Shannon Eis

Password: Hope

Following the wise advice of Dad Extraordinaire, Jim Silver (link to his page here), this year for the holidays we had the kids make up a list for Santa of all the things they wanted. As you might suspect, it was a bit long, and so we let them know that they wouldn’t get everything […]

Password: Hope Read More »

Hiding Place

As my kids get older, I’m learning that where the grown-ups were once in control setting rules, now virtually any situation can occasion high-level negotiations. Even when it comes to rules we think we have established, we can still be surprised. However, there are times when the grown up must turn dictator, especially when the

Hiding Place Read More »

Holiday Toy Shopping Tips

I never thought I’d be the one to jolt parents into a shopping frenzy…but after a few years of last-minute shopping blitz experience under my belt, I’ve decided to act on my biggest New Years resolution for 2010. It’s that I won’t put myself through procrastination-induced holiday madness this year…and there’s plenty of room for you on my bandwagon. And so with that, I offer a few tips below to help bring some organization to your festive chaos.

Holiday Toy Shopping Tips Read More »

Summer Brain Drain

I’ve sat through three parent sessions this week at my daughter’s school that dealt with “summer brain drain” and how to keep kids from losing 30% of what teachers worked hard all year to cram into their little brains. And while some of the information was useful, very little of it took into account that kids actually need and deserve some time off. I was also struck by “fun activity” recommendations they offered parents for keeping kids’ minds engaged all summer. I’m pretty sure that my daughter would not, in fact, enjoy me dumping her LEGOs all over the floor so that she can count them as she cleans them up.

Summer Brain Drain Read More »

The Mannered Mom on… Traveling With Kids

I’m more frequently asked by people how they should deal with other people’s kids while traveling than I am asked for tips on how people should manage their own kids. This leads me to believe that other people’s kids are the real problem here, as seems to be the case with most things. I’m not an expert on other people’s kids but can provide my own “how to’s” for managing or avoiding the most common kid travel mistakes:

The Mannered Mom on… Traveling With Kids Read More »

Scroll to Top