Last weekend we hit another milestone. Truman went to his first Alabama football game. We were offered some posh seats in a skybox with a steady line of tasty snacks and a bottomless cooler of beverages. I suspect our son has been spoiled senseless. Wonder how he’ll react next time [...]
Today’s economic times have put stress on many families financially and emotionally. Does struggling and solving problems together bring families closer together?
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Are there activities they can do that don’t cost a great deal of money?
My husband and I grew up in homes where [...]
Now I know many are going to argue with me, in fact I argued it at first. I mean who were they to tell me Cookie Monster no longer ate chocolate cookies, that was the one thing he craved.
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I bet they were thinking the [...]Reports of children’s fingertips being amputated by strollers has triggered a massive recall. Maclaren Strollers in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC, issued the voluntary recall today, warning consumers that they should stop using the recalled strollers immediately because the stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and [...]
Do you know your grandchildren are watching you? That what you say and do set an example?
Just as they learn (good and bad) from parents, they also learn from grandparents. So it’s difficult to say, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
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We also continue to [...]
I was curious as a friend recently mentioned one of her children catching another sibling in the bathroom at what age do we stop allowing them to go in with us or even when they are big enough to go in a plublic one on their own. I know it [...]
When a High School Principal sent home a student for crossing dressing there was a big stir up. One question for you is how far would you let your child go to be an individual?
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Now what if that look actually distracted the students? That’s what [...]As more and more people (children and adults) use text messaging as a means of communication via their cell phones, will we find that correct spelling becomes obsolete?
Many young people use numbers and letters (4 instead of for, u for you) to speed up the process so they often don’t [...]
This category is full of everything from getting kids ready for school to picking out those summer fun activities. So it shouldn’t surprize you that when someone emailed and asked me:
IMG: Elizabeth Ferree
My son is 3 years old and refusing use his potty chair. Any recommendations?
My first [...]
I swiped this from my sister’s Facebook page. It’s a great feel-good video aptly named “Anti-Depression Video.” I think any parent would dig this.
For centuries, people have touted the benefits of laughter. Experts say that a good laugh can reduce stress by relaxing tense muscles and energizing you by sending [...]
Do you have “small treasures” made by children and grandchildren that you’ve saved over the years? Do these take on special significance for you?
Pincushion Image: sxc.hu
I’ve saved a number of these and find the memories joyful. ONe is a pincushion my daughter made by herself and gave [...]
Making Christmas gifts with your children can be a fun family project and one that creates happy memories, too.
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It’s not too early to start these projects so you’ll have plenty of time and won’t be rushed in December.
When my daughter was small, we were involved in many [...]
My daughter, Sarah, is 11 and in the 6th grade. She is a good student (just brought home a perfect report card), an athlete playing on both the volleyball and the basketball teams, and a musician with weekly guitar lessons.
IMG: Michelle Smith
She’s silly and funny, usually [...]
When I was 7, I learned the truth about Santa. Sort of.
My friend Emily said Santa was not some jolly old elf who appeared in the night and left presents under the tree, but was really my father who would crawl out of bed and pull toys from the closet. [...]
A friend described how his granddaughter was injured…in an auto accident because the faulty driver was texting on her cell phone.
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His granddaughter and her brother, who was driving, had stopped in a line of traffic at a red light.
They were rear ended and the granddaughter was [...]
I don’t care what they try telling you, mom and dad are soft spots for kids. No matter what they don’t want to see mom and dad vulnerable, hurt or sick, when they do it frightens them.
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I have been sick for over a week and [...]I used to roll my eyes at people who would get depressed during holidays. Seriously, what was there to be depressed about? And then my mother died. It’s not her absence that upsets me the most. It’s been 10 years since she died and I have learned to live with [...]
“You need to write your memories down, Mom,” my daughter said. “You’ve been researching family history, but you aren’t writing your memories down for us.”
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(Perhaps I didn’t consider myself history!) Actually, I didn’t think of my life and my memoris as that important until my daughter [...]
Each month I feature 5 of my favorite posts for the month. Here are the ones I’ve written at Blisstree’s Parenting section for October:
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Um… My neighbor just sent this video to me. Am I the only one here who finds this dancing baby video mildly disturbing? Regardless, dancing diapered babies is always a hit on YouTube, and this “Stanky Legs” piece is no exception. I’ll hand it to this kid. He/she has some [...]
During my substitute teaching activities, I recently discovered two books that second graders enjoyed. The teacher had left these for me to read if I had time.
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I selected The Scarecrow’s Dance by Jane Yolen and Crow Call by Lois Lowry.
