Blogs

Webspeak part 1 - become fluent in one of the online languages your children use

Posted 2 days 19 hours ago by Paul Michael

Social Skills, Culture, Relationships, K-8, High School, Higher Education

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Once upon a time, it was Pig-Latin. These days, the Internet has created several ways for both children and adults to communicate with each other. In part one of this series, I'll give you a list of the most common acronyms or "initialisms" that your children are using daily, via the web and phone. Some of these you will be familiar with already; some may shock you.

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Food Additives May Contribute to ADHD in Children

Posted 3 days 11 hours ago by Fred Lee

Nutrition

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The time has come to give more credibility to the notion that we are what we eat.

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Kids Eat Free....Or Really Cheap

Posted 1 week 1 day ago by Lori Kerrigan

Finances, Shopping, Relocation, Entertainment, Time Management

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Tired of cooking? Does your budget not stretch enough to cover dining out with the entire family? Check out these restaurants where kids eat free....or really cheap!

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Hug Your TV, Part 2: A biased, opinionated and not even very scholarly review of PBS Sprout.

Posted 1 week 2 days ago by Katherine Turner

Entertainment, Learning Tools, Culture, Pre School

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I’ve spent the past month watching every show PBS Sprout dishes up and man am I pasty. Crib my notes for what to let the kiddies watch and keep your summer glow!

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Same Sex, Same Cake

Posted 1 week 6 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Culture, Relationships

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The time had come to break it to the kids that the grandmas are getting married at the end of July. I was bracing for very literal preschooler observations of only boys and girls can marry---not unlike my preschoolers observations about who can tuck her in and who can play with Barbie...her response was not expected...

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The Infant Who Never Stops Crying: 4 Ideas For Mothers Of Colicky Kids

Posted 2 weeks 1 day ago by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Discipline, New Parents, Culture, Diseases & Disorders

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If your baby cries unceasingly, you need help as much as your child does. Though it may take months, your child will eventually stop. You, on the other hand, will carry the scars of the difficult time for years unless you learn ways to move forward. Here are some ideas.

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Innovative Eco-Diaper Bag For a Cleaner, Safer World

Posted 2 weeks 5 days ago by Will Chen

Safety, Shopping

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Seventh Generation is an award winning manufacturer of non-toxic, environmentally safe products. Our friends at Wise Bread are always raving about this company, so we were pretty excited when they announced their new creation: A stylish Eco-Diaper Bag.

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Conan O'Brien's Commencement Speech to the Havard Class of 2000

Posted 2 weeks 5 days ago by Will Chen

Extra Commentary

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Conan O'Brien's address to Harvard's Class of 2000 is one of the best graduation speeches I've ever heard.

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Old Wives’ Tales and Pregnancy

Posted 3 weeks 1 day ago by Sonja Stewart

Pregnancy

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Reading through a pregnancy manual I came across some of these ancient wives’ tales and remembered my Guatemalan abuelita (tiny grandma) waving this crystal thing over my mom’s pregnant belly twenty two years ago. My mom said it was hogwash, but hey, abuelita was right when my baby sister popped out two months later. So now I wonder, is there any truth to some of these pregnancy myths?

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Computer-based Homeschool Curriculum Worked for Us!

Posted 3 weeks 2 days ago by Linsey Knerl

Education, Learning Tools, Home School, K-8, High School

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When I started homeschooling a few years ago, I was excited to order the materials – which included more books, manuals, worksheets, and supplemental items than I could possibly store on our bookshelf. The practicality of “traditional” text-based curriculum soon wore thin. Read on to see how software saved the day.

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Bill's fitting goodbye to Microsoft

Posted 3 weeks 5 days ago by Will Chen

Extra Commentary

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Bill Gates is leaving Microsoft today to focus on his philanthropic organization. I wanted to stop by Microsoft.com to see if they did anything special to commemorate this momentous occasion. What I found was a fitting tribute to Bill's legacy.

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Shared Parenting: Why it Works for Us

Posted 3 weeks 6 days ago by Sherry Pardy

Chores, Discipline, Home Life, Finances, Shopping, New Parents

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According to a recent New York Times article, the fact my husband does the laundry makes us trendy parents. Who knew?

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Tips for a Safer Fireworks Display

Posted 4 weeks 3 hours ago by Linsey Knerl

Safety, Home Life

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The statistics are frightening. 10,000 Americans were treated for injuries from fireworks last year alone! The majority of the incidents were burn-related, and most could have been prevented. Learn how to keep your children out of harm’s way with this handy guide from the CPSC.

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Old MacDonald had some Suckers

Posted 4 weeks 17 hours ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Culture

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As a mostly vegetarian, hippie genX-er--a non-TV watching, non-consumer driven parent-- I have purposely failed my children miserably by hiding from them vital cultural icons of American life. But all that is about to change with two Happy Meals...

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On Education Part 2 - Our Experience with Waldorf Schools

Posted 4 weeks 2 days ago by Fred Lee

Education, Learning Tools, Home School, Pre School, K-8

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The Waldorf experience is a lot different than what you’ll see at a Montessori School.

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Kid Friendly Trips with TripFlix

Posted 4 weeks 3 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Entertainment

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Gas prices have you and the kids home for the summer? You might want to give the interactive DVD TripFlix a try and do some couch traveling in an air conditioned living room with teens Alex and Emily to 25 destinations across the USA.

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Gay Parenting, Part 2

Posted 4 weeks 5 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Culture, Sex Ed, Relationships

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Wow. It really is happening. All across California gays and lesbians are getting married. Their children, we children will all be legitimized in a way we haven't been before. I spent the weekend talking to a gay dad raising sons (being Father's Day weekend) here's what's been tripping around my conversations. I talked to a few women on the verge of marriage. Here's what I heard and remembered.

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Train your kids to swallow a choking hazard with Lego “Fun Snacks”

Posted 4 weeks 6 days ago by Paul Michael

Safety, Health

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It all seems like some crazy practical joke or belated April Fool’s gag, but this one is real. Kellogg’s have teamed up with Lego to produce what can only be described as the most dangerous idea for a kid’s snack…ever.

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Cytotec: Take this Pill and Have Your Baby in the Morning

Posted 4 weeks 6 days ago by Karen Putz

Birth

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What's an ulcer pill doing at a homebirth?

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Yet Another Project For The Pregnant Woman: How To Write Your Child A Song

Posted 4 weeks 6 days ago by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Pregnancy, Birth, Conflict Resolution

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Ah, late pregnancy, a time for preparing crib sheets and stocking up on diaper wipes, doing kegels and finalizing names. And for me, also a time to go out and find my child a song. Here are ideas for how to create a personal lyric for your unborn (or already born, for that matter), and some reasons why it might be nice for them. Bonus: It’s nice for you, too.

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