An afterschool program may seem great in theory and for some kids, an afterschool program is just what they need. But do all children really need or benefit from afterschool programs?

Does Your Child Really Need to Attend an Afterschool Program?

As parents, we want to do what’s best for our children. This stretches across all aspects and areas of life but perhaps none quite as important as school. Whether our children attend a public or private school, or if they’re homeschooled; education matters. With the decision of where to send them, or to keep them at home, may also come the decision of whether or not to enroll them in an afterschool program. For Sweet B, at least for the time being, we’re developing an afterschool at home program to make connections between home and school. It’s loosely based on her IEP goals but also has plenty of flexibility for working on life skills. But is an afterschool program really necessary for all children? Let’s…

Do you feel like you're consantly living paycheck to paycheck? Here's how to save money on the household essentials that your family needs.

How to Save Money on Household Essentials

Does it feel like, no matter how accurate you think your family budget is, that you just don’t have enough? Do you feel like you’re constantly living paycheck to paycheck? I understand how you feel. Though we do manage just fine and make ends meet, there were times that I just had to wonder how we were going to get through the month. Of course, the priority was making sure that the kids had enough to eat and that we had other household essentials taken care of. It’s a stressful way of life but one that many of us are used to. But what can we do about it? Sure, we can make a budget and then hope that everything works itself out. We could…

Halloween can be a frightening holiday for toddlers. Here's how to have a toddler friendly Halloween.

How to Have a Toddler Friendly Halloween

Halloween is one of the more popular holidays, usually for children of all ages. One of the challenges that I’ve faced as a parent of an autistic child, is making Halloween more autism and sensory friendly. That includes accounting for things like trick-or-treat cards and being mindful of the candy that we hand out. Now that Squeaker is getting older, I also want to make Halloween more toddler friendly. Celebrating Halloween with toddlers brings a certain element of innocence to the mix. With a toddler, it may not be possible to go out and party like you normally would, and trick or treating can get tiresome for your toddler very quickly. Safety is always an issue with toddlers as they are very naive and can…

House and Home Care Tips for Fall

House and Home Care Tips for Fall

Before we know it, the sweltering summer heat will give way to cooler temperatures. And for us in the New York that also means getting ready for apple picking and leaf peeping. But that’s not the only thing we do in fall. We also try to get ready for the winter and that includes using some of these house and home care tips. Inside the Home Everyone always does spring cleaning, but fall cleaning is just as important. It’s time to put away all of the outdoor sports gear and get ready for the cold weather and plenty of time sitting inside cuddling by the fireplace. Getting your home clean and in tip-top shape before the cold really settles in will make you enjoy your…

Cleveland Clinic is the Choice for Children’s Heart Care Needs

Cleveland Clinic is the Choice for Children’s Heart Care Needs

“This post was sponsored by Cleveland Clinic Children’s as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All thoughts and opinions are my own.” I was born with two heart murmurs- a ventricular septal defect and an atrial septal defect. Now, while this may sound scary what it really means is that I was born with two holes in my heart. The atrial region is the upper region and the ventricular is the lower region. What it meant for my parents was an extra day in the hospital and then a trip to Houston to see a specialist. The holes closed on their own though and I’ve had no ill effects. That was over 30 years ago and I’m thankful to have all of that…

How to Make the Most of a 10 Minute Power Shower

How to Make the Most of a 10 Minute Power Shower

We only have so much time in the day, so how do we make the most of it? Well, to be honest, it really does start with the morning. I’m partnering with Schick Intuition to bring you tips for making the most of a 10 minute power shower. Sometimes it may even be less, but I’m being generous to myself and allowing 10 minutes. As a #SchickAmbassador I’m more than happy to share my routine. First, let me set the stage. On a “typical” (and I use that word loosely) morning, the alarm clock goes off at 6:00. It is then silenced for another glorious 30 minutes before Kyle gets out of bed. Five minutes later I’m usually up while our toddler continues to sleep…