Fall Means Serious Play

October 26, 2010

Since getting home from my Hawaiian vacation, it has really hit home that fall is here. Before I left it was sunny and warm, but now that I’ve returned it seems fall is in full swing. The leaves on my maples and fire bushes are brilliant orange and red. The wind is blowing and the […]

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Mom Tip Monday: Be Respectful

October 25, 2010

I’ve invited Susan from Mariner 2 Mother to guest post a Mom Tip Monday today. Susan has a 7-year-old boy with sensory processing disorder and she’s taken a number of positive discipline courses focused on developing capable young people. Today she shares her experience with control and respect when it comes to working with a […]

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Vacations are Not The Same

October 24, 2010

We finally took the kids on a plane together. And took a “vacation.” This week I learned firsthand that we cannot under any circumstances use the word “vacation” the way we used to now that we have children. Because, for mommy and daddy, it was everything but a vacation. Here’s the skinny. I had a […]

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Birthday Zoo

October 20, 2010

What do you get the kid who has way too much crap already? That was the conundrum facing the Heligirl household last month when Sweetness snuck up on the big 0-3. We don’t live in a huge house because we live close to the city. So our little 3-bedroom ranch (with no family room), is […]

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Mom Tip Monday: When to Hand Over Control

October 18, 2010

I recently got this very exciting e-mail from Gayle, a Heligirl reader with a tween daughter. I was so thrilled by Gayle’s discovery and how incredibly positive her experience was that I asked her if I could share it here. In a nutshell, Gayle put natural consequences to work and instilled a sense of responsibility […]

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Pumpkin Patch Traditions

October 17, 2010

Shortly before Sweetness was born, we joined a group called Program for Early Parent Support (PEPS) at the recommendation of my close high school friend. This amazing group matches up couples with children born around the same time into groups of 10-12 couples, typically. We’d meet with a facilitator (a volunteer who went through the […]

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Beware of My Brother

October 15, 2010

There’s a reason my nickname for my brother vacillates between “Plunger Face” and “Stinky Pantleg,” both names we called each other when we were kids, and neither of us remember where they came from. While over during Sweetness’s birthday party last month, my brother noticed Mr. Man needed to be changed. He offered to do […]

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Wedding Girls

October 13, 2010

Mom’s wedding went really well last Saturday. I got there on time with all the items we needed for the kids to wear, I remembered my own clothes, and I even remembered my line, for the most part. We’d arranged to have our nanny join us and I’m so glad we did. She was amazing […]

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