I go through phases with books. I always love them, buy them, and fail to find enough space on my shelves to store them. I go through phases in my reading. I binge read, then I graze. I find an author I love and I read everything they’ve ever written until I can’t tell one […]
Baking in Code
The Butterfly (now 12) has two passions at the moment: baking and learning to code. She’s learning to code so she can create her own epic Minecraft mod. And the baking? Well, she’s been inspired by You-Tube celebrity Rosanna Pancino. She begged me to get her best-selling book The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook: Sweet Treats for […]
When Santa Wrote Back {Flashback Friday}
The following is a Flashback Friday post, reaching back to Christmas morning 4 years ago. At 5:56 a.m. on Christmas morning, she was at the edge of my bed. My 8 year-old was whispering, but her excitement could hardly be contained. “Mom… Mom…. Mom!” I don’t know how many times she called my name before […]
Thanks for the Simple Things
As a kid, I insisted my dad read me the same book again and again. “It Could Be Worse,” was about an old man who would consistently look for a silver lining when horrible things happened. He tells his grandchildren (who think he’s terribly dull) a story about a giant bird lifting him out of […]
Seeing Wicked in a Blizzard
If you live anywhere in the U.S., you can probably relate to the headache (and backache) caused by recent weather events. SoCal friends: stop bragging about your sunshine! In case you didn’t get buried in it, a huge storm hit the New York area late Wednesday night and stretched through Friday morning. As fate would […]
Smiling Yoga {with Cats}
It’s been 29 days since we began practicing yoga daily at our house. The girls love it. The cats do too. For me, it has been nothing short of astounding. I swear, I’m not exaggerating one little bit. I’ll get to that in a minute… Daily yoga was not a New Year’s Resolution. It started […]
From Overwhelmed to Grateful
Note: This was written in the midst of the Christmas rush and forgotten about until 10 minutes ago. Although the holiday craziness is finally over, our New Year schedule is about to take over my life and I need to force myself to slow down and enjoy the moments…always. On the bathroom floor yesterday (I […]
The Best of Adorable Chaos 2013
Looking back, 2013 has been a difficult year for us in many ways. The year began with the deepest sadness (and often fear) following the tragedy in Newtown and I wasn’t sure how our neighbors here would go on. We struggled to make sense of it all, to resume our lives, to step back into […]
5 Educational Online Games for Kids
Please welcome Sarah from Active Kiddies to the blog today! She’s sharing her favorite online learning games for kids. Many children spend hours every day in front of their computer or tablet screens. While their parents like to think that their kids are using these devices for homework, chances are good that large periods of […]
Walking into Walls
We all have problems. That’s what I remind myself now, as I remember how I walked into a brick wall yesterday. The first ten seconds hurt the most. Your nose stings, head spins as you try to comprehend what the hell just happened. Then the embarrassment sets in when you realize you walked right into […]
A Parent’s Guide to Multiple Intelligences
I love exploring the personality types of my children and their learning styles to help them learn effectively. Learning to recognize your child’s multiple intelligences takes things even deeper and can be tremendously helpful in parenting your child – whether you are homeschooling or not. Now through July 31, Great Homeschool Conventions is giving away […]
10 Ways to Make Your Kids Laugh Every Single Day
It’s 10 pm. Have you laughed with your kids today? No? Why not? If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane. -Robert Frost I don’t imagine that Mr. Frost was talking about parenting specifically, but he might as well have been. I walk the line between calm and collected and completely bat s**t crazy […]
10 Ways to Show Your Kids You Love Them
Parenting often reminds me of the old game Perfection. The timer is set and we struggle, rushing to get all the pieces in the right place. We frantically try to accomplish it all: homework done without a fuss, a clean home, delicious meals (in my dreams), papers signed, play dates set, kids tidy, respectful and […]
How to Find a Music Instructor for Your Homeschool Teen
I was compensated for sharing this information. All opinions and thoughts are my own. I’m constantly looking for the right instructors to help my children explore their interests and follow their passions. I find this to be most challenging as my girls approach the teen years. They get very picky when choosing a teacher. They’re […]
Sunday Night Gratitude
I don’t want to do a weekly recap. Instead, I’m making a simple list of all that I’m thankful for this Sunday evening, as the super moon rises in the sky, my little women settle in for the night and I look toward the week ahead. A recovering child. Nothing puts me on edge quite […]
Looking Back, Taking Stock
Last night I had a dream. I was standing in the canned goods aisle at ShopRite and there were only a few scattered cans on the otherwise empty shelves. I had missed the Can Can Sale. Obviously, I could use a little more excitement in my life if this is what my subconscious mind is worrying […]
The Mom Bus
This is a flashback to what my summers looked like a couple of years ago, before I decided to simplify… That’s what my kids are calling my mini-van these days. They’ve noticed that all I do is drive around, delivering them to different activities. This week’s schedule demands an 8:30 a.m. departure, with stops at […]
How To Make Your Husband Cry
There are a few things in this world that can break a man. Let me tell you about one I discovered last week, just in case you’re looking to get revenge on your husband by causing him cry in public so you can plaster the pictures all over Facebook. I’m helpful like that. I want […]
The Good, the Bad and the Beastly Mother
I fear I may have misled you into thinking that I’m a sweet, loving mama all the time. Maybe that’s because I long to be that mama every hour of every day. I want to be calm, peaceful, zen-like, leading my children through this wild world with patience and love like Mother Teresa. She never […]
Surrendering to Cheese and Other Drama -The Week in Chaos
I broke this week. There’s a man to blame (of course), but this time it isn’t Dave. Thanks to Jerry at Cooking Stoned, I fell off the “I’m so superior I don’t even eat cheese” wagon. You see, he posted a recipe for the most beautiful guacamole grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t […]
