talking stranger safety with kids: a dvd you MUST have This New For Us Friday makes my stomach turn and my eyes tear–seriously. But it is so important …Read moretalking stranger safety with kids: a dvd you MUST have
swinging and clapping Lately, since Owen’s mastered pumping on the swings, we’ve spent a whole lot of time in our back yard–just swinging.Most of the …Read moreswinging and clapping
the special plate: celebrate success as a family About two years ago, I ran across this huge, crazy, red, gaudy Special Plate at our local home design store. It was a no-brainer for me to pick it …Read morethe special plate: celebrate success as a family
age-appropriate speech sounds As a Reading Specialist and English teacher, I am always looking for ways to make learning to read fun for the students I tutor and my own little …Read moreage-appropriate speech sounds
how to listen to your kids: wait time I am so grateful to be married to my amazing husband; he’s an incredible father and a patient and loving friend, and he totally rocks as an …Read morehow to listen to your kids: wait time
color cards and clips: fine motor fun This Quick Trick is something that has saved my sanity on several longer-than-expected waits at the doctor’s office, auto shop, Target, and even …Read morecolor cards and clips: fine motor fun
sticky finger writing: writing letters and sight words There are a million, trillion cool ways of getting little ones to practice letter writing and to commit sight words to memory. It’s so awesome …Read moresticky finger writing: writing letters and sight words
traveling writing centers Since last fall, I’ve had little writing centers in both Maddy and Owen’s bedrooms, and I’ve really been surprised at how well …Read moretraveling writing centers
pimpin’ our coupe Seriously. I had to. I have been dreaming of flames on my minivan for three years now, and this, I believe, is as close …Read morepimpin’ our coupe
backyard alphabet hunt I found these awesome rolls of paper a few weeks ago–cheap!–so I picked up a bunch, and I’m having a blast using them in fun ways …Read morebackyard alphabet hunt
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 …Read moretrying to keep smiling: quick trick, positive
rockin’ rhyme bingo Owen and I revisited Rhyme Bingo today, this time with Maddy, and it was a blast. We only played for a short while–about 15 or 20 minutes …Read morerockin’ rhyme bingo
pop beads Maddy received this awesome set of Pop Beads by Parents as a gift this past year, and we’ve been using them more lately to (secretly) work on …Read morepop beads
sneaky way to get kids to eat veggies: frozen peas More frozen what? Peas. That’s right. Peas. The 30-45 minutes before dinnertime can be a total nightmare for me, especially now that …Read moresneaky way to get kids to eat veggies: frozen peas
owen’s got grip: using large crayons to help support tripod grip No joke! My boy finally found his grip! It’s taken a while, and over the last few months, I’ve researched (our friends at …Read moreowen’s got grip: using large crayons to help support tripod grip
spend, save, and give jars: managing money with kids Money, money, money, mooooonnneyyy . . . Money saving, money planning, money managing–I have to admit that I am only really good at money …Read morespend, save, and give jars: managing money with kids
water painting Today was gorgeous outside, so after the kids had played for a while, helped their dad with yard work, and played some more, I brought out some …Read morewater painting
backyard number boxes It was beautiful out today, so after of lots of playing and exploring in our own backyard, I gave Maddy and Owen the challenge of introducing our ole …Read morebackyard number boxes
teach kids patience on their own: arm circles Arm circles. What are they? They’re both a distractor and a way for two little ones to try to work out sharing issues. And they make me …Read moreteach kids patience on their own: arm circles
abc tater tots–eat ’em while they’re hot! We discovered this little oh-so-healthy frozen food gem a few weeks ago, and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t have these for dinner once a …Read moreabc tater tots–eat ’em while they’re hot!