Erin Kane

Recent Posts By Erin Kane

Surviving Car Travel

November 23, 2011 | By | Comments (0)

As my family gears up for yet another six-hour road trip from New York to Massachusetts today, I am once again preparing for my role as Car Activities Director. When the kids were younger (before moving here) we did the reverse drive–Massachusetts to New York–and I absolutely dreaded it. Dreaded it! Crying baby, changing diapers in dingy Thruway rest stops, […]

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An Hour Changes Everything

November 11, 2011 | By | Comments (3)

  For most, that extra hour of sleep on Saturday night was a welcome treat. Falling back for Daylight Savings Time is usually preferred over springing forward. In my household, though, that extra hour—60 tiny little minutes—has set off a week of disrupted sleep, wacky eating, and a general sense of being off-schedule. Even my puppy has been getting up […]

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5 Uses for Halloween Candy

November 1, 2011 | By | Comments (6)

Sugar highs. Sugar crashes. Cavities. Weight gain. There are so many good reasons not to eat all that Halloween candy today. So what to do with the pounds of candy your kids hauled in last night? 1. Halloween Candy Buy Back. Drop the candy at a local dentist’s office where it will get shipped off to U.S troops. Visit the […]

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Handmade vs. Store Bought

October 25, 2011 | By | Comments (5)

  It’s almost become ubiquitous on TV, in popular movies and books: Harried working mom doctoring some store-bought item, trying to pass it off as handmade. Whether it’s cupcakes for a school function, dessert for a dinner party or your daughter’s Halloween costume, who among us has not fretted over whether it’s better, easier, smarter, faster or cheaper to make […]

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Homework Tips

October 13, 2011 | By | Comments (3)

Earlier today I wrote a post (on my other blog) about the daily struggle in my household over homework. One of my sons is in 4th grade and the expectations for his age are fairly high. Most afternoons he has to read for 20 minutes, practice his spelling words and math facts, and complete worksheets or textbook assignments. After a […]

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Favorite Finds for Back-to-School

September 2, 2011 | By | Comments (5)

Today is a very big day. It’s “Meet the Teacher Day” at the elementary school. We mothers often refer to this as “Get School Supplies Out of Your Dining Room Day.” As I pack up the folders of every color, already sharpened pencils, wide-ruled one-subject notebooks and hand sanitizer, I’m thinking about the systems and tools that I’ve come to […]

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Soon The PTA Will Come Knocking

August 19, 2011 | By | Comments (3)

If you’re reading this blog, chances are good you have at least one child at home. If your child is in elementary school, chances are even better that the PTA will be knocking on your door, calling your house, or sending colorful flyers home in your child’s backpack asking you to volunteer at school this year. Each year I battle […]

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What Are Your Kids Reading This Summer?

August 4, 2011 | By | Comments (7)

We’re halfway through summer break here in New York and it’s time to fess up: my boys are not breaking any records for number of books read. Sure, they’ll pick up a book every now and again, but it’s usually because I’ve issued some sort of mom ultimatum. “Read one chapter of that book or absolutely no video games for […]

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Dealing with Picky Eaters

July 26, 2011 | By | Comments (5)

I am the mother of two picky, picky eaters. Over the years I have tried everything within reason to get my boys to try new foods. While I’m not one of those moms who forces her kids to eat what’s on the plate, I do encourage them to try a “bird bite” of everything. I don’t bribe them with dessert […]

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Tips for Vacationing with Extended Family

July 12, 2011 | By | Comments (2)

Last week, three generations of my family converged on a single house on Cape Cod. It was the first time we rented a house together and I’m sure we all carried in some anxiety about how it would work. Could active little kids, moody teenagers, grown sisters and their husbands, and nearly-retired grandparents all live peacefully under one roof for […]

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