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Stinson Beach, California
A short walk from our AirBnB to the beach 
Uncle John came from a visit 
More friends came for a visit 
Matt loves running the Dipsea Trail from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach 
A day trip to Bolinas, just a little farther up the road 
Eating carnival food back in San Fran I’m behind on writing about our Fall Break trip in October to Stinson Beach, California, but I didn’t want to let it drop because I love that part of the country! So here it goes…
Whenever we fly to San Francisco, we take a pit stop in Oakland to connect with two different sets of dear friends. We … Read More
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Play Therapy at Home
Back in November, I was on an education conference panel with a therapist from Dallas, Stan Ferguson. In between sessions, I quickly mentioned the struggles that our oldest child has with self-regulation, and Stan recommended that I try a therapy technique at home called “Special Playtimes.” I bought his book, What Parents Need to Know about Children, to learn more about it.
The gist is that you set aside designated time to play with your child (about 30 minutes per week), provide a specific set of toys for use just during Special Playtime, and then follow along as they direct the play. You don’t praise, criticize, ask guiding questions, … Read More
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Travel Kits for Kids
I’m constantly asking Matt, “How do we savor this relatively short amount of time we get with our children during the years they live at home?” I don’t mean to sound obsessive, but I see the children that I taught in elementary school already having their own children. The days are long; the years are short.
One of our answers is to travel as frequently as we can as a family. This answer isn’t everyone’s answer; traveling just happens to be something that we really like and enjoy as a family. I love planning trips—really digging in and seeing what the unique options are available in a new place. And … Read More