How do you build a leprechaun trap? Ask your kids! Looking for fun STEAM activities for preschoolers (science, technology, engineering, art, and math)? Or for easy St. Patrick’s Day crafts for kids? Or are you a homeschooling parent in search of a preschool engineering activity or STEM activities for kindergarten? Building leprechaun traps is one of the …
How To Make A Leprechaun Trap (Preschool Engineering Activity) Read More »
How To Make the Ultimate Family Winter Emergency Car Survival Kit: You’ve got the summer car essentials down pat – but what about winter preparedness? Especially for emergencies? It’s never too late to prepare your family’s winter car emergency kit – unless, of course, you’re facing an emergency situation and realize you FORGOT to prepare. …
The Parents’ Winter Car Emergency Kit Checklist (Free Printable!) Read More »
Easy Weeknight Recipe: Sweet Cabbage Skillet Dinner or Side Dish Think your kids (or you) don’t like cabbage? This sweet sautéed cabbage skillet will change your minds. Full of fresh fall flavors, this sweet fried cabbage recipe is naturally gluten- and dairy-free. Make it as a vegan side dish, or add your favorite sausage (meat …
Mama’s 30-Minute Sweet Cabbage Recipe (GF Side or Main Course) Read More »
(UPDATED FOR 2022) As I’ve written elsewhere, once upon a time I was the Queen of Getting Things Done. Then I had kids, and my productivity mojo vanished. It’s taken a long time for me to reclaim it. But now that I have, I can’t wait to share with you the secret of how to …
How to Reach Your Goals This Year (Free Printable!) Read More »
Making homemade Christmas ornaments with your children is a great way to spend time together, while practicing critical learning skills. These adorable button snowman ornaments are a great way to help your littles build fine motor skills and coordination while practicing sorting and measuring. And DIY Christmas ornaments make great gifts for the special people in their …
Cute & Easy Button Snowman Ornaments (DIY Christmas Ornaments!) Read More »
Wondering How To Raise A Grateful Child? Read These Tips: Teaching kids to be thankful is a lifelong project that works best as a year-round activity, not just something to practice in the days or weeks around Thanksgiving. But for many of us, raising a grateful child may not be as second nature as we’d like. Raising …
Easy Ways to Teach Your Child Gratitude (All Year Long!) Read More »
I first saw paper clip angels a few years ago at our church’s holiday bazaar and thought, “Oh, how sweet!” There must be a gazillion versions of paper clip angels on Pinterest, but every time I do this craft, it’s new to everyone who sees it. Originally published Dec. 9, 2016; last updated November 2020 …
Paper Clip Angels (Cute Homemade Christmas Ornament) Read More »
Wondering How to Raise Healthy Children? These Tips WORK! Every parent wants their child to be as healthy and happy as possible. With chronic health issues on the rise, from asthma to allergies, doing everything we can on this front as parents is critical. But raising healthy children often feels like an uphill battle: As our …
Raising Healthy Children: Everyday Tips for Parents Read More »
Old-Fashioned Baked Apples Recipe: Perfect Prep-Ahead Holiday Dessert, Easy and Delicious There’s nothing like the scent of oven baked apples cooking to make your home smell warm and cozy at the holidays. “Baked” apples are a ten-minute everyday breakfast treat in our home, thanks to the microwave. But when I’m making a lot of baked …
Old-Fashioned Oven Baked Apples Recipe (Easy & Healthy) Read More »
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, here’s a question for all you U.S.-based parents. Have your kids learned yet why we celebrate this holiday, and what the story behind it is? Need help? This Thanksgiving Bead Bracelet is a sweet craft to do with your preschoolers or elementary-school students, while teaching them about the first …
Thanksgiving Bead Bracelet Craft & Poem (Free Printable!) Read More »
When I was growing up, each day began with a good breakfast. And breakfast always began with a serving of fruit. On chilly mornings, my favorite breakfast fruit was my mother’s delicious homemade baked apples. Originally published Oct. 5, 2017; last updated October 2020. My mama baked apples the old-fashioned way, in the oven. Usually …
Healthy Microwave Baked Apples Recipe (Ready in 10 Minutes!) Read More »
Weighted Blanket Pros and Cons: One Neurodiverse Family’s Unbiased Weighted Blanket Review As long-time readers know, I am obsessed with getting a good night’s sleep. I am obsessed with my kids sleeping well. I am especially obsessed with overcoming all the hurdles mamas face to a good night’s sleep. So with all the hype in …
Are Weighted Blankets Worth It? (Comprehensive Review) Read More »
When does your family start thinking about Halloween? Me, I start hounding my kids for costume ideas over the summer. I love DIY costumes; having them take forever to make, not so much. Hence I was thrilled this past August when Essie announced she’d be a ghost for Halloween. How hard can it be to make a …
How To Make A Ghost Costume (It’s Harder Than You’d Think!) Read More »
You’re dreaming about girl names, shopping for girl clothes – congratulations! You’re the proud parents-to-be of a girl! As a #girlmom for over a decade now, I’ve learned a lot about how to raise strong daughters who are ready for anything life has to throw at them. Here are some of the techniques we’ve used …
17 Tips (That Truly Work!) To Raise Strong Girls Read More »
Planning a Family Road Trip During the Pandemic? Here’s How to Travel Safely: So many families love to travel in the summer, but this has been a year unlike any other. The girls and I were supposed to be on a Girl Scout trip to London and Paris right now. That’s been cancelled, along with …
Essential Family Road Trip Hacks to Travel Safely Read More »
Homeschooling On The Fly: Learning At Home When Schools Are Closed Indefinitely I never wanted to be a homeschool teacher. My kiddos have unique needs that I thought might better be served by pros with actual background in how best to teach them. But thanks to our current global health crisis, we – like so …
Our Sample Homeschool Schedule (3rd Grade/5th Grade) Read More »
Beaded Snakes: The Best DIY Fidget Toys We’ve Found Do your kids like having something to fidget with as much as mine do? If so, making your own homemade DIY fidget toys is a fun family activity for a rainy afternoon or a day of summer camp at home. And if you already have kids’ …
How To Steam Veggies In The Microwave: Steaming vegetables in the microwave is about as easy as cooking gets. If you haven’t done this before – or if you wish your kids would eat more veggies – then microwave-steamed vegetables is a technique worth trying. Originally published May 10, 2016; last updated July 2020. Microwave-steamed …
How To Make Steamed Vegetables In The Microwave (Fast & Easy Side Dish!) Read More »
My Seven Favorite Ways to Save Money on Groceries: I love a morning of leisurely shopping as much as anyone. But ever since I became a parent, running errands has become more like a tactical strike operation. While single me would spend an hour of Sunday afternoon browsing store ads for the best deals, parent …
7 Grocery Shopping Tips to Save Time (And Money!) Read More »
To Exhausted Parents: Give Yourself Some Grace! I am exhausted. The fatigue I’ve been feeling lately has only been getting worse, not better, as parts of the country slowly start to lift their stay-at-home restrictions. And I know a lot of my friends are also feeling like exhausted parents right now: Supervising virtual school has …
