Nicholas had a birthday this week. I can’t believe that this little guy
is now this BIG guy!
How to Replace Buttons with Snaps
Please note that posts on this blog contain affiliate links for your convenience.
When I was in college I lived with my aging grandmother and I remember her buying her clothing based on how easy it was for her to use. She would not buy coats that had zippers. She preferred her jackets to have snaps instead and would purchase elastic waist bands over anything with buttons. In her eighties it was just too hard for her to make her hands do what she wanted them to do, but she wanted to still be able to dress herself.
Now my son has the same problem. He struggles with the dexterity in his fingers, but wants to be able to be independent. Most of the clothes they sell in his size at stores have button flies and he can’t just wear sweat pants every day. Sometimes he has activities or commitments that require him to dress up. As his mom, I worry about things like complicated belts or clothing causing embarrassing problems for him at school. So it has become my job to try to eliminate as many of those issues as possible. He can practice buttons in other places, but they should not stand between him and the bathroom.
How to Make Your Own Microwave Popcorn
Please note that posts on this blog contain affiliate links.
I know this is not a secret, this method of how to make your own microwave popcorn using a plain brown paper lunch bag
The Blog Got A Makeover!
I am excited today to introduce you to my friend Chelsea Foster. Chelsea is a very talented graphic designer and photographer who is local to me. I asked her recently to help me with a new logo for my blog because I was having some issues with people misreading the title. A LOT of people think the title of my blog is “Bikinis and Briefcases.” I wanted a logo that highlighted the word “binkies” to help new visitors understand at a glance that the blog is about parenting rather than bathing suits 🙂
Chelsea gave me a few designs and this is the final one that we decided on together:
Free Valentine’s Day Class Card Printable
Today’s post is sponsored by the CHPA Educational Foundation’s KnowYourOTCs program.
My oldest daughter, Abby, had her first experience with cavities this year. It was not fun for her and it is something she would really like to avoid in the future, if possible!
I don’t actually buy candy very often, but it seems like every time I turn around someone is handing it to my kids. There are treats at class parties, Sunday school, doctor’s appointments, visit with friends. It is almost impossible to avoid. We have three children, so with Valentine’s Day coming up this week, there will be 3 class parties worth of candy coming into our house. That’s over 50 treats. Yikes! [Read more…]
Homemade Crème Brulee
Today I am excited to be able to share a guest recipe with you from Chef Daniel Billheimer, who is the Executive Chef at the Monarch Rooftop & Indoor Lounge in Manhattan.
With Valentine’s Day coming up in just a few weeks, Chef Daniel knew that we would be looking to prepare some special meals at home and he wanted to share a sweet and romantic recipe that does not require a ton of ingredients.
Here is his Chambord Crème Brulee: [Read more…]
Easy Ways to Help Struggling Readers
Please note that this post contains affiliate links to the products mentioned for your convenience.
If you have been following the blog for a while, then you might know that in my pre-blogging life I was an elementary school teacher.
I have worked with every grade level from first through sixth, but there is something very special about the younger grades and teaching kids to read. Seeing the lightbulb click on in their heads and knowing that you had a part in helping them figuring out how to crack that code, and you have given them a skill that will stay with them forever– that is magic!
It is no secret, though, that some kids struggle more than others along the way and reading is a challenge for them.
If you have a struggling reader at home, here are a few very easy strategies that you can put in place right away.
Ways to Help Struggling Readers [Read more…]
Five Sick Day Activities For Kids
We have had a terrible snow storm on the east coast this week, but if school had not been cancelled I think I would have needed to keep Penny home from preschool anyway. She has a terrible cold that has kept her up at night coughing for the past few days. It is just that time of year. Our kids are going to be getting sick quite a bit. That’s why when the CHPA Educational Foundation invited me to be part of their KnowYourOTCs blogging program to help spread the word about cold and flu symptoms and safe ways to use over-the-counter products in our homes, I jumped at the chance.
The problem with having kids at home sick, though, is that if your kids are anything like mine then there is no keeping them confined to their beds or the couch for days at a time. That is just not realistic. Apparently “rest” does not mean the same thing to a preschooler that it does to Mom! In light of that, I have come up with a few low-key activities to keep the screen time minimized, but also give their little bodies the rest they need.
5 Sick Day Activities For Kids [Read more…]
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Gotten From Other Moms
I can’t believe that my son is about to turn nine, which puts me almost a decade into this parenting journey. That feels insane, because there were definitely days when he was a toddler when I was positive that neither one of us was going to make it to bedtime. Along the way, people have a way of dropping tons of unsolicited advice. Most of it is unnecessary, but some if it has actually been very practical and helpful. Some of the tips I have picked up from other moms I still use in my house to this day. So this post is all about the best advice I’ve ever gotten from other moms. If I had the opportunity to go back in time five years and tell my stressed-out former self with a toddler on her leg and a baby spitting up in her hair about a few of the pearls of wisdom we found, these would be among them.
In no particular order… [Read more…]
BlogU Conference GIVEAWAY and Fun Announcements
This is the third year for the BlogU conference, which is the event I founded with several of my blogging friends when we realized we weren’t learning as much as we hoped from traditional conferences. In 2016 We are moving to the University of Maryland and we will be holding the conference June 10-12th. [Read more…]
What You’re Saying