They liked the rhyming in The Scarecrow’s Dance. Also, [...]
Christmas is less than two months away, which means you’d better get working on that Christmas list unless you want to spend your Christmas Eve fighting the masses at the mall. One of the luxuries of planning this far in advance is that you can get some really cool gifts [...]
During the course of my substitute teaching, I’ve encountered situations where some students and their families don’t celebrate specific holidays or occasions that the majority do. Or they might have holidays that are new to the other students.
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What do parents do?
Simply bring this to the attention [...]
WARNING: This post will turn your stomach!
This came across my screen early this morning and honestly I thought of not even posting it but I kept asking myself: How did these people allow this to happen? Why did no one stop it?
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That poor girl. I’m sure [...]
Here’s a newsflash. Makers of children’s cereals who advertiser to kids the most are the ones most likely loaded with sugar and starved of fiber. The obvious was revealed during a new study conducted by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The study found that an average [...]
Do you have a young teen in your home? How many have a little girl that would love to dress like a stripper?
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Okay, maybe not a stripper but she’s been eyeballing that tiny maid skirt at Walmart for a month now hoping that she’ll somehow convince [...]
So, you’re best friend is making you feel guilty because you don’t scrap. She’s preserving her family’s memories in pink-and-blue borders with ballooned quotes with catchy subtitles for candid photos taken at every juncture of her children’s lives. Her camera costs more than your car, and her bookcases are filled [...]
Once upon a time it was easy to travel. My husband and I would wake up, shower, pack our bags and leave. I think we could pull the whole thing off in under an hour.
And then came Truman.
I can’t say we weren’t warned. Our friends with kids told that packing [...]
As I listened to youngsters learning a new song about global warming and the greenhouse effect, I thought, “Propagandizing in high gear!”
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It’s being forced on young minds with a catchy tune and repetitive chorus. Some of the lines of the song contained distorted or outdated information.
The chanting of [...]
With this economy everyone is getting hit in the pocketbook, which is a surprise when you head to the store and see that the Halloween Costumes are the same prices they were just last year and the year before.
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Yes, apparently the costume makers aren’t feeling [...]Ok, seriously, are these pregnant women really rolling on their big bellies? I so want this to be real, though I suspect some of those moves may be dangerous for both mom and babe. Fake preggies or not, the most important thing is the message this Oxfam “Flashmom: Pregnant women [...]
The minute my son’s tiny body squeezed out of me, I changed. I became vulnerable. Sure, I had loved before. My husband is testament to my faith in love. We need each other, and to lose the other would be devastating. But we are strong. We can survive on our [...]
With Halloween coming up, many children are involved in activities in preparation for this day.
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I worked with a class of second graders who wrote a poem on a Halloween topic…witches, bats, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, etc.
Even though I teach poetry workshops for children and adults, this format was new [...]
A friend of mine recently asked me how she will be able to juggle multiple children, sports and school. First, she has her own children plus a few nieces and nephews that she came into.
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She explained that she has a nephew that wants to join [...]I woke to a news report that a body found in a Georgia landfill was likely that of missing Orange Park, Fla., girl Somer Thompson, who went missing Monday while walking home from school. I watched the anchor pitch to a package that showed the mother in full grief, sobbing [...]
I was rather disappointed in the web this morning, especially when I came across a post written by a mommy blogger that had expressed her feelings of anxiety about her daughter’s upcoming first day of preschool. Now I wasn’t disappointed in the post but the lack of sympathy from one [...]
Artist Georgia O’Keeffe, in a documentary I saw today, said she determined she wanted to be an artist when she was 8-years old.
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She wasn’t taken seriously nor had much encouragement. But she stuck to her dream anyway.
What if she’d been encouraged to pursue her dream? She [...]
My friend Wendi sent me this “Mother of the Year” YouTube clip (a commercial for Vicks First Defence (sic) nose spray) with the message, “Didn’t you do this with Truman once?” I’ll make no claims about the product (though I wish I had known to try it as I’m finally [...]
Some of my memorable and colorful photos have centered around children and pumpkins in the fall.
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Sometimes these involved Halloween costumes, perhaps midst colorful leaves. Other times the photos simply consisted of my daughter, grandchildren or nieces with pumpkins they carved or have ready to decorate.
My nieces sold [...]
This is a Guest post by Shauna Johnson, nutrition instructor at WellSpring Academies.
The experts at Wellspring (www.wellspringacademies.com) , the leading treatment program for overweight children and teens, have several recommendations for parents this year at Halloween:
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- Wait to buy your candy. We [...]
