At the beginning of the school year you set the rule: Homework gets finished as soon as you get home from school. But by October, that rule doesn’t seem to be as hard and fast as it was in August.

If you don’t rein in the lax homework routine, before you know it you’ll be hearing those panicked cries at 7:30 a.m. that homework isn’t finished. Or worse yet, you’ll get the dreaded phone call from the teacher notifying you that your little angel hasn’t been turning in her homework. Heaven forbid you don’t find out about the missed assignments until you attend parent/teacher conferences!

No worries. The problem doesn’t usually lie with formatting a good routine; rather it’s with enforcing the routine. If you’re fortunate enough to be home with your child after school, it is a little easier to ensure the homework routine is maintained. If you don’t see your child for an hour or so after he’s been home, you can still follow through.

The rules should be simple enough to leave no room for misunderstandings.

1. Grab an after school snack then start homework.
2. TV stays off until all homework is finished and reviewed for completeness.
3. No extracurricular activity until all homework has been completed.

Number three tends to be a difficult one for parents to enforce. We tend to over book our children’s schedule. Number three, no extracurricular activity until all homework has been completed, means just that. It doesn’t mean the rule can be relaxed if junior has tae kwon do after school or if Suzy has gymnastics. It doesn’t mean its ok to take a pass on number three on days when Johnnie has T-ball practice.

Perhaps you decided that you paid good money for lessons and Suzy, Junior and Johnnie will participate. Okay, but what kind of example is that setting? How about if you take your child to the activity, but she must sit out until the homework has been finished. Then she’s welcome to join the other kids on the balance beam.

Remember you still have dinner and a bedtime routine too. Children should worry about being children, not about juggling schedules. Make sure your child has a snack so that his stomach’s growling won’t be a distraction. After homework is finished he can enjoy what little time is left in the evening. If you stick to rules one, two and three above, you’re on track for a great school year!

At World’s End is the third part of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. The main characters are brought back to life by the original stars from the first part of the series.

Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush are back to play the roles that have made the movie series as popular as it is. Johnny Depp brings a new twist to his role of Captain Jack Sparrow, the charismatic pirate.

He keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, wondering whether or not he’s playing the role of good pirate or bad pirate. In the last movie of the series, Jack Sparrow surprises everyone by coming back from the dead in time to embark on this new treacherous sea faring journey.

Orlando Bloom is back in his role of Will Turner, the blacksmith apprentice who set out on the journey of a lifetime in the first part of the series, where he found out that his father was an infamous pirate. He continues to bring the same precise sword fighting we saw in the first two parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Keira Knightley plays the beautiful Elizabeth Swann, who turns from a fragile maiden character to a fierce fighter in the last two movies. She joins the crew in the last movie to embark on an action-filled adventure to save Captain Jack Sparrow from his ultimate fate.

Geoffrey Rush returns in his role of the famous evil-minded pirate, Captain Barbossa who we were introduced to in the first movie. He continues his role as Hector Barbossa in the last movie, but has switched from fighting Jack Sparrow, to aiding in his rescue. He brings the same spicy characteristics of an evil pirate in this movie even though he’s more of an ally than an enemy.

Davy Jones, the evil supernatural pirate who walks the bottom of the sea searching for souls to bring to his phantom crew, returns in this movie to continue to wreak havoc for the main characters.

He is played once again by the British actor Bill Nighy. He plays the role well, making the audience believe he truly is an evil phantom pirate who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

The four main characters meet up with some of the other ongoing characters we saw in the previous movies, such as Norrington (Jack Davenport), Governor Weatherby Swann (Jonathon Pryce), Bootstrap Bill Turner (Stellan Starsgard) and the members of the Black Pearl ship’s crew.

This movie brings more action and adventure to the big screen than we ever saw in the first two movies put together. The plot flows well throughout the movie and guarantees the audience will be on the edge of their seats until the ultimate climactic end we’ve waited to see since the first movie came out.

This pirate adventure leaves all of the old pirate movies in its dust with its awesome special effects and costumes coupled with the talents brought by actors to their roles in this movie.

More: At World’s End Reviews & Purchase Information

“But Mommmmm, why can’t you come to the party today? Sierra’s Mom ALWAYS comes.”

That’s a question working moms would rather not have to answer. Of course they would love to be able to be available for every field trip and holiday party. Mom wouldn’t mind having all the little classmates see her in the library and say “Hi Suzy’s mom.” Nonetheless, for variety of reasons, that simply is not always possible.

There are however, a number of ways that working moms can help out at school. If it isn’t feasible to actually go to the building before or after school or during lunch, there are plenty of projects that can be done at home. Teachers always have lots of paper that needs to be cut. Remember where you put your scissors?

If you aren’t available to be at school on the actual day of the party; there is still much pre-planning that you can do. The younger children usually have a craft, a game and a snack at their parties. You could volunteer to send juice boxes, cupcakes or plates and napkins to school. The room parent in charge of coordinating the party would be ever grateful if you took on the task of providing a craft for each child to do.

For a fun easy winter craft send enough pinecones so that each child gets one. Then send a jar of peanut butter, a box of Dixie cups and a box of plastic knives. Next, at home put a scoop of bird seed into individual zip lock baggies. Finally cut one strand of yarn for each child. The children will tie the yard into a loop at the top of their pinecone. Next they will spread peanut butter on the pinecone, put it into their baggie full of birdseed and then shake. Voila’ you’ve just provided a birdfeeder craft. The party committee will appreciate it more than you know.

