Author: Julie Meyers Pron

Are you a goal-setter? Individually, I’m not much of one. I set short-term goals, such as I’ll clean my desk today or I’ll have my taxes completed by next week, but annually, I rarely set goals. As a parent, however, I learned that setting family-focused New Year’s Resolutions is healthy and helps parents and children to work together to achieve. January is the prime time for setting New Year’s Resolutions and goals for families. Usually, children are prompted to set goals in school independently. So working on goals as a family will help your children make another home-school connection. At home, to increase…

For me, this always happens at the last minute. Everyone is finally packed, the car is completely loaded (like… completely), and the kids are belted in for our multi-hour road trip to a fun destination when we realize I haven’t yet purchased a thank you gift for our host and hostess. While stopping for a bottle of wine is usually a doable fallback, after spending two weeks of vacation at our family vacation home in Maine, I created a new list of gifts to help me be a bit more creative the next time I need a housewarming gift, based on…

Give me a free summer weekend, and I’ll plan a barbecue celebration. Whether we invite friends over for happy hour drinks on the deck or another family for a cookout, it’s the easiest time to gather with friends and entertain. Here’s a list of items to stock up on now so that you can celebrate summer BBQs all summer long. 5 entertaining essentials for your summer BBQs Summer Beverages When you’re hosting a get-together, it’s easiest to have a signature drink made in advance so that you don’t have to continue remaking the drinks. Pre-make a few pitchers of margaritas,…

Warm up your toes with this collection of the best winter snow boots for women. Your toes will thank me during your next snow storm if you think right now and order a pair. The first Fashion Friday post of the new year… it’s becoming a tradition to share that I, once again, am caught in a snowbank without snow boots. Naturally, in looking for the best winter boots for women in 2022, I asked my research team (aka my Facebook friends) to answer the following question: What snow boots do you love so much you’d buy them again? They…

I recently finished reading If I Stay by Gayle Forman, a light-emotional young adult novel. From the publisher: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck… A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands. What if you were comatose, having lost nearly everything? What if you were given…

I mean… who doesn’t give their kitchen gifts, right? Well… not really, but last month I featured a few favorite kitchen products that I really just can’t live without. Whether you’re making your list or just need a little upgrade, here’s a compilation of my best-loved products in my kitchen that make the perfect gift for you or someone you love. 5 Must-Have Items for your Kitchen Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron French or Dutch Oven This is definitely gift-worthy, especially if you’re gifting someone who loves to make big, one-pot meals and loves the rich taste of a stew,…

Easy homework help strategies for parents to help kids remember their homework. For part one of my new homework series (with homework features every Wednesday until I’m out of ideas… which might be a very long time), a friend recently sent me an email: Hey Julie– I have no idea what to do. We started school 2 weeks ago, and my 2nd grader never remembers to bring home his homework until he gets off the bus. I’m tired of driving back to school to sneak into his classroom with him. Any advice? Yep. I sure do have advice. Stop driving…

I hesitate to answer this week’s question, which comes from Suzanne from Iowa: I feel like we have a lot of homework every night. How long should homework take for my 3rd grader? It’s hard to take an authoritative stand on this one because every culture, every school system, and every organization declares something or wants something and expects everyone to just follow it. Basically, there are no set rules. According to NEA (National Education Association), “the National PTA recommendations fall in line with general guidelines suggested by researcher Harris Cooper: 10-20 minutes per night in the first grade, and an…

Last week, we discussed setting the tone for homework for the younger grades and discussed the importance of learning routines and habits. When kids are in the older elementary grades, it’s time to continue to focus on habits and routine, but also on learning important study skills. As students get older, they’ll also start to have less review work and more individual learning at home to prepare for the next day’s class. Help your student by setting up an independent work area to help him learn to focus and concentrate now so that he’ll have the skills he needs come…

The best online apps and games for learning. Great websites for homework, free time, and homeschool learning extensions. At Back-to-School night this year, my third grader’s teacher addressed homework this way: Your child should read each evening, respond in his reading journal 2-4 times a week and do a word study activity each evening. There will be projects. If you feel he needs more homework, he can access First in Math or Study Island online. (Both programs require school programming and passwords.) And that was it. I did a little whispered cheer. Big has homework every night, but not too…