Need Homework Help?

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I have a first grader who has a lot of homework. I am sure this sounds funny because if you are like me I don’t remember having homework at that age. Helping him with homework is being back horrific memories of my childhood when my parents helped me bring my “C” down to a “F”. Needless to say I had to seek other sources for homework help.

How It Works

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Thanks to the computer and the internet parents have an abundance of resources when it comes to helping a child with homework. I wish they were available when I was a child. I was beginning to feel like I was in first grade again, since I haven’t been in school in such a long time. So I began to look for ways technology could help me and my son with homework.

One service I found was tutor.com, which is a fee-based, interactive service. They offer a free 60 minute trial of their service. I strongly suggest that you sign up for the free trial.

Once you log into your account, pick your grade level and subject; you are taken to an interactive whiteboard area where you and the online tutor share the workspace on the computer. You ask questions in the chat area and write homework problem on the whiteboard. Then the tutor shows you how to solve the problem on the whiteboard and you can ask questions about anything you do not understand. Also, you can save the workspace as a file and/ or print it out for further and future reference. I was really impressed with how quickly the problem was resolved and the efficient use of technology.

If you child doesn’t use a computer on a regular basis, beside his or her PSP, then this is a good time for you as well as your child to see the many benefits of technology.

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5 Tips for Laundry Day Bliss

Laundry day is a very mundane task and is at the top of the list for me as one of the dreaded chores I have to do. I have created a list of 5 things to do to make this daunting task easier.

1. Use a good laundry detergent.
Sure, this sounds ridiculous and like common sense. However, I use to buy laundry detergent based on what was cheapest and/ or on sale. I soon discovered all laundry detergents are not created equal because some detergents made my clothes dingy and caused me to rewashed them. The detergents I found work the best are Tide, Purex and Gain.

2. Spot clean clothes daily.
As you put the clothes in the hamper, check for spot and pretreat it with Zout or Shout. This will prevent the stain from settling in and being tough to get out later. Teach the kids to help.


3. Sort clothes nightly.
Use a hamper with 3 dividers so that you can separate the clothes according colors. This will save you the hassle for having to sort the clothes on laundry day.


4. Use fabric softener sheets in the dryer.
Fabric softener keeps the clothes soft and decreases the amount of wrinkles in them.


5. Remove and hang clothes from the dryer while they are still warm.

This significantly reduces the amount of wrinkles in the clothes and makes ironing easier, if necessary.

These helpful tips will reduce the stress and dread often felt when doing laundry. Also, you can get the kids involved with helping you.

If you like these tips, make sure you read about more cleaning tips in the
Cleaning Tips ebook!

What do you do if the teacher doesn’t like your child?

I always thought teachers were objective and taught kids objectively without showing favoritism. This was until I started receiving disparaging notes from the teacher regarding my child. I hadn’t received any notes from any of his previous teachers regarding his behavior. Needless to say, I was shocked, appalled and overwhelmed all at the same time.

We tend to hold teachers in high regard. However, we must realize they are people too. They are not going to make a wise decision or be objective about every situation. They are only human.
Moreover, it is difficult to objectively handle a situation regarding your child, especially if you feel it reflects disparagingly on your child. After all, you are your child’s advocate and protector.

Here are 3 things you can do to handle this situation objectively:

1. Monitor all of the assignments your child brings home. This will give you insight to how your child is doing in school and determine if there are any learning disabilities are involved. Is your child grasping concept and learning the topics presented in class.


2. Seek help. Ask people whom you trust and value for their unbiased advice. How would they handle the situation? It is better if your advisor has kids. You will be surprised how venting and hearing another person’s viewpoint will help you relax and see things from a different perspective.


3. Meet with the teacher. Speak with the teacher to see if you both can getting an understanding of the situation and develop a plan of action.


4. Setup a meeting between you, the principal and the teacher. As a parent you have a lot of power, it is a simple and easy task to call the principal’s office to arrange meeting.

The above-mentioned steps will help you handle this situation objectively. It is important to handle this touchy situation objectively because you don’t want to create a bigger problem for yourself or your child.