Why My Son Wouldn’t Read And What He Did About It
I'm an educator, and I work with special needs children. My children do not have special needs, so I was not prepared when my son was challenged by learning to read. At the end of first grade, my son was struggling with reading. It had nothing to do with his cognitive abilities, but it had more to do with his stubbornness and determination to do everything independently. His first grade teacher suggested I hire a reading tutor, which I did. After seeing the tutor twice a week over the summer, he improved in his reading effort but still had a way to go. . By the fall in second grade, he was at the point where he was reading on his own relatively well. Still it was a daily struggle to get him to do his 20 minutes of reading homework. Even bribery would not work. One day my seven-year-old came up with an idea of his own. "I want to write a story about My Little Ponies." he said. "I'll write it, and I will spell the words by myself." He was holding a yellow notepad and a big pen as he said this. I thought why not; let's [...]
Guest Post By @Pauline_Campos – 5 reasons raising a girl rocks
I cried when the ultrasound tech told me I was having a girl. As the oldest of five girls, I feel pretty confident in calling myself an expert in All Things Girly. I mean, I happen to be one, myself. And I put my parents through hell. While I was thrilled beyond measure to finally be Actually Pregnant after years of Lots of Practicing and No Baby, I’d been secretly rooting for a boy…for all the wrong reasons. I wanted what I perceived to be the “easy” way out: no pink, no ruffles, minimal drama, and I wouldn’t have to worry about Surviving the Second Coming of Me. Raising myself was hard enough the first time around. Could I really make it through the sequel? Well, she’s eight now. We are both still here. I’m calling it a win. To celebrate, here are my top five reasons raising a girl rocks. American Girl Dolls: This one could easily be retitled to say “I can give her what I didn’t have.” I’m sure this line of thought can be applied to boy parents, also, but I can’t help but admit that there is a certain sense of sense of righting all [...]
It’s About Love
I'll hold you when you're sad. I'm out the door at 10 o'clock at night to get you your favorite ice cream, because you have your period. Let's go to your favorite diner on a random day, not your birthday, just because you love it and the pancakes are amazing. You can sleep in while I play with the kids. I will kiss you without expecting more. Because we all need someone... who cares about what we want. We all want someone who is happy when we're happy. It's about love. I feel understood. I am wanted. You are not perfect, and neither am I. I want to know... that you love me.
It’s a Wubble X Bubble!
My kids love balloons. There is a local toy store who offers a balloon with the purchase of any toy. When we received the Wubble X toy in the mail, I knew they were going to like it, because it's essentially a big floating balloon. Wubble X comes with a helium tank, a straw and a plastic blob that inflates into big bubble. The instructions for creating the Wubble X were fairly easy to understand. The straw connected to the plastic jelly blob and the helium tank inflated it. The end result was this: The kids loved playing "volleyball" with Wubble X. Check out how it works in this video: It's a lot of fun to watch the Wubble X suspended in the air. It looks like a bubble, but unlike a bubble which pops imminently after it's creation, the Wubble can be played with for longer periods of time. I could imagine having multiple Wubble X toys at a party and batting them around for fun with a bunch of kids. I would recommend the Wubble X for kids five and up. The is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. I received compensation in exchange for writing this [...]
We Made Play Dough and YOU CAN TOO!
Samara is a play dough enthusiast. We have spent so much money on store-bought play dough. Today, we embarked on a new adventure: play dough making! I found a recipe online that we used. Try it, it's awesome: 2 cups flour 2 cups warm water 1 cup salt 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity) Heat all ingredients and add food coloring. Yay! Fun!
Writing is a Skill
I was a pretty good actor, but I've never been good at anything besides writing. Unfortunately, the world doesn't value writers in a financial sense. We can pour our souls out on paper and not make a dime. Writing is valuable. Your voice, your words and your truth are worth paying for. Yet, we are writers are consistently made to feel like we need to give our talent away for free. Let's apply this logic to another profession. Imagine you knew a skilled carpenter. Now, let's say you approached this person and asked him to make you a coffee table for free. You did this knowing that he needs to pay for the materials to make the table and work for hours on this project. That seems inconsiderate, doesn't it? Well it is, and people do this sort of thing to writers all the time. It can take years to come up with a concept for a book, write and and get it published. That process is labor intensive. The writer's process is dismissed and disrespected by out society in a variety of ways. One thing that consistently happens is that people expect you to write for free. I have [...]
