When I was growing up, my mom always made matching, themed Halloween costumes for my sisters and I. One year we went as the three blind mice. One year we went as the sisters from Little House on the Prairie. No matter what, we were coordinated. I tried to do this with my own kids but by the time they could talk, they had different plans. All of my kids have strong opinions about their Halloween choice. Every year I throw out lots of creative ideas and every year they go in different . . .
100 Cars for Good charity highlight: IMPOWER
This post is sponsored by Toyota’s philanthropy program 100 Cars for Good. This month, I’m excited to be highlighting five unique charitable organizations that are making a difference in their community. Each charity was also the recipient of a new car to aid in their mission, courtesy of Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program. (Know a charity that could use a car? You can vote for them at Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Facebook App. Today, I’m talking with the good folks from . . .
The inconvenient truth about Halloween chocolate and child labor
Two years I wrote a ridiculous post about deciding on a new place to buy my coffee . . . a place where the prices were really low because the store relied on children to work for little money. My intention was to point out how selfish it sounds for someone to willingly turn a blind eye to social injustices just because we want to pay less for something we like, and how shallow our justifications sound. I used coffee as an example because it’s one of those indulgences that people . . .
That’s what SHE said: families traveling the globe, natural hair and black shame, pacifists ready for a fight, and more . . .
Are Private Schools Worth It? | The Atlantic We already know that scores for students in private schools tend to be higher. The question is, is that because they’re from more affluent families…or is that because the schools are doing better? If you go back for a generation the research suggests that there is a private school effect, that even when you control for background factors, private schools seem to be more effective, particularly for certain populations, at boosting their achievement. . . .
Is it racist to dress a child up as a character of another race?
In some of the adoption and race forums I belong to, there has been quite a bit of chatter about whether or not children should dress up as characters who are of another race. I actually wrote a post about avoiding racist costumes over at Babble (spoiler alert: blackface is never okay), and I articulated my thoughts on the matter of kids and racially matching costumes: Let your child’s interest determine their costume. Let your child’s preference, not their skin tone, dictate costume . . .
Too small to fail: Tips for getting kids talking
As a part of GoMighty, I have partnered with Next Generation and the Clinton Foundation to sponsor this post as part of the Too Small to Fail campaign. Every once in a while, I get to partner with a campaign that aligns so much with my own values that it makes me a little giddy that this is my job. This past weekend, I had the chance to attend Camp Mighty and meet with some folks from the Too Small to Fail campaign to learn more about what they are doing. Essentially, the campaign exists to . . .
Tips for keeping your sanity this Halloween
I have mixed feelings about Halloween, from the inappropriate adult costumes to the overly sexy costumes for little children to the child labor used in the commercial candy industry. My kids tend to eat too much sugar, starting at school and extending into the evening, which means they are hyper and grumpy. And don’t even get me started on the Halloween Hangover the next day, which often falls on a school day. That said, kids love Halloween. My children’s friends love Halloween. My neighbors—if . . .
The “twins” turn seven
Kembe and India turned seven this month. In previous years, given that their birthday is the same day, we’ve always had joint birthday parties. But this year, their desires for their birthday diverged so drastically that we decided to do them separately. On the same day. Because I hate myself. First, we opened the “big gift” at home . . . new “penny boards.” I don’t really understand what is different about these than the other skateboards I’ve purchased, but they needed them. Or so I’ve . . .
100 Cars for Good charity highlight: The Children’s Lunchbox
This post is sponsored by Toyota’s philanthropy program 100 Cars for Good. This month, I’m excited to be highlighting five unique charitable organizations that are making a difference in their community. Each charity was also the recipient of a new car to aid in their mission, courtesy of Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program. (Know a charity that could use a car? You can vote for them at Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Facebook App. Today, I’m talking with The Children’s Lunchbox. Tell me about what . . .
Questions of eternal significance: What is the best play you’ve ever seen?
I know that not everyone is as big of a theater geek as I am, but I think that most of us have seen a broadway show or two that knocked our socks off. (And if you haven't . . . skip the Starbucks next month and get yourself to a local theater!) Today, I've been thinking back to some of my first theater experiences, in particular because we just bought tickets for the whole family to see The Lion King. (Incidentally, those tickets cost about as much as my first car. But as a family, we've . . .
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