Why I Started A Montessori Charter School

When I moved to Bend, Oregon I was surprised to learn that while there were several thriving Montessori preschool programs, there were no Montessori elementary programs at all! As a former assistant teacher in a Montessori lower elementary class (1st-3rd grade) I knew that the freedom to move about the classroom and to focus on areas of interest were crucial to support deep learning. I witnessed students diving deeply into their interests and I saw the head teacher use student interests to draw them in to other subjects. Overall I just loved the sense of freedom and responsibility that the students experience in a Montessori elementary classroom. And the work they produced was impressive and often far above grade level. read more

The Secret to Drastically Reducing Infant Falls

During early infancy, babies pretty much stay where you put them. My mom refers to this stage of development as the happy paperweight stage. But once babies are a few months old, they begin to move. Some infants are rolling over and scooting as early as 4 months!

Don’t fret if your baby doesn’t roll over or sit up exactly on “schedule,” every baby develops at a different rate. But once your little one does begin to move around, falls can be a big hazard.

Avoiding some falls is fairly easy, just put your baby on the floor! But at other times you might be on a low bed, couch, or in another location and it’s a good idea to develop healthy and safe habits as early as possible. read more

The #1 Best High Chair in the Entire World

OK, you can already tell by my headline that I LOVE this high chair. But why would a high chair be worthy of an entire blog post? Well, let me tell you!

If you know me at all, you know that I have done very little advertising on my website and I would never promote a product that I don’t use myself and absolutely love. But I just HAVE to tell every new parent I know all about this incredible high chair. I literally rave about this high chair to pregnant strangers (sorry!) and have practically forced my family members to add it to their registries. But here’s the thing, this high chair is literally my favorite baby gear purchase ever. Here’s what it is: read more

How to Quickly and Easily Reduce Screen Time

We’ve all been hearing about the ill effects of screen time on developing brains and each of us have a slightly different way of dealing with the information. Some people argue that the research isn’t in yet (there is actually quite a bit of research on this topic and most of it is quite disturbing), others are convinced that it couldn’t be nearly as harmful as the researchers purport. Some parents claim it’s their only break, and they really really need a break, and trust me, I hear you on that one. read more

The Magic of Using Essential Oils with Kids

You probably already know that essential oils are great for all sorts of uses to support your wellness, but there were a few surprises in store for me as I began to use essential oils with my kids.

Calming down

Look, life with young kids can be tough sometimes. Sleep deprivation, co-sleeping, nursing, hunger, teething, new developmental milestones, parental discord, sibling rivalry, and so much more can cause some seriously tense moments in any home, mine included. So sometimes we need tools to help us de-escalate. read more