Category: Family Life
How to Choose a Backpack
We seem to have an abundance of backpacks at our house. We’ve got character backpacks from Dora to Spongebob to Power Rangers, plus several solid-color or print backpacks. With that said, every year, my kids want a new backpack to go along with all of their spiffy new back-to-school clothes. I don’t mind, as after […]
Back to School Shopping: Notebooks and Crayons and Folders, Oh My
It’s almost one of my favorite times of the year: back to school supply sales! I’ve always had a thing for pristine notebooks, brand new crayons, and my personal favorite, pens. I’m not talking about regular Bic or Papermate pens; I fully admit that I’m a bit of a pen snob, and rely on Uniball […]
July is Eye Injury Prevention Month
Surely you’ve heard the adage, “it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.” Eye injury is far from a laughing matter; according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 2.5 million incidences of eye injuries occur every year. These include workplace injuries, but about half happen in or around the […]
Food Allergies and Summertime Activities
As the mother of a child with a food allergy, I need to think through special accommodations at times. Her school has an Epi-pen for her, but places like dance class, birthday parties, Sunday school and friends’ houses don’t, so I need to send it along, with instructions on how to use it should there […]
Start a Summer Book Club with your Kids
If you’re looking for a way to encourage your kids to read over the summer, one idea to consider is starting a summer book club. Getting the kids together with their friends to read or discuss what they’re reading turns reading from a solitary activity into a social activity and gives everyone a regularly occurring […]
Summer Break: Keeping Busy Inside the House
Recently, we talked about ways to keep busy on a shoestring this summer. While it’s important to get kids out and about during their summer break, there are lots of times that it’s nice to just stay home. With the heat keeping us in our air-conditioned house, though, sometimes finding things to do without getting […]
Family Fun on the Fourth
Independence Day is the biggest holiday of the summer, and it’s one that kids love to celebrate. Fireworks, picnics, and barbecues are staple activities, but there are some more unique family activities out there that can make your Fourth of July fun. How about a Fourth of July makeover or a neighborhood parade? Maybe your […]
Summertime Safety: Fireworks
The first day of Summer has officially come and gone, and with it come pool parties, family reunions, days at the beach and lots more warm-weather fun. There are also some dangers lurking when it comes to your kids and summertime fun. We’ll be going through a few of these and giving you some timely […]
Summer Learning
As summer vacation approaches, one thing that concerns me is summer learning loss: studies show kids lose over two and a half months of math skills and around one month of skills in other subjects over the long vacation period. As much as I want my kids to have their well-deserved break, I know their […]
Summertime Enrichment that is Budget Friendly
Now that school is over for the year, your kids have a lot of time on their hands. Without the day-to-day interaction with peers that they have during the school year, they will likely be complaining of boredom after the novelty of sleeping in and lounging around the house wears off. With friends going on […]
