Teaching Kids about Money!

There comes a lot of responsibility with raising kids. Aside from things like personal safety and fostering good character traits, there are other life skills you want to teach them, like managing money! We have 3 kids…ages 6, 4, and almost a year and a half. I never knew when the appropriate age would be to start teaching them about money. Would they be able to grasp and understand the concepts of spending, saving and giving? I believe, as long {Read More}

It’s not about the ABC’s/123’s!

As I get ready to send my oldest to Kindergarten this year, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve prepared him enough. There are SO many important concepts and skills to teach, academically, socially/emotionally, and functionally (life skills, hello!). Being a former elementary school teacher, I’m realizing after almost 10 years of having worked in the classroom, that parents (myself included) focus too much of their energy on the wrong things. It’s saddens me the expectations that are put on {Read More}

Activities for traveling with kids

Can you smell it?!  I know I can. SPRING!  It’s just around the corner….finally!! It has been a really long winter here in Chicago, so Spring Break couldn’t come soon enough.  To say I’ve been pining for some sunshine is an understatement. Since many of you will be traveling in the coming weeks, hopefully to warmer destinations, I’ve put together a little list of activities that are perfect for kids to do in the car, on the airplane, waiting at a {Read More}

Teacher Cookie/Coffee Gift Tags

Well, summer has come and gone, which means it’s BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!  My two boys just  started preschool and pre-k!  Being a former teacher, and currently, a mom raising three littles, I understand the amount of energy it takes nurturing and teaching kids.  So much love and sacrifice is poured out within the walls of a classroom each day, ensuring every child feels special, valued, and known!  Knowing this, I do my best to make sure the people who {Read More}

Incentive Charts for Kids

This is something I’ve had the intention of doing for quite some time, but always seemed to put off, because….well, summer got the best of us!  With a 4 year old who is starting to test boundaries and sharpen his negotiating skills (especially at bedtime), it was starting to become more and more necessary to start an incentive system with him, as a way of motivating him to be more consistent with positive behaviors and become more responsible!  I didn’t {Read More}

Book Review: The Danish Way of Parenting

Getting time to yourself as a parent isn’t something you take for granted.  BUT, what to do with the pockets of alone time is the big question. Should I go for a run, take a nap, clean the house (not desired but necessary), have a glass of vino and catch up on Netflix, read a book, finish the project I started, or  DO NOTHING? Usually, reading goes by the wayside because it requires FOCUS and I’m pretty tapped out mentally by the time I can actually {Read More}