parenting
ChoreMonster.com aims to make chores more enjoyable for kids and parents
Getting my children to help with household chores can be a daily battle. It’s no fun, and everybody ends up feeling grumpy. Right? ChoreMonster.com is an online system of chore assignments and rewards. It lets parents assign chores for kids by choosing from the default list or adding customized tasks. Each chore can be customized by due date, frequency, and points awarded. Each child gets hi...
Boredom Busters: 100+ Cures for Bored Kids
It’s been a while since I posted about my work at Squidoo. Well, I just finished a brand new page over there, all about how to keep kids from being bored. I worked on it all afternoon, because I was thinking of ways to keep my own kids from complaining, and I figured I’d put it into a nice, pretty, organized page, so other people could use the ideas, too. When I was a kid, my parents w...
Martha Stewart is Crazy
I admit there was a time when I admired Martha Stewart and her amazing domestic skills. I was awed by her real sugared fruit centerpieces and envious of her front porch holiday decorations. But after a while, I gave up wishing and hoping and trying to measure up to Martha’s impossible standards. I mean, I’m a mother. Not Wonder Woman. Turns out I’m not the only person to go from ...
Kiss My Grits! Dinnertime is Driving me Crazy!
I love my family! And I love to cook. Check that. I used to enjoy cooking. Or… I enjoy cooking for people who will eat and appreciate whatever I prepare. Unfortunately, that is not the situation in my home these days. Two of my three children have or had food allergies, which made feeding times challenging when they were toddlers. My oldest (now 9) was allergic to lots of things, including d...
