It’s Friday which means our first week of school is coming to a close! My third and fifth grader have successfully settled into the back to school routine and are gearing up to start more activities after the long weekend along with homework. Whether your kids are back in school or are about to start,…
#Blogust: Lessons I’ve Learned From My Daughter as She Fundraises to Support Her First Cause
This post is my contribution to Blogust ’14—Shot@Life’s month-long campaign to provide vaccinations for kids in need around the world. Please know that every comment and social media share on this post (and all #Blogust posts) is equal to a vaccine for children across the world. You can help donate 500 vaccine donations by leaving a comment or…
6 Ways to Make Homework Less Stressful for You and Your Kids
This post is sponsored by Sylvan Learning. On Monday afternoon I stood in my usual spot at the front of the school eagerly awaiting the sound of the bell signifying the end of school, anxious to hear how their first day went. After a short walk home, my two kids dropped their backpacks in the same…
Chincoteague: Our Family’s Favorite Summer Road Trip
This is part of a sponsored campaign with Choice Hotels. Today officially marks the end of summer as school starts for our kids but last week we had the opportunity to visit one of our favorite local vacation spots— Chincoteague, Virginia. Just over three hours from Washington, D.C., the town of Chincoteague feels like a…
Join Me for Staples #MakeRoarHappen Twitter Party This Wednesday!
This is a sponsored post. As a former teacher and current parent of two elementary aged children, I make it a priority to support classroom teachers in a number of different ways. It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to show our kids’ teachers that we care but a little effort goes a…
Maintaining #SummerReading Momentum by Reading Under the Stars
This is a sponsored post While summer may seem short, it can feel long to the most motivated readers to stay inspired to stick with even the most captivating of books during the two and a half months away from school. Remember how I shared how I got my kids to keep reading this summer?…
4 Things Staples #EasyTechTS Techs Wish You Knew About Maintaining Your Computer
This is a part of a sponsored post campaign with Staples. Through the years, I’ve become the voice inside friends’ heads reminding them to run an automatic backup, ensure their virus protection is current, and create separate logins for kids to ensure their computers remain in top shape. Complaints about sluggish machines and urgent texts…
What Parenting Books Don’t Tell You About Creating a Lifetime of Conversations with Your Kids
This is a sponsored post written as part of my involvement with the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. In every parenting book I ever read before our first-born daughter was born, there was never any advice to always be prepared to have any conversation at any time but as a mom of 5th and 3rd…
5 Ways to Teach Compassion, Empathy, and Kindness to Our Children
With a new school year on the horizon, we’re gathering school supplies, checking to make sure fall clothes will fit when the weather turns, and wondering what our child(ren)’s experience at school will be like this year. We’re thinking about the math facts and writing skills they’ll be learning and hoping that they’ll be…
Why a Guarantee is the Best Protection for Our Most Important Devices
This is a sponsored post Gadgets are great until they stop working and for some reason, they always seem to stop working when the warranty has just run out. Most manufacturers won’t consider helping if the warranty has expired so consumers often purchase pricey extended warranty protection. Since there have been few times where…
