Grasshopper New Media Presents...

As a homeschooler and a person who loves to read I have quite a few books in my house. My son’s room is packed full of his books. Our office full of his school books. My bedroom is full of my books. My daughter’s room is full of her books. Our garage has bins full […]

In an effort to help the boys feel more in control of their day I have tried a few different strategies.
When the older ones were four I printed out a list of things that they do in any given day, complete with a cute clip art picture for each item. I slipped the printout […]

Boobaby and I had a mystifying playground experience this week.
Two moms were playing with their preschoolers in the sandbox. Boo, who at two years old is fascinated by kids of the older set, directed herself straight into their midst and started playing with their toys. She picked up a plastic Cinderella cup they’d abandoned […]

Whining. Each syllable stretches out over a year and slowly drives me batty. I would rather spend 48 hours in a gymnasium while 800 second graders chuck dodge balls at my face than listen to a kid whine for 15 minutes.
Here’s the thing: It’s my job to soothe. I hold them and […]

Did you know that parenting books are a multi-million dollar a year enterprise? New parents, seasoned parents or hopeful parents, we’re flocking to parenting books like flies to … you get the idea.
I’ve got a few books on my shelf titled “How To Parent Your …” or “Six Easy Steps To …”. […]

I got to talk to Jonathan Mooney for the LD Podcast recently. Jon’s new book, The Short Bus, is about a trip he took around the Country in a refurbished Short Yellow School Bus, meeting people and exploring what it means to be ‘normal’.
Jon is severely dyslexic and didn’t read until he was 12, yet […]

Growing up in a family of two girls our days were filled with Barbies, princess games and dress-up – the kind that involved make-up and new hairstyles. Sure, we had blocks and sports equipment and other toys but, it was a decidedly “girly” household. Think pink.
Evenings, at least once a week in the winter were […]

I’m not sure if it’s a statistical anomaly or not, but both my siblings, as well as myself, chose to be full-time parents. We all came from the same parents and we all had the opportunity to have careers outside the home. Yet all three of us made decisions, massively large in scope, to stay […]

Alright, I’m sure you guys are getting a little tired of me talking about all the changes to our homeschooling routine. I just have one more to share with you. I’m actually a bit ashamed that its taken me this long to finally do it!
My big, life-saving change? I sit at the table with Eeyore […]

I’ve been working on improving my relationship with the boys, especially the older ones. February is a difficult month with the cloudy cold days…just blah in general. It’s easy for us to get on each others’ nerves and that’s a very bad thing. Everything I say and do sticks in their little […]