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Free Printable: Thanksgiving Gratitude Conversation Starters

November 10 by Kristin

Free Printable Conversation Starters for Families: All About Gratitude- we printed these and made a countdown chain as the post suggested. Such a great way to easily incorporate thankfulness into our day this time of year AND get the kids talking to me!

Gratitude isn't a new concept for us.  We've talked before about regularly expressing gratitude toward our kids and putting our gratitude into writing. Do a simple search for gratitude on the blog and you'll see many ideas for crafts and thoughts about giving thanks. The benefits of being a grateful person range from being more optimistic, less materialistic and self-centered, to increasing our self-esteem and actually making us healthier.  This is something we should be working on literally … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Projects, Kristin, MJ, Printables, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: free thanksgiving printable, kids gratitude ideas, kids Thanksgiving craft, kids Thanksgiving ideas, Thanksgiving activities, thanksgiving countdown, thanksgiving diy

Kid-Friendly Meal Idea: Cobb Salad Bar

May 12 by Kristin

Somehow things feel better when you are able to choose them. In our house, vegetables can be a hard sell. They go down a little easier, though, when you can have more of your favorites and less of the ones you don't like. Maybe you didn't think you liked tomatoes, but when they're mixed with all the bacon, they're not so bad! Making a cobb salad bar is super easy. Gather different size bowls and a cutting board and get to work. This is the kind of thing kids can help … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With: cobb salad bar, dinners for kids, kid friendly dinners, kid friendly meals, kid friendly recipes, kid friendly salad, meals for kids, salad bar

9 Mother’s Day DIY Projects Your Kids Can Make in Under 30 Minutes

April 30 by Kristin

My husband got an email blast the other day that made me laugh out loud. The gist was this, "Heads up guys, there's no elementary teacher to help your kids make their Mother's Day gift this year... it's on you!" If you have a suspicion your partner doesn't have a thing planned, first, no judgement. We're all juggling what feels like a million things right now. Second, we're here to save the day with some adorable DIYs that your kids can make in under 30 minutes this week. Maybe your kids will … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Kristin, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: 10 minute diy, 10 minute Mother's Day project, best Mother's Day gifts, Mother's Day craft for kids, Mother's Day crafts, mother's day diy, Mother's Day ideas, Mother's Day project

7 Smoothies to Help Your Picky Eater Get Enough Protein

April 21 by Kristin

Smoothies are by far the easiest, healthiest breakfast I can make for me and the kids... and everyone will happily eat/drink it! They're also an amazing way to get my kids protein. In fact, with my youngest's current eating habits, it can often be the only guaranteed way! Plus, there are endless varieties to be made. If your kiddo gets bored all you have to do is swap out a few ingredients and, presto, a whole new breakfast. Today Kristin is sharing 7 high protein smoothie recipes both her … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Kristin Tagged With: easy breakfast recipes, easy kid breakfasts, high protein smoothie recipes, kids smoothie breakfasts, nutrition for kids, protein for kids, protein smoothies for kids

Super Special Sensory Play: Ice Cream Playdough

March 5 by Kristin

Ice Cream Play Dough. This amazing play dough looks, feels, (and smells) just like real ice cream BUT DOESN'T MELT - such a fun activity for birthday parties or other special occasions!

On Tuesday I wrote about how my family has been affected living in the epicenter of the American coronavirus outbreak and I plan to continue writing about our experiences