best of teach mama countdown: #3 shoe-tying
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, …
quick trick
best of teach mama countdown: #8 — gem jars
Being a parent is a totally rewarding, completely fun, and continually changing job, but yes, it's sometimes crazy, difficult, challenging, and …
quick trick: library book parade
This Quick Trick is super quick, very simple, but it's one of my children's favorite parts of our library trips: the Library Book Parade.
No, it's …
quick trick: fast-finger challenges with play-doh
Like so many families, we love Play-Doh over here. And whether it's the real-deal, packed-in-yellow-containers-Play-Doh or happy …
quick trick: fun with bows and gift wrap
Before we recycle what wrapping paper we can and throw away all of the plastics and trash from holiday gift-giving, I usually set some of the good …
quick trick: make the school year a success!
The school year's in full swing around here, and I'll tell you, it has not been an easy transition for us.
Grade One is a whole different country …
quick trick: the days of the week with vitamin C!
Welcome, welcome new vitamin boxes to our table and to our every day! I have yet to find a better way than this to talk about the day of the week each …
quick trick: playing on positive behavior
Back in the end of May, our little familia was experiencing a rough patch. Owen finished preschool a few weeks before Maddy ended kindergarten, …
quick trick: the power of positive talk
I had a conversation with a neighbor a few weeks ago that took me way back to second-grade class when my teacher continually referred to my class as …
quick trick: rainy day picnic
Surprise, surprise--another rainy, gray winter day here in Maryland.So after we got home from Owen's soccer practice, I got busy packing our picnic …
quick trick: bye, bye birthday cards
I have never really been a birthday card sender. And as much as I do love to receive cards, I've already come clean and admitted what we do with …
quick trick: patience, patience
It's funny sometimes that my youngest--the smallest of the house, my tiniest bambina, and one with such a sweet, angelic face--can be the loudest, …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, candy countdown
After taking care of three on-and-off sick kiddos for the last three weeks, and after a crazy week of Halloween parties and craziness, I was finally …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick–brain kiss
Mmmmmuahhhh!Give your brain a kiss.I learned so, so much from Maddy's incredible preschool teachers when I parent-aided in her first classroom.She was …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, colors
I was blue,Jenny was yellow,Mary was red, andKatie was green.I still connect my three sisters and myself to those colors because way back when my mom …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, positive
Lately, my sweet 3-year-old boy has been experimenting with his voice (yelling and screaming anywhere, anytime, at anyone), his body (superhero …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, 1 2 3
I found this Quick Trick via one of my "awesome--always-knows-what-she's-doing-and-is-a-fantastic-parent" pals who threw it at me a few months ago …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, divide
My husband taught me this Quick Trick, and he learned it first-hand way back when he and his brother were little. His dad had them use it when they …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, giving go’s
Stop pulling on the door handle! Don't jump on the bed!Get your fingers out of your mouth!Don't you dare kick …
trying to keep smiling: quick trick, days
Here's another idea I totally snagged and adapted from someone else, but this simple trick has saved me quite possibly the equivalent of years of …