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Instead of the Dishes » Education

100 Days of Summertime Winners

100 Days of Summertime Winners

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Congrats to Sarah and Lenora, the winners of the 2013 100 Days of Summertime eBook planner giveaway – I’ve emailed both of you.  Hope to see you on the 100 Days of Summertime Facebook page! Don’t forget that you can download this handy resource for just $5. Just head over to the 100 Days of Summertime website and you’ll have it in a few clicks. There’s also a free downloadable excerpt if you … Read entire article »

Filed under: Booklists, Health & Fitness, Homemaking, Mommyhood, Product Reviews

For Lucy

Way down, at the very bottom of my email inbox is an email that I received from my friend Lucy on August 9, 2010.  It’s a list of topics that she suggested I write about here on Instead of the Dishes.  I’ve kept that list for all this time, planning to someday check them all off, and still I haven’t.  So, this post is for Lucy, to tie up some of those subjects she sent me so long ago.  It’s her list, with not quite a whole blog post for each, but at least my thoughts. Lucy’s email specified that these subjects are in no particular order: 1. Why do you stay at home with your children instead of have an outside job? Wow, things have changed a lot since you asked me … Read entire article »

Filed under: Education, Health & Fitness, Mommyhood

When 4 x 8 = Frustration and Tears…Check out These Free Teaching Ideas!

Whether it’s your own memories of struggling with “new math” or dealing with your child’s incomprehensible math homework, I think we can all relate to this blog post from my friend Dan.  I’ve found that he almost always knows exactly what he is talking about, so I’m glad to have these resources for future use…because I’m sure that 2nd grade math will be way beyond me. The past few months, I have watched as my daughter struggled to memorize her multiplication tables- especially the “4’s”. At times, it was as frustrating for her to learn them as it was for me to watch! Fortunately, math always came easily to me. I even remember my 3rd grade teacher’s “multiplication worksheet center” where the math was self-taught and self-paced.  My parents did flash cards … Read entire article »

Filed under: Education, Guest Blogger, Mommyhood

The Procrastinator’s Guide to Teacher Gifts

The Procrastinator’s Guide to Teacher Gifts

If you’re a high-level procrastinator like me, the fact that you have to get a gift for your kid’s teacher before school breaks for winter will probably sneak up on you. And don’t forget the secretaries, principal, nurse, counselor, etc.  Yikes.  Never fear, I have solutions to MacGyver your way out of this one. Section One: Quick, but Not Dirty Gift Cards.  According to friends who are teachers and teachers who are friends, gift cards are the best. … Read entire article »

Filed under: Education, Mommyhood

ShapeOMetry Game Giveaway

ShapeOMetry Game Giveaway

The folks at ThinkFun sent me ShapeOMetry to try out with my kids and review on Amazon.  They also offered one for me to give away on my blog.  After trying the game out with my kiddos, I have deemed it worthy of you, oh wise readers! ShapeOmetry uses geometric shape puzzles to help kids develop spatial, abstract, and quantitative reasoning skills. If it sounds really educational that’s because it is! But it’s also really fun!  The … Read entire article »

Filed under: Education, Mommyhood, Product Reviews

Got a Kid? Get a Book. Free.

Got a Kid? Get a Book. Free.

Healthy Families, a partner of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, has two free books for moms. They’re collectively called the Happy Birthday Baby Books.  Book One covers pregancy through age one and book two covers newborn through age five.  If you’re in Arkansas or Western Tennessee, you can order free hardcopies of the Happy Birthday Baby books. Anyone anywhere can download the free ebooks. Sure, there are a lot of books out there that cover … Read entire article »

Filed under: Education, Frugal Fawn, Health, Health & Fitness, Mommyhood