I met a mom earlier today who implied that girls don’t have an interest in things mechanical. Hmm. My partner has a doctorate in engineering. I’ve written programs to collect data from CCD cameras on rather large telescopes. (Not to mention installed the odd hard drive and assembled more furniture from IKEA than I care […]
For many of us with children, Halloween is an extended holiday, starting in early October with costume shopping (or making) and ending with two weeks of assorted parties and parades, not to mention the official night of trick-or-treating. Here are some resources to help you survive the witching season. GooGhoul is a directory of Halloween
Lifehacker reports today on a new cooking trend: “make and take.” The idea is that you go to a special store and purchase pre-prepped (washed, chopped, etc.) ingredients for several specific recipes, which you then simply have to assemble at home. The going rate seems to be about $200 for twelve four-person meals, which works
Toddlers can wreak havoc on our to-do lists. They have their own agendas, their own pace, and their own counterproductive actions (e.g., pulling all the books off the shelf after you’ve just replaced them). In order to increase the odds of actually completing my to-do list, I divide it into categories.
Although beach season is over for most of us, those of you living or vacationing in warm climes may be interested to know that scientists at MIT have found the formula for the perfect sandcastle. A ratio of eight parts sand to one part water does the trick, and will give you the most stable
In the U. S., October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Observe it by giving yourself a breast self exam. (Not that you don’t do one every month, anyway, right?) The Susan G. Komen Foundation has a good interactive demo, in English and Spanish, if you need a refresher. (Caution–if you’re viewing this at work
Here’s a tip for decreasing sugar and artificial flavorings in your kids’ treats (if you care about such things): Adding natural fruit juice to plain gelatin takes about the same amount of time as adding plain water to pre-flavored gelatin dessert powders, which are typically artificially flavored and highly sweetened. Plain gelatin can usually be
One in an occasional series of essential household tools: A white (non-marking) rubber mallet. Whether it’s assembling a rocking horse, fitting shelves into a bookcase, or flattening chicken breasts for Poached Chicken Breast Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Spinach (cover the chicken in plastic wrap first), this is a tool you never knew you needed
Managing meal preparation and toddler(s) simultaneously can be a daunting task. You can make it easier by having your little ones help in the kitchen. Instead of having to cut playtime short so you can go cook (the cause of much toddler angst), start cooking a little earlier and call it playtime. Here are a few things I’ve found even my two-year-old can do.
As a sometime astronomer and historian of science, I’m often prowling sites in those areas. My own son is still too young to start learning “science” per se, although his facility with latches and love of anything with a motor makes me think he’ll be an engineer like his other mom. Still, I was pleased
