Since Thanksgiving, most of you have been pulling the decorations out of the attic and setting them up in preparation for the big holiday. While unpacking those boxes of decorations, I’m sure you ran across some of the old Christmas story favorites - Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, The First Christmas, the Nutcracker - the list goes on. Well, we are all very familiar with these stories, so I think many of us allow the season to go by without even dusting them off. Read the rest »

The Manny by Holly Peterson was my “summer read” that continued way too far into Fall! The story was an interesting peek into the lives of the “uber rich” in the heart of New York City’s Manhattan. While the thought of having my own cooks, maids and nannies is unimaginable to me, it’s always entertaining to read about this ultimate fantasy lifestyle in between doing my own piles of laundry, cooking dinner and helping kids with homework. When you add a young, good-looking, zest for life “Manny” to the mix, you would think that things would get really interesting! Unfortunately, it didn’t quite do that for me. Read the rest »

“The day you were born was a dream come true. It began the lifetime adventure of incredible YOU.” So starts the fun, sentimental, custom keepsake book titled The First Adventures of Incredible You. Through beautiful illustrations and a story that is a joy to read with its rhyming words and gentle cadence, you and your child will fall in love with this book. Read the rest »

Just before Bob and I were married, my mother told me about her early days of marriage. She said that they didn’t have much money, and TV was not widely available, but what they did in the evenings was read books aloud to one another. It sounded strange to me, but a year or so later, Bob and I didn’t have much money, and there was nothing good to watch on TV, so I suggested that we read a book aloud to one another. What fun it was! We found that some books are better suited for reading aloud than others. Agatha Christie and Nero Wolfe mysteries were easy to read. War and Peace, on the other hand, just seemed to bog us down with the details.

When our first daughter was entering kindergarten, I attended the “Get to Know the Principal” session. The principal said that one of the most important things to do with your children is to read aloud to them. We had, of course, been reading books to them, but had sort of thought that this would end at some point. The principal said, “Read aloud every day until they graduate.” Thus began a very pleasant time in our lives. Read the rest »

I am the Queen of reading parenting books, most often written by other Mothers who write about their experiences. This was the first time I’ve read one by a Dad! It was very interesting to gain some perspective from the Father’s side of the parenting spectrum. I really enjoyed this book and literally laughed out loud reading several of the chapters!

Robert Wilder enlightens us with his parenting stories in a relaxed style as if you were having a casual conversation over coffee. I liked this book because it was not bogged down with lessons in child rearing, which I found refreshing; he simply relays the funny or touching experiences that we all have as new and more experienced parents. One thing that I’ve really come to enjoy is spending time with other parent friends and sharing our own funny or embarrassing stories with each other. Read the rest »

Like their bodies, kids’ brains need exercise to stay in tip-top shape. It’s no surprise that during the long, lazy days of summer, many students lose the equivalent of one to two months of reading and math skills.

Because the best learning often occurs when children don’t realize they are learning, fun and creative activities like painting, visiting the zoo or creating a beach towel “journal” are ideal for keeping summer brains in peak condition. Read the rest »

What’s the greatest gift Clever Parents can give a child besides their own time? The gift of reading, of course! Created by two teachers turned moms, The Gifted Grasshopper provides books that have been personally selected after scouring the bookstores for what kids love and what parents love to read.

Book selections are grouped by age and topic. In the Preschool area, for instance, you can choose from book sets about the alphabet, numbers, animals, fairy tales and more. The 2nd and 3rd grade area has selections on sports, poetry, math and chapter books to name a few. Read the rest »