Ah, fall. Tis the season of cooler weather and changing leaves and Halloween costume planning. It’s also the season where every kid and teen enrolled in a public or private school becomes the temporary employee of The Fundraiser. Or in some cases, The Fundraisers. Plural. At the same time. Don’t get me wrong. I work for…
I’m writing on this topic with the permission of Dennis McLoughlin, educational speaker and founder of High Trust (website here). You’ll notice the site is very colorful and includes scrolling headlines and squares bouncing off the sides of the screen. I imagine this is what the inside of Denny’s head feels like most of the…
Part 4?? I know, I wrote Part 3 like a year and a half ago, but my youngest did something last night that warrants a new chapter in the Child’s Code saga. Something shocking, yet it appears to be a rite of passage for most little ones. He gave himself a haircut. Check it out.…
My four-year-old son has been going through a “phase” where he throws a tantrum every night. Every. Damn. Night. Tantruming has worked for him exactly never, so I don’t get why he thinks it will get him somewhere now. The funny part is he’s usually screaming what he “wants” to do, and it’s the behavior he…
This morning, it started before I had fully emerged from glorious slumber. “Mom!! He stole part of my sculpture and made a helicopter out of it!!” We’ll refer to the angry one as Big One, and his thieving brother as Little One. Big One had left his tinker toy contraption in the living room, and…
Tomorrow is Father’s Day, meaning it’s time to think about Dad. I think my dad is truly special, because there are some things about him that are just, well, him. These are the top 10 things I love about my dad. 1. You know the sound Goofy makes when he falls down a big hill?…
I recognize that sinking feeling when I open the fridge or the pantry. I can’t put it off any longer. I’ll have to make a trip to the grocery store. This is not my favorite thing to do. I think part of it may be because I often have to bring my kids with me,…
My mom loves to decorate. As part of this hobby, she has many shelves stocked with all manner of interesting items. My grandpa says her house reminds him of a Cracker Barrel. I’m reminded of the episode of The Simpsons where Moe opened a family restaurant. “If you like good food, good fun, and lots…
Parent Says: Get dressed.Child hears: Make funny faces at yourself in the mirror. I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials for the Rosetta Stone, that program that’s supposed to teach you how to speak a new language in a short amount of time. I’m considering authoring one of those types of programs for the language of…
In my chosen profession, I work with kids everyday. My particular group is a class of third graders. This is my tenth year teaching the same age group, and I’ve noticed something with increasing regularity. Kids don’t know how to be bored. I’m not talking about valid times where boredom can be expected, like when…
Allison Maruska 