tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50862209275274879642012-01-23T18:58:34.338-06:00Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-83216465879027592492009-11-09T14:33:00.002-06:002009-11-09T14:41:43.800-06:00

Someone recently asked a question that I immediately dismissed as ridiculous. That question was, “What parenting lessons can we learn from wild animals?” Growing up in a rural area, I witnessed both nurturing relationships between animals as well as harsh animal parenting. (For example, the old feral tomcat that killed his own kittens whenever he got the chance.) Humans possess the power of

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-80561425869181804552009-09-26T10:36:00.007-06:002009-09-26T12:28:58.194-06:00

I pulled into the parking lot of my favorite, discount department store. I was ready to dig for bargains. My daughter looked at me and asked, “Mom, are we poor?” In her mind, if we were not in financial trouble there was no reason to shop on-the-cheap. This conversation with my 10 year old happened in 2004. The economy was strong and families were spending…a lot. Five years later, my daughter (

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-12225076651244752452009-05-28T16:22:00.006-06:002009-06-01T11:42:46.839-06:00

What are Oscar the Grouch, Squidward, and Binky Barnes doing in kids’ shows? Most children’s shows contain a negative character who seems to dislike people. Besides assisting in plot development, these characters prepare kids for real-life; where good people can appear anti-social. It takes time and effort to understand the true intention of someone who acts like a misanthrope. That is why so

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-78049431401714711392009-05-28T14:25:00.006-06:002009-06-01T11:52:32.187-06:00

Can words paint a thousand pictures? With the school year ending, creating a word-cloud for your child at wordle.net can help you express the personal growth you’ve seen in them this year and affirm his/her efforts. Best of all—it’s free!I created a word-cloud for each member of my family earlier this year. Everyone loved comparing the words I had selected for each individual family member. In

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-3856132185494741562009-02-07T18:10:00.002-06:002009-02-07T18:13:34.999-06:00

I grew up on a farm. One of my most lasting memories of my father was listening to him talk to the animals in the barn and whistle as he did the chores. I know that Dad didn’t really want to become a farmer. It was not his career of choice. He didn’t enjoy the daily drudgery of taking care of animals or growing crops; but after high school his Mother was counting on him to run the family farm—so

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-62306276489318043172009-02-07T18:05:00.003-06:002009-02-07T18:09:24.306-06:00

Optimistic Outcomes Wins 2009 Teachers’ Choice Award for the FamilyOptimistic Outcomes won the coveted award after receiving top marks from a panel of judges. Teachers’ Choice is the only award that requires every judge to be both a teacher and a parent.This is a prestigious honor for educational products that enhance learning at home. Optimistic Outcomes will be featured in the April 2009

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-66727584397320172632009-02-06T09:33:00.014-06:002009-02-06T09:59:23.711-06:00

Hello Maureen, My third grader is one of 30 students in her classroom, and she's struggling in math. The teacher knows this but with so many students, one-on-one time isn't happening. We help as much as we can, only to have her in tears halfway through her homework. Other than finding a tutor, are there any ideas to make homework more "fun" for her rather than having her approach each session

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-40381163994154766672009-02-05T14:29:00.014-06:002009-02-06T09:57:53.485-06:00

Optimistic Outcomes is taking part in the 2009 Leading Moms in Business Competition. This "mompreneur" competition celebrates America's top 200 mom-owned businesses and the moms who are behind them.You can view our profile and others at StartupNation.com. Vote for your favorite contestant or enter your own business in the competition. The list of the 200 winners will be published in May and will

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-66545863008894719722009-02-05T13:38:00.015-06:002009-02-06T10:00:08.917-06:00

Hi Maureen!Our third grader is starting to do longer projects that require reading several books and taking notes. The teacher explained the difference between jotting down notes and copying text (plagiarism). This seems hard for him to grasp. any tips on how to help him take notes? It seems like a fundamental skill he's going to need throughout school. Thanks,Notable MomDear Notable Mom,You are

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-36460110174320047562008-11-17T15:18:00.010-06:002008-11-17T18:32:27.502-06:00

Violent Haircut Our daughter spent her first two years bald; so she was already three when she got her first haircut at the local children’s salon. Once inside, we were immediately sidetracked by the novelties meant to distract. Toys strewn around the waiting area, walls painted bright colors, and hair “bling” hung from the ceiling. Televisions blasted a barrage of cartoons that revved up the

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-72030168156863896412008-06-20T07:53:00.003-06:002008-06-20T08:26:43.563-06:00

Out-of-Doors Out of Fashion?I complemented my neighbor last week as we chatted over the fence. I told her that I enjoyed seeing her kids playing an old-fashioned game of hide-and-seek in the yard before she walked them to school. She replied, “I had to shoo them out the door to play because even on this beautiful morning, they wanted to be indoors!”Getting kids to play outdoors seems to be a

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-54001836834822150662008-03-11T14:26:00.010-06:002008-03-11T15:58:15.656-06:00

Tests Are Tools; Not Accurate Predictors of Future Success Spring is in the air. It must be test-taking season! Children all over America are preparing for a wave of high-stakes testing in schools. This is an important time to pause and remember that exams are just one indicator of how a child is learning and remembering information. Tests are simply a “snapshot in time” of how a child performs

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-4326533339440420102008-01-31T19:00:00.000-06:002008-01-31T19:07:43.666-06:00

Anticipation of Independence Teaches Valuable Life LessonsBy the time I grew up, the coming-of-age notion of filling a “hope chest” was already passé. Traditionally speaking, a hope chest stored special articles of clothing and household goods in anticipation of a young woman’s eventual marriage. Back in the 1960’s my mother revamped this old-school tradition for a new generation. Mom started

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-42732238530543462032007-11-05T16:06:00.000-06:002007-11-05T16:10:36.034-06:00

Publisher Rewarded for Great Ideas— Not Parenting Theories Minnesota stay-at-home mom, Maureen McKay, is an award-winner in USA Best Books 2007 Competition. USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winning finalists on November 1, 2007. Winners traversed the publishing landscape and included Independent

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-32484894839205480372007-10-03T13:44:00.000-06:002007-10-03T14:23:09.544-06:00

Fascinating new eye-contact study challenges conventional wisdom.Brand-new research shows that some students actually process information better if they look away from the teacher. This is particularly important because we often equate a child who is not looking at a teacher, as a child who is not listening. It is good to encourage your child to watch the teacher as they give instruction, but it

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-81060751183791601502007-10-03T13:21:00.000-06:002007-10-03T13:42:14.065-06:00

Good Morning?By Maureen McKayHow are mornings going at your house? Do you sip on coffee and read the newspaper while your kids get themselves ready for school and out the door with time to spare?My mornings were downright awful until I realized that kids really do need more cues to get daily things done­­. I came up with technique that makes mornings much less stressful—for less than the cost of

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5086220927527487964.post-9115216512884272582007-06-07T09:20:00.000-06:002007-06-08T07:23:40.602-06:00

Alice Cooper’s song “School’s Out” keeps playing in my head! Today is my daughter’s last day of seventh grade. She made it through her first year of junior high. Summer is coming just in time—she needs a break.A few years ago during a particularly rough school year, we talked about how things were going. I was surprised to find out my daughter believed adults had to be good at everything to have

Maureen McKayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580929451953152972noreply@blogger.com4