Guest Post: A CAFFEINATED AFFAIR by @HastyWords
A CAFFEINATED AFFAIR I awake thinking of you everyday Your constant access, your strong presence Sometimes I try to deprive myself of you But in the end you always make me buckle I am fairly certain I am addicted to you I can’t think straight without your strength I am sure you sit completely secure In the power you hold over me Through all my emotions you sit patiently Waiting… waiting… waiting… for the opportunity To once again make my heart race To wake me up, to help me function Sometimes we like to enjoy the company of another Sweet, smooth, adding a whole other layer of enjoyment I hate to divulge in this relationship too often Worried I could become addicted to more than just you But in the end you are the one I can’t do without Without out you the other would have no appeal So go ahead, sit there all smug and cocky in my mug So conceited, so arrogant, so self-important Knowing nothing will ever break my love for you! HastyWords is an anxiety driven over-analyzer. With a mind full of rainbows and devils she began giving her thoughts a way out of her [...]
Guest Post: I Bought Condoms By @AllieBurkeBooks
I Bought Condoms by Allie Burke Sarah once told me that in New York you could order condoms for delivery with your ice cream sandwiches. I’ve never really wanted to live on the east coast necessarily so I didn’t realize at the time how much of a benefit to the overall quality of life this could be. I have never had to buy condoms in my life. I’m a woman, you know? I mean, I’m twenty-nine years old, so I guess it is a bit surprising that this has never come up before, but I guess I never really thought about it. The opportunity however—if you can even call it that—came knocking (ha-ha) and will you look at that, suddenly I have to buy condoms. I shouldn’t go into specifics, but basically this is what happens when you date a Libra. As fucked as this logic may sound, I decided to go to the local pharmacy instead of the gas station, because they have my favorite ice cream. So I went to the local pharmacy. On the way there, I’m like shit, what if they keep them behind the counter? I have no idea—like I said, this is my first [...]
Kittens Are Assholes
I have three cats. I love them dearly. I've had two of them since they were kittens. Now that they adult felines, I love spending time with them, because they sleep for over 18 plus hours a day. On the rare occasion when I get to take a nap, they're ready to join me. When they were kittens, things were a little different around here. I'll set the scene for you- it's 3am...I hear some rustling in the bathroom followed by meowing. I don't know what the fuck is going on, but I want to be asleep. I go into the bathroom to find this: He picked crazy o'clock in the morning to attack the toilet paper, which was clearly posing a serious threat to our household. Kittens have no boundaries. They'll jump on your face while you're sound asleep, attack your eyeball and then be mystified when you don't want to play with them. Can you imagine if I did that to you while you were sleeping? You would never invite me over again. Kittens are fucking selfish. Anything you open in the kitchen might be for them. So they stand there just in case you could possibly be getting ready [...]
Why I Suck At Confrontation
I suck at confrontation. When someone hurts my feelings or makes me angry, I want to tell them, I truly do. But most of the time, I internalize the pain and hide under my proverbial bed. From past experiences, when I tell a person that they hurt me, he/she becomes defensive or angry. It's hard for me to stick with my own feelings when this happens. I feel off-balance. It's as if I did something wrong by expressing myself. That's when the anxious thoughts begin: Maybe I shouldn't have told them how I feel because by doing so I've made them angry. I'm too sensitive. I'm overreacting. I don't have a right to feel this way. They've been such a good friend to me. When someone I care about is upset with me, it is devastating. I empathize with them. I feel uncomfortable, because they are in pain. They hurt so I hurt. That is why it's so hard to confront people when they hurt me. I can't distinguish between their feelings and my own. I start to merge with their anger, hurt, confusion, sadness, and then it's hard to remember why I was upset in the first place. Then, the resentment [...]
