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    The Savvy Source

    The Savvy Source

  • Four Ways to Make the Everyday Special

    Our kids require a lot time and attention, don’t they? They have all kinds of needs and desires clamoring to be met. At the same time, small children are amazingly easy to please, even delight. As we go about our everyday routines with them, it takes only

  • Ten Places to Take Your Kids to Teach Them About US History

    Our niece is getting married in a few weeks, and my girls can't wait to head out to Tennessee, the "Volunteer State." They're excited about being flower girls in the wedding, of course, but they're also eager to sightsee in a new state and visit Civil War

  • Eight Reasons Why We Love School

    Ahh, school. To every kid it is an exciting rite of passage and a boring daily grind; both their favorite and most despised place. As a parent, there is a lot to love about school. Below are eight of the things that we think are great about school.

  • Five Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day with Your Preschooler

    Prior to having children, I would have sworn that Valentines Day was a giant conspiracy contrived by florists, chocolatiers, and stationery stores. But after becoming a parent, I realized February 14th is a cherished celebration that goes beyond...

  • Making Outings Easier for Special Needs Kids

    Experts agree, it's good to get kids out of the house and amongst other kids to help build social skills. When you have a special needs child, sometimes going places can be difficult.

  • Personal Safety: What Should Your Child Know?

    When children are very small they are rarely out of the sight of their parents or caregivers. When we think of their safety, it is usually in terms of car seats and choking hazards, steep stairs and too-tall play structures.

  • Ten Outdoor Things Every Child Should Do Before They Are Too Cool for School

    So you've checked all the boxes. Playdates... check. Organized activities... check. Homework... check. Healthy snacks... check. Good job, right? Wait! What about the outdoors?

  • Ten Questions to Ask when You Move to a New Neighborhood

    In this new age of virtual communities and long-distance digital friendships, we sometimes forget how important our local, brick-and-mortar neighborhoods are to family life.

  • Ten Outings for Your 2012 to Do List

    One of the best things about the start of 2012 is getting to put up a new calendar. The old one is filled to the brim with events, meetings, play dates, date nights, travel plans, birthday parties, and reminders of all kinds. It was a full year.

  • The Big Picture: Five Things We Do as Parents that Really Matter (and Some that Really Don't!)

    Call us conflicted. We tend to cast a jaundiced eye at the "new year, new you" promises we hear this time of year. And, yet, we place real faith in any opportunity for reflection that offers a bit of perspective, a perch from which we can look...

  • If You Are Listening, Your Children Will Tell You Extraordinary Things..

    If you are listening, your children will tell you extraordinary things. This in itself is one of the great gifts of parenting.

  • Jumping Off the Merry-Go-Round: Eight Ideas for Slowing Down

    As I finally sit down, and slow down, long enough to write this article, my body is still but my mind continues to race in one hundred different directions. I would like to think it's because I just had a baby, or because I recently went back to work...

  • Lessons Learned from a Silent Soccer Game

    All of us likely have a few parenting goals in mind for 2012. One of mine is inspired by, of all things, a soccer game. My seven-year-old joined an AYSO league this past fall, and she's been learning to play little by little...

  • Five Ideas for Hanukkah Fun

    Hanukkah is here! If you haven't started already now is the time to get organized, get ready, get the story straight, get your dreidel-spinning skills in shape, and get excited for the Festival of Lights.

  • Six Ways to Teach Your Child About Giving Instead of Getting at the Holidays

    We all know the wisdom of the old adage "it is better to give than to receive," but it rings true during the holidays more so than at any other time of year.

  • Six Tips to Help Your Child Learn to Calm Down

    It doesn't take much for young children to become overstimulated. A change in diet, a night or two of restless sleep, or the prospect of seeing well-loved family members can send a child into a frenzy. If the weather is frigid, you're in the car, or you're out in public, how can you help your child

  • Saying Grace: Books to Teach Gratitude on Thanksgiving and Every Day

    We are devoted readers at the Savvy Source, and there is many a book that we enjoy reading so much that we turn the last page just grateful that somebody thought to put those words/pictures/sentences/pages together in just that way.

  • Adding Experiences to Your Holiday List

    Something odd happened the day after Halloween. I opened my mailbox and pulled out Christmas catalogs. What?! Two months to go, and the relentless holiday sales pitch is already underway.

  • Stories Around the Campfire

    by Laura Stallard Petza

  • Nine Essential Things to Bring on Halloween Night

    So you are getting geared up to go trick-or-treating with your little one. If it's your child's first time, welcome to the fun! If you're a veteran, then we hope you'll chime in with your stories and suggestions.