Stay at Home Mom

by Corri Riebow Ahh....the lazy days of summer. Days spent on the beach, fresh lemonade and iced tea, catching fireflies and roasting marshmallows over a camp fire. Yup, those are the days. Well, sort of....... We've got the days spent on the beach....of our creek that is, but so far I feel like summer is flying by and we haven't even done half of what I want to do! Here we are at July already! I think Imogen and I are finally getting used to being with eachother all day every day again. Do you know what I mean? It didn't seem like such a transition last summer but Imogen was also not in school 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. I had high hopes of maintaining a schedule, including her doing some educational activities and quiet reading time. I was also hoping to sleep in until 8a.m.  Ha!  Oh well....we stay at home moms do what we can. There are moments when Imogen wants to read books or work in one of the work books I got her but for the most part we're flying

There are two things that I love to do.  I love watching football and I love reading research papers.  What do these two things have in common?  They reinforce the obvious.   It is true that there are some research studies that are ground breaking and revolutionary but many of the research papers I read conclude with the obvious and then go on to say that more research is needed. When you watch football you often hear the commentator say something like "Well that team is going to have to score some more points if they want to win the game".  I love this.  I don't know why but it just makes me really happy.   Besides pointing out the obvious, the research article " The Associations of Parenting Factors with Adolescent Body Mass Index in an Underserved Population "  published online in the Journal of Obesity on May 15 ( J Obes.  2013;  2013 : 715618) was one of those more interesting pieces of research and actually had some very simple and helpful findings

Some kids still have a few more days before they are out for summer break.  Other kids have been out for weeks.  It hardly seems like it is time to start thinking about college.  Most kids (and Moms) are just looking forward to sleeping in for a while.  But if you have a teen in the house it is not too early to start thinking about college. I know my teen is checking out colleges and what she'll need to do to get into the college of her dreams. Contributing blogger Nicole Mayer thinks this summer is a great time to start the conversation about getting ready for college. Sending Your Kid Off to College: Advise Them Now by Nicole Mayer For the first time, your child will forgo the pleasure of home-cooked meals, mom maid service and automatic family support in exchange for community bathrooms, grueling all-night cram sessions and (perhaps) the occasional keg party when off to college. You might ask yourself, "Have I taught my child everything they'll need to know a

School's out and its time for summer break. We don't have to pack lunches the night before or even early in the morning but it is a good idea to think ahead a little bit to the snacks. How many times have you heard your kids yell "There's nothing to Eat!" Managing the Summertime snacks can be a challenge.  Here are a couple of tips we have learned over the years to manage Snack Time: 1.   Priority Snacks Put the snacks you want them to eat in a visible, easy to reach location.  Leaving out a bowl of fruit will encourage them to eat the fruit.  This afternoon I left a bowl of mini carrots out on the kitchen table and not surprisingly the kids snacked on the carrots. 2. Make the Portions you want There are some very interesting studies out there that show how we often eat with our eyes more than our stomachs. If there is a box full of cookies or potato chips we may eat more than we really wanted originally just because they are there in front of us.  It