Michelle Parrinello-Cason
Michelle is a homeschooling mom of two who lives in South City with her husband, kids, two cats, and a dog. Her family loves reading, hiking, and art. She runs Dayla Learning, a place for online classes and curriculum in the humanities. She likes to write about education, work-life balance, and exploring all the wonderful experiences St. Louis has to offer.
I Don’t Need Help Saying No: I Need to Say Yes … with...
Sometimes saying no is easier than learning how to say yes ... with limits.
It’s January, so I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that we’re all being inundated with a list of the...
Board Games Your Family Will Love to Play
My family has always liked board games, but the pandemic has brought out a whole other side of things. As our other avenues for entertainment and interaction dwindled, our love for board games grew,...
The (Dis)Comfort Zone: 4 Things to Watch When Everything Falls Apart
Looking for things to watch as we spend more time distanced in our homes? Read on...
I recently got HBO Max, and there’s a category called “Comfort Zone.” It has subcategories like “When You Need...
Controlling What We Can: How the Pandemic Expanded My Cooking Routine
There are people who love household tasks, and then there are people like me.
I can intellectually understand the peaceful — even joyful — potential of acts like cooking, turning a pile of dirty dishes...
Building an Emergency Self-Care Plan for the Bad Days
First of all, I want to let you know that I am not a mental health professional. I did, however, make a self-care plan with the help of my counselor. I’m also someone who...
Breaking Echo Chambers: How Diverse is Your Media Diet?
As I was working on my doctorate degree in rhetoric, it became clear to me how important it is to have a diverse and healthy “media diet.” I had my daughter right in the...
A Letter to the Doctor Who Told Me to “Just Lose Weight”
Doctors have the power to fix our bodies, but those who truly listen wield the most power of all .
I came to you with my heart in my hands. I was at the bottom...
Friendship in the Time of Isolation: Helping Kids (and their Grown-Ups) Stay Connected
There are plenty of posts popping up with logistical considerations on how to stay connected during isolation (including one from St. Louis Moms Blog!), but I wanted to back up and think about the...
Getting the Family Outside More: Why is This So Hard?
I am 100% convinced that kids (and their grown-ups) do better when they get outside more. In my particular circle of homeschooling peers, this is a common tenet of educational philosophy that’s backed up...
STLMB Perspectives: Magical Holiday Traditions – This Mama Opts Out
“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” -William Blake
I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post. I’m the Grinchy counterpart to a discussion about magical holiday traditions. Our...