Once upon a time I found a thank-you note from Tom Cruise on the Xerox machine at work. Listen to my interview on “BAM Bad Ass Moms” to hear the story, plus strategies for managing your kids’ screen time, and how to encourage creativity and outdoor…
Author: Cynthia
Date ideas are everywhere. But not all are created equal.
The classic dinner date is overrated. Plus, you always devolve into discussing the tee-ball schedule, your mother-in-law’s antics, and how your spouse didn’t put sunblock on the dog.
Scientists tell us “Play activates the reward centers of the brain, floods the rest of the brain with feel-good chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin and triggers the release of powerful neural growth factors that promote…
I am not by ANY means suggesting that you go white-knuckle, COVID-lockdown-style and just wake up on a Sunday with no plans and tell your screen fans to “go play.” That, my friends, is a recipe for a trainwreck crashing into a dumpster fire.
Start small.
You’re not doing this as punishment. You’re doing this for the benefits. And after a few weeks, I promise you’ll crave your Sundays.
Entertain kids in the car, on an airplane, during church, on a zoom call, at a restaurant, while you’re trying to shower…
Put these screen-free gifts on your list and be the best birthday, Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah superstar ever!
Fall is here!
It’s time to cuddle up with your favorite kiddos and read some fun, not-so-spooky stories.
So what are the best Halloween books for kids? Here’s our list of the Top 5!
You say: I don’t cook… I don’t have a partner….My kids won’t sit still! Worry not, I’ve got you covered!
Because what else can you do in 30 minutes per day that will improve your kids cardiovascular health, increase self-esteem, improve academic performance, reduce risk of substance abuse, depression, obesity, and teen pregnancy? Nothing I know of!
Doing the same thing again and again? It’s stored as only one memory!
“Our brain is trying to preserve energy when it can. And what we know is that if any memory is similar, it is stored as one memory in our head when we look back at things,” says Dr. Mike Rucker Ph.D on the 1000 Hours Outside podcast.
Did I read that right!? If you do the same thing again and again you’ll save only ONE memory of that activity…
Reading to children is one of the best things you can do for their brain, language skills, and relationship with you. Plus it’s so wonderful to cuddle on the couch with your favorite book! Here are the ten best kids books around:
The Library Lion
Harry The Dirty Dog
Corduroy
And more…
What if they have gotten so used to watching fast-paced Youtube stunt shows that everything else on Planet Earth seems BORRRINNGGG?!
Start small.
Here are over 30 ideas of games a child can play by herself, games for groups, games with props, and games without. Plus lots of toy ideas as well.
Play doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive…
Jonathan Haidt’s excellent book “The Anxious Generation” argues that the play-based childhood of our youth has been replaced with the phone-based childhood of now, and it’s not good. No bueno. Negatory, good buddy.
But there’s hope!
Haidt puts forth 4 things we can all do to get our children back (and get them some bonna fide childhoods instead of the hot garbage they’re living on TicTok.)
No smartphones before high school.
No social media before 16.
Phone-free schools.
Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence…