Great Expectations
Thanks to Mr. Charles Dickens for letting me borrow his title today. I do respect a good author. My post is very different from his story, though. I'm talking about…
To Spank or Not to Spank
In 2002, my new husband and I were wanting to have children. I was also a college student taking a marriage and family studies class. For a research project, I…
5 Charts for Chores and Tasks
My husband has commented on the number of charts, lists, and reminders I have around the house. That's just how my mind works! When I write things down in an…
Fun Days and Field Trips
Every classroom needs discipline, even a homeschool classroom. I learned long ago that positive consequences for good behavior are just as important as negative consequences for bad behavior. And so…
Teaching Peacemaking
"What do you do about them fighting?" she asked me. "I mostly tell them to knock it off," was my short answer. It was less than 100 degrees in August…
Walking with a 2 Year Old
Have you ever been for a walk with a 2 year old child? In my mind this a perfect way to summarize 2 year old behavior. 2 year old behavior…
Be Tough and Gentle
Today I have some positive parenting tips. Sometimes as parents we need to be gentle, loving, and compassionate when our kids make mistakes. Other times our kids need us to…
How Not to Parent
Parenting is a big deal to me. Before I was a parent I wanted to learn all I could to get this parenting thing right. When I took a class…