Archive for Parenting
April 18, 2011· Filed under Education, Parenting
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 is Teacher Appreciation Day, but many schools now make a week of it.
Each day of the week has a theme.
Monday you are supposed to send in a piece of fruit to the teacher to give her a healthy start to her week.
Tuesday the kids write notes to their teachers to let them know how loved they are.
Wednesday is for flowers. Children are encouraged to be creative – bring a flower, color a flower, make one out of tissue paper – whatever they like.
Thursday the students are asked to bring their best manners and best behavior. To me, that would be the ultimate gesture of appreciation.
Friday is treat day. The students are encouraged to bring or make a small treat for their teacher. This year I think I will get each teacher a gift card to Starbucks or Panera Bread.
On Thursday the PTA will have a luncheon for the teachers. I will take in my favorite meatball recipe (5lbs meatballs, Heinz chili sauce and grape jelly in the crock pot – it is soooo yummy) and other parents will bring in their favorites, too.
Does your school celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day or Week? How do they tell the teachers that they are truly appreciated?
Discount School Supply is running a special for Teacher Appreciation Week – 10% off all purchases! They also carry the biggest selection of allergen-free and special needs art, craft and school supplies I have seen anywhere!
June 21, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Parenting, Working from Home
One thing I have learned since I started blogging (one year ago tomorrow) is that no matter what your niche is, there is a community for you. I have also learned that there are A LOT of Moms who are passionate, creative, and well-connected in the new world we call the Internet. Whether you are a Mom looking for an online community or a business looking to get in touch with your Mom audience, there are plenty of great communities that are already established – and there seems to be attitude that there is always room for one more at the table.
Here are thirteen places where the Moms are:
1. Being social! New social bookmarking sites are cropping up that fill a need within a niche. Sk*rt.com is a very HOT digg-like site for women that is slightly addictive. Others in this arena include Babblz.com, Absolutely Parents, and Netscape.
2. On the networks. Blog networks like b5Media Family & Relationships Channel, Grasshopper New Media Parents, and 451 Press have dedicated channels of family-related content and blogs. And don’t forget Strollerderby – its written by a team of hip, urban parents.
3. In the cafe. Cafe Mom that is! Cafe Mom is run by the same group who brings us Club Mom – both very good resources for Moms, but Cafe Mom is more community and social focused. Did I mention that thousands of Moms have already set up their profiles there.
4. Working the forums. Traditional discussion boards are still great ways to connect with like-minded Moms and my favorites include the MomGadget forum, WAHM, and HBWM.
5. Linking up – Weekly memes like Menu Plan Monday, Wordless Wednesday, and Thursday Thirteen attract a huge following. One of the ways they work so well is thanks to Mr. Linky.
6. At the carnival. Thinking of joining the circus? Your family may prefer you play it safe and join a blogging carnival instead. Join in the carnival of family life or do a search at Blogcarnival.com for a another topic.
7. Joining forces. Looking for a way to exchange links and find more Mom blogs? Why not join forces and grow your blogroll too. Two of the groups that come to mind are The Mom Blogs and Blogging Chicks. In order to make the most of these groups you have to display a link to their mainsite or display a badge.
8. Thinking local. There are more and more sites coming about that serve a specific geographical area. Let’s start with Silicon Valley Moms, and their sister sites Chicago Moms and New York City Moms.
9. Acting global. I love the sites All for Women and Real Savvy Moms for their global reach. If you have a product and want to tell the parenting world about it you must go to The Parent Bloggers Network (thanks Ponn).
10. Popularity plays. Have you seen TopMomma or The Top 100 Mom Blogs? These are a great source of new reads and a fun way to reward your favorite Moms.
11. Talking among ourselves. One of the best ways to get to know other Mom bloggers and build your own community is by leaving comments on the blogs you like to read. Or you could stop by here on Fridays for Casual Fridays – bring your cup of coffee and just chat.
12. Lurking in the wings. Yes, I know there are a bucket load of Moms online that haven’t found their voice yet! If you are one of them, jump in, leave a comment or better yet, get started blogging today.
13. Meeting in Chicago – BlogHer will be in Chicago July 27-29. Some of my favorite Moms are even speaking!
This list is by NO MEANS exhaustive! I know there are so many more places that Mom’s hang out online. If you happen to have a favorite that is not on the list, by all means, leave a comment and let us know! And for more Thursday Thirteen entries, visit the TT hub.
June 19, 2007· Filed under Family, Parenting
I am having a contest and group writing project at Weary Parent this week. You can win cash, too!! All you have to do is write a post about the best advice you ever got as a teen and took to heart. It can be funny. It can be serious. It can be a list, a story, a confession – be creative! Just keep it tasteful – Weary Parent is a family-oriented site. (I reserve the right to not post entries that are inappropriate)
Thinking back to my teen years, my parents weren’t really the advice-giving kind. Instead of advice, my parents gave me opportunities – opportunities to learn, experience, and make my own path. That was probably the best thing they could have ever done! As a result, I have never really been afraid to do things on my own. I have traveled to Europe by myself (staying with friends and relatives once I was there), bought a house when I was in my twenties, and had the courage to start my own business rather than return to work full-time when my first child was born.
When it comes to my own children, I want to give them the same opportunities, but I do have advice for them. I want them to know how important a good education is and I continue to tell them daily, that hard work leads to greater opportunities in the future.
How about you? What is the best advice you ever received? Write a post about it and come on over to Weary Parent to enter it into my group writing project and contest.
June 1, 2007· Filed under Education, Family, Parenting
My blogging pal Randa Clay and I have spent the past few weeks working on a top secret bonus for the subscribers of our other sites – Printables4Kids (mine) and FreeStuff4Kids (Randa’s). The bonus is two different Summer Fun e-Books that you can download, print out, and give to your kids for some brain exercising fun.
By subscribing to FreeStuff4Kids you gain access to the version that is tailored to the younger kids – lots of coloring pages, mazes, easy word searches, and other pencil games. If you subscribe to Printables4Kids you get the version for the older kids with harder word searches, color by number, crossword puzzles, word scrambles and more.
Subscribe to both feeds and you are sure not to miss a single fun activity all summer long – your kids will thank you! Also, don’t miss 30 of the Best Printable Activity Sites for Kids and The Best Free Stuff for Kids of 2007.
May 22, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Parenting
One of my posts at my b5 media blog, Weary Parent, has been nominated for GNMParent’s Hot Stuff of the Week award. Who knew?
Anyhow, the post nominated is 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens; one I posted shortly after the tragic events at Virginia Tech. I’d love to know what other things we can add to that list.
Go on over and vote for me, please!
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