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Have you ever started off the day with positive intentions only to find your mood spiraling downwards as life seemingly throws all sorts of obstacles your way? Last week, I was rushing to drop off my oldest child to an event. The event was about 45 minutes away not counting the awful traffic that is the norm in our area. When traffic finally broke, I managed to pick up speed only to be pulled over by a state trooper. It seemed we were destined to be late no matter what I did. The day …

School’s out?! Let the fun begin! At our house, school breaks mean lots of fun activities – but also a little continuing education. Learning does not stop when the bell rings for winter break. Along with their other responsibilities at home, our kids are expected to read for an hour each day. Our kids are avid readers, so an hour is fitting for them. But one hour can be a long time for some kids. In that case, a good place to start is 10 minutes per grade (1st graders read for 10 min …

Parents and educators have all heard it before… A child isn’t happy about what they are being instructed to do, or is struggling with a specific skill or concept, and they come back with, “Who cares? It’s not like I’ll ever have to do this once I get out of school!” Sometimes it can be tough to think of on-the-spot examples of how and when a child will need that particular skill. But, fortunately, coming up with examples of when and why someone needs to be able to read is easier. Stud …

Procrastination. I have a love-hate relationship with this concept. For example, sometimes, when I just can’t get my creativity flowing, procrastinating creates this urgency that seems to stimulate and inspire me. There are times when I find that I just work better under pressure.But there are other areas in life where procrastination really concerns me. Chores? Get them done quickly so you have time with friends or family! Homework? Knock it out so you can enjoy other things. Project at s …

Six tips for helping to reduce excessive technology use. What do you do to excess that you’d like to limit? Eat? Use your cell phone? Watch Real Housewives? I’m guilty of all of the above to varying degrees. (Really, what’s going on with Dorinda?) I’ve always had difficulty with self-control, especially when it comes to food. I remember one time around the age of 14 or 15 when I decided I absolutely had to have an Entenmann’s chocolate banana cake (which, sadly, was discontin …

Earlier this month, I discussed how one of my son’s middle-school teachers focused on his kindness towards others as the highlight of our parent-teacher conference, and how it inspired me to look at my own behavior and seek ways to choose kindness and reinforce the same with our children. In this week’s post, the story continues with a reflection on kindness and tips for teaching children to choose kindness. Our son has always been a kind soul. From the time he was young, he had wha …

School conferences have generally been good experiences for my husband and me. With few exceptions, we often hear about our kids’ achievements, how they seem to be doing in class or at school, and hear very positive things about their behavior. But when our son (who is now entering 10th grade) was in sixth grade, he hit a rough patch in school. He was doing fine overall, but definitely not living up to his potential in some classes. Homework had been missed, projects not done to completion …

This article was originally published on sociabilitybooks.com, written by Lou Knows What to Do Authors, Kimberly Tice and Venita Litvack. Like the rest of the world, we are obsessed with the new Avengers movie, Infinity War. The plot revolves around possession of extremely powerful gems called the infinity stones. For the folks reading who aren’t Marvel fans (Why aren’t you?), we will list the stones. They actually relate to some very important rules for promoting readi …

Summertime is exciting! Family vacations, big sleepovers, and days at the pool. But, if you’re anything like me, summertime flies by too fast. Before you know it, the first day of school is right around the corner. Will your family be ready?It can be hard to switch from your family’s fun summer schedule back to your school schedule. Follow these 5 tips to get your family back into their school routine.1. Backup bedtimes. During the summer, children get used to going to bed late and sl …

He asked if I liked to eat crayons. I’d just moved to the area in the middle of first grade and wanted desperately to make friends, so I said I did. He smiled and a friendship was born. My father viewed my new friend with a skeptical eye, and I knew soon he’d render a judgement. I definitely felt bad for lying to my new friend and was worried that one day I’d have to fess up — or chow down. Fortunately, that day never came. He and I remained friends through elementary sch …