Russia continues to pursue stronger ties in the Middle East through arms sales and a coalition with Syria and Egypt to fight ISIS (USNews, RT). A controversial nuclear treaty was signed between Iran, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and the European Union. The treaty will lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for…
Ways to Help Your Middle Schooler Get organized for Getting Back to School
Another exciting first here on the Sippy Cup front! We have our first guest post! I would like to introduce you to Patricia, from the United Kingdom. Now we truly are exotic here at the Sippy Cup office! (I type this while sitting in my computer room sipping coffee and listening to my kids planning…
Beyond the 3rd Birthday – Practical Gift Ideas for 3-year-old Boys
Between ages three and four little boys are truly beginning to have conversations and develop their own sense of style. This is the age you can start to observe social interactions where they take the lead and learn whether they need alone time or social interaction to recharge their batteries. Significant milestones are happening all…
Cat Fillet
My new used minivan is a 2003 Ford Wind-Star. It was owned previously by an 83-year-old man. It had a little less than 85,000 miles on it and was in pristine condition. We really lucked out in finding and purchasing this van. My husband did all the leg work, and bless him for doing…
Educational Puzzles
We’d like to share some news from a long-time subscriber to BeyondtheSippyCup we think you might just find worth checking out, especially those of you who like the gift recommendations on the site. Katie has launched an educational toy company “Puzzle-Lore” that makes puzzles featuring beautiful illustrations and teach a little something, too. The inaugural set of three 100-piece puzzles…
I’m an Excellent Counter
We went and visited S for a week in the DC area. An excruciating 12 hour drive (my next blog post). Now, we only get the opportunity to vist with S and Mr C once sometimes twice a year. But such as it is, my kids refer to S as Aunt S and Mr C…
June Current Events
Nuclear treaty talks with Iran extended their deadline through this week. Pakistan and India are both undergoing a massive heat waves this summer, the death tolls of which have reached the thousands. The Syrian civil war continues, highlighted this month by a massacre of 146 civilians by the Islamic State in Kobani (Wiki TImeline) Six…
Disney World, a Truly Kid-Friendly All-Inclusive vacation in the U.S.
In California we took a quick trip down to Los Angeles (my brother lives there) to take our then 19-month-old to Disneyland. My mother and aunt were visiting and we wanted to go before moving out of state (if you’ve lived in Northern Cali, you recognize the irony in this…big state). The family time was…
Preschool Graduation
If you have been following the blog along, you know that my baby Shush is 5 years old, and it is that time of year when small children turn into bigger children, and walk down that arch to preschool graduation. I type this now with a heavy heart, not because I feel as if I…
What Piece?
If you have kids, or know someone who has kids, or have ever spoken to a kid, you know the feeling I am about to explain. That feeling like you are missing a big part of the information. That somewhere along the lines the information got either mixed up and thrown in the blender, or…