Each month, I feature a round-up of my popular parenting posts.  They’ve drawn comments, they’re timely, and/or I’ve had fun researching and writing them.
Here are five for September:
Obama – Education or Mind Control of Youth?
One-Room Schools – An American Heritage
Kids’ Exotic Hair Colors
4-H Club Memories
Are You a Pinocchio Parent?
Did you have any favorites that I didn’t mention here?  I’m now working on my October posts.  Are there topics you’d like to hear about?

While trying to come up with different alternatives to peanut butter and jelly or balogna sandwiches this week, I started thinking about ways I could phase out my kids’ favorite “side dish” — chips!

For me, chips have always been the default go-to for sandwiches or lunch in general, but as the new school year approaches I’ve been trying to re-think and re-plan what goes into my kids’ lunch boxes. Sure, they’ll still get a small bag of chips now and then, but I’m going substitute one of the below ideas several times a week as well!
~ Fresh fruit and vegetables. …read more

At the beginning of every new school year, I have good intentions. I think of all the fun things I can do in my kids’ lunchboxes to keep them from getting boring, but the morning rush always sets in and making sure they even have a lunch to take with them in the first place becomes the top priority!

We usually end up alternating between peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bologna and cheese sandwiches. Though the kids like them and I know they’re better for them the pre-packaged processed stuff the schools serve now (when did that start?), I do …read more

Sarah came home a few minutes ago. She was crying and I followed her into her room to figure out what was up.  She wouldn’t say anything at first, but finally it came out that she’s very upset because the friend that she has been hanging around with told her to “shut up.”
I don’t like hearing, “shut up,” either. It’s rude and abrupt. There’s got to be a better way to halt the flow of words, but so far I’ve found that “enough” and “shut it” aren’t very good alternatives.
Sarah was angry and wanted a chance to “vent” to someone. …read more

Today is the last day of school for my kids, and for about the last month I’ve been poking around online trying to find some fun things for them/us to do over the next three months.
I found the video above and immediately bookmarked it to share here. Using things you’ve already got in your kitchen — food coloring, milk and dish soap — you can create a really cool little “color dance.” Here’s another fun example. I feel cheated — my experience with this only involved pepper and water!
I found several other videos demonstrating fun things to do …read more

My teenagers went to the prom this weekend. They were very stressed out in the days leading up to the prom – lots of yelling at each other and me. The prom can mean a lot of pressure with expensive clothes, expensive plans, expensive after-plans.

I kept trying to remind them, “It’s really just about the two of you spending time together,” but they didn’t buy that idea at all. They’d nod and act like they were listening, but I could see that the wheels were spinning and Bay was still thinking, okay, how can I afford to get a french …read more

If your child has an overactive thyroid (otherwise known as Graves’ disease), be cautious if your doctor prescribes Propylthiouracil. One report says this drug has been linked to liver failure when taken by children. It may even result in the need for an organ transplant.

One estimate says that “as many as five to 10 children die each year due to liver damage caused by propylthiouracil.” Unlike other medicines, the damage is also not reversible once the child is taken off the drug.
Image: sxc.hu.

Last night , I witnessed the sweetest moment between my daughter, Bailey, and her boyfriend, Greg. I immediately wrote about it and sent it off to my friend. This friend, like me, is a little disillusioned by love, and I thought she would appreciate hearing about someone who is getting it right.
Greg lives with us, because his mother packed him up and turned him out about 3 months ago. He is a great kid, although I’m pretty sure that since he’s only been here a few months, we are still getting the very best of him. Bailey and Greg have …read more

My kids are just about to finish off school for this year, as are so many of yours. Course this means some of them will be changing schools and the subject of uniforms has come up. This got me
thinking of what everyone thinks out there.
For myself I find that a school with uniforms is better, at least for me it is. You won’t have to worry about who’s wearing what or what colors are okay to wear and which ones aren’t. I like the idea that each child will look the same because you won’t be worrying about which one …read more

Three of my kids are teenagers and I feel that our mornings are spent on the run. I have a hard time getting the kids to eat something, especially my 16-year-old daughter. I’m a firm believer in the idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I found this recipe for breakfast cookies that are the perfect breakfast on the go.

The Apple Bin Inn is located in the beautiful Lancaster County area of Pennsylvania.  If you’d like more information about the inn, then click here. You can find this and many other tasty recipes at BnBFinder.com.
Apple Bin …read more