Now that my daughter is getting to be old enough to start helping with chores, I have been thinking of ways to make chores fun. Here was my first idea: Chore Tic-Tac-Toe. For now, she needs to get three X’s in a row in order to “win.” When my younger child is … Read more
When my daughter was young, I created a book of meaningful quotes for her as a keepsake. I then added pages to the back for “Quotes from You”, where I write down all of the funny and sweet things that she says. This has become a treasure for my daughter, especially as … Read more
I started using “creative consequences” for my kids about six months ago and was shocked at what a difference it made in whether or not they actually listen to me. It gets their attention much faster than the typical lines they’ve heard a thousand times. Some of them may seem kind of … Read more
A while ago, my daughter and I had a Mommy/Daughter day, and I realized that we were both getting sick of the same old dinner and a movie, or the kids’ places that we go to for birthday parties. So, I came up with some new ideas that sounded more memorable. We … Read more
I recently started using dry erase boards in my kids’ bedrooms to leave them reminders, write notes, and stay organized. It has not only made my life easier, but my kids love it! Once it became clear that they were going to be in the rooms for a while, I decided to … Read more
I consider myself a minimalist and like to use everything in my house as often as possible. I don’t like the idea of storing an item away, only to use it once or twice a year. So, after my annual Christmas baking day, I was packing up my cookie cutters as usual … Read more
Happy New Year! For my first post of 2013, here are 5 crazy ideas for twists on sledding. You should be able to do any of these with items you already have. Please leave me a comment if you try any of them! 1. Use a laundry basket: you can fill it … Read more
The love of a parent for a child is like a seed. It starts with the anticipation of the birth and continues to develop and become stronger over the years. Becoming a parent involves a metamorphosis, where self-interest takes precedence over the unconditional dedication and selfless love. Once you have become a … Read more
When I used to teach preschool, my favorite holiday gifts were ones that were useful (i.e. Starbucks gift cards), and ones that were sentimental (i.e. a homemade craft from the child). Now that I’m on the giver end of teacher gifts, I like to combine both of these types of gifts. This … Read more
Best interactive christmas websites for kidsI’ve got to hand it to some people – they are more creative than I will ever be. Some very inventive (and tech-savvy!) people have created some awesome interactive Christmas websites that kids love. Here are my favorite ones (and of course, these are all free) so … Read more
Here are ideas for keeping kids busy while you need to get things done around the house. None of them will make a mess, and most can be done with items you have around the house already. Magnets: make magnets for kids so that they can play with them while you are … Read more
Date nights are one of my favorite things in life. I actually think that I like date nights now more than I did in my single days. Here are some of my favorite date night ideas – please note that some of them are at-home date nights, so you’ll have to make arrangements … Read more