For some reason, I’m watching Match Game hosted by Alec Baldwin right now. I blame Chris – he turned it on. In other news, I finished The Happiness Project, which I think could have referenced more research, but was otherwise interesting and had lots of inspirational ideas. And now, the articles for the week, on how to raise a kid who includes others in conversation, achieve work/life balance (or not), allow your kid to roam the neighborhood, mysterious ancient earthworks in Kazakhstan and more.

Seems to be a theme – I happened to read articles on both PBS and fellow mom blogger Playdates on Fridays about how to raise kids who are actively inclusive towards others. Lots of good tips in both, especially for parents who may be shy or introverts who have trouble reaching out themselves.

Chris is definitely going to teach Sprout and Little Bird how to cook, although they won’t be using hot stoves and knives for a while still.

When should we give crying kids comfort and when should we tell them to buck up?

One of my favorite things about my neighborhood is that it’s safe and welcoming for kids to roam. BonBonBreak has great ideas about helping kids roam and getting to know your neighbors. (Also, I had a post a while back on Greater Greater Washington about how urban-style neighborhoods are good for kids!)

“Yesterday would have been young Tamir Rice’s 14th birthday. So, I don’t want to hear anymore about how far we’ve come when paid public servants can pull a drive-by on a 12-year-old playing alone in a park in broad daylight, killing him on television and then going home to make a sandwich.” Wow. Props to Jesse Williams. 

I want to be this lady’s Washington D.C. activist friend.

It’s not a cage or a prison, it’s a home.

Some cool outdoor ideas for the summer! We’ll need to get some pool noodles and more chalk.

I’m fascinated by ancient monuments (I adored Newgrange in Ireland), so this article on NASA helping out with exploring earthworks in Kazakhstan is very cool.

After I wrote about how AwesomeCon gave me hope for geekdom, articles like this provide further proof that loving geeky things doesn’t have to mean that you have to be a jerk.

How an awful interaction with a judgy stranger turned into an uplifting moment for one mom.

Work/life balance is a bit of a joke as the mom of two little kids. But Yes and Yes has a great breakdown of the good and the bad.

For more articles and photos throughout the week, follow me on Twitter and Instagram!