How many of you tend to snack off of all that Halloween candy? I know many of you probably sneak into your children’s bag of treats and take a few pieces.
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Others may actually just take the bag and divide it up for the kids, placing it [...]
More and more families use cell phones, iphones or similar, for personal use and business.
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They text intimate messages, post family photos, even place financial information on the most modern of these communication devices.
Have you considered how truly secure they are? Even after you think you’ve deleted the [...]
In just two weeks there will be little goblins galore roaming the streets and knocking on doors. Will your child be one of them?
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If you have children chances are you are either going with them this year or they are going in a group. [...]
At this very moment I am sitting in one of those car detailing places. It’s odd because it is pouring outside, the kind of gray, endlessly rainy days that we’ve had here for the past month. Not surprisingly, there is no line. I even got a discount on the service. [...]
I have heard many people complain that they can’t get their children to eat the “green stuff”? There could be a lot of reasons for this, which we will discuss here and hopefully add a few fun ways to introduce them to your children. Ready?
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Get a Name
[...]
I awoke this morning to snow on the ground and more snow falling from the sky. It was only a light covering and soon was over. Yet, the snow midst the autumn leaves, created a picturesque aura to the world.
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Children cried out with glee, “Snow! Snow!” [...]
So, let’s say you live in one of those keeping-up-with-the-Joneses type of neighborhoods, and you do scarcely more than put out a pumpkin Halloween night and pass out Kit-Kats. Here’s one way to redeem yourself – hand out the coolest Halloween candy on the block. Here are some most creepy suggestions:
With Halloween only a few weeks away, I’m sure many of you are imagining how much candy your little one is about to consume. Children that will go outside and knock on doors wearing ghosts, goblins, little witches, super heroes,etc with their pillow cases in hand until they get too [...]
On a recent outing to the local science center, I encountered one of those Uptight Moms. You know what I’m talking about, the ones who helicopter over their kids trying to swat away projectile toys and vile germs while recoiling in disgust at any child who isn’t molding into Uptight [...]
Columbus Day was a fun fall holiday from school when I was a child.
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Nowadays, it’s not always celebrated on the exact day, but usually spans a weekend. This year, the Monday holiday is October 12.
In New Hampshire, where I live, this is the height of the foliage [...]
Many posts around the net and even in magazines have been focusing on the “Fat America” and even on how we are gaining so much weight and blaming it all on our children. I am about to be as honest as I can be with you all, but hoping [...]
By Joyce Cooper-Kahn PhD and Laurie Dietzel PhD
Kids with weaknesses in planning and organization have trouble independently imposing structure and order on tasks and on ideas. So, they have difficulty organizing information in their heads, as well as organizing their stuff or planning out a long-term project.
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When was the last time you played with your kids? I’m not talking watching from afar as they dove into a tank full of balls.
I’m talking jumping rope along with them, playing tag in the park, bonding over a video game. Sometimes we get so wrapped up with our daily [...]
I’ve discovered that youngsters enjoy poetry…reading it, listening to it and writing it. The other day, when I was substitute teaching, the first graders recited poetry from their reading book.
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During story time, I read some of my poems from my story/poetry anthology, Tales of Adventure & [...]
Just yesterday my little girl (age 6) came home very upset, she didn’t come directly to me, instead she ran to her brother to tell him the teacher had told her something wasn’t real and instead fiction. Thankfully the subject at hand was a unicorn, yes the teacher informed all [...]
This Halloween, heed some safety advise from Jack, the talking pumpkin.
And here are some other helpful tips for keeping your kids safe this Halloween, courtesy of www.Halloween-Safety.com:
Help your child pick out or make a costume that will be safe. Be sure it is fireproof and that the eye holes [...]When your kids crave the comfort of home, what food do they ask for? Maybe it’s a steaming bowl of your hot chicken macaroni soup. Maybe it’s Dad’s grilled steak and corn. Or it could be Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies. We all crave certain dishes when we’re yearning to be [...]
My husband and I just returned from a night out of town away from the stresses of our jobs and the wails of our little boy. I’m pathetic when it comes to leaving my little boy, even for one night. Yet, the minute I pull out of the driveway with [...]
Are you tired of picking up after your kids? A toy by the door, a magazine carelessly thrown on the couch, a video game console’s controllers all over the coffee table, a jacket on the floor… The mess is only half the frustration — the other half is that it [...]
Some parents look forward to parent-teacher conference time to meet their children’s teachers and discuss challenges and achievements. Others dread this occasion and decide they don’t want to bother or it’s a waste of time.
