Books and Giggles
Practical parenting tips, thoughts, and information
When my son started kindergarten in our local public school, I felt completely shut out of his school day. I sent him off on the bus each morning, and he was sealed up inside a locked, secure building all day. Parents couldn’t just drop by and peek in like you could at our little preschool. I was desperate…
As a mother of three, I should have known that you can never be prepared for everything. While the kids happily ate pizza, I suddenly noticed that Sophie was missing a tooth! And by missing, I mean we had no idea where it was. Losing a Lost Tooth It was still morning, but it had…
If you have a strong-willed kid, homework can be a family battleground. The nagging and avoiding . . . the last minute rush . . . the yelling . . . the child who “forgets” to turn it in to the teacher . . . As a parent and teacher, I’ve seen all of these and more….
Putting your kids in organized sports is a lot more involved than just paying your fees and showing up. When we signed our now-8-year-old up for T-ball at age 4, I had no idea how much my life was about to change. With all three kids in sports now, we have definitively left the playgroup…
I saw this display in my grocery store last summer, and I couldn’t decide how I felt about it. On one hand, I was glad to see that they are supporting literacy in young children. On the other hand, I was kind of offended. Only 3 times a week? Why not 3 times a day?…
Whether you’re on a long family road trip or just shuttling kids around town, no-prep car trip games can save your sanity. By “no-prep” I mean you can start them from the driver’s seat while still driving safely. For longer road trips, you can find cute printable activities, carefully select special toys, and even give in to the DVD…
Do your kids ever get stuck on Repeat with a book that annoys you? Maybe you even liked it the first five or ten times, but the 97th time? Ugh. We have a few books that I flat-out won’t read anymore. (We have plenty of other choices.) Is that mean? I figure I’m teaching…
Do you ever worry whether you’ve made the right choice about being a stay-at-home-mom? On good days, you don’t, right? But other days, well, it’s easy to second-guess your decision to stay at home. You see Facebook posts from friends who are “leaning in” and feel jealous of their professional lives. You miss the respect and intellectual stimulation. You miss…
You know how, sometimes, seeing the world through your child’s eyes can really change your attitude? Recently, it was pouring rain, and I had just finished loading a cart full of groceries into the minivan. My jeans were wet, and my socks were soggy inside my soaked tennis shoes. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing to navigate…
I love all the ideas out there about how to be an amazing parent. It’s hard not to gobble every one of them up in an effort give my kids a picture-perfect start in life, complete with Pinterest-worthy crafts, clever snacks, and days brimming with lovingly-curated learning activities. The Edit Button Since giving birth…
Are you still with me? Did you read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series? Without further introduction, here are the final three mistakes that I am doing differently the second time around. Mistake #5 – Reading a 20-book series aloud One thing I know I did right was continue reading aloud even after my son…
This is Part Two of a Three Part series. Be sure to check out Rookie Mom Reading Mistakes Part One if you missed it. I hated not knowing what type of reader my son would turn out to be. It was really hard standing there with him at age four looking up at age 7 or 8….
My (beautiful, strong-willed) kids like to decide for themselves which clothes to wear. I’m okay with this most of the time, as long as they are seasonally appropriate. The problem for us here in the South is that the season doesn’t always predict what is appropriate. We can get a 70 degree day in January, followed by a…