Does your child help around the house? No matter what their age, if a kid can walk, they can help. (And even infants can “practice” things as a game.) Unless you have a maid or a cleaning service, getting help around the house from family members is essential. However, it’s also easier said than done, […]
How To Get Kids to Help Around the House: 21 Hacks 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 »
Using Tech To Help Your Kids Learn Over Summer Break: For parents of school-aged kids, summer can be a tricky time. If you’re a work-at-home parent, you need to figure out how to meet those deadlines even while schlepping and entertaining your kiddos. You have to keep them slathered in sunscreen, and safe from tick
Tips To Avoid The Summer Slide Read More »
Parents are kids’ first and most important teachers, especially in a child’s early years. We sing to them, we talk to them, we read to them. We teach them how to dress themselves and clean up their toys. We practice their alphabet and counting, their color recognition and spelling words with them. And we teach
Teaching Your Child Good Personal Hygiene Read More »
Isn’t this spider web craft adorable? Surely it must be super-simple, right? Well, yes, IF you have the directions. Which I did not. So, as with everything else in my life that ends up being harder than I’d ever imagined (such as making a ghost costume), I had to hack my way through it. So yes,
Cute Spider Web Craft, Made Simple Read More »
I’m thrilled to share this guest post today from fellow blogger Sarah Brumley! Sarah is one of my blogging sisters – I swear, half of what she writes makes me think, “I can hear myself saying that to my kids!” (The other half, I wish I had already thought of saying to my kids!) While
Three Finance Lessons All Children Should Learn Read More »
Children don’t need stress relief tips … or do they? You might be surprised. True, your kiddos probably don’t have to worry about paying bills, going to work, or getting dinner on the table. But that doesn’t mean that they’re completely carefree. We all like to think of our kids as happy-go-lucky bundles of joy,
10 Stress Relief Tips For Your Children Read More »
This is not the post I’d originally scheduled for today. But life happens. HOW we react when life happens is critical, especially as parents. Our little ones are always watching us, learning by example. When you encounter your next “teachable moment,” how will you react? The former classroom teacher in me is always on the
Life Happens: Making “Teachable Moment” Lemonade Read More »
Does your family enjoy exploring new cultures through their foods? We do. Trying the local cuisine is always tops on my vacation list. Likewise, whenever I return somewhere I’ve visited or lived, I cannot wait to taste my local favorites again. Among my guilty pleasures whenever I visit Mexico is a plate of chilaquiles (CHEE-la-KEY-lays)
Chilaquiles (Breakfast Nachos): Fun DIY Breakfast for Kids Read More »
Are your kids starting to get squirrely for the end of the school year and the start of summer break? Do you find their school-year routines and ability to self-regulate breaking down? Those skills have long since flown the coop around here, so we tried something new this morning: a brand-new set of clothespin chore
Clothespin Chore Chart: How-To’s, Inspiration, and Tips for Success Read More »
There’s something special about mother-daughter bonding days. Taking some time to do something special with your favorite girl (or girls) is a great way to strengthen your relationship while having fun. And what could be better than a spa day? One with homemade spa products that you created yourselves! With winter winding down and spring
Mother-Daughter Spa Day with DIY Spa Products Read More »
It’s finally here: the week you’ve set aside for a family summer vacation. But the weather forecast calls for one rainy day after another. That would sum up our vacation last week. Or for whatever other reason, you find yourself confined indoors with children who are going stir-crazy for lack of adventures. Either way, you’re
Your Summertime Rainy Day Cheat Sheet Read More »
Does your family have a Tasting Garden yet? If not, and you have a little chunk of ground (or even a large pot and a sunny spot), you need one. Our Tasting Garden is the girls’ favorite spot in the front yard, and Essie especially loves to sample its goodies and share them with our
Why Your Kids Will Love A Tasting Garden Read More »
When’s the right time to teach your kid to budget? I vaguely recall my parents mentioning budgeting before college, which is when I became responsible for handing over a check each month at the bursar’s office. Nothing drives home the importance of budgeting like making sure your earnings will cover next month’s tuition payment. We’ve all heard of – and
When Should You Teach Your Kid To Budget? Read More »
Do your kiddos practice bucket-filling on a daily basis? Have you even taught them about bucket-filling yet? You probably have, and just don’t realize it. But in this season of celebrating miracles and light and goodness, many of us are focusing in our families on bucket-filling anyway. Even if we don’t do so in the context
Bucket-Filling For Your Kids Read More »
Looking for some super gift ideas for your little ones this holiday season? Try some Smart Games. What are Smart Games? Smart Games is a company founded in Belgium that makes a super selection of games to grow your kid’s brain. The games are designed to help kids develop problem-solving skills and other basic brain functions that
Smart Games For Your Holiday Gift List Read More »
So you want to teach your kid to ride a bike. Maybe you’ve even heard of the “one day” method, and been suspicious – as I was, when I first stumbled across references to it online. Perhaps you’re wondering, as I did: does it work? Can you really teach your kid to ride a bike
Teach Your Kid To Ride A Bike In One Day? Really? Read More »
If you’re a mama who’s continued to hold down a high-powered position post-parenthood, without dropping balls on the job or at home too often, my hat is off to you. Parenthood has a way of thrusting a whole new level of being responsible onto unsuspecting grownups (holy cow, did they just let us walk out
On (Not) Being Responsible for Everything Read More »
Plenty of mamas with elementary education degrees have created super posts and printables that can help you teach your preschoolers math, all based on sound educational theory (for example, see here and here, and even here). As a mama with no formal training in this area, I’ve stumbled upon a different approach. Many preschoolers love
Sneak Some Math Into Your Preschooler Read More »
My husband teaches math for a living. To kiddos much older than ours. Because of this, I wasn’t surprised when my friends began asking me, years ago, what we were doing to teach the girls math. Truth is, when the girls were still infants and toddlers, I was the one with them most of the
Math for the Diaper Set: Six Ways to Get Started Read More »
