Author: Julie Meyers Pron

Here are some of our favorite gifts for you, your mom, or any special women in your life like sisters, aunts, cousins, and best friends, all priced at under $100. Luggage Gifting a traveler? Now is a great time to update her luggage. Hundreds of rolling luggage bags have been discounted under $100, like the High Sierra Elevate 22″ Carry on Wheeled Upright, which is currently priced at $77.76, down from $240. (Personally, I have a High Sierra Wheeled Duffle similar to this one, which is priced at $106, which I love and works so well for a long weekend or a…

It’s 80 degrees this week in Pennsylvania. We pulled out the summer clothing and are ready to turn on the sprinklers and play play play. This morning while getting ready for school, one of the kids offered a classic Spring weather line: “homework? Oops!” While his brother responded, “teachers shouldn’t be allowed to give homework on summer-weather days in winter!” (He is so right. I’m going to pass his opinion on to my pre-teacher undergrads.) It’s a little early for a summer celebration, but we’re not complaining. In fact, last night at dinner, we discussed the merits of a way-too-early…

Sure, kids can count. If they’ve memorized really well and “get” the pattern, they can count to a hundred! But do they know what all those numbers mean? When he was a preschooler, I realized that my son was easily reciting his numbers without the knowledge of place value (tens, hundreds, thousands). So, I pulled out the Cheerios (our favorite counting food) and several plastic cups. Counting by tens We placed a handful of Cheerios into the first cup and estimated the number of cereal pieces. To find out how many Cheerios were in the cup, rather than straight counting,…

Instagram has quickly become a favorite social media outlet. (In fact, if you aren’t following me yet, you should click right over and follow me there.) Go ahead. I can wait. Okay, now that we’ve fixed that little glitch, let’s talk about how Instagram can work for you. Once, long, long ago, Instagram was only about sharing moments in an instant. And a lot of us want it to stay that way. I’m sorry. It didn’t. It can’t. Not really. Like most popular social media things in the world, it’s become about marketing. But that’s not necessarily bad for you. It…

A good vest is an accessory that will wrap you from Fall through Spring, so you can count this as more of a multi-season investment piece. Most vests can dress up or down an outfit; even a puffer can be dressed up with the right accessories, like a scarf or subtle, shiny jewelry. Lucky for us, winter shopping “season” is almost over in the eyes of retailers, so we’re beginning to see a lot of winter vests popping up on sale. (All prices, including sales, linked below through affiliate links, are current as of this writing and always subject to…

“Will you buy all new clothes?” a friend questioned me when I shared that I was accepting an adjunct position at a local university. Nope. In fact, since that celebratory day, I have purchased exactly 3 new pieces of clothing: a pair of black pants from LOFT (a staple that truly needed an update), a red sweater to wear around the home and on errands, because I decided I needed more red in my wardrobe this winter, and I found it at Anthropologie for 70% off (and I’m wearing it today, so it was definitely worth it), and a red blouse…

UPDATE: I received a beautiful, handwritten note from Jessica at Le Tote. After she read this post and discussed it with the powers within the company, Le Tote changed their price adjustment policy. If you find a better price, Le Tote will adjust the price so that you can keep the item you already have. I’ll call that a win. And I’ll call myself a very, very big fan. Now… to pull the current clothes from my loving hands so that I can pack them up for another tote. I have 2 pieces I’m considering holding onto, but I really…

Anyone with a sibling knows all about sibling rivalry; it’s a natural struggle in homes and always has been. Children are so competitive with each other because they, just as adults, need something and someone to judge themselves against, a sort of mile-marker in life. With a sibling who’s always around, it’s natural to compare. This makes it excessively difficult for parents who see children learning to read at different paces, especially children who are close in age. When one child so clearly outshines another in any area, we struggle to compensate for the child’s needs. In sports, we can…

Learning and playing are two things that can so easily happen together, in your everyday life, just by taking advantage of the things around you. An ABC scrapbook – whether elaborate or basic– incorporates many learning skills, including reading, letters, writing, drawing, photography, science, and social studies. There are several types of ABC Books, and each offers a different opportunity for kids to learn and express their creativity. From scrapbooks to photobooks to research topics, they’re a great learning activity for preschoolers through middle school-aged kids. ABC Scrapbooks Purchase, or create, a 26-page book and label each page with a letter. I…

Alpha-Bits cereal snack times have been the inspiration for many great opportunities for letter-based learning and conversation lately. On a recent walk through our neighborhood, I brought along a baggie of Alpha-Bits for Little (age 4) to enjoy. These tiny whole-grain cereal pieces, all shaped like letters, have enthused her and opened a new way to practice sounds. As I shared last week, she’s been motivated by opportunities to sound out words and rhyme, fascinated by letters making words. Prior to eating each cereal letter piece, she announced the letter then made the sounds. “Elllll,” she would pronounce. “/l/ /l/…