Race to Nowhere

The education documentary film, “Race to Nowhere”, has launched a national movement embraced by hundreds of thousands of parents, teachers and students. Seen in more than 4,000 communities and reaching more than one million viewers, the film urges schools and communities to structure school practices and policies to restore balance and health to students’ lives. [...]

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Playmobil Apple Store Play Set – ThinkGeek

This is fabulous. You just have to see it. We love Playmobil. Love Apple. Love ThinkGeek. So when I saw this in my inbox today,* I knew it was something I would have to share with you. I especially love the “optional line pack” to complete the experience. Did not particularly love the part about [...]

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The King’s Speech

Have you seen the movie “The King’s Speech” yet? We loved it. All but the youngest child among us found it interesting, fascinating and entertaining. Based on the true story of the challenges faced by a stammering king, the film provided plenty of opportunities for history lessons over dinner. Heh. The website for the film [...]

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Super Mario Galaxy 2 Release Date: May 23

You know how much my family and I loved Super Mario Galaxy on Wii? We put it on our list of favorite video games of 2007 and even referred to it as the best game of all time. So you can imagine how excited we are about the coming release of the sequel, Super Mario [...]

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A Good Way to Deal With Unwanted Teen Behavior

When I heard Dave Barry’s story about embarrassing his teenage son by picking him up from school in a Wienermobile (true story!), I thought I’d try his advice. He suggested that one of the easiest ways to get attention from teens was to sing. I’d add to that a bit by saying that song choice [...]

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Make Your Car a No-Phone Zone

Did you know that driving while texting is the same as driving after having had four drinks? This fact becomes especially important if you have teen drivers. April 30 is National No-Phone Zone Day, declared to raise awareness about the dangers of using a phone while driving. I’m on board and signed the pledge. Will [...]

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Read a Book, Give a Book

Regular readers of this blog know how much I love books. I’ve co-chaired the Book Fair at our kids’ school for several years, taught Junior Great Books (another program I strongly support) and, for a brief time, considered starting another blog devoted to books. I love books. I encourage my kids (and others’) to read. [...]

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Some Kids Want You to See The Lightning Thief

At their urging, the following is a guest post written by my children: You may have heard of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the movie that came out Friday, February 12, 2010. Many people have been calling it a Harry Potter knock off. To begin with, the book series is not another [...]

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The Lightning Thief – Not Another Potter

Have you heard about this action/adventure movie starring a couple teenage guys and a girl who defeat villains in the midst of great special effects? You know, dark haired protagonist, no glasses. Wait…does he wear glasses? NO, he does not. He most definitely does not wear glasses. Were you thinking of Harry Potter, Ron and [...]

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Simple Snacks Often Satisfy

I often wonder whether most families experience the challenges of at least one picky eater.  I suspect they do. Well, I know we do. It’s my son. I can’t criticize him too much, though.  I was the same way.  Didn’t like my corn touching my mashed potatoes, despite the fact that my sister loved mixing [...]

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