You could also help out at the school carnival or music programs. Most of those events are usually at night, and may fit into your schedule better. Parents are often needed at evening sporting events too. Concession stands always need smiling faces to serve up hot dogs.

An often overlooked area of consideration is simply calling the teacher. Tell him/her that you’d love to help but that your schedule doesn’t allow you to come in during the day. Guaranteed the teacher will have no problem giving you something to do.

So the next time your child asks you why you can’t be at the party, remind her of the twenty six paper teddy bears you just cut out so that her whole class could enjoy learning about hibernation!

Some parents think they’re harmless. Others think they’re dangerous. Still others, educational.

I’m talking about video games. Are you concerned about the potential effects that playing video games has on your child? Or do you think it’s a much ado about nothing?

My guest this week has co authored a book called Video Games and Your Kids.

She and her co author have put together the available research into the impact of video games on your child’s health, socialization, family dynamics, and brain development.

The more informed we are, the better our decisions. Go have a listen and share your thoughts here or on the Natural Mom’s Talk Radio blog.

Bug is a film based on the popular Bug play written by Tracy Letts. It deals with issues of domestic violence, paranoia, schizophrenia and secret governmental experiments with a new horror-filled twist.

Ashley Judd plays the waitress in this movie that lives in fear of her abusive ex-husband who is inadvertently let out of jail. She meets up with a new lover who instills conspiracy theories in her which escalates her fears. Ashley brings this character to life and makes the audience wonder what is real and what is just plain madness.

Harry Connick, Jr. brings his talents to the role of Ashley’s ex-husband. He brings a new side of his acting talents to the movie screen playing a violent, evil-minded character versus the softer-sided roles he’s played in the past.

Michael Shannon bursts into the movie reprising the role he made popular with the play version of Bug. He brings the necessary qualities to make his courteous and gentle character believable to the audience. His acting abilities are enhanced by working with such stars as Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr.

The movie titillates the mind with thoughts of conspiracies and government experiments gone wrong with elusive and dangerous parasites. You’re made to feel the fear of the abusive ex-husband and the enlightened awareness of the UFOs and secret experiments.

The plot thickens within the movie and you’re left wondering what’s real and what’s brought on with the madness of fear. Agnes, the waitress, begins to believe everything her new lover has told her and she starts to fall into the depths of his paranoia.

The audience gets caught up in the drama, believing that her new beau is crazy and bringing her down with his demented thinking, but we’re appalled at how she can believe everything he tells her and think he’s making perfect sense.

The movie is shot primarily in a motel room, but the plot makes it seem much more than that. The room transforms by the end into a shelter to protect them from their innermost fears, but it resemble some kind of raid bunker people had back in the days when our fears of bombings were heightened with wars.

This movie makes you want to jump into the screen and pull Agnes out of the depths of her fear and show her what she’s seeing isn’t real, but the real question is what is real?

What other movies takes an audience to a place where fear isn’t for their own lives, but rather for the lives of the characters on the screen? William Friedkin’s film, Bug, is a horror-filled movie that leaves its audience wanting to know more about the main characters and where the paranoia will take them.

More: Reviews & Buying Information

By definition, a teacher is one who teaches. Ya .. so? Let’s look at what it means to teach. The dictionary defines the verb teach as:

• To impart, provide or instruct knowledge or skill
• To condition to a certain action or frame of mind
• To cause to learn by example or experience
• To advocate or preach
• To carry on instruction on a regular basis in

That last one, to carry on instruction on a regular basis, is a biggie…on a regular basis. On average, teachers will spend 30 hours a week with your elementary age child. In contrast, let’s look at the amount of time you will spend, with your child during an average school week. Between getting up, dressed, fed and teeth brushed, on average, a parent will spend 10 minutes actually with the child.

Then there’s after school – it’s probably at least 5:00 pm before you really spend time with your child; either due to your schedule or your child’s. (Note: Seeing your child and spending time with – are not synonymous). Then maybe you spend some time together preparing and eating dinner. After school and after work you may have taken junior to practice or the store, or there was more homework.

If your child is like most, a bath or shower is probably needed. After that, perhaps a bedtime snack, a little TV and then it’s time to start the bedtime routine. It’s safe to say, on average, parents will spend less than eight (8) hours a week interacting with their elementary age child. Now do you see why it is vital to get to know your kid’s teachers?

Most schools have an Open House prior to the first day of school. This gives the parent and child a chance to meet the teacher and vice versa. Make every effort to attend this Open House. If you have a schedule conflict you cannot rearrange, make an appointment before or after school to meet your child’s teacher. It may only take a quick 10 minute visit initially, but don’t you want to know who will be imparting, providing and instructing knowledge and skills to your child?

Teachers will almost always provide phone numbers and emails where they can be reached. Nearly all of them will give you their home number. Use this contact information! Many parents think, “Oh I don’t want to bother the teacher by calling him/her.” Bother? Staying informed about what is happening with your child thirty hours each week should by no means be considered, “bothering the teacher.” Parents have a duty to know what is going on!

Who says you can’t mix fruit with a main dish salad? The results can be delicious, as in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 (8 ounce) package chicken strips
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 (5 ounce) package spring lettuce mix
1 container of fresh blueberries

1/2 cantaloupe, sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay the sliced almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 5 to 7 minutes or until toasted the way you like.

Place the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Heat the chicken strips until heated through about 4 minutes, being sure to turn once.

Place the lettuce mixture into 4 separate salad bowls. Layer the chicken strips on top of the lettuce. Add the blueberries and cantaloupe. Top with the roasted almond slices.

Find more main dish salad recipes in the Ultimate 365 Salad Cookbook