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Audiobooks for Calming Hyper Preschoolers (and Where to Find Them)

August 10 by Janssen

A children's librarian's pick of the best audiobooks for calming down hyper kids - love that they're broken up by types of books and reading skill!

We've got yet another resource for you to use with our free B.O.R.E.D. printable today. Our children's librarian, Janssen, has rounded up the best audiobooks for calming active (aka hyper) kids. And it's just the thing for keeping the preschool set occupied for the rest of the summer and in the fall if, like in our house, they're missing older siblings who have ventured off to school. Read on for Janssen's picture book, easy reader and early chapter book recommendations! I've long been a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, Quiet Time, The Book Nook Tagged With: book nook, children's books, Earth Day activities for kids

9 Go-To Snacks for Park Days and Pool Trips

July 27 by Janssen

9 Super easy snacks for keeping kids fueled all day long! #spon

*This post is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company, all opinions are 100% our own When school gets out, I always breathe a sigh of relief that I'm off the hook for packing lunches for a few months. But then, I quickly realize that while the lunch box might be packed away for the summer, we're still go-go-going whether it's to the pool, the park, or a family road trip. Which means packing snacks. Like most kids, my little girls are super active, so I've put together a list of our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best on-the-go snacks for kids, easy kids snacks, healthy kids snacks, Quaker, sponsored

How Iris is Making My Summer Vacations Even Better

June 5 by Janssen

We’re back today with Janssen’s final post on what it was really like taking her regular old home and turning it into a “smart home”. (Read all about the innovative ways she set up her home with the Iris by Lowe’s system in her last post, here.) After reading today's post, I am once again more than a little jealous that I handed the Iris off to her instead of keeping it for myself. I can't believe all the options you have with this system! Today we're covering all that the Iris by Lowe’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen Tagged With: how to set up a smart home, Lowe's Iris system, smart home, sponsored, what is a smart home

20 Must-Read Books for Summer – Something for Everyone’s List

May 15 by Janssen

Summer reading list for moms - some AWESOME picks here! Everything from chick lit and memoir to parenting. Gonna try to read them all this summer!

As a stay-at-home mom with a baby and preschooler, summer life doesn't look ALL that much different than my regular mom life. But it feels different, doesn't it? The warm weather, longer hours of daylight, weekday trips to the pool, road trip vacations, and kids filling the library, park and neighborhood streets, all add up to a totally different routine in my mind. And summer reading is part of that, obviously. Whether your book is accompanying you to a park bench or a sparkling … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, The Book Nook Tagged With: best kid books, kids summer reading, summer reading list, summer reading list for moms, summer reading lists for kids

A Smart Home in 1-2-3: Lowe’s Iris System is THAT Easy

May 4 by Janssen

How to set up a "smart home" to make your life so much easier! Motion sensors, smart phone compatible, and even smart fabs that will tell you where your kids are all the time- The Iris system from Lowe's is SO COOL!

We're back today with Janssen's follow-up post on what it was really like taking her regular old home and turning it into a "smart home". Did you see her first post on the topic? Full disclosure: after reading Janssen's review, I am more than a little jealous that I gave this post to her instead of keeping the Iris by Lowe's system for myself. I could really use the ability to turn off my son's star light with my phone after he falls asleep at night. And a smart fob I can just put on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fresh Finds: The Everyday, Janssen Tagged With: how to set up a smart phone, Iris by Lowe's, smart fob for keeping track of kids, sponsored

Earth Day Activity: Upcycled Juice Box Seed Starters

April 13 by Janssen

Easy Earth Day activity for the kids - DIY seed starter planters made from upcycled juice boxes. My kids loved these!

Looking for a quick and easy Earth Day project to do with the kids? Our contributor Janssen teamed up with our newest sponsor, Juicy Juice, for the perfect Earth Day kid craft- upcycled juice box seed starters! It's spring break this week around here and I can't wait to make a whole batch with the kids this week. I also love Janssen's idea of making them now and using them as gifts for Teacher Appreciation Day later. spring break activity and teacher appreciation gift- who doesn't love a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art + Kid Crafts, Janssen Tagged With: sponsored

Raising Kids in a Digital World: 8 Books to Help Modern Parents

April 6 by Janssen

Raising kids in a digital world- SO many great resources for when you child should get a phone, keeping kids safe online, and how your kids are affected by YOUR phone! Love them all!

Parenting in the digital world is something that has been on my mind SO much lately. I've been wondering about everything from the best apps to keep my kids safe online and what kind of screen time limits to enforce, to how my own phone use affects my kids. That last one is a doozy and has been especially worrying me lately as my job is online so I'm definitely on my phone more than I'd like... In fact, after I read this list from our in-house children's librarian, Janssen, I raced to get the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting, The Book Nook Tagged With: keeping kids safe online, kids and phones, kids and screens, raising kids in a digital world, when should my child get a phone

How Iris is Helping Combat My Mom Brain

March 23 by Janssen

How to set up a "smart home" to make your life so much easier!

I was telling a friend recently that I don't feel like I ever suffered from "pregnancy brain" during my three pregnancies, but I definitely have "mom brain."  Between three little kids, a new house that needs a fair amount of updating, a small business, and all the regular household tasks like laundry, library books, grocery shopping, and dance classes, I feel like things are always falling between the cracks. I'm always looking for things that make managing my life a little easier and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fresh Finds: The Everyday, Janssen, The grown ups (that's you!) Tagged With: how to set up a smart home, Iris Smart Home, smart home apps, sponsored, what is a smart home

How to Make Your Kid a Money Saver

March 7 by Janssen

How to teach your kids to save and budget- great tips here for kids of all ages!

Today's post is brought to you by MPMK's newest sponsor, Upromise, a company dedicated to helping parents find small ways to do a really big thing- save for college! If you're not familiar with how the Upromise program works, here's a quick 1-minute video to get you up to speed on how the things you already do every day, from shopping online to ordering pizza for movie night, can earn you money for your child's college fund. Check out the Upromise program today and then check out these … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen Tagged With: how to teach your kids to budget, how to teach your kids to save, maying your child a money-saver, parenting, Upromise

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