Grasshopper New Media Presents...

My husband and I took our children to the Smoky Mountains last week. It was a family vacation, our first one that was just the four of us, and I declared it a VEGETABLE-FREE, EDUCATION-FREE, FUN ONLY time. Of course, I didn’t actually say that to my children or my husband, I just whispered it […]

It’s been August in June here in New England, and the air conditioners are blasting. I am not complaining. I vowed all winter long not to complain about extreme heat this summer. I can not wait to hit the beach, both Sebego Lake and Maine’s spectacular coast.
But alas, I must […]

I’ve been pulling together some resources, to share with parents, about kids who use the internet. This is not an article about safety, but if you aren’t sure how to approach that, you should do a quick Google search. There is a lot of great information available. This is intended more as […]

Summer is here and your kids are ready to get outside and have some fun. Why not sneak a little learning into their fun and games? Make yourself feel like Super Mom by keeping the kids happy and making their little brains work at the same time.
One way to ensure that the kiddos will have […]

We’re scheduled to finish our lessons in two weeks, and then summer vacation will commence. I do have some academic plans for the summer months, but they’re very light-weight and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes after breakfast. If we keep fresh on all they’ve learned then my hope is that next […]

As a kid, I can remember long lazy summer days, filled with books. In reality, I don’t think that my summers were all that lazy, but it sure felt great to have a break from the school year routine. My mom, actually kept us pretty busy in the summers. We took […]

There’s been a lot of uproar from a lot of parents concerning the release of the video game Grand Theft Auto. And for the folks who are reading this column who object to sexism and violence prima facie, I’m ok with that. I respect taking a blanket stand on anything that displays sexism or racism […]

A few weeks ago I wrote about my relationship with the older boys and how I feel like we’re getting closer to one another over time. This summer I want to build on that with some fun activities. My list includes time at the beach, a possible service project for senior citizens […]

The Punks are growing. It’s not some great revelation, but it does surprise me when they actually demonstrate it.
Punk #1 is 8 years old and on Saturday decided that he’d really like an iPod. This didn’t come out of left field, his mom and I each have one and his eight year old […]

I am a stepfather. When I married my wife, she had two children from a previous marriage. As I love my wife, I love my children, regardless of their biological origins. And not just because part of them comes from my beloved. I love them for who they are. However, there are times when […]