In all families there comes THAT MOMENT. It's now or now when the accumulated clutter, ESPECIALLY YOUR OWN, creeps up on you and forces you to ADMIT YOU CANNOT FUNCTION another minute in clutter. You allot yourself a half hour to pick up and put away, and promise to not get distracted.

Sometimes you can even get the entire family to participate for a half hour. Choose a day and time, such as Saturday after breakfast. Set a goal, a reward, turn on music, set a timer and run! This could turn into a team contest to beat last week's time, and who knows, perhaps develop a pick up as you go habit (Ha! Ha!).

In the book, the life-changing magic of tidying up, "...cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again." It's worth a try!

Have a wonderful weekend, Parmalee

Saturday, January 27, 2-3pm

As we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, young readers and their families are invited to this special reading and discussion of the book The Double Crossing with author Sylvia Patience.

In 1939, shortly before World War II breaks out in Europe, thirteen-year-olds David and Hannah attempt to escape Nazi Germany, along with over nine hundred other Jewish refugees, on the historic voyage of the St. Louis. Together, they discover a Nazi spy plot, and dare to interfere, nearly at the cost of Hannah’s life. When the ship is forced to return to Europe, the passengers are divided between four countries. Despite their wishes, David and Hannah are sent to different destinations … perhaps separated forever. Details

"I will admit that I have no idea why someone would use YouTube to listen to podcasts, but I'm not going to argue with this. I've been transferring my own podcasts (The Babblery, KidsLearn) to YouTube's new podcasting feature, and also transferring podcasts done through KSQD."

"The response has been a bit stunning. When you list a podcast on any other platform, people don't just find it. You have to work for listeners. But YouTube decided to recommend a couple of my episodes to a wider audience, and suddenly thousands of people are listening. And they're not just listening for 30 seconds, either.

I'm still not going to use YouTube for my own podcast listening—there's too much other stuff, and I mostly listen when I can't look at a screen. But I'm grateful for all the new listeners, even if YT does refer to them as "viewers."

Check out these two podcasts by Suki for kids: Should you use AI to do your homework? and Learning to write = learning to think

Boys! Girls! Oh how we love the boys and girls in our lives. Let’s make sure we’re doing everything we can to raise our boys and girls to become healthy, thinking, wonderful men and women. We bring you an insightful article by social psychologist Jon Haidt, Why I'm Increasingly Worried About Boys, Too > > >

In the mid-teens we begin giving serious thought to what's next for our children as they approach adulthood. If college is the plan, do we want them to attend a college that fosters the free exchange of ideas, a "right" environment, a "left" environment, a traditional liberal arts environment, a scientific environment, et.al. Recent events have highlighted philosophies, environments and safety at some of our most prestigious universities. Read Jon Haidt's article on Why Anti-Semitism Sprouted So Quickly On Campus > > >

And to ground your reading, learn what to know before you talk to tire sellers: New Tire Buying Guide: Everything You Need to Know > > >

Parenting Workshops for inspiration, finding ways to help with parenting challenges, tweaking our skills and support from leaders & fellow travelers in this incredible and important journey....