Catherine Shaffer's blog

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Crunchy, yet also soft and chewy work-at-home mother of oneCatherine Shaffer's profile

Nine Reasons to Enroll Your Child in Suzuki Talent Education

Posted 19 weeks 1 day ago by Catherine Shaffer

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

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When my son began Suzuki violin training at the age of five, a lot of people asked me why I was "forcing" violin lessons on him at such a young age. The very fact that our society views violin lessons as unnecessary torture is telling. However, the truth is that at that time my son totally agreed with it, and would have rather spent his time doing other things. So why did we persist?

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Grocery Shopping with Kids

Posted 23 weeks 2 days ago by Catherine Shaffer

Family Planning, Discipline, Shopping

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Personally, I give each and every one of you permission to shop without your kids, if that works for you. I rarely take mine along. I would rather get in and out quickly, and avoid negotiations over treat items. However, when my son was a toddler and a preschooler, I pretty much had to take him with me. He was just always there, you know? It's like he didn't have his own life or something.

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Skimming on the Milk: A False Economy?

Posted 26 weeks 5 days ago by Catherine Shaffer

Nutrition

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Milk prices are skyrocketing lately, meaning that your weekly trip to the dairy case is hitting the pocketbook harder than ever. And if you're concerned about hormones and antibiotics in the milk supply from factory farmed dairy cows, your price for natural, local, or organic milk will be even higher. With all of this to consider, it's very tempting to skip the milk altogether, and save the money.

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I Breastfed my Four-Year-Old and It Was Okay

Posted 28 weeks 6 days ago by Catherine Shaffer

Breastfeeding

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To me, four years old meant independence, going potty on your own, going to school, learning to read--not nursing at mother's breast. It took really listening to my son's need, not society's expectations, to realize that these things were not mutually exclusive.

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