Taking time to relax, to step away from day-to-day demands, is important. We all need white space in our lives. Time that is unscheduled. Time to think. Time to dream. Time to simply be.
While I work hard to create moments of quiet in my day-to-day life, as truly we all need to have downtime daily, it’s definitely a challenge to accomplish this while homeschooling two young, active boys.… Continue reading
We’re getting ready to head off to Michigan to visit my in-laws. This week I’m focusing on planning and packing.
I keep a Master Packing List [you can find a version of it from a previous trip HERE], which makes packing so much easier. Each time we have a trip planned, I pull out our master list and modify it as needed for the particular time of year and circumstances under which we’re traveling. … Continue reading
My dear friend Lainie is back with another household tip. This time, she discusses how she gets her kids involved with preparations for a special occasion. Her tip about Teaching Kids to Clean with Lines (HERE) has made a huge difference in our house. I can see her suggestion about a Post It Note Wall being equally effective (especially once both of my boys can read!).… Continue reading
The trouble started on Saturday night. My 2-year-old suddenly decided he would not share. And it got loud.
Two weeks ago a dear friend gave each of my boys a container full of water balloons. My 7-year-old received green and orange balloons. My 2-year-old received red and blue balloons. Each of them was delighted.
The boys decided to share their balloons, using first one container and then the other, so that they wouldn’t accidentally get too many of the unused balloons wet (which can quickly result in a moldy mess). … Continue reading
May we all take a moment to celebrate and thank the mothers and mother figures in our lives. Their love and support provides a foundation, springboard, and a protection that infuses and underlies our entire existence. Happy Mother’s Day!
“Love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark… [T]o have been loved so deeply…will give us some protection forever.”… Continue reading
This week’s exciting learning experience: setting things on fire using a parabolic mirror.
While some parents might gasp – You’re encouraging your kids to set things on fire??!!” – I think it’s a good idea for children to learn about and experiment with fire.
After all, fire has been fundamental to the survival and development of humankind. … Continue reading
Spring is here, and with the rebirth of the world around us comes a reawakening of my boys’ desire to be up in the trees. It doesn’t matter whether we’re in our own yard, at a park, along a hiking trail, or in front of our local library (where I took this particular picture), if they see a tree that looks good for climbing, they are ready to go.… Continue reading
Recently my 7-year-old has started voicing concern over our schedule. During his free blocks of time, he has been building complex machines out of Legos, and he wants more time to engineer his creations. He’s worried that on any particular day he won’t have enough time for his own projects.
In order to help him to see how we allocate our time each week, I’ve started making a Family Calendar that I post on the refrigerator. … Continue reading
I am fortunate to have several wonderful women in my life with whom I have shared friendship and guidance over the years. My parenting and my heart have been blessed by their wisdom, love, honesty, and good humor. Last week my friend Lainie wrote about using Lines to teach kids how to clean up (see HERE). This week, Donna, true heart-friend of 18 years and mother of 3 lovely girls (ages range from 1 to 16), writes about Grazing Trays. … Continue reading
Yesterday my boys decorated two dozen Spring Eggs so they would be ready for today’s scavenger hunt. (We use THIS simple recipe for Homemade Egg Dye).
Today I’ll hide the eggs, and the boys will follow their set of clues until they have found them all. We find this is a great way to keep things fun while also making it so the older one doesn’t wind up with most of the eggs.… Continue reading