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I always found meeting our daughter’s teachers, and sometimes our grandchildren’s when [...]
The Swine Flu, aka H1N1, has been definitely leaving a mark in history and finally it seems that someone is going to try to stop it. Cities around the country will be having access to the vaccine this Friday, many schools will even offer it right inside the nurse’s office.
Trick or treat! Halloween’s just around the corner. Are you scrambling for costumes yet? Have you started decorating your yard? It’s fun preparing for an evening of Trick-or-Treating, but make sure your kids are plenty safe too!
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Here are some tips on how to [...]
With the new school year and Fall here I can’t help but wonder if schools will actually close because of the swine flu or the common flu. How many of you are curious if thse “flu symptoms” will be ignored and no notices will be sent home in the fear [...]
If my son excels in anything, it’s filth. I fully expect his T-ball and soccer T-shirts to need a good soaking when we get home after a game, and for the most part I can get most of his stains out. By the end of the season, though, Truman’s sports [...]
It’s never too early in the day to tell your child you love him. Here are 5 ideas on how to show your affection as soon as the day begins.
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1. Smiley-face food. Two eggs as eyes, bacon as the smile… you know how that [...]
Many blog readers search for free drawings or giveaways for items they can use. I haven’t run any on my blogs lately but have found nice ones on other blogs and web sites.
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I discovered a school days drawing, offering some neat school (or office) supplies at [...]
With Fall upon us many kids will come home with a bad cough, runny nose, sneezes and of course the fever. What’s a mom or dad to do during times like this?
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Plenty of soup and vitamin C is definitely on the list of good things to [...]
It’s Family Game night! What’s your family playing? Maybe Dad’s taking out a board game. Or maybe little Ben wants everyone to play video games. No wait, Mom wants to play Charades again. Big sister Chrissy wants to have a dance-off. Familiar games are lots of fun, but what if [...]
In today’s electronic society, taking photos and videotaping is almost second nature. Placing these photos and tapes on Facebook, You Tube and similar social media sites has become very common.
What do you think when others do this without your permission? They don’t do it for evil reasons. Simply, it’s become [...]
Teach your child to be thankful for the little and the big things of his every day with a Daily Gratitude Journal. Before going to bed, sit down with your child and ask him what the highlights of his day were.
Image credit: D Sharon [...]
Do you find yourself playing referee whenever the kids start fighting over who gets to hold the remote, who gets to pick where Sunday’s family dinner will be, who gets to choose what video game to play first? Perhaps declaring a week for each kid can help.
[...] We’ve finally hit the month of October, which many look at as the month of all things Halloween but some know it is more about the changing of the seasons and colors, fun and outdoor adventures. So what can a family do for fun in the month of October?
[...] 
I just read an article about Martin Middle School, a Tennessee Middle School, that has a new phone service and apparently hasn’t worked out all the kinks. It called the homes of 475 students to say they were absent for that day.
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Worried parents called back, 20 [...]
Parenting isn’t easy, is it? No matter how cute and cuddly our children are, each one also has his own way of throwing a tantrum or breaking a curfew. They shower us with surprise hugs and kisses one breakfast morning, then storm out of the room when they don’t get [...]
Do you know what your youngsters are singing at school…in the classroom, in music class, in an assembly? Are they the usual songs we associate with America, fun and learning?
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Or are they indoctrinating songs, perhaps like the ones young children in a NJ public school sang, [...]
The war has officially begun in the Jon & Kate Plus 8 Divorce. Okay sure it may have begun the day Kate announced she and Jon were splitting up but not someone’s showing their true colors.
On the same day that TLC announced a new makeover of the show, a [...]
Walt Disney wants to reward people for volunteering their time to help others. Beginning January 1, 2010, guests can go online to www.DisneyParks.com and search for volunteer opportunities in their communities through HandsOn Network. Once you give a day of your time to help others, Walt Disney will reward [...]
Obama believes American school days should be longer. What do you think?
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My own personal opinion is we barely get enough time with our children as it is. My kids are in school from 8-4:30 pm, I get them to feed breakfast and put them on the [...]
My son and I are on yet another round of antibiotics, this time for strep throat. I’ve always been a bit cautious with antibiotics, I suppose because my father is an immunologist and rarely drugged us as kids. He sort laughed off that notion it seemed everyone else had that [...]
My friend Sheila was distraught that her son Ned hated vegetables. He wouldn’t touch a single leafy green, and not even brightly colored peppers interested him. When she asked him why he didn’t like vegetables, she was surprised by his response. It wasn’t “They taste icky.” It wasn’t “They’re gross!” [...]
When my son was still a newborn blob of tiny bones wrapped in a blanket of warm skin, my husband rushed out and bought a Curious George book. We had decorated our son’s room in monkeys (which was cuter than it sounds) and my husband’s idea was to take pages [...]
Each month, I feature a round-up of my popular parenting posts. They’ve drawn comments, they’re timely, and/or I’ve had fun researching and writing them.
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Here are five for September:
Obama – Education or Mind Control of Youth?
I was never nauseous when I was pregnant. Not one day. Not even before Truman, when that blighted ovum sat in my uterus fooling me by placing a plus-sign on my pee stick. But I thought about it. I thought once while opening the fridge that I might feel a [...]
How many of you remember those hooded sweatshirts? Well this is one thing my son is actually requesting to be placed on his Christmas list this year.
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Thankfully he doesn’t attend St. Mark’s Charter School or Andale Elementary because they are banning hooded sweatshirts this year from [...]
A new report has come out stating children that are spanked may actually have a lower IQ then those that don’t get spanked. I want to know your opinion on this.
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Spanking can get kids to behave in a hurry, but new research suggests it can do [...]
Recently I read an article on Pinocchio Parenting, and it reminded me of one I read about white lies when my daughter was young. That one made an impression. So I’ve tried to keep it in mind while raising our daughter and more recently two grandchildren who’ve lived in our home [...]
It has been five weeks since my son came home from school with strep throat. But somehow the virus must have lingered maybe on his backpack or his toothbrush or his delicate skin because this weekend the same virus leveled me. When my son comes down with a cold or [...]
When my daughter was young and my grandchildren younger, I constantly looked for crafts that would keep them busy and expand their creativity. I tried to teach them to use their talents so they wouldn’t be bored and later become bored and boring adults.
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Utlizing various “found” [...]
This past week a panel of 15 teens actually sat across from some City Hall Candidates. Why is this odd? It normally isn’t teens that are involved in this process, nor do they make the decision of who will actually be in the City Hall. But this time they do, [...]
Three times in the past six days (that includes the weekend) the school nurse at my son’s elementary school has called me, and three times I’ve had to pick up my little boy from school. He’s not sick. If anything, he was a little stuffy. The first two check-outs were [...]
This is a little video to get your weekend off to an energetic start. If you’re a parent, you probably don’t need the extra boost of watching a 9-month-old rolling around the floor playing with anything he can get his hands on. The video crams four hours of activity into [...]
It seems that the FDA has just made flavored cigarettes illegal in the United States. Apparently The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is finally going to take a stand and stop promoting to the kids.
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While the ban seems to be on all flavored, spiced or candy [...]
Do your children belong to a 4-H Club? Did you participate in one as a child? Were you, as a parent, ever a leader in one?
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I have fond memories of all the 4-H Club experiences when I was growing up, from 6-years old until I was out [...]
There’s a new cookbook out there that encourages family bonding and I’m not meaning by just making recipes together. Karen Berman the author of “Friday Night Bites” has created a family friendly cook book that has 20 themed meals for families to make together.
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Berman created [...]
It is picture day at my son’s elementary school. I found out about it two weeks ago, but because my memory sucks I completely forgot until my son came home from school with a “SMILE! Tomorrow is picture day!” sticker on his shirt.
He really needed a [...]
Many grandparents are involved with their grandchildren today, many in active parenting roles. Some parent with the parents while others have sole custody of the grandchildren.
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We live in a multi-generational household and have helped with the grandchildren during illnesses my daughter and her husband have experienced. [...]
There has been an updated change of policy at the Boston University that may have some parents saying, “Excuse me” while the students are saying, “It’s about time.” What is this little thing that has people at odds?
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According to BU Today there will be stricter Privacy [...]
Day after day we have had rain and rain and more rain to the point I believe we may never have to suffer through another drought again. It is frustrating for my little boy whose season-opening T-ball and soccer games have been canceled due to too-soggy playing fields. The five-day [...]
School has started in every part of the country by now, which means more and more kids are wanting the “trendy” items. Kids will want those trendy bracelets, hats, skirts, “the look”, etc. For those that have no clue what the kids are wearing this year, here is a sneak [...]
To say my son is active is an understatement. He is constantly charged. I called him “rambunctious” this weekend – much to my MIL’s dismay. That was after a stack of pancakes with syrup, two doughnuts, and a slice of cinnamon roll cake. (We were at the grandparents.) He was [...]
Mary Emma Allen, Eliza Ferree, Jennifer Walker-Journey