Dear @Victoria’sSecret: Stop Discriminating Against Big Boobs
I have big boobs. I wear a 34DD. It is extremely challenging to find a bra that fits me, so when I walked into Victoria's Secret and found this bra, I was psyched. I know, I look like Madonna circa 1985 here. Anyway, it took the saleswoman a few tries to find my size. "Is it a popular size?" I asked her. "Oh yeah," she said "They sell quickly. It's actually my size too." That made me feel a little bit better. I am self-conscious about my chest, so hearing that she was the same size comforted me. Then came the difficult part. Bras are generally quite expensive so I asked her: "how much is this one?" "39.50," she replied. Then I found the tag. It read 42.50. I showed it to her and she replied (with a sigh) "Oh that's right, it's a double that's why it's three dollars extra." I stood there in shock for a moment. "It's not fair, they're discriminating against us because we have big boobs." She said with a small chuckle. Though she was half-joking, the saleswoman was right. Are women with big breasts being singled out here? It can't take that much extra fabric [...]
Not Everybody Likes Coffee Ice Cream and Writers
I recently applied for a writing job, and I didn't get it. I got a lovely email explaining that I wasn't the right fit for the company. Naturally, I spent the next hour of my life having self-loathing thoughts and banging my proverbial head against the wall. I wondered why they didn't love my writing. I'm a good writer, and in fact writing is one of the only things I know how to do fairly well. But alas, they rejected me. I felt like I had been dumped before we even went on a first date. Unfortunately, writing is one of those fields that is highly competitive and there is loads of rejection involved. It is also highly subjective. You might adore one person's style of writing, and another person might find that same piece of writing distasteful. I remember when I first wrote Three-Year-Olds Are A**holes some people loved my style while others were appalled by it. Writers are like ice cream flavors. I am coffee ice cream. Some people love my flavor, while others find it unpalatable. You can't make people like coffee ice cream. Either they like it or they don't. If I spent my days being offended by every single [...]
Papa Smurf is NOT Confucius
I've been listening to Papa Smurf in the Smurf Village, but I am getting tired of him ordering me around. Here's more:
I Don’t Know How to Keep My Mouth Shut – Three-Year-Olds Are Assholes #3yearoldsareassholes
In February 2014, my three-year-old daughter pushed me to the brink of parenting insanity. After she had spilled the 20th cup of orange juice on the floor, and ripped up my student loan bill I was ready to rip my own face off. Thankfully, I still have a face. But, I needed to vent about how incredibly frustrating parenting day. I had an idea for an article, but before writing it, I consulted my people on Facebook. Should I write this incredibly controversial article? I asked. My friend Patrick replied instantly "Yes! Controversy equals boku hits!" So I did it. I was fucking terrified when I wrote a post for HuffPost Parents called "3-Year-Olds Are A**holes." And then... just like that, the post went viral with over 400,000 shares on Facebook. And then I was on HuffPost Live! WAIT, here's the best part...I wrote a book called...Three-Year-Olds Are A**holes. Then a crazy thing happened. Another book came out called Toddlers Are A**holes. And people kept asking me if that was my book. I said "No, but that sentiment is true. You should buy that book too." And then another person wrote a post on Scary Mommy called "She's Not an Asshole, She's Just a [...]
#AskELJames – Everyone Forgot Their Manners
When I was growing up, I was raised to say please and thank you. I was told to listen to people when they were talking and to be respectful of other human beings. This is called "having manners." It seems that this concept becomes lost on people when they step behind a keyboard of a computer. What happened during the #AskELJames chat on Twitter was inexcusable. I don't care how unsavory you find someone's work, there is no excuse for plain rudeness. People were saying the most horrendous things on Twitter to this woman whom they've never met. The truth of the matter is, when human beings are hiding behind a keyboard, they seem to completely forget that they are interacting with other human beings. It's as if they're in some vortex where empathy has entirely disappeared and they can say whatever the fuck they want without consequences. Well, that's not the case. When you personally attack another person on the Internet, they are reading what you wrote, and they are (just like you) a human being. Regardless of the content of EL James work of fiction, there is no need to attack her character and insult her intelligence. I saw many tweets [...]