Should I send my 5-year-old to Kindergarten, or should I wait a year? What are the benefits of 'redshirting' my child for Kindergarten? Does another year of preschool really make that much of a difference? What's the big deal?! It's KINDERGARTEN! It's so funny how often I've referenced a piece about our reflections on sending Owen to Kindergarten that I wrote for the DC Moms over five years ago. Probably a dozen times each and every summer, readers email me with the … [Read more...]
pokemonGO: what it is and what parents need to know
Oh, friends. Those of you who know me know that Pokemon is one of my least favorite things in the whole, wide world. I struggled through Owen's crazy Pokemon stage a few summers ago, trying to learn to distinguish Charizard from Charmeleon and Pidgey from Pidgeotto so that I could try to understand what he was talking about--all the livelong day. Maddy, Cora, my husband and I tried to play Pokemon, flipping cards and talking about evolutions and attacks and CP and EX (probably wrong … [Read more...]
everything you need to make it a ‘Finding Dory’ summer
It's taken over 12 years. But it's finally here. Finding Dory hits the theaters today, and we couldn't be more thrilled. Hard to believe that we met Nemo more than 12 years ago--twelve years!--and so it's definitely time we see Marlin, Nemo, Dory, and all our undersea friends again. The movie was beautiful. Beautiful. The graphics, the characters, the story, the messages--oh man, all of it. Loved it. Maddy, Owen, Cora, and I had a chance to check it out as a press … [Read more...]
I’ve had enough of gun violence, so this is what I’m doing
You guys. It's pretty much time that we do something. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. An Independent or whatever. I honestly don't care. What I care about is that you, as a human being here, living on God's green earth, take a stand on gun violence. It's time. Do something to put an end to the gun violence. Because if we don't start doing, my friends, things are just going to get worse. And I'm not saying that I think guns should be banned. I'm not … [Read more...]
an open letter to my neighbors during the last month of school
Hey Neighbors-- I feel like I need to explain something to you. There's been a whole lot of noise and chaos and crazy coming out of our house lately, and I'm sorry. Actually, there’s always a lot of noise, chaos, and crazy over here, but lately, it’s been doubled. Or tripled. So I'm sorry if we woke your baby from her nap or interrupted your peaceful dinner. Sorry if we scared your preschooler or freaked out your grandmother. But friends, things get nuts around these places … [Read more...]
migraines and kids: managing the ups and downs
When Owen first started suffering from migraines, we had no idea what was going on. He had no idea what was going on. Out of the blue, he would be out for the count. One minute, he'd be playing out front with the neighbors; the next minute, he'd be throwing up in the bathroom, complaining that his head hurt so bad and asking, "Mom, what can I do?" It was a scary and uncertain time. And though we are still not out of the woods (though migraines can hit at any time) we have begun to … [Read more...]
Highlights Every Day app: THE must-have app for every 5-9 year old
Friends, it's no secret that I have long been a fan of the great folks at Highlights for Children and the wonderful work they do. But now? They've taken their awesome to an app, and it makes me want to dance. It seriously is one of THE must-have apps for every 5-9 years old. For every elementary schooler. Every child would benefit from having this app because literally every, single day, there's something new. It's cool. Very cool. It's the Highlights Every Day app, and it's … [Read more...]
chat and learn: NEW on teachmama.com — Office Hours!
Every day, all day. Each week. Each month, all year long, I am asked all kinds of reading questions. So I'm officially opening up teachmama office hours! That way, we can chat--even for a quick five minutes!--and I can help you support your children. The awesome thing is that there's a free, new platform called SpareMin that allows us to chat when we can find time. During our 'spare' minutes of the day. I love it. I'm just planning ahead a bit and telling you when I'll make … [Read more...]
what is musical.ly and should I let my kid have an account?
You guys. My kids have become obsessed -- O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D -- with musical.ly. And up until recently, only Maddy had an account. Owen and Cora, though, asked for an account just about every day, and finally I relented. I must be getting tired in my old age, after how long I made Maddy wait for an Instagram account for about forever, look at me with my second and third children just letting them dive into the wilds of social media without care. But if you know me, you will know … [Read more...]
healthy, quick meal prep service for busy families: Terra’s Kitchen
I am always thrilled when asked to try new products or services that may make my family's life better, easier, or healthier. So when I learned that a healthy, quick meal prep service for busy families had arrived in the DC Metro area this month, I was thrilled when I was asked to give it a go. It's called Terra's Kitchen, and the premise is simple: they want to bring back the experience of cooking and eating together. And they know that we're all busy. Like really, really busy. And … [Read more...]
reading tip 6: laugh! #raiseareader
I'm all about daily reading tips this month--tips for parents and caregivers about how they can raise kids who love reading! They're short and sweet. Believe me. I know, friends--we're all busy. And we barely have enough bandwidth for one. more. thing. But the response has been great so far, so I'm running with it. This tip is one that may surprise you--I know it surprised me. Check it out: Like this video? Check out the whole #RaiseAReader playlist and … [Read more...]
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