quick trick

honoring our friend susan, @whymommy

February 6, 2012

I remember so vividly beautiful you standing by the window in your blue dress, Susan. The one that Jess gave to you because it fit you so perfectly and you both knew it was the one. I remember how nervous you were–how excited you were–how ready you were. I remember how Curt calmed your nerves [...]

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quick trick: showing love

January 16, 2012

Lately, my tiny Cora has been a little, teeny, tiny bit on the tough side. We’re back on a regular diet for her, after our gluten-free spring and summer, thanks to the advice of a pediactric GI specialist.  In order for any testing to be done–and accurate–Cora needed a minimum of four months on ‘regular’ [...]

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best of teach mama countdown: #3 shoe-tying

January 11, 2012

Teaching some kids how to tie their shoes is so not easy, it’s not even funny. While one child may teach herself how to do it, for another child, it may take time and time and time again for her to actually learn how to tie those shoelaces on her own. Maddy was a great [...]

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best of teach mama countdown: #8 — gem jars

January 5, 2012

Being a parent is a totally rewarding, completely fun, and continually changing job, but yes, it’s sometimes crazy, difficult, challenging, and frustrating. No two days are ever the same, and what begins as a great morning for one kiddo can be a rocky, awful, stressful one for another. It’s the hardest J-O-B I ever signed [...]

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quick trick: what to do with holiday cards

December 30, 2011

We’re huge fans of holiday cards around here. Actually, we’re huge fans of all types of cards.  We love to use them for cutting practice, arts and crafts, and even Valentines cards. But the cards that my kiddos seem to look forward to most are the cards with pictures of our friends’ and family members’ [...]

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magazines rock: creative, crafty, sneaky-learning fun

December 4, 2011

We are huge magazine fans over here. We love finding them in the mailbox, reading them, playing detective with them, crafting with them, and learning with them.  When they arrive in the day’s mail, it’s like a getting a little gift, just for you.  And when we sit down to read a magazine, it never [...]

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quick trick: how to take great holiday photos

November 29, 2011

This holiday-inspired Quick Trick is a little somethin’ for the moms and dads out there who strive for that perfect holiday family photo that they may–or may not–choose to use on their holiday cards. Everyone has a different take on holiday cards–whether to send them or not, when to send them, and what the cards [...]

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quick trick: have a. . . placemat party!

September 16, 2011

Every. Single. Day. We’re rocking a Placemat Party over here. At breakfast. At lunch. And at dinners at the kitchen table (because the kitchen table is so less fancy than our totally fancy-schmancy dinner table). It’s a seriously awesome party–reading, counting, talking about the states or dinosaurs or sea creatures or letters. This happy Friday [...]

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quick trick: the fancy brush–avoiding tangled hair and tearful mornings

September 6, 2011

This Quick Trick is a little bit funny to me. It’s not about how to make the school year a success. It’s not about how to teach kids to tie their shoes. And it’s not about how to use magnetic letters or how to keep kids busy in line or how we force game-playing manners [...]

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fun with food: learning in the kitchen with kids

August 31, 2011

Over the last few years, we’ve had a ton of fun with food over here.  I love food, my kids love food, my husband loves food, and we all really love trying new things and making meals together. Little do my kiddos know that every time they don their aprons in the kitchen with me, [...]

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learning during lunch with muffin tin meals

July 6, 2011

We took it easy today, after a late night filled with a lot of sushi-eating and a slow and rainy morning. So after swim, dive, and mini-team, we zipped home, very much excited for lunch. And to spice up our day–and to get some guaranteed smiles and fully bellies from Maddy, Owen, and Cora–I whipped [...]

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under a shady tree
can you feel the soft cool grass?
can you feel it with your toes?
we can sit here while it grows.
laurie berkner, "under a shady tree"


i know nothing with certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream
. . . vincent van gogh