Training parents about all things preschool and kids aged 18 months–5 years
Although life with kids can sometimes feel like the movie Groundhog Day, daily rituals are pretty important for your little ones. A ritual is something that’s special to your family, that’s done in a certain way or order, and that sends a message to each member that you’re on the same team and working toward…
Once the calendar turns to November, suddenly IT’S HERE! The season of family and stress and joy and food and presents and presence is upon us. With all the social duties the holiday season brings, it can be easy to forget the reasons we created these traditions in the first place–to gather with family and…
I can’t help it; I love Halloween. I love the weather, the bulk bags of candy, the spookiness, the horror movie trailers that autoplay when I’m scrolling through Facebook (not really; those things FREAK ME OUT). And I’m not bragging when I tell you I am awesome at coming up with Halloween costumes. One year,…
We have all talked about the interview process for preschool. I can’t tell you how many times parents sat across from my desk and uttered these words, “My child is really smart. I know you hear that a lot, but my child is really, really smart.” Well, some of the children were, and some fell…
ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS: PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE WEIRD PEANUT BUTTER TOFFEE THINGS WRAPPED IN ORANGE AND BLACK. THE TRICK-OR-TREATERS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD DON’T WANT ANY! (Although, if you actually find those things somewhere, you should buy them in bulk. They’ll probably stay “good” for years and your friends who were kids in the 70s…
Let me set the scene for you: a five-year-old girl wearing a mermaid costume that sprinkles glitter all over the carpet and pink eye shadow up to her eyebrows and brand new dangly ice cream cone earrings. This fancy girl is standing in the middle of our living room, snarling at her big brother, both…
The very first time I had a room all to myself, I was 13. My older sister had moved away to college, and before my parents had even pulled out of the driveway with a uHaul filled with her stuff, I was already taping up Bebo Norman posters and inspirational quotes on the walls. As…
I haven’t even been to your house and can tell you–your kid’s room is a mess. Fact is, most kids do not enjoy cleaning up. You can sing songs to help it go better (might I suggest our awesome original “Clean Up Time” song?) but room cleaning ends up being a lot more work on your part…
I read an article many years ago that really stuck with me. The article was about bringing a new baby home and how to empathize with older siblings. The article compared the feeling to how a wife would feel if her husband brought home a new wife. Give this some thought. Imagine that you’re the wife in…
Just Google “kid finds out mom is pregnant” and follow the rabbit hole of kids finding out they’re going to be a big brother/sister. Here are some of my favorites. You’re welcome. We were pretty lucky. When my son was five, we told him he was going to be a big brother and he was…
