Holiday leftovers

Stuffing the turkey ... and that's not just me talking about my husband... sorry love! Just kidding.

Holiday leftovers are great fodder (ha!) for inspiring new meals.

Here are some ideas to help you get started.

Summer Homework? Tigger Mom Wins

My eleven-year-old daughter has just left the kitchen table where she had confidently finished a decimal to percent conversion worksheet. She had been successful and something has changed in this house.

Confessions of a Schizo Tigger Mom

 I had read an online article or post on the vigorous strategizing some parents have for their children's future, almost from birth. The right music at bedtime to prepare their minds for math, the right play dates, the right activities, the right friends, and, most importantly, the right schools - even starting with preschool. There is a fever right now to ensure that our children "have a future". I have spent hours conversing with other parents about the worry we have in our children's grades or their choices of a career or the fact he can't carry his homework from his backpack to his teacher on the same day that it was due.

One day, I took a mental step back. Tiger mom? or Tigger mom?

Surviving Days of Whine and Poses: Learning with the Kids Over Summer

My teenager son and his nearly-there sister are a little beyond the water and bucket type of activities that used to entertain them during the stretch of summer between school sessions. I am currently a stay-at-home parent, and previously was a classroom teacher, so for the past eight years I have had the inglorious duty of corralling them home or taking them to the beach. We're not wealthy but we are blessed enough to be able to afford some activities - like camp and classes -  during the summer, both to entertain and to broaden their horizons.  Other than that, much of what we do to minimize their learning loss during the summer has to be free or nearly-free.