Fun and Games

We all want to comfort the ones we love, especially our children, when they are upset or stressed but not all parents, or all kids, are comfortable talking about feelings. For that matter, a lot of times kids genuinely don’t understand what is upsetting them. There are times that trying to force a conversation makes […]

Building

Little Kids

Quick Tips

Cardboard Castles for Kids and Cats

March 22, 2018

Cardboard boxes. In our home, they are like some kind of fungus that reproduces and spreads everywhere when no one is looking. The adults try to recycle them as fast as possible but the kids and cats want to keep them. What’s a parent to do? Turn them into cardboard castles! If you have large […]

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Fun and Games

Games & Playing

Quick Tips

Short Reads

Teens

Cards Against Humanity and Teens

March 20, 2018

I don’t know if you’ve seen or heard about this card game but “Cards Against Humanity” is billed (on the box) as “a party game for horrible people.” Our teen wants this game and he’s not alone in that. There is no chance – zero – of us giving it to him as shipped but […]

134 Kids and Teen Book Recommendations from State Libraries

Books

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Lists

134 Kids and Teen Book Recommendations from State Libraries

November 4, 2017

The Library of Congress has an annual book festival where, among other things, all 50 states and the US territories are invited to have a table and promote their state literacy programs. Every state has their own “center for the book” that selects notable books about the state and/or by state authors, although not all are […]

Bonding

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Relationships

Teens

Young Adults

Tips for Talking to Your Teen

Little kids want nothing more than to talk to mommy and daddy – sometimes a bit too much! But teens? We all know that changes in the teen years. You still see your baby even as they start driving, graduate, move out, and start their own life. Finding a balance between the baby you see […]

Bonding

Family

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Grandparents

My Dad

Relationships

Then and Now

33 Questions to Ask Your Dad

Two weeks ago, my dad was healthy. Old (in his 80s, he won’t argue that point), but healthy. Within 24 hours, he was hospitalized and although he is home now, they never figured out what went wrong and he’s still not well. It’s the sort of thing that really makes you realize all the questions you […]

Books

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Little Kids

Preschool

10 GREAT Picture Books You’ve Never Heard Of

There are mountains, heaps, and masses of amazing picture books available today. No matter what your tyke is interested in or worried about, there is a picture book (or five) about it. Our personal collection of picture books included a larger-than-average number of books focused on art and artists. I am really at a loss to […]

Dad's Wishlist

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Fun and Games

Traditions

Vehicles

Getting Started in Electric Trains

September 9, 2017

You can name everyone on the Island of Sodor. You know who is emerald green, and who causes confusion and delay. As much as your child loves Thomas and Friends, they are getting bigger and you think it’s time to try electric trains, but you don’t know where to start. Our experience is that it’s […]

Books

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Finances

Short Reads

Then and Now

Then and Now: Used Bookstores

When was the last time you went to a used bookstore? My parents took me to them all the time when I was a kid because they “couldn’t afford to buy all my books new.” Their words, not mine. At some point, probably when I moved to a big city and wasn’t reading as much, […]

Daughters

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Fun and Games

Little Kids

Why Barbie Isn’t a Terrible Role Model

Barbie gets a bad rap from grown-ups because that don’t understand what little girls instinctively know: Barbie is a 3D paper doll, full stop. And that’s the crux of why Barbie isn’t a terrible role model: She isn’t a role model at all. I learned a lot from Barbie playing with Barbies, but none of […]