The Berenstain Bears Go to School First Day Jitters Miss Nelson is Missing Recognize these titles? They are just three of the 274,222 children’s books listed under the term “school’ on Amazon. 274,222 books! This is a lucky thing if you’ve got a child in school. Got teacher troubles? There’s a book for that. Dealing […]
Play and (Don’t) Walk Away
Back in my mainstream days, I was an avid fan of the nanny shows. There were several on at the time, and they all boasted the same thing – that by using their techniques even the most wild of children could be tamed, that houses filled with chaos and bad behavior could be transformed into […]
Rileigh Forslund: Voice of an Unschooler
Over the past week, I’ve had the opportunity to hold a series of interviews with sixteen year old unschooler, Rileigh Forslund. Hearing about her experience with unschooling has been really fascinating – especially since she’s been at this much longer than I have! I hope you’ll enjoy hearing her story as much as I have! […]
Empty Nest
Our three-year old, Maggie, has always co-slept with us. But a little over a year ago we discovered the amazing benefits of co-sleeping as an entire family. For 13 blissful months, we all slept like babies. Seriously… I hadn’t been so well rested in decades. And then it happened. Thomas, just shy of 10 years […]
Double Digits
Today Thomas turns ten. “Double Digits!” everybody exclaims when he announces his new age, “How exciting!” And it is. But not only for the reasons you might think. When Thomas was two years old, we began a descent into a years-long nightmare that left me, in my darkest moments, uncertain whether Thomas had any kind […]
Don’t Help Me!
Lately, my daughter Katy has developed a passion for earning money. She’s enthralled by the notion that one can perform a service and be compensated accordingly. And each day, her list of “services” expands. “Mommy, if I brush my teeth right now, can I earn a buck?” “Mommy, if you’ll give me two dollars, I’ll […]
The Absent-Minded Professor Myth
The morning before Hurricane Sandy hit, the kids and I went out to tidy up the back yard and generally batten down our hatches. It was a windy, gray day, and Thomas was shivering beneath his thin shirt. Soon his arms had disappeared from his sleeves, tucked snugly against his middle. “Thomas, I’m thinking it’s […]
The Math in Milles Bornes
Playing board games is a great way to connect with your children and to practice math skills at the same time. Don’t do it for the math skills – having an agenda like that tends to kill the joy. Play for the sheer fun of it, and rest assured there’s probably some seriously good math […]
Cool Quotes about Sparkly Sneakers
My book is officially one week old! I have a copy sitting next to my laptop, and every once in a while I pick it up, gaze at the cover, and marvel to my husband, “Isn’t it amazing: it looks just like a real book!” to which he responds – with increasing impatience – “That’s […]
Trick or Treat: A Post About Authenticity
Halloween is my children’s favorite time of year. Seriously. They love it more than their birthdays. More than Christmas, even. We literally start counting down the days until Halloween in August. Finding the perfect costume is always high on the priority list. While the girls take their time, weighing their different options, Thomas has always […]