Tag Archives: family

The secret of how Magna-Tiles work

Posted on March 3, 2013 by jrothmanshore

Like many kids, my children love Magna-Tiles.  For those not familiar with them, they are transparent plastic squares and triangles with magnets embedded around the edges.  When two Magna-Tiles are placed edge-to-edge, the magnets stick together, allowing you to build … Continue reading →

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To my disappointment, Lego marketers knew what they were doing

Posted on February 25, 2013 by jrothmanshore

As a kid, I was a huge Legos fan.  I would spend hours building spaceships, cars, buildings, airplanes, and anything else I could imagine.  Back in those days, each set of Legos came with instructions for three or four different … Continue reading →

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Shortcut: Toddler won’t wear mittens? Put socks on his hands

Posted on January 21, 2013 by jrothmanshore

Everyone knows the phrase “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” That pretty much sums up my son’s relationship to gloves.  He absolutely refuses to wear them.  We’ve tried mittens, and we’ve tried gloves, … Continue reading →

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Being a packrat finally pays off after 16 years

Posted on January 6, 2013 by jrothmanshore

I admit it… I’m not very good at throwing things away.  Ever since I left college 16 years ago, I have a hard time parting with anything that I think might be useful again some day. If you walk around … Continue reading →

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Simplify tracking shared family expenses with a Google Doc

Posted on December 27, 2012 by jrothmanshore

We are lucky enough to live near lots of family.  This means that we always have someone to turn to if we need an emergency babysitter or want to borrow an extra mattress.  We also find that we tend to … Continue reading →

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A child’s menorah should not be flammable

Posted on December 11, 2012 by jrothmanshore

Well, really no menorah should be flammable, but that’s besides the point. A week ago, my four-year-old daughter proudly brought home a menorah (or more correctly, hanukkiah) she had made at the Jewish after-school program she attends a few days … Continue reading →

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Word to the wise: pick a child’s lovey based on your ability to see it in the dark

Posted on November 27, 2012 by jrothmanshore

Like all good parents, we started manipulating our children when they were just newborns. For each of our kids, we introduced them to a lovey when they were just a few months old.  They became so used to having these … Continue reading →

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Home science experiment: crystal clear ice

Posted on November 13, 2012 by jrothmanshore

Last weekend, thanks to some inspired planning on the part of my wife, we got a baby sitter and met up with some friends of ours at a bar in Somerville. To most people who know me, the very idea … Continue reading →

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From herding cats to chasing rabbits: kids on scooters make all the difference

Posted on November 5, 2012 by jrothmanshore

In theory, I have a perfect morning drop-off setup for my kids.  My four-year-old daughter Ayelet’s junior kindergarden opens at 8:10, and my two-year-old son Rafael’s preschool is just two blocks away and opens at 8:30.  I have just the … Continue reading →

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My examination of an Apple mapping mistake shows that the fault lies with TomTom

Posted on October 18, 2012 by jrothmanshore

In the midst of the media frenzy surrounding the flaws in Apple’s new Maps released in iOS 6, there has been a lot of finger pointing going on.  Apple has been quick to state that the problems are a result … Continue reading →

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