Song lyrics keeps ringing in my head this morning: “It’s the final countdown!”
Less than two weeks until school is done for the year. Gone will be third and first grade for my big kids. Gone – at least for 10 weeks – will be the homework wars (mostly with my first grader). Gone will be the anxiety of reading and making AR points.
I posted on my personal Facebook page – “I’m not sure who is happier, mom or the kids!”
My school-age children achieved a lot this year. They both did …

Last week, our big kids (7 and 9) crawled in bed with us about 7 p.m. (We were all TIRED!). They asked, “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
My husband’s response prompted a 45 minute discussion: “Well, if I had my perfect day …”
We had a lot of fun with it. From starting the day with coffee delivered (mommy) to Dunkin Donuts (family), a trip to Toys R Us (daddy, brother and sister), lunch at Wendy’s (sister), a trip to Harkins (daddy, brother and sister) to a hour reading (mommy …

I love reading lists. I love to see the names of books I’ve yet to read – and yet to find time to read. But as a mom, I’m always on the hunt for options for the kids too. This information came to us this week from Mesa’s Cardon Children’s Medical Center. In case your kids are already “bored” during break, or you need a last-minute gift, these are great ideas.
Looking for a last minute gift for a child? Or just want to keep your children busy in a constructive …

I read through a list of suggested books by Parenting.com this morning and realized: Yea, we aren’t even making a dent on the classics.
The list is wonderful – I remember some of them from my own childhood. But I’ve had troubles getting my kids to read anything beyond “character books” (think Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake, etc.) and, for my son, the latest in Japanese comics (“Yu! Gi! Oh!,” anyone?).
Last week, I made a new rule regarding what he can read for his 30 required minutes each night for school. For the …

After attending meet-the-teacher night recently, I think I’m more anxious about my two big kids starting school than they are.
They were very excited to see familiar faces on the class lists. My daughter is entering first grade with 21 other kids; my son is entering third in a class of 25. Both are milestone years (OK, every year is a milestone year!). My son will be tackling more math and my daughter will take on reading.
Have I done enough to prepare them?
Thanks to grandma, we have a math game on …

My husband got me an ereader for Christmas. And I admit, I am in love with this little device. I probably drool over it more than use it with being a busy mom. But still, I keep it close. I typically read more than one book at a time (right now I’ve got three or four I’m really into), so it’s easier to take my ereader than to grab that many books.
And I’m sure it’s going on vacation with me with summer with a few more novels on it.
But the …

In “Waiting for Superman,” families of five young students concerned about their education take extra measures to find alternatives to the schools their children or grandchildren attend.
One mom enrolls her son in a tutoring program. One pays for a private school until she can’t pay any more.
All five children are signed up for lotteries that could earn them a spot at a public charter school, where there is more demand than seats available.
Two children receive spots in a charter school, including a boy no older than my son. The school …

Helping my son understand school work is taking some time at night and I’m worried my daughter, in kindergarten, is getting short-changed.
Each night my son has 15 minutes of reading and a page of reading or math homework. Plus I review assignments his teacher has graded, which are growing in volume.
So the past two weeks as I’ve reviewed with him at night, my daughter asks, “What am I going to do?”
She wants to be just as involved in school as her brother. She can’t read yet so I can’t unleash …