8 horrible parenting tips you should not follow
We are way beyond the baby stage at our house, and thank God. Karis graduated preschool this week, and as I sat there sobbing about my last baby growing up (don’t judge me), I thought about all the advice we used to get about parenting babies and how much that has tapered off. I think part of that is because most parents of older children realize that none of us know what we are doing. We’re no longer the helpless parents of infants looking for a flow-chart. We realize by now that no handbook . . .
What NOT to give mom on Mother’s Day
Mother's Day is a wonderful day in praise of moms everywhere, in which hard-working mothers are commended for their selfless dedication, admired for their steadfast love, and given a day in which they have absolutely no responsibilities at all. Right? Except that it doesn't always work that way. Children still behave like children. And sometimes their idea of a "gift" for me involves reading me the entire catalog of our Dr. Suess books. Aloud. HELP ME. And as long as we're being honest . . .
13 April Fools' Ideas for Slacker Parents
I'm not one of those parents who lives for April Fools' Day. Or even acknowledges to my children that it exists in the first place. But my kids are in on the day, and they have expectations.I've got to find some pranks that are easy to implement, and that don't require a visit to the craft store. Or baking So I've rounded up a few ideas for simple pranks I can pull with things we've already got. You can see the full list over at Babble. . . .
15 stupid threats that parents should stop using
One day not long ago, I was at home with the kids. Mark was somewhere else, the boys were being noisy, the girls were fighting, Karis was crying, and I’d had it up to my eyebrows with household drama. No one in my house but me seemed to care that I had work to do. Important work! For money! So I said something: a sentence my parents used to say to me and that I swore I’d never speak to my own kids, because it’s just so, so ridiculous. “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry . . .
Have a kid obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Here’s what to read next.
If your kids are like mine, discovering Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid books opened up a whole new world to them. The funny stories (read: lots of farting), creative illustrations, and short chapters have been ideal for getting young readers hooked on “chapter books”—providing a welcome transition from simple children’s books to slightly more complex stories for kids . Which leads us to this question: What next? Once your kids have devoured all 70-bazillion books in theWimpy Kid saga, what . . .
The best satire reviews on Amazon (take 3)
A month ago, I listed a whole new set of snarky Amazon reviews, because pretty much they are the best thing ever and totally justify the existence of the Internet in every way. It was so much fun that I’m dipping into that well a third time. Why? Because there are SO many. And because it’s hard to choose. And because: iPad toilet paper stand, y’all. Read the rest here. . . .
The internet’s best covers of “Let It Go”
My family is still officially obsessed with the movie Frozen, even though we’re now several weeks into the phenomenon. I can’t drive the minivan anywhere without requests to listen to the soundtrack, especially Idina Menzel’s version of the big power ballad, “Let It Go” (which is not to be confused with Demi Lovato’s official pop version). We saw it when it first opened in November. Then again in December. In January, we saw it again at the opening of the Frozen Sing-a-long, where we sang along. . . .
Best Snark Reviews on Amazon: The Sequel
Last year, around this time, I posted a list of some of my favorite satire reviews on Amazon. To be honest, it was one of my favorite posts of the year to write, because I’m pretty sure sarcasm is one of my love languages. There’s something wonderful about finding a really stupid product and reading a really smart take-down of that product. I don’t know who these people are who go around spreading snark on Amazon, but I love them. They are like the flash-mobbers of the internet. Anyway, I’ve run . . .
The 10 Best Superbowl Commercials
I confessed last week that I don’t usually watch the Superbowl. But that didn’t stop me from taking a gander at some of the commercials. Thank you YouTube. There were a few good ads, though the word “best” is pretty subjective. Best…how? In terms of memorability? Entertainment value? Degree to which I now want to purchase their product? For our purposes here, “best” means the commercials that stuck in my head and seemed creative and/or amusing and/or they captured my attention. Over at Babble . . .
Best new movies on Netflix this year
Netflix made news at the beginning of the year by announcing that, due to expired licensing agreements, it had purged a number of its popular movies available for streaming. If you haven’t yet watched films likeTitanic, Top Gun, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind…you’re out of luck. Don’t worry, though. For every now-unavailable Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, there are several more great movies that have been added to the streaming queue as of this month. I looked through this list of the . . .
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