Spring has sprung, leaving those astonishingly organized among us looking towards their house with intense designs for rejuvenation. It leaves those of us not blessed with the neat bug wondering if we should contemplate this “cleaning” thing others talk about sometimes. In fact, I’m pretty sure if my kids heard the words…
April 19, 2019 Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to remind our moms just how much we love them. First celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, the holiday is today a beloved spring celebration of all the love and care…
April 26, 2019 Mother’s Day is just around the corner—have you been struggling to find just the right gift for the new mom in your life? If so, we’ve got you covered. Let Mom know how much you love and care for her with something that fits her lifestyle and personality. Here are some great…
April 27, 2019 Have you heard of Forest Schools? This was a new term for me but when I started researching it further, I wished my kids were young again and I could put send them there! Forest Schools are part of a growing trend to get kids out in nature. Much like nature classes,…
May 1, 2019 Whether you’re a horse person or not, the Kentucky Derby, on May 4, is a great excuse for a party. You can take yourself back in time with an event that’s run every year since 1875. The Derby is filled with fun traditions and excitement like the following! Set the Scene The…
May 21, 2019 Did you know that May is Better Speech and Hearing Month? The theme for 2019 is “Communication Across the Lifespan” because communication disorders can impact us at any stage in life, from newborns to senior citizens. Having struggled to be heard by my grandmother in her final days, and then discovering something…
May 22, 2019 May is Mental Health Awareness Month. A few years ago, I would have said that due to my training in education, open conversation with knowledgeable friends and family, and experiences with mental health issues, I was pretty on top of those types of issues with my children. Let me tell you point…
July 1, 2019 If you’re a parent of young kids, you know well that YouTube is one of their favorite media outlets. Even tiny tots seem to know how to navigate to find video content. But this easy-access entertainment comes with one big worry. Autoplay means that when one video ends, another begins, so if…
May 31, 2019 Now that school is almost over, it’s time for parents and children to start thinking about summer camp. There are many types of camps available—afternoon creative camp, an all-day sports camp, or a two-week adventure camp. One of the things to consider when deciding on a camp is whether your child will…
June 17, 2019 Summer vacation can be lethal to kids’ reading advancements. That doesn’t necessarily mean that school should continue without pause but reading is one of the few academic pursuits in which you can learn just by doing it. You can pick up the proper structure of a story, gathering information, new vocabulary, general…
May 30, 2019 Now that summer is in full swing for most families, parents have started to wonder when their child might be ready for Kindergarten. While many parents assume that their child is ready to start school when they turn five years old, this may not be true for every child. There are far…
June 24, 2019 A one-hour flight within your own state can be stressful enough with a small child, but a long-haul flight—whether it’s New York to Los Angeles or somewhere overseas—can be especially brutal. Still, we’ve got to live our lives, so if you’re planning to take a lengthy journey with kids, here are some…
May 7, 2020 There’s a not-so-secret society of moms out there in the world: The Society of Sports Moms. It’s made up of those of us who spend significant time taxing kids to practice, sitting as spectators, hunting up uniforms to wash at the last minute, and shuffling schedules. Even with years of experience, I…
April 1, 2020 Parenting a teenager might be one of the most confusing and internally jarring sensations in the world. I was having a typical lunch with my oldest when it occurred to me that those loose unplanned moments were what I will miss when he leaves for college. We drifted in topics and suddenly,…
March 23, 2020 Parents around the world are in a time of flux. With so many schools closed or the future unclear, it’s easy to feel that education has stopped. We worry that our kids will fall behind without everyday instruction. We feel like we need to jump in as fully-fledged teachers with all the…
April 10, 2020 We recently discussed Executive Function as a skill to teach during the school closures. But how do you teach it? The term executive function can be summed up as “management of what’s inside and around you”. Skills like organization, focus, time management, self-control, and goal-setting all spring from this idea. We can…
April 24, 2020 Now that everyone is working and learning from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are the kids going stir crazy yet? It can be a challenge on the best of days to keep the kids busy and occupied. But, when they cannot visit with their friends or go to the park, it…
April 17, 2020 Earth Day this year seems a bit pushed to the side of the major happenings in the world. Ironically, with so many of us staying home, the day will probably bring nicer air and skies than usual. Staying home with kids is in no way a vacation, but it can allow us…
April 29, 2020 We can all agree that the middle of a lockdown during a pandemic is definitely not the ideal time for a milestone celebration. Or any celebration, really! But we recently celebrated my oldest child’s 16th birthday. We had already started planning several events with good friends but those plans had to be put…
June 25, 2020 Summer has arrived on the heels of distance learning. It might feel like this year, more than others, your kids will need extra make-up work. Educational tools like workbooks or memory exercises can motivate some types of children … but they can also create a lot of resentment from those who prefer…
June 9, 2020 Within the last few weeks, it’s been impossible to ignore that race is still a major issue in the U.S. today. No matter a person’s political affiliation, we can all agree that we need to end racism for good. Many corporations have made announcements and ads that say the same. One email…
July 23, 2020 Life sure doesn’t look the way it usually does at this point in the year. After some reflection, and a little bit of mourning, I decided to make the most of a unique opportunity with chances to recreate the benefits of our travel with at-home versions as well as embracing new hobbies…
August 10, 2020 School is starting to creep closer for a lot of us. Maybe summer is starting to feel a bit tired as well. You might be searching for an idea to add some fresh life into your time off while simultaneously kicking your children’s brains back into the learning gear. So have I. In…
August 3, 2020 Summer is in full swing and the hot weather is here to stay for a few months. Families are looking for ways to cool down and have fun. But, many families are concerned about the safety of congregating in public spaces. And, that includes pools and beaches. So, is it possible to…
August 11, 2020 It’s almost time for back-to-school, but chances are you’re anything but excited. Parents, teachers, and students are having to make tough decisions about what education will even look like this fall. Will everyone meet in a classroom? Online? Some sort of hybrid? Will outbreaks shut everything down before it even gets started? …
August 25, 2020 Looking for crafts to keep the kids busy? As we wind down summer, this is normally a time when people go on vacations, spend time at the pool, and get out in the community to experience whatever it has to offer. But, with more and more people choosing to stay home for…
September 3, 2020 Explaining things like social distancing and wearing masks to younger children can be a bit of a challenge. While we want to make sure they understand what we’re asking, we don’t want to scare them. And, we don’t want to give them more information than they can handle. For very young children…
October 7, 2020 Trick or treating has been around in some form or another since the 1930s. But, this year many families are wondering whether or not they want to risk taking their kids from house to house for candy and treats. No one wants their child to miss out on Halloween fun but are…
November 19, 2020 Being thankful requires awareness. It doesn’t come easy for everyone. For kids, it’s something they often don’t even think about until Thanksgiving rolls around and schools and parents ask them what they are thankful for. It’s a great reminder, of course. But how can we cultivate that thankfulness year-round? Not just a…
November 24, 2020 If the kids are starting to get bored with their distance learning, try a few of these fun weather experiments to engage their interest. Science experiments are always more fun than sitting in front of a book or a computer screen. With just a little bit of time and a few simple…
