Today, Sheri shares five tips for teaching kids netiquette:
Given that kids interact online as much (hopefully not more) as they do in person, it's important to teach kids "netiquette" -- how to behave when it come to social interactions on the internet. Now that many kids are off (or soon to be off) for the summer and have more free time to spend online at home, it's a good time to have these conversations. Here are five basic netiquette rules that parents can model and teach to their kids:Today, Sheri shares five tips for teaching kids netiquette:
Given that kids interact online as much (hopefully not more) as they do in person, it's important to teach kids "netiquette" -- how to behave when it come to social interactions on the internet. Now that many kids are off (or soon to be off) for the summer and have more free time to spend online at home, it's a good time to have these conversations. Here are five basic netiquette rules that parents can model and teach to their kids:
Today, Jennifer shares five tips for making joint birthday parties simple yet special:
Since my twins Liam and Brielle were born, I have tried to find simple ways to celebrate their birthday, while also recognizing them as individuals and making them feel special. Here are five easy ways to do just that, whether you are celebrating multiples, or kids who opt for joint parties with siblings or friends with birthdays in close proximity.
Today, Priya shares six tips for rocking the weekend move:
I move a lot. So far, I have retained at least 20 different addresses (not counting the multitude of college dorm rooms) in 2 countries, 5 states, and 11 cities. You might think that would mean I have moving down to an art form, but no. I have grown to dislike moving so much that I usually procrastinate until the last moment and then throw everything haphazardly into boxes. The end result is I lug stuff around I should have parted ways with, and end up with countless "miscellaneous" drawers and boxes everywhere I go.
Today, Miriam (also of Other Pieces of Me) shares a wonderful local developmental resource:
What do you do when your child doesn't qualify for early intervention (EI) but still needs help? It's a question that many parents don't think about until the moment they're told by their daycare provider that their child may have developmental challenges that should be evaluated. That's exactly the situation my husband and I were in this past winter, a mere 6 weeks after our second child was born. While we were confident that our firstborn was expressing behaviors within the range of "normal" for a 2.5 year old with a new sibling, we wanted to have him observed in his classroom.
Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares ideas for easing end of school transitions:
The end of school often signals relief for busy families. Gone is the scrambling associated with homework, packing lunches, dashing for the school bus, and extracurriculars. However, for kids who love routine -- and particularly for children who have experienced major life changes and often fear goodbyes (especially when they haven't initiated them) -- losing the structure of school can be stressful.
This year I've been feeling a bit emotional about relationships. After several years with little activity on the wedding circuit, there's been so much love to celebrate -- within one year, three of my sisters and five other dear friends (!) have tied or will tie the knot. And on the other end of the spectrum, I've seen friends struggle in their relationships -- my heart aches mightily for them. So, following the tradition of my reflections on Jon and my 9th, 10th, and 11th anniversaries, today, in honor of our 12 years of marriage, I wanted to share 12 points of gratitude. Because as I have watched life unfold for us and our loved ones, it's clear that we should never take good things for granted.
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) recommends an upcoming yoga camp for kids:
Last summer my 8-year-old daughter Grace attended Tara Rachel Jones's week-long yoga camp at the Arlington Center and absolutely loved it. She was, and continues to be, at an age where doing a camp or activity without a friend takes some cajoling. After the first day of yoga camp, though, she bounced home happily and eagerly back every other day. She absolutely loved yoga camp with Tara.
Whitney Johnson impresses me in so many ways. She is smart. She is kind. She makes stuff happen. She wears fabulous jackets. And she's probably the only person I have ever talked to who ends conversations with, "So, what can I do for you?" Last year, unbeknownst to me, Whitney played a pivotal role in moving my book dream forward. And now, I'm just beyond thrilled that her book Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream has launched. It was such an honor to help Whitney kick off her book launch last night at Pivot Boston. Read on for some thoughts about this book and what I have realized about my life dreams, as well as to enter to win one of two copies of this awesome book.
Back when Asha and I announced our Minimalist Parenting book deal, I mentioned that we wanted to ultimately integrate our communities into the process. Why? Because you are awesome. And smart. And funny. And such an integral part of why this book is even happening. And now, the time has come -- we want to add your brilliance to our completed chapters! Over the coming weeks we will ask specific questions on various topics over at the Minimalist Parenting blog; our first question is about money. Come on over and share your brilliant budgeting tools and strategies!
Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares ideas for handling emotional challenges around Mother's Day:
Mother's Day seems easy, celebrating what our moms do for us. But it's not easy for every child. My children, for instance, are adopted. They don't remember their birthmother, but they do miss their foster mother from time to time. They have several friends for whom Mother's Day is sometimes challenging as well. Some have two mothers, one has two fathers, and a few have parents who divorced and remarried. Creative, loving intervention can help everyone enjoy the day. Here are some suggestions to handle Mother's Day challenges.
Today, Jennifer shares 7 tips for navigating the juice jungle:
My son recently outed me as a neurotic non-juice parent at a birthday party. And during his "WE. DON'T. DRINK. JUICE!" meltdown, and while my daughter stood perplexed in front of this foreign combo of drink pouch + straw, I started to wonder whether I had been wrong in depriving my kids of this common beverage. Here are some ideas for navigating the juice jungle, culled from my own experiences, and tips from Ayla Withee (a registered dietitian at Boston's SportsClubLA and nutrition blogger for Boston Magazine) and Boston Mamas editor Christine Koh.
Today, Priya shares five ways to declutter the weekend:
In a lot of ways, I feel as if I'm always working for the weekend. Given the long hours I work, weekday mornings go by in a blur and, with my kids being as little as they are, it's not uncommon for them to be tucked into bed before I get home from the office. And while I daydream about weekends filled with second pots of coffee and leisurely snuggling on the couch with my kids, the reality is that weekends are also the only time I have to run all the errands that have been piling up. Which is a total bummer.
Today, Miriam (also of Other Pieces of Me) shares a time management system that's helping her rock the productivity, even during fleeting nap times:
I am the first to admit that focus has never been my strongpoint. Left to my own devices, I will gladly dart around from project to project, never really getting down to business until 3:00 in the afternoon, when all of the sudden I have a burst of productivity. And now that I have a 5-month-old and a toddler in the house, moments of solitude (usually gifted by the rare, simultaneous nap) must be leveraged...but it is so tempting to slip down the Facebook rabbit hole and come up for air having completely wasted an hour of my life.
I am all about encouraging more play in life (particularly given the amazing weather and since I recently decluttered the playroom) so I'm thrilled and honored to announce my new ambassadorship with Let's Play, an organization devoted to inspiring play through general awareness and supporting playground builds and renovations around the country. This month marks Let's Play's one year anniversary and they are celebrating with their first playground build of the year in West Philadelphia (where a school was destroyed by a fire and students later provided input on the playground design that is being implemented today by over 200 volunteers!), and also by launching their Let's Play Pledge.
It is enormously gratifying when ideas that I propel into the world not only stick, but help people minimize stress and clutter. During my Do Less As a Life Strategy talk at BlissDom in February, someone asked me about e-mail management and I shared my "3-touch rule." And then a couple of days ago (about two months later!), there was a bunch of Twitter chatter between @the818 (who used my method to get her inbox down from 770 to 24!) and @alexandrawrote, @Melaina25, @LoveFeast, @hollywoodhwife, and @linzlovesyou about this topic. I promised these folks I would share the method with everyone so here goes.
I am many levels below my mother's golden standard of housekeeping (for example, she used to iron my father's boxer shorts...I, on the other hand, cannot recall the last time I wielded an iron), but I do -- like many (all?) women -- wrestle with issues related to home and work and time. So I'm thrilled and honored to be co-hosting a live chat on The Motherhood tomorrow (noon EST) with Kristin Van Ogtrop (Real Simple) and Ellen Galinsky (Families & Work Institute), in addition to a group of talented and inspiring featured guests, to talk about women and time -- specifically, how to let go of perfection and allow yourself to relax and enjoy more free time at home.
Today, Priya shares five rules to improve partner communication while reducing guilt, self-doubt, and distraction as a working parent:
Even though I get tremendous satisfaction from having a career, I am hardly immune from the feelings of self-doubt with which many working moms struggle. Do people think I am a bad mom for returning to my career (a 60+ hour a week one at that)? Do my kids love their (stay at home) dad more than me? Am I a bad mom?
Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares 5 tips to help you maintain friendships during motherhood:
My best girlfriends from high school and college have been there for me through so many of the ups and downs of life that I never anticipated that my recent transition into motherhood would have the potential to jeopardize these friendships. But like many new moms, I have found it challenging to maintain these relationships -- especially with friends who don't have children -- while juggling my everyday responsibilities at home and at work.