Capability:Mom and I both agree that we get the SAME thing for our own mothers and mother-in-law. In my case, my mom and mother-in-law are friends and live a half hour away from each other. It would not be a stretch to imagine them discussing their gifts during casual conversation and feelings would get hurt, I fear, if the presents differed.
Category: Parenting
My blog covers education and children’s books. When I cover parenting issues, it usually contains book recommendations. Parenting topics include academic subjects, summer learning, bullying, special needs, fitness and more.
12 Days of Shopping: Personalized Gifts (Day 3)
These personalized, “fancy” return address stampers make me so happy. I use them for the return address on envelopes but also for stamping inside of books that I loan out. If your price point is $50 ($40 plus shipping), it also makes great teacher and tutor gifts and/or gifts for family members.
12 Days of Shopping: Kids Make Presents, Clove Fruit (Day 2)
My only contribution for Clove Fruit is this: You can purchase whole cloves at an ethnic grocery store to save money. Indian or Chinese grocery stores will have whole cloves in bulk packaged in plastic bags which is less expensive just because of the utilitarian packaging alone! This makes a great gift for extended family, teachers, and neighbors.
12 Days of Shopping: Make Your Own Gift, GRANOLA 2 Ways (Day 1)
My cookbook is cracked with the pages falling out, I love this cookbook so much. And the page that this recipe is on has food stains on it galore. Nigella raves about this granola which she discovered on an U.S. book tour. I have made it and given it out as gifts. True story: I usually give this to teachers as a Whatever-I-Made-A-Huge-Batch-And-This-Is-Healthy gift. My kids’ Kindergarten teacher (extraordinaire) is usually on the list even when we don’t have her, but sometimes we run out. A neighbor gets it instead or I need a hostess gift. So one day she tells me that she is in the teacher’s lounge and recognizes the granola that my middle kid’s 2nd grade teacher was eating and said, “Is a gift from Pragmatic Mom? I love that granola. Can I have a handful?”
1st Grade Books for Boys from the Book Fair
It caught me by surprise that the books he wanted, and bought for himself, were mostly non-fiction plus a hybrid graphic novel/easy chapter book. It was a wake up call that Boys Like Non-Fiction and Graphic Novels! Duh! You’d think I would have known that!
Africa: Bamileke, fashion, chocolates for Darfur, and more
This week, we are exploring Africa. Why? A million years ago b.c. (before children), I designed and manufactured women’s golf apparel using natural fibers and geared to fashion forward twenty-, thirty- and forty-somethings. The first collection used gorgeous fabrics from West Africa.
Teaching Kids about Money: Spend, Save, Donate
It’s never too early to teach kids how to handle money and I actually think that they need these skills before they go off to college and this is not a topic that is covered at school! How about you? How are you teaching your children about money? Please share your great ideas!







