Blog

Two New Ways to Celebrate after Thanksgiving

Get your family involved in Giving Tuesday and Small Business Saturday While some families plan their after Thanksgiving holiday shopping around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there are two new dates that get our attention this year: Small Business Saturday on November 24th, and Giving Tuesday on November 27th. We think these are... Read More
Education
Nancy Stevens

End Bullying Now!

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and it’s time to focus on this terrible epidemic that drives young children to commit suicide and keeps as many as 160,000 kids out of school on any given day for fear of being bullied. Brooks Gibbs, one of the nation’s leading youth crisis... Read More
Education
Nancy Stevens

Secrets for Helping Boys Learn

The problem of boys in education is not a new one – data has been mounting for many years that our sons are simply falling behind our daughters, says pioneering veteran in education, Edmond J. Dixon, Ph.D. But it’s not because boys are any less intelligent than girls, he adds. A recent... Read More

Tips for Safe Exercising in Winter with Pets

As winter approaches, fitness-loving pet-owners gear up for cold weather outdoor work-outs with their four legged friends. As it’s important that people get exercise year-round, the same goes for animals. However, there are dangers associated with the exercising in the snow, ice and cold, which could put a pet’s health at risk.... Read More

Stress, Mini-Vacations and Moms

The first key to remember is stress is not the problem; it’s our reaction to the stress. We cannot control the traffic, the government or the neighbor’s loud music, but we can control our reactions to those things. It’s estimated we think about 60,000 thoughts a day and 50,000... Read More
Safety
Nancy Stevens

Safe Kids Days

Every year around the world, a million families lose a child to a preventable injury. In fact, preventable injuries are the number one killer of kids in the U.S today. Safe Kids Days in April are dedicated to preventing childhood injuries.   Here are 7 easy ways that you... Read More
CraftsEventsFun
Nancy Stevens

15 Things To Do On A Snowy Day

Chicago is no stranger to snow storms, and this winter we haven’t even seen one of the top ten snow storms to hit the area.  When a huge blizzard or just some lake effect fills Chicago land with feet and inches of white stuff, it can be easy to go stir-crazy when school... Read More
EducationParenting
Nancy Stevens

What are you reading to your kids?

My favorite bedtime books for reading to the kids were anything by Dr. Seuss, the Little House on the Prairie series, and the Junie B. Jones stories. I had one child who devoured books, and one who barely managed to get through a magazine page, but both of them liked snuggling in at... Read More
EventsHoliday
Nancy Stevens

12 tips for the best Halloween party

A little forethought is all it takes for monstrously memorable merrymaking.  Halloween Tricks & Treats Editor-in-Chief Ann Blevins of Better Homes and Gardens gives us the inside scoop on how to throw a kid-friendly monster mash this Halloween. 1. Make clever invites. The way you announce the “what, when, and where”... Read More
HealthParentingSafety
Nancy Stevens

5 Tips to End All Types of Bullying

by Brook Gibbs  If the bullying is physical, you must rescue your child from physical threats of violence that would cause objective harm to his or her body or property. Keep detailed notes of the event and alert the authorities immediately. If the bullying is verbal, you must teach your child... Read More
EducationParenting
Dollar photo homework
Nancy Stevens

11 Tips for Making Homework Time Fun

Oaklee’s Guest Post By Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Tutor.com According to The National Center for Family Literacy, almost 50% of parents feel they can’t help their child with homework because they don’t understand the material. And let’s face it, for most parents it’s been a long time since they’ve been in a classroom.... Read More