Grandparents serve many roles in the lives of their grandchildren – role models, playmates, caretakers and more.  All of us at P&K (along with these cuties!) wish you a Happy Grandparent’s Day.

 

For some grandparents, a special relationship with their grandkids turns into full-time care and guardianship—yet for grandparents on the other end of the spectrum, it can be a challenge to even see their grandkids. Whether you’re seeking visitation and access to your grandchildren or serving as their legal guardian, there are several legal issues involved.

 

Kids will pack their lunches and books this month to go back to school. Many moms will follow, trading in the jeans and sandals of stay-at-homes for business attire. September seems to be the month of choice for mothers to return to the structured world of work, or at least the time to start looking for work.

 

Statistics show that nearly 70 percent of women with children under age 18 work outside of the home, and almost half of the 10 million women with very young children (under age 3) also hold jobs.

 

But making the switch from working to staying at home, or vice-versa, can be nerve-wracking.

Many parents have felt some frustration about the lack of say in their child’s education at one point, and make a choice to send their children to independent schools. In fact, enrollment at independent schools grew 11.9 percent between 1996 and 2006, according to National Association of Independent Schools.


Find out more about private school options in your area.

 

If you take a peek into some of our state’s most innovative classrooms this fall, don’t expect to see kids with their heads buried in a textbook counting down to recess.   Instead, you’ll find students enthusiastically engaged in excavating skeletons, sending podcasts to India, practicing yoga, competing for medals in their school’s recycling Olympics, and planting school gardens.

 

Massachusetts is not only home to some of the best schools in the country, but also boasts outstanding teachers – teachers breaking new ground and finding exciting ways to help kids learn.

To find our answer, P&K went straight to the source. Christine Koh, local mom extraordinaire, is the founder of BostonMamas.com and the link to all things that makes a Boston Mama wonderful!

Find out her picks for the best child products, learn how her career led her to where she is now and much more.

 

Did your child's required school supply list arrive in the mail? Was it reasonable or was it over the top? Visit Meredith O'Brien's Picket Fence Post blog and share your story.

Meet local mom Michelle Nicholasen who is the co-author behind "I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your to 2 - to 5-year old.

If one of the first lines in this book doesn’t grab you, we don’t know what will. “I think it’s accurate to say that small children sometimes behave as if they are, in fact, crazy.” Local moms and authors Michelle Nicholasen and Barbara O’Neal deliver honest, humorous and practical advice on “managing 2 to 5 year old children in a dignified, respectful way based on the behavior that is driving you bonkers!” We especially love the advice for dealing with chronic whiners or handling public meltdowns. ($14.95, Da Capo Books)

A peek into this year’s school supplies promises to be full of items that are fun for kids, kind to the environment, and designed for busy parents. Here are 10 you’ll want to check out:

Good performance overall, but needs improvement in some areas: that’s the Commonwealth’s report card when it comes to its educational system, according to Governor Deval Patrick. And now, the Governor is seeking to address some of the gaps through the Commonwealth Readiness Project, a 10-year strategic plan for revamping the state’s educational system.


 

Do your kids want to look too cool for school but you want to keep some money in your pocket? P&K spoke to area fashion experts to get the inside scoop on what kids will want to be wearing when the first school bell rings.


 

Saturday morning, the local playground: More than a dozen toddlers and young children walk, run, stumble and bump into each other, among plastic cars and mountains of wood chips. Parents, armed with juice boxes and snacks, chat candidly about the latest strollers, daycare and the pressures of work. They’re all juggling parenthood and careers, but have gathered in at the playground on one of their sacred days off for their own play date.

Massachusetts is the first in the nation to offer existing schools the opportunity to convert to an extended day through state grants, first offered for the ’05-’06 school year. So far, 18 schools in 7 districts have taken the state up on its offer. Others have participated in a planning process, with 75 additional schools expected to come on board over the next two years.

 

 You’ve shopped for a backpack, new sneakers and the untouched box of crayons that’s ready for the first homework assignment of the new school year. Your child is ready for Kindergarten, but are you?

 

First day of class is quickly approaching, here are some tips to get your family moving:


 

When Erin Waldner moved to Hingham about a year ago, she began asking other moms if they could recommend any babysitters for the occasional Saturday night out.

But she found her friends to be quite reluctant to share sitters.

"When other moms get really good sitters that they love, they don’t want to give them up,'' Waldner said. "People were nice about it, but a little hesitant, and I was having trouble finding people through friends.''

So Waldner turned to the Web and registered with a site called Sittercity.com, where she found a vast array of local babysitters to choose from. She has hired more than a half dozen sitters through the site.

The Queens neighborhood of Holliston just became a little less buggy after winning the national “Neighborhood Trap Out” Program sponsored by Kaz Inc., manufacturer of the new Mosquito Vacuum by Stinger, and Parents & Kids Magazine. Chosen out of dozens of entries from around the country, Holliston resident Linda Carrabba and 14 of her neighbors will be able to enjoy their backyards without those pesky and annoying mosquitoes.   Each home will receive a free Mosquito Vacuum and a season’s worth of 2-in-1 bait.

By Karin Conrad
Between picking up stray Cheerios, wiping runny noses, reading one more story and taking time to breathe, what busy parent has time to surf the internet tracking down cool Web sites? That’s why we've done the work for you. Here is our best picks for parents!

 

This is an outstanding opportunity for the right individual who is looking for fun, excitement and success!

P&K Magazine, the fastest growing parenting publication in the area, seeks part and full time experienced advertising sales representatives to develop new and existing accounts in the local parenting community.

Among her collection of American Girl dolls, there's one that sometimes gives 9-year-old Madeline O'Neil the creeps if she looks at it too long.

That would be Mia, the one modeled after her.