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Handmade treasures are a great symbol of the spirit of Christmas: they are best when shared with friends and family, they become a simple yet meaningful decoration for your holiday home, and they offer lots of time during assembly for refection on the season. Making time for crafts with your spouse, your children, and your […]
Whether you are homeschooling your child(ren) or just looking for some supplemental websites for afternoon or weekend learning, I have come across some amazing resources in my preparation for homeschooling. I found a book from the library called Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,400 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Educating Your Family […]
Halloween is fast approaching and parents and children everywhere are beginning to look for inspiration to feed the imagination. The beauty of Halloween is that for one day, people of all ages have license to create beyond what is typical, usual, or expected. The act of pretending is a terrific exercise for body, mind, and […]
My husband and I are preparing for a weekend getaway to Asheville, NC. ListPlanIt is sponsoring the Type-A Mom Conference and during the day, I will be attending some of the wonderful sessions and meeting some lovely people. My parents are willing volunteers to care for our 3 children while we are away. While they […]
I was 37 years old before I ever experienced real grief. Just 4 years ago, we moved to Maine. Two months later, we went in search of a furry friend to live with us. We had had puppies before, and with 3 children in the house, this was an unattractive option. We decided an adult […]
You may be thinking, “The end of summer? It is only the beginning of July!” However, I know that once July is over, August brings thoughts of school supplies and new school clothes. We will begin to think more about the season to come and less about enjoying what is left of the current season. […]
We have now lived in Maine for 4 years. The time has flown. My oldest daughter started Kindergarten just 2 weeks after moving to Maine. Now she will be starting in the 4th grade in the fall. We love it here! I don’t know how many people get to choose where they want to live, […]
For children, summer vacation is the pinnacle of their year. Swimming, playing, sleeping in, and being at home are a few of the things that epitomize childhood summers. For parents who work from home, notions of summer vacation are a little different. Those who operate a service business may need to spend much of […]
While I believe there are products out there that can be useful to running a family, home, or business, I don’t spend a lot of time or money on them. I am an advocate for assessing your needs first and then tackling the issues by researching what might work best for your system (or desired […]
It doesn’t matter that for your entire life before children you never had to check a bag for a flight or that you moved from college to your first apartment filling only the backseat of your Honda Accord. All packing practicality flies right out the window when you are faced with the possibility of being […]
Making Dad’s day as special as he is can be a challenge. You can always buy him another tie or another tech gadget, but what would really show him how much his family loves and appreciates him? I am always looking for a way for my children to get involved in showing their Dad how […]
With summer here (or almost here for us), I have spent many an hour thinking about our daily routine. There are several things that I have come to know about my children: they are freshest (mentally and creatively) in the morning, they love playing the Wii more than watching TV but will not beg for […]
Whether you are a stay-at-home/work-at-home parent or your child is old enough to be home alone in the summertime or he/she will be attending a day camp, stocking up on lunch items will now be a priority. Lunch in my house tends to be quick, easy, and simple. I try to have healthy options so […]
Breakfast has always been a difficult meal for me. For one thing, I am usually not hungry until around 9:30 or 10 in the morning, but my children usually are. While they are getting to the age that they can prepare themselves something to eat for breakfast, I want to have healthy options for them […]
Today, I am guest posting over at the very sweet BetterInBulk blog, where visitors are sure to satisfy their cravings. I list some of my favorite lists that I use day to day. Head on over there and check it out. And while you are there, be sure to look around. Lolli is a mother […]
Graduation invitations and announcements have begun to find their way to mailboxes and “Pomp & Circumstance” will be the theme song of the month. Whether you know someone graduating from high school or college this year, a gift is a way to show your support for his or her strong ending and to contribute to […]
If you or someone you know is a mother, then you can thank Sonora Smart Dodd for envisioning a day when all mothers can be honored for the contribution they make to so many people. Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate not only you as a mother (if you happen to be a mother), […]
Although our school doesn’t let out for summer until June 17, I have already begun to plot out our burgeoning summer schedule. Summer is about lazy days and soaking it all in, but achieving that can often only be done with a lot of preparation and planning. Coordinating each member of your family’s needs and […]
Here in Maine, this is Spring Break. Never is the television more on my mind than when my children are home from school and our routines are suddenly wide open and scrambled all at the same time. Monday, I received a great reinforcement of many of my feelings about the TV from Simple Mom; however, […]
Do you ever wish that you could take what you’ve learned and go back in time and try again? I have always considered myself to be socially responsible, but I’ve had so many revelations in the past few years. Wisdom truly does come with age and experience. I know that I still have so much […]
Adults are challenged by a growing awareness that the earth is our home and we have to take care of it for ourselves and for future generations. However, we are presented with an even greater responsibility: teaching those future generations now how to be gentle on the planet, appreciate our earth as a force for […]
A version of this post was originally published on April of 2008. Since then, we’ve discovered more about autism disorders, but there is still much to learn. I encourage you to check out AutismSpeaks.org to learn more about autism and how you can get involved in educating your family and your community today. April is […]
When I was contacted about the possibility of getting tickets to Disney on Ice’s Finding Nemo, I jumped at the chance! Finding Nemo is one of the best Disney movies of all time and I couldn’t wait to see the colorful costumes gliding around on the ice. The last time my family had been to […]
Technology and the web has transformed our lives in so many ways. My student life was simpler, with fewer options for learning independently and for entertainment. I, admittedly, watched a lot of TV in my days as a student (think Happy Days), but I could never have imagined a tool that would allow me to […]
The internet has quickly become the place to go for unlimited resources, new friendships with people from around the country and the globe, and, of course, entertainment. Children are beginning to understand the value of the internet as well. While computers are proving to have a great many uses for children, it is frightening as […]