The Many Ways that Toddlers Play

Toddlers are very interested in exploring their world. They haven’t yet developed the social skills that preschools use to play with other kids. Parents might wonder what their toddler is thinking when he or she starts playing with “boring” household objects. Here is some insight about what’s going on. Parallel Play One of the earliest ways for toddlers to be social with each other is through parallel play. One toddler sits on the floor next to a huge pile of cars and trucks. She selects one, and starts rolling it back and forth on the floor in front of her. … Continue reading

The Weight Watchers Diet

Weight Watchers is one of the most well-known diets. This is due to how long it has been in existence and its advertising efforts. Is it the best diet for you? Before beginning a new diet, it is a good idea to speak with your doctor. What is the Weight Watchers Diet? Weight Watchers is a diet that uses a points system. Recently, Weight Watchers changed their points system to a new one called SmartPoints. Their new points formula looks at the type of fat in a given food, with saturated fat pointed more heavily. Lean protein has fewer points … Continue reading

Don’t Do Your Child’s Homework for Them

One of the biggest complaints of students of all ages is the amount of homework they are assigned. This is true for kindergarteners, college students, and everyone in between. Teachers expect that the students will do their own homework, perhaps with a little help from their parents. You don’t do your children’s homework for them, though, right? An article in The Telegraph reveals some surprising things about who is really doing the homework that teachers assign. The information comes from a poll of 2,000 parents who had children between the ages of 5 and 15. The research showed that in … Continue reading

The Family Dinner Project Promotes Family Unity

Does your family sit down together every night for dinner? Many families are in the habit of parking themselves in front of the TV as they eat dinner. Those families are missing out on a great opportunity to connect with each other. The Family Dinner Project has some excellent advice about why eating dinner together as a family is so important. The About Page at The Family Dinner Project has an summary of why families really need to have dinner together. It says: Over the past 15 years, research has shown what parents have known for a long time: Sharing … Continue reading

Exercise and Diet Together Help Weight Loss

Thinking about losing some weight? You’ve probably found tons of advice that suggests how to do that. Some of it might contradict the other pieces of advice. Those of you who are confused about what the best plan for weight loss is may want to consider what a recent study found. It turns out you need to focus on both exercise and diet together. A Stanford study about weight gain and obesity was making the rounds on the internet recently. The lead author of the study was Dr. Uri Ladabaum, a Stanford gastroenterologist. In short, he describes the results as … Continue reading

Touring the City on Less: Food Extravaganza

The summer and fall are great times to tour a fun city. Of course, you want to do it for less. Yesterday I shared the money-saving way to save on transportation around the city. If you missed that post, you can find it here. Today it is all about having a food extravaganza. Part of the fun of visiting a city is all of the great food that you can try. Most cities offer a variety of great food, different fusions and ethnic dishes, traditional and down home fare. It would be a shame to waste this opportunity because of … Continue reading

The Importance of Not Sharing

It’s one of life’s most important lessons and it doesn’t come easy. Sharing is a challenging concept for many adults to master, so imagine the toll it takes on preschoolers. Most preschool curriculums incorporate a slew of opportunities for four year olds to learn the fine art of sharing.  They are taught to be generous with their possessions so their peers don’t feel left out.  However, is sharing really caring?  Does it really matter if kids share and share alike? Some educators don’t think so. In fact, a growing number of preschools are putting the kibosh on forced sharing in … Continue reading

Playing the Numbers Game

It’s dinnertime and you’re frantically scrambling to get your three kids under six years old fed before you have to get the oldest to his soccer game and the middle one to the barber.  You swing into McDonald’s, order, squeeze into a booth, divvy up a 20-piece McNuggets amongst your offspring, and then quickly shove the first meal of your day down your gullet. What’s the last thing you’re thinking about during this manic mealtime? Well, other than wondering if Kate Middleton is breastfeeding Prince George. That’s right; calories. Those numbers, which are now posted on many restaurant menus in … Continue reading

Three Reasons to Leave the Stuff in the Store

I was browsing one of my favorite blogs yesterday, I came across a bit of home decor that I had admired for a while on this blogger’s page. She had it hung in her living room, and it looked wonderful. Of course, she got it for free in order to promote the store that carried the products, and as part of a one-day promotion, that particular item was discounted from $59.99 to $19.99, a real bargain. I clicked over to the site and almost ordered the item. Almost, because I know that there were at least three reasons to leave … Continue reading

Greyhound Helping Cash-Strapped Travelers

Given the sky-high price of gas these days, I would just as soon leave the driving to anyone else. If filling up your vehicle is emptying your wallet, you may be thinking twice about hitting the highway on a spring break getaway.  Fortunately, Greyhound is lending a helping hand to cash-strapped travelers. North America’s largest bus company just announced a bonus to its companion fares.  Now, three people can ride at half price with the purchase of one full-fare adult ticket, making group travel cheaper than ever. “Whether you’re a family gathering for a reunion, a baseball fan watching your … Continue reading