Preschoolers

It's inevitable.  We're an hour outside the city headed for a great family vacation and the light bulb in my brain dings big and bright.  I turn to my husband and exclaim, "I know what we forgot!!".  Most of...

If you grew up rooting on Horton the Elephant for the sake of his precious Who's, while reviling the dreadful Wickersham Brothers and that mouthy Kangaroo mom/babe combo -- you'll so appreciate this storyline.

March is National Reading Month! If you're starting to drift to sleep after reading the same books over and over, it may be time to update your child's library. Today we’re highlighting a few of our favorites from the Best...

My kids are in preschool very part time right now, which means that they spend the majority of their time with me. I try not to get all "they are going to fall behind" crazy when they are only...

Don’t get us wrong, Summertime: It’s not that you’re an unwelcome guest. You SO VERY overstay your welcome. Anyone who comes on Memorial Day and leaves on Halloween without offering to help offset the increase in utilities is just plain rude.

It was Tuesday, December 17th, the last day of pre-k for my twins before Christmas break. Christmas music was calmly drifting throughout our home but I am pretty sure all that my children could hear was me nagging, correcting...

We have a pool. If you don’t have a pool, then I know what you’re thinking: I’m lucky. I have a fun activity that’s perfect in the intense AZ heat … and it’s right in my backyard! If you also have a...

One of the hardest things about gift shopping is buying a present for a little one, when you don't have a child around that age. It can be hard to know what your nephew wants for Christmas when your...

The year 2018 was a very…interesting year for my household. It was hard. But it was also SO good. We welcomed our third child, our sweet girl. Before she was born our entire house was completely gutted because of...

1)     Your grocery runs are exciting! You have a shopping list with the following items: a) black fish-net hose b) red lipstick c) false eyelashes Hot date with your husband? Not quite! These are necessary 8-year old accessories...

As we are diving into a new year, I've had several friends ask me what we are doing for Preschool. As my daughter Reagan won't attend a traditional Preschool, I've been working through just what her education will look...

Christ Church School is a private preschool and elementary school (16 months through 4th Grade) located in Paradise Valley that focuses on a personalized style of instruction. What is personalized instruction? Personalized instruction is paced and tailored appropriately to the learning...

If I were the sign-carrying, protesting type, I would totally protest summer. I'd stand sit in my lawn chair under an umbrella out on Scottsdale Road with a long sign that read, "Shame on you summer!" I would hang outside the library...

Prepare your toddler for preschool! Christ Church School has several programs that help your child prepare for success at the earliest educational levels. Play and Learn Program Classes meet on Friday mornings for 1.5 hours for students ages 16 months -...

Back in January we (unintentionally) started working with Nora on her ABCs.   And by unintentionally, I mean that I have no teaching experience, nor do I have older children that I've already taught the ABCs to.  Nora is...

The school year is officially over. Congratulations! You made it. They made it. All parties survived. Lessons learned.  Looking back, why did the first day of preschool bring so many tears? You knew you made the right choice. After all, they learned...

Never trust a mommy with clean SUV or minivan. It means one of 2 things. Either she doesn’t let her kids eat in the car OR she vacuums her car daily. Both are scary propositions. Your mommy friends usually are...

Recently, my husband and I decided to send our (almost) three year old to preschool. Since I am mostly a stay at home mom, I got a lot of questions about why we think he needs to go to...

As someone who grew up in Ohio, I have had share of my rainy days. Though a monsoon may cause more chaos for the valley, the rain still puts a smile on my face. I love the smell of...

Praise action over natural gifts to optimize performance!  By all means, continue to compliment your child’s talents and intellect to help them form a strong foundation, but in addition, over-emphasize praise of their efforts and actions. They’ll be far...

The other night as my husband and I were brushing our teeth, he looked over at me in the mirror and said "Whoa, look at your eyes!".  Now, one might assume that he was referring to my stunning bright...

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. A common question that many parents have when choosing a dental provider for their kids is what is the difference between a pediatric dentist and a general dentist? While it is possible...

It was Monday morning and my house was bustling with activity, as everyone rushed to get our teeth brushed, clothes on and stomachs fed.  My daughter was going to her first day of preschool. I strapped my daughter in her carseat, with...

We here at SMB are excited to introduce to you the newest addition to our team: Sara Frederick! You can learn more about our amazingly talented new contributor on our "Meet the Contributors"  page or at her personal blog,  Mind Body...

With the weather improving, it's finally time to get outside and play! Here are some of my kids' favorite backyard activities when they were toddlers and preschoolers. Create Animal Habitats: My kids love doing this, even to this day! Each child...

Whoa - it got HOT. Every summer spring the 100+ degree days seem to sneak up on me. Don't get me wrong, I love the heat. Seriously. But when it's beautiful 70's in the morning with afternoon highs in...

Every mom in the history of Momming has been there. Has reached the point of frustration with a child and found themself saying, “Can you just sit still and be quiet for a few minutes?” It doesn’t matter if your kid...

If you are a parent of a preschooler, then you know you're less than year away from the first day of Kindergarten. Fall is the beginning of Open Enrollment in public schools with applications already being accepted for the...

Are you looking for a simple way to add a little fun to your Easter celebration?! Ashley is sharing an easy and quick way to wow your little ones this year by growing lollipops! Last year for Easter my sister...

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and while I love having friends and family over and cooking (and outsourcing) a big meal, it is a lot of work. Because my kids don't seem to care that I am...