Bad days are a part of life The Carpenters sang about “Rainy Days on Mondays” getting them down. James Blunt more recently had a big hit with “You’ve Had a Bad Day”. These songs, countless poems and a variety of Blues music tell us that bad days are a part of life. It is never…
A while back my wife and I each recalled one of the happiest trips of our childhood. It might surprise you to know it was not a trip to the circus, an amusement park or Disney World. The trip we each fondly remembered was a trip to the family attic. Attics can be dirty, dusty…
Many of us just survived the unofficial hectic start of the holiday season, affectionately known as Black Friday. We all hustle and bustle to get the perfect gifts, find decorations to outdo our neighbors or find the right outfit for an upcoming holiday party. Each year the frenzy of the holiday season hits all of…
The instant my wife learned she was pregnant with our first and only child I knew that it would be a girl. Don’t ask me how I knew, I just did. As it turns out it was one of those rare times in life when I was right. Due to my foresight I had time…
One of the most important things you can do for your child is to instill a love of books at a very young age. Reading to your child often is the best way to foster this affinity for books and reading. It’s important to remember, though, to make reading fun for your child. One way…
Throughout the year I am always very appreciative of the small and big things in my life that give me meaning. The month of November however does seem to make an imprint even more on thankfulness as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Many are posting their 30 days of thankfulness on Facebook so I figured…
Whether your child is dressing up as Queen Elsa, a Minion, Spiderman, Rapunzel, Minnie Mouse or whichever character excites them the most- it is a fun time of year for the parents to enjoy as well. When they are younger we get to express our opinion in what we would love to have them show…
Print awareness is a broad term that includes the understanding that print has meaning, the knowledge of how to handle a book, and the idea that print is all around us. Print awareness is a really important pre-reading skill and is one that you can work on without too much effort as you read with…
Who doesn’t love the smell of fresh baked fall goodies? While it is fun to make (and eat) yummy treats, sometimes we just want to enjoy the smell in our homes all day without the work. For a simple, natural and inexpensive way to do this, you just need an apple, the peel of an…
I just finished watching Babies on Track, a 14-minute video produce by Best Beginnings, Alaska’s Early Childhood Investment, and it was full of interesting information that I wanted to share with all of you. The video focused on brain development in babies and young children and discussed ways that parents and caregivers can stimulate brain…
