Sometimes I like to pretend I’m a kid again. It helps relieve stress to just pretend like I have no responsibilities. I often picture myself as Will Ferrel in Elf. Because he was the epitome of an adult who never grew up. Actually, when my husband calls I often answer “Buddy the Elf, what’s your…
Gingerbread men seem to signal that Christmas is coming. They’re not fully Christmas but definitely part of the holiday season. They seem almost like a precursor to the holidays. First Thanksgiving, then Gingerbread men, then Christmas and Hanukkah. I honestly do not like Gingerbread at all to eat, but the smell is incredible. Cassie and…
I swell with pride for my husband whenever Veteran’s Day arrives. He’s really not that into having a day as he feels it was more his duty to serve than some amazing feat. Either way though, I’m proud. And I want my kids to be proud, too! So we try to do at least a…
Do you remember taking geography classes as a kid? What do you remember from those classes? The population of Russia? Who fought on which side on what war? Which country technically holds claim to Santa’s workshop? (I’ve been told it’s Canada…for now) I remember approximately none of it. What I do remember is the names…
We live in a world where nearly everyone would say we need a little more kindness in our daily lives. And we’re finally recognizing that little acts of kindness can make a huge difference. Yet, it can be difficult to get everyone on board. Kids and teens don’t always come to kindness naturally. Sometimes it…
Sometimes my kids think school is boring. Not always and not every lesson but overall, they’ve come to think of school as boring. And I hate that for them! Learning shouldn’t be boring! I’m not sure exactly where we are going wrong but I know that introducing more fun activities is going to…
“One-ty one, one-ty two, one-ty three”. Yes, we renamed the teen numbers to be more in line with the rest of the numbers. And it sounds so weird. But it makes so much more sense. I could see the frustration all over Logi-Bear’s face. His eyes would well up with tears and he would clench…
We have a tradition on Thanksgiving where I print out activities (like this Thanksgiving Addition Game) and the boys have something to entertain them for that hectic 15 minutes while we are finishing the food and putting it on the table. The challenge for me is to create something that is entertaining enough that they…
I am excited for Thanksgiving this year. Honestly, holidays can be really hard for me, as they are for many people. I’ve found that by focusing on the kids and new traditions, the holidays seem easier. They are so full of wonder at this age and I find it easy to get enraptured in their…
What do you do with a child who thinks reading is amazing, pretends to read constantly, yet isn’t quite ready for sounding out words? You teach them sight words! I’m pretty much on board with teaching phonics and that’s how we taught both Royal and Baloo, primarily. We limit sight words and push through with…
Sometimes I feel so stuck with learning math facts – or the boys learning math facts that is. They’re not highly motivated so the idea just falls flat on them. So I’m continually trying to find new, fun, and novel ways to get them to practice! I knew I wanted a train doubles plus 1…
I love puzzles and I was always one of those people who loved having a puzzle on the table to work on little by little. Somehow over the years, we’ve gotten out of the habit of puzzle solving. We don’t even really do many puzzles with the kids, which makes me sad. I think there…