Years ago, on our honeymoon, my husband jumped off the side of a boat. It was purely recreational. And extremely dangerous, unbeknownst to us. He hit the ocean floor and felt his vertebrae collapse. We know we're extremely lucky. 11 years later, he's been in and out of MRIs, appointments with specialists, and sessions with chiropractors, acupuncturists, and physical therapies. There have been ups and downs. He'd given up golfing, tennis, and there are times when wrestling with the kids is … [Read more...]
Organize your week in 7 easy steps
August 23, 2011 By 16 Comments
With the start of Back to School season, there's an ideal opportunity to start personal parenting routines. Everything from getting the kids off to school to grocery shopping becomes simpler when you have it down to a system. The problem is finding and sticking to a system so that it becomes habit. Here's how I organize my week. Keep a calendar. In the past, I used a momAgenda Desktop Planner , and it was fantastic. Each child had a section for his or her events and appointments. And I loved … [Read more...]
Learning to read is easier when the child is interested in the subject matter
August 22, 2011 By 1 Comment
Exploring a child's interests is such an important part of emerging literacy. A child will want to do more towards his own learning when he or she has an interest in the subject. I recall a student, a second grader, who was obsessed with motorcycles. He drew them, looked at pictures in magazines, even wore racing clothes nearly every day. But he couldn't read beyond basic sounds. When he went to the library, he came back empty handed due to a lack of interest. At that time, the internet was … [Read more...]
First day of school jitters: remembering second grade
August 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Butterflies? Upset stomachs? Late nights of tears? Yes. It's back to school season, the most wonderful time of the year. Yet, also, the scariest for parents, children, teachers and administration. When I started second grade, I was terrified. I had switched to my new school in the middle of the previous year and had no idea what the first day at this still-new-school would bring. Like all control-craving people, even at 7, not knowing what was coming was an issue. At least three nights … [Read more...]
Support Communities in Schools and enter the Fill the Backpack Giveaway!
August 16, 2011 By 255 Comments
Today, we're announcing Communities in Schools as our official Not-for-Profit sponsor and kicking off Fill the Backpack 2011 with our fantastic giveaway on all 8 blogs of Splash Creative Media. Remember how I met John Legend and learned about Communities in Schools a few weeks ago? Well, we were so inspired by what the not-for-profit is doing, that we asked them to partner with us for this year's Fill the Backpack Campaign so that all of our readers can learn and share even more about the goals … [Read more...]
How Mabel's Labels makes my life easier
July 26, 2011 By 6 Comments
The other day while at the pool, Big tossed me his goggles. He swims almost daily, twice, and jumps, dives, rides the swirly slide... he's a pool nut. Both boys are. A friend who was sitting with me noticed the Teeny Tag from Mabel's Labels on it. "That's a sticker?!" she asked. "Um. Yeah." "And it's been on his goggles all summer? In the pool?!" "Um. Yeah." "How does that work? Don't stickers usually fall off?!" "Um. Yeah. I have no idea. But they're amazing. I got a pack of Mabels … [Read more...]
