Search Results for: blog recess mom

U.S. Birthrate Increased Due to Older Moms

The overall birthrate in the United States has increased for the first time in seven years. In addition, the birthrate among teens has dropped. Where is the increase coming from? It turns out that the slight increase in births is due to older moms. The Verge reported some data from a report created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Part of the report noted the birthrate in the United States for 2013 and 2014. In 2013, there were 62.5 births per 1,000 women. In 2014, that number slightly increased to 63 births per 1,000 women. The CDC … Continue reading →

The Dark Side of Recess

Have you ever wondered what really goes on at your child’s school during recess? At my daughter’s private school, parent volunteers aid teachers in monitoring the 200 plus kids who run around on the outdoor playground like wild animals twice a day. As a parent volunteer, I get to witness firsthand some of the shenanigans that take place during the students’ break from class. What’s more, I am also privy to the attention given to each child by adult supervisors when or if a problem rears its head on the playground. This gives me priceless peace of mind on the … Continue reading →

The Recession and Red Butts

What does the slumping economy have to do with the color of your baby’s behind? According to a new report by the Business Insider, one begets the other. The economic geniuses at the business publication have been making headlines with their hypothesis on the correlation between a near record number of recent diaper rash cases and the recession. If you have a child in diapers, then you may already be familiar with the red butt/recession theory. Apparently, there are millions of parents out there who are trying to save a few extra bucks by letting their children linger in wet … Continue reading →

More Recess, Mom

Ask my first grader what her favorite part of the school day is and in less than a nanosecond she will respond: “RECESS!” I don’t need to be a recess mom to know how much my kid enjoys running, jumping, cartwheeling, and horsing around with friends on the school playground. I just feel bad that we live in a part of the country where outdoor play in temperate conditions is severely limited. My daughter’s school mandates that students play outside for at least 30-45 minutes per day (two to three, 15-minute recesses) unless it is pouring, or if the temperature … Continue reading →

Recess Mom

Just call me, “Recess Mom.” Yes, my time has come. I have officially arrived. My daughter’s small Catholic elementary school relies heavily on parent volunteers to supplement staff, so instead of reacquainting myself with the Dewey Decimal System in the school’s windowless library, I signed up to break up fights on the playground… I mean encourage good sportsmanship on the soccer field and make sure everyone gets a turn on the monkey bars. Fortunately, I haven’t had to unleash “Mean Recess Mom” … I mean, “Let’s all play nice like good Christian boys and girls Mom” yet. Actually, I haven’t … Continue reading →

Recession Benefitting Your Marriage: Quality Together Time

The other day I got to thinking about an article I wrote earlier this year where I wondered if recession might actually benefit our marriages. I had visions of turning the concept into a mini-series. Alas, so far I only offered suggestions on ways to recession-proof your marriage with dinner. But recently I was reminded about this forsaken series of articles I’d planned to write. Thanks to our trip to Alaska, we’ve been trying to conserve resources. Therefore, more and more I’ve been considering ways Wayne and I could spend quality time together, be active and have fun, yet not … Continue reading →

Recession Giving Birth to More Frugals

With all of the changes in personal economic outlook do to high gas prices, high food prices and high everything-related-to-food-or-fuel prices, the majority of consumers are changing their spending habits and becoming more frugal. According to a news report by AP news, many of those new”frugals” are planning to remain frugal, even if their financial outlook improves. The research company Nielsen Co, tracks consumer habits. It says that about 63 percent of consumers are cutting their spending. In the AP article, former spendthrifts are taking drastic measures to curb shopping, such as applying shoe glue to a peeling sneaker sole, … Continue reading →

Just Like Mom

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In my last post I wrote about Meg’s realization (or another step in the process of that realization) that she doesn’t share my genes. Healthwise, she will find that a blessing in later years. But for now, I shouldn’t have been surprised. All I have to do is think back to my own childhood. I didn’t look like my parents. I remember being asked rather frequently if I was adopted. (I wasn’t.) Because of the way recessive genes work, dark-haired parents can have light-haired children, although two light-haired parents cannot have dark-haired children. Ditto for eye color—brown is dominant, blue … Continue reading →

The Recession and Garage Sales 2

Are you going to shop the garage sales this weekend? You might find things to be a little different than they were last year. I’m talking about how the recession may be affecting garage sale shopping. If you missed the first part of this article, please click here: The Recession and Garage Sales. Now let’s talk about pricing. When the economy is bad, you might think that garage sale items would decrease in value like everything else and go down in pricing. But the opposite might happen. People may feel that because buying new stuff is expensive then their old … Continue reading →

Recession Planning

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I was talking to a friend this week who is very worried about the economy. She is a stay-at-home mom and they rely entirely on her husband’s income. Recently there have been lay-offs at his workplace, so they are incredibly worried about their financial stability. She told me she was going to start stocking cans of food, “just in case.” That totally took me back… stocking cans of food?? This family has tons of money in investments, so even if her husband lost his job… they would have a large savings, plus unemployment income to live off. Still, she was … Continue reading →