It’s Back-to-School Time!
Well that was fast. Summer, that is. It always seems to fly by, doesn’t it? If you don’t have school-aged kids yet, just you wait. On the flip side, if you do have school-aged kids, there’s a good chance you’re…
The Best Kind of De-Stressing
At college campuses in the area, a chorus of “awwws!” can be heard as groups of students flow into the rooms where dogs await young people who need help de-stressing before exams. The therapy dogs roll onto their backs for…
Kids, Parents, and Phones at School?
My 12-year-old daughter is starting middle school and she just received a phone for her birthday. I have heard some schools have policies about keeping phones out of class or at least in the backpack, but I’m not sure about…
We Need to Talk About Bullying
As another school year begins, parents are busy checking school supply lists, shopping for clothing, and filling out forms in an effort to prepare for a successful school year. In addition to back-to-school shopping and meeting with teachers and administrators,…
Incredible Shrinking Art
What you need: • Plastic marked with #6 inside a small triangle made of arrows. It’s commonly used for clear clamshell containers you see in cafeterias and restaurants. • Cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper • Oven…
Gun Safety Begins at Home
The worst type of tragedy is the one that’s preventable. Every year, 1,500 children and teens in the United States will die from firearms. More than half of these deaths are homicides, about 600 are suicides, and roughly one hundred…
Beyond the Book!
Passing on this love of fiction has been a highlight of motherhood. From lap-sitters listening to No More Jumping on the Bed to car passengers clutching the latest Magic Treehouse installment, stories have shaped my children. Their lives bear the…
How the FAFSA Works
Your oldest child is a senior in high school and planning to attend college. There’s a lot of talk about college applications, but what’s the deal regarding the financial aid process? And folks are talking about something called the FAFSA…
Access to Childcare and Preschool
Another school year is beginning, and if your household is like ours, you have been busy the last few weeks with preparations. Buying school supplies, figuring out bus schedules or carpool arrangements, and possibly finishing up that summer reading before…
All Eyes on the School Supplies
For my first grader, it was kind of a big deal. Every day, a classmate I’ll call Joey asked to borrow a different color marker. He always gave it right back to her, but he was heavy-handed, so sometimes the…
