Many of you that are close to my age were also children in the 80s (photo at right look familiar?!). We got to live through trends and grow up with pop culture icons like big hair, Atari, Rainbow Brite, Mr. T, the Smurfs, vinyl records and more.  If you were nodding your head and [...]

Should you Outsource Housework to Your Kids?
The photo at left shows my daughter mopping the kitchen at the age of barely 5 years old!  She did a wonderful job too (and she liked to do the mopping, now how about that!).  It’s no secret that training capable children who contribute to the family by doing [...]

Homemaker Toys - Is There Really Such a Thing?!
Many homemakers (including myself) dream of the day when all household cleaning and chores will be delegated to the children so we can finally take a day off!  What better way to prepare kids for cleaning, cooking, and homemaking than with “homemaker toys”, also known as the [...]

Make Hair Washing Time a Blast With Goggles
Washing a child’s hair can be a struggle, especially when it comes to rinsing.  Squirming can lead to eyes full of shampoo - and tears.  To eliminate rinse-related mishaps, employ the savvy parent’s bathtub tool:  goggles!
Offer your child a pair of swimming goggles right before hair washing time [...]

17 School Supplies Not to Buy
It’s back to school season, and stories abound of parents going into debt to get all the school shopping done.  Going back to school means kids need a lot of things, from school clothes to paper and pencils to new contacts and glasses.  Contrary to popular belief, school shopping doesn’t [...]

 
It’s back to school time again and time to get prepared with free printables!  There is a wonderful selection of back to school printable documents available at Microsoft Office’s Back-to-School Template Collections.  You’ll find everything you need for back to school, whether you’re the parent, student, teacher or administrator. 
Free Printables For Students (165 templates)

flash cards
bookmarks
sheet [...]

13 Fun Free Things to Do With Your Kids This Summer

1. Blow bubbles (string and dish soap make tons of fun!).
2. Build a blanket fort in the living room.
3. Climb a tree.
4. Go on an adventure walk around your neighborhood. Take a camera and toy binoculars with you for full impact.
5. Start rock collecting. [...]

Poll Results: Is Splitting Kids’ Meals at Restaurants Okay?
Last week we were inspired to contemplate an ethical question about splitting up full sized meals at restaurants for your kids.  Some restaurants frown on the practice, and some will even charge you a fee to bring an extra plate!  In most cases, your experience depends on [...]

I’m happy to wrap up the Scaling Down the Homework series, and even happier that the 16th was the last day of school! If you missed our 4-part series Scaling Down the Homework, click the links below to check it out:
Scaling Down the Homework (Part 1)
Scaling Down the Homework (Part 2)
Scaling Down the Homework (Part [...]

If you missed the first three installments of Scaling Down the Homework, you should read them before continuing down the page.
Scaling Down the Homework (Part 1)
Scaling Down the Homework (Part 2)
Scaling Down the Homework (Part 3)

How do you motivate a “moving away from” child in a positive way? What is the proper approach to homework [...]