Lessons in Parenting

Ah, those carefree days when my kids were in elementary school! It seems as if we had all the time in the world for things like taking them out of school for a few hours so we could get their vision checked and try on glasses. But with a middle schooler and a high schooler, […]

How well can your child see? Maybe not as well as you think. And while it may not seem like a big deal if your kid’s vision is a little off, the impacts can be far more severe than you could ever imagine. Sports, school, and even hanging out with friends are all a lot harder

Does your child know how to write a thank you note? Writing a thank you note may seem like an outdated skill. But sending a thanks message never goes out of style, and sending a thank you message for a gift is a basic common courtesy every child (and grownup!) should master. Writing a thank you note or a heartfelt

Looking for a pediatrician? Not sure if a pediatrician is even the right doctor for your child? If you’re a new parent – or moving to a new area – there’s a lot to consider. You want the best care for your child, but you don’t have endless amounts of time to devote to the

Dealing with Chickenpox: What to do if my child has chickenpox? Between the recent global chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and all the disruption to daily life it caused, many of us have gotten off schedule with our basic preventive health care. One of the unfortunate side effects of this is a decline in

How Can Parents Support Learning At Home? 10 Proven Ways Parents Can Help Educate A Child: Most parents want the best for their kids in life. We worry about what they eat, how they spend their free time, and improving school performance.  But educating a child, or hearing that parents make the best teacher, can

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a parent. And chances are good you’ve already acquired some earplugs. I’m talking the maximum-decibal-blocking kind. If not, you need some. ASAP. I’m typing this post as I work from my temporary home office in the living room, because my regular home office is currently full of stuff

How To Make the Ultimate Family Winter Emergency Car Survival Kit: You’ve got the summer car essentials down pat – but what about winter preparedness? Especially for emergencies? It’s never too late to prepare your family’s winter car emergency kit – unless, of course, you’re facing an emergency situation and realize you FORGOT to prepare.

Wondering How to Raise Healthy Children? These Tips WORK! Every parent wants their child to be as healthy and happy as possible. With chronic health issues on the rise, from asthma to allergies, doing everything we can on this front as parents is critical. But raising healthy children often feels like an uphill battle: As our

You’re dreaming about girl names, shopping for girl clothes – congratulations! You’re the proud parents-to-be of a girl! As a #girlmom for over a decade now, I’ve learned a lot about how to raise strong daughters who are ready for anything life has to throw at them. Here are some of the techniques we’ve used

Homeschooling On The Fly: Learning At Home When Schools Are Closed Indefinitely I never wanted to be a homeschool teacher. My kiddos have unique needs that I thought might better be served by pros with actual background in how best to teach them. But thanks to our current global health crisis, we – like so

To Exhausted Parents: Give Yourself Some Grace! I am exhausted. The fatigue I’ve been feeling lately has only been getting worse, not better, as parts of the country slowly start to lift their stay-at-home restrictions. And I know a lot of my friends are also feeling like exhausted parents right now: Supervising virtual school has

Your Positive Parenting Crash Course for Stuck-At-Home Life: What the heck is positive parenting? And how can a positive parenting crash course make life cooped up at home easier? As parents, it can be hard to focus on praising our kids’ positive actions, rather than correcting undesirable behaviors. It’s easier to tell kids what they

Help for Managing Your Virtual Family Schedule: Keeping track of a packed family schedule was hard enough for a busy parent before the world shut down. Things seem ten times harder since we all switched our face-to-face interactions to virtual living: You’re now your kids’ virtual tech support, as you troubleshoot online class meetings, assignments,

How To Talk About COVID-19 With Your Children: It looks as if the leprechaun traps are back on for St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow. My girls have been obsessed with building them since preschool, even though that was over half a lifetime ago for them now. They’d planned to skip the ritual this year, because we

A Better Way To Have The Birds And The Bees Talk: Being a parent is anything but easy. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by day-to-day life, let alone finding time to sit down and talk to your kids about the really important stuff. And if you’re a parent, sooner or later you’re going to need

Overwhelmed by Parenting? Practical Self-Care Tips To Stop Being An Exhausted Mom: Have you ever had one of those weeks that just throws you for a loop? When you look at your to-do list for the day and think, “How the heck did things get so out-of-control?” Honestly, that’s been my life ever since January