Chalk and Cheese Chronicles

My First British JAJ Pyrex: Market Garden/ Tuscany

2013-05-20T12:14:29-07:00

So imagine my surprise and ensuing panic when I came across SEVEN PIECES of vintage JAJ BRITISH PRYEX at a local Bay Area thrift store. I'd read online that British Pyrex is common in well, Britain, but it's not quite an easy find here in the U.S.

My Third Grader's Front Teeth Extraction

2013-05-14T10:46:20-07:00

Well, my eight-year-old finally has a toothless grin. Our kindly dentist said we could wait no more, it was time for those top two teeth to come out. Prior to today, he'd lost only three teeth, with a whole year going by without a wiggly tooth!

The New Exploratorium Goes Beyond Local Families

2013-04-02T11:32:09-07:00

The Exploratorium has always been the haunt of locals with kids. Dads and kids. Moms and kids. Nannies and kids. Families and kids. Local scout troops. Students on field trips. If you were raised in the Bay Area, you likely...

"Exclamation Point" is the Perfect Read Aloud Book

2013-04-01T12:11:31-07:00

Exclamation Point is an excellent read aloud for first through fourth graders, with second and third graders probably appreciating it the most. If they've studied and practiced punctuation, they will love this book. Or in the style of the book, I should say, "They will love this book!"

This is the Way We Clap Our Hands: The Marshmallow Clap

2013-03-28T08:43:27-07:00

Is marshmallow flapping becoming a trend, a way to silence the noisy applause of a young audience while not altogether stifling their enthusiasm?

Silicon Valley Kids Head to the Tech Museum Summer Camps

2013-03-16T23:59:01-07:00

Check out the class descriptions! Lego Robotics, Kitchen Chemistry, Video Game Design, Mobile App Design, Filmmaking, Photography and Photoshop, Lego Robotics (and a special Lego Robotics for girls), Computer Programming and more.

Yes! Save the Dennis the Menace Train in Monterey!

2013-01-31T11:29:09-08:00

This park is everything other parks are not, and that is, it has an element of danger. It's one of the few parks that has not been completely encased in molded plastic. It's not same old, same old here. It's good, old-fashioned fun.

For the Love of Vintage Pyrex

2013-01-29T09:41:49-08:00

I have a new obsession, one that has been simmering for years but has now boiled over into madness, vintage Pyrex madness!

Picture Books for Older Children

2013-01-28T14:40:33-08:00

It's not easy to select just the right picture book for third graders. Much of what is on the library shelves is either too preschoolish, too gender specific or has too much text for a ten minute read. Some third graders, like my son, are deep into the tween stage. They are too cool for school.

Update: We Did Not Delay Kindergarten

2013-01-15T21:13:00-08:00

Note: I thought parents deciding whether or not to delay kindergarten (for a typically developing child) might like to read about the experience of my boys. We did not delay kindergarten and here is a look back, from the perspective...