Ford’s driver training program gives teens driving skills for life
Teen drivers have heard that they should not text and drive, but do they know how truly awful they are at doing both? My daughter knows, because when she drove and used her phone as part of Ford Driving Skills for Life event this past weekend, she took out eight cones, in about ten seconds. […]
The one thing you should tell your kids today
My teen was recently telling me about one of her friends and how she often talks about her parents don’t like her. My heart broke, as the girl is easy to like and, from my perspective as an outside observer, her parents appear to care about her. Then, I saw “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” […]
Friday Fun: Catch a sneak peek of Christopher Robin
I get particularly tickled when things I like in different realms come together, and that’s the case with the new sneak peek of the Christopher Robin movie, which arrives in theaters everywhere on August 3rd! I’ve already explained that I’ve loved Winnie the Pooh since before I could talk. While I haven’t loved Ewan McGregor […]
How and why my teen is prepping for the SAT and ACT
This is the first of three posts in a series about my family’s experience helping my teen prepare for the SAT and ACT with Academic Approach. We received three free sessions but have enrolled for many more, which we will be paying for out of pocket. I have not been compensated for these posts and […]
How parents can help kids with executive function skills: A Q&A with Michael Delman
Most parents would be thrilled if their kids were organized self-starters, but that’s not how the majority of moms and dads would describe their offspring. Michael Delman has been an educator in Massachusetts for decades, and knows first-hand that parents want to motivate their kids and help them bring their full capacities to whatever they attempt. […]
What I want my teen to know before AP scores are released
Dearest child of mine, I confess that I was a little taken aback by your anxiety about the upcoming release of scores on the AP tests. They were months ago, and not at the forefront of my mind, but of course you want to know how it went. I also understand that the first time […]
From parenting books to summer bucket lists: Parenting pieces I’ve written recently
In addition to writing here on this blog, I write for several other outlets. This past month, I’ve had parenting pieces published around the web and wanted to share them with you. Whether you’re looking for some helpful books to add to your summer reading list or thinking about your family’s summer bucket list or […]
11 reasons to love going to a White Sox game
The White Sox provided my family and me with complimentary tickets to a game. All opinions are my own. There are a ton of reasons to love Chicago in the summer – the lake, the festivals, and the baseball. I love that Chicago has two teams, and this weekend we headed to Guaranteed Rate Field to […]
New trailer from Marvel helps answer the question Who is The Wasp?
Did you know that Evangeline Lilly is from Saskatchewan? My relatives are, too, but unfortunately, I’m afraid that’s where the similarities end between us. Her origins are interesting, and so are those of her character, The Wasp in the upcoming Ant-Man and The Wasp that will be in theaters everywhere on July 6th. You can […]
Water park do’s and don’ts when visiting with teens and tweens
Summer is officially underway and for many families, a highlight of the season is hitting the waterpark. My family and I recently headed to Raging Waves, our favorite and Illinois’ largest waterpark, and had a blast. It’s a particularly fun place to visit with tweens and teens. We wanted to share some tips to help […]