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Teaching Your Kids How To Care for Pets
Chances are if you have a kid, you also have a pet. And if you don’t have a pet, you probably have a kid begging you for one. Or at least that’s how it was at our house after our elderly cat Dickens...
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Best Board Games For Winter Fun
With the cold winter months quickly approaching, you’re no doubt looking for ways to keep your family busy when you’re all trapped in the house together. (By “trapped,” I of course mean “spending...
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Attack of the Furby
Do you want all the fun of living with an insane talking squirrel but none of the mess? Ever thought it’d be a blast to have someone scream, “I MADE COCOA!” at you in a dark house? Enjoy non-stop...
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The Mickey Room
This post is sponsored by Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two the video game. The walls of my bedroom in my parents’ house are covered in Mickey Mouse wallpaper. The phone in my bedroom at my...
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Toy Review: Sphero Robotic Ball
When my husband brought home a Sphero from the Apple store last month, I was a bit upset. First, he spent over $100 on a gift for our son Jack’s 9th birthday and we usually discuss the pros and cons...
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Lesson Learned: Kids and Instagram
Last week, when my 11-year-old son Sam asked if he could sign up for an Instagram account, I was a bit surprised. He’s been a big fan of video games for years, but this was the first time he seemed...
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What You Need To Know About Children’s Cough and Cold Medicine
One of biggest challenges parents face is taking care of a sick child. Specifically, a child with a cough, a cold or both. It’s tough. In fact, the last time my sons were sick, our house was filled...
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How To Have The Puberty Talk
If you’re anything like me, puberty wasn’t a lot fun. There were pimples, training bras, and constant fights with the parents. But guess what might be even worse than that long-ago horror show?...
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Having The Sex Talk with Your Child
Six years ago, when I was the mom of a kindergartner, the principal announced one morning during a school-wide assembly that the fifth grade boys would be watching a special movie that day. All of the...
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It’s Okay to Tell Your Kid You’re Proud of Them, Just Don’t be LOUD About It
Every year at this time, our elementary school holds individual ceremonies for the third, fourth and fifth grades. The well-behaved kids are given citizenship awards, the smart kids are given academic...
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An Open Letter To Milton Bradley Regarding The Game of Life
Dear Milton Bradley or Milton and Bradley or Mrs. Bradley? or Whoever You Are: My two sons and I have been spending a lot of time playing your classic board game The Game of Life. Or as it’s more...
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Bug Repellents for Kids: What Should I Be Thinking About?
Last summer I finally figured out what to look for in a sunscreen. This summer, I’m taking on something that seems to also cause a lot of confusion for parents: Bug Repellents. Over the past few...
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What To Know About Taking Your Kids to Their First “Real” Concert
Everyone remembers their first concert. Their first real concert, that is. Not one put on by the Wiggles or Yo Gabba Gabba or anyone else that sang about going potty. No, I mean the first concert that...
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School Locker Decoration Mania Trend
Back-to-school has always meant the purchase of new clothes and new supplies for our kids, but now there’s something else parents might be expected to buy: locker decorations. Walk down any middle...
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Bug Repellent Guide for Families
After researching the pros and cons of various types of bug repellent, and coming to the conclusion that most experts recommend DEET as the most effective protection against mosquito and tick bites, I...
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Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lice* (*But Were Too Grossed Out...
Last Thursday morning my oldest son, Sam, said something that almost brought me to my knees. “Mom,” he whispered, while his fingers scratched furiously at his head, “I think I have lice.” And, after a...
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How To Help With Homework If Math Is A 4-Letter Word In Your House
I recently posted a picture on Instagram that showed a close-up of the 4th grade multiplication worksheet my son Jack was working on. I think my caption said something like, “Math homework: Don’t ask...
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Keep On Keepin’ On and Other Lessons to Teach Your Middle Schooler
Sam was a flawless baby. I know every mother thinks that about their bundle of joy, but he was to me. Perfectly chubby with pale pink, smooth skin and fluffy white blonde hair that made him resemble a...
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Holiday Gift Ideas for Bigger Kids: Active Toys
When your kids get a little older, like mine who are now 10 and 12, it can be hard to find good holiday toys for them. Legos, dolls, and action figures no longer cut it for kids who now think they’re...
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Parenting Trends Are So…Trendy
Although my kids are still relatively young, just 10 and 12-years-old, sometimes I feel like I became a mother in the Dark Ages. But 2003 really was kind of like living in a cave, I guess, because we...
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