On National School Librarian Day, we celebrate the people who keep our libraries running. We wouldn’t have these book sanctuaries without them, so take a moment to thank a librarian with these fun celebration ideas. As Neil Gaiman said, “Google will bring you back, you know, a hundred thousand answers. A librarian will bring you […]
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Springtime can mean many things: flowers, warmer weather, bunnies, allergies, cleaning, and Easter. But spring break only means one thing: time to spend with your family. If you are on a tight budget, can’t take the time off with your kids, or are making plans last minute, here are eight inexpensive family activities for spring
8 Family Activities for Spring Break! Read More »
Picking just the right thing for your child’s Easter basket every year can be a real struggle. A dress and candy? Baseball cards and a chocolate rabbit? And what if you’re buying for a toddler or baby? If you’ve run out of ideas this year, here are ten cute and fun children’s books for your
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When it comes to Generation-Z—young people born between 1997 and 2012—my number one piece of advice to start a conversation with Gen-zers is: If you want to know something, just ask them. In social situations—even one-on-one interactions—Gen-Zers can come off as aloof, rude, unsociable, awkward, introverted . . . (pop in whatever stereotype you want). But I have
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Summer break is over, and the days of slow, routine-less mornings are giving way to alarm clocks and school bells. While most parents feel at least a little relieved to get back to a regular schedule, the transition into a morning routine can be a major source of stress. I have three children in school
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I had just criticized my fifteen-year-old son for staying on his video game longer than we had agreed. I could hear him laughing, talking, and interacting with a number of his friends from school as they played the game. They used the time to interact with each other. I simultaneously felt frustrated and confused as
Can Video Games Help My Kid Succeed? Read More »
COVID Babies Grew Up! Remember somewhere around mid-March of 2020 someone flipped a switch? The museums we visited the day before were closed. Schools with the same friends and teachers as last week were shut. Office meetings were no longer around a staff table but on Zoom. Now after varying degrees of “stop and start”—and
COVID Babies Go to School! Read More »
Play. To many, a simple, daily activity built into a child’s schedule where children are free to use their imaginations, set their own rules, and just be “kids.” But there is more to play than what meets the eye. Play is an essential part of a child’s overall development. As children develop, they pass through
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It was recently brought to my attention that there is such a thing as National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. And why wouldn’t there be? There are national days to celebrate just about everything under the sun. It only makes sense that there would be a special day for something as delightful as this cookie. Given
A Salute to the Peanut Butter Cookie Read More »
“Mommy! Look at this!” my youngest shouts, bouncing down the hall.I’d love to look, but I’m too busy picking dried-up fruit snacks out of the living room carpet. “In a minute, sweetie,” I shout over my shoulder.Thirty brief seconds pass. “Mommy!” The voice gets louder . . . and the bouncing gets closer.“Hold on!”I make a mental note
