Try this: Go to animoto.com, and make your own free 30-second video from some photos you’ve got downloaded on your computer. I just did, and here it is.

I’ve got a birthday party to plan for my soon-to-be 9-year-old. He’s a holiday baby — his big day falls just after Christmas each year, and, well, it’s just not ideal for anyone involved. School is out, and it’s hard to schedule so that all his friends can attend (with seasonal travel and all), plus [...]

School is back, and so are the birthday party invitations. My sister told me her little Pre-K girl has gotten several invites since class has been back in session, which means great big fun for kids — and great big spending for parents. It’s happened to me before — envelopes sent home in back packs, [...]

My 8-year-old lost his first two teeth in Pre-K. He was 4 years old. My 6-year-old has teeth so firmly lodged in his mouth, there’s not a loose tooth in sight. He starts first grade in less than one week. We’re all ready for when his pearly whites start dropping out — he made a [...]

My kid wants a locker for his room. A real metal locker like he sees school kids using on TV shows like iCarly. I’ve got it on his Christmas wish list already, and I’m looking into some other bedroom ideas recommended by Real Simple, like chalkboard paint for the walls — let your kids scribble [...]

Since you can’t eat healthy all the time — eating sweet treats on occasion is OK, you know — you’ve got to check out these cute cupcakes from Family Fun. The B is for Baseball variety caught my eye, since I have two little sluggers who are winding up their seasons right now. For all [...]

Chances are your kids keep some sort of journal at school — mine start each school day by writing an entry. It’s great for honing their writing skills, and it fosters creativity too. Even if your kiddo can’t yet write, drawing pictures and attempting to pen a few words is just as good. Don’ let [...]

My kids love it when school’s out (three weeks left), but summer break makes me a little nervous, because it’s hard to fill all the free hours with purposeful plans. You know, I want my kids to be active, and I want them to learn some stuff, and I want them to have a lot [...]

My kindergarten guy sometimes gets in trouble in school because he can’t sit still. He’s assigned to sit in a little colored square on “the rug” when his teacher is reading to the class, and from what I understand, he sometimes veers into other kids’ squares. He spins around in his square and fidgets with [...]

Today starts Spring Break for my kids. They are so thrilled to have a week off, and I am happy for them. But as much as they think they want freedom from school structure, without some good planning on my part, they will be bored by, oh, about noon. “Now what can I do?” they [...]