Modern Parents Messy Kids

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20 No/Low Set-Up Ways to Play with Your Kids in the Back Yard

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Not that I'm counting or anything, but summer is something like 52 days away. I don't know about you, but for us... Summer is all about fun without the fuss. Our family loves the new-found together time. And we love doing activities together, both in and out of the house. But the key to making things more enjoyable for everyone? Especially for Mom? Minimal planning and set up. I mean, it's KEY. As usual, we'll be focusing on getting outside as much as possible this summer, even despite the … [Read more...]

Make It: Donut Easter Bunny Surprise

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Easter is about a month away, so it's time to roll out the ideas. We're kicking things off with Alli and her super cute bunny donut idea, perfect for Easter.   We'll probably make ours Saturday morning since we do family brunch on Easter Sunday.   Here's how to make yours... Who says you can't play with your food? Especially your kids' food. Our home activity theme for this month is Easter, so I was determined to surprise Isaiah with a bunny breakfast at some point. And I just loved how … [Read more...]

Parenting: Making Cookies with Grandma, Uninterrupted

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*This post is sponsored by Huggies. In this house, we love uninterrupted family time. We were so excited for my parents to visit last week, for example. We all had the chance to sit down and ice gingerbread cookies together for what felt like hours. I honestly got teary eyed, it was so special. Three generations, bonding and baking together, with no interruptions. My son was so proud icing the pieces "all by himself." And I know he was happy to be dry during our cookie frosting family … [Read more...]

20 Organization Projects to Make Back-to-School a Breeze

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It's back-to-school month. You know what that means - time to buckle down and set up some solid morning, lunch packing, and maybe even homework routines. It wouldn't hurt to set up a backpack and study zone either! Here's Alli with 20 of the best projects out there to get you organized for Back-to-School. My oldest son will be starting a Mother's Day Out program this Fall. I know, I know. That's small potatoes in the back-to-school world. But still. It has my heart in a lurch. I'm already … [Read more...]

Mother’s Day DIY Mug (You can call me Queen Bee)

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Mother's Day is the perfect time to try a DIY project and I guarantee you're going to adore this one. I want to make one for every mom I know! Here's Alli with the details... I am loving the "make your own mug" trend for two reasons: 1. There's nothing better than a handmade gift. 2. It's so amazingly EASY! I mean, really. The possibilities are endless. I picked up one mug at the dollar store for this project, and I found myself wishing I'd grabbed a dozen. I decided to go with a … [Read more...]

12 Ways To Make Mornings With Kids Easier

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I am not a morning person. Anyone in my family (or extended family) can attest to that.  In fact, I know this sounds crazy... but getting up early is one of the things I dreaded most about having children. I mean, I am a CHAMP at sleeping. I can sleep until late afternoon if no one wakes me up. But alas, they do. Every. Single. Morning. And now that the school year is in full-swing, there's just now way around it. The good news? I've learned a few tricks over the years. Tricks that … [Read more...]

10 Great Places for Kids to Spend Their Allowance

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I've written here already about how back-to-school always feels like a breath of fresh air to me - largely because we get the chance to establish some new routines and it brings a whole new flow to our family life. One of those routines we're currently focusing on are our chores. These include both family jobs AND money jobs.  So far, it's going really well. But one of the things that stumped me for a bit, especially when we first started to pay our young children for their "money jobs", … [Read more...]

4th of July Frozen Treats with Hidden Fruits & Veggies

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*I’m a PediaSure SideKicks Partner and am a sponsored blog partner, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure. With weekend bar-b-ques, swim lessons, and park play dates in full swing, it's definitely starting to feel like summer around here! Around our house that means a lot of things, including more lax bedtimes and, often, less nutritious eating then I normally strive for... This week alone we've already grilled hotdogs and cooked s'mores in the backyard … [Read more...]

STEM: 20 Kitchen Science Experiments Your Kids Will Love

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I don't mean to scare you or anything but, it's May folks. Summer vacation will be here before you know it - do you have a plan? Mine is to set up some sort of loose schedule. Nothing too confining but a flexible outline of how any days spent at home are going to go.  I'll have more details later this month, but for now, suffice to say, I'm gathering resources. And this list is one of them.  Summer is the perfect time to try a science experiment or two from the comfort of your own … [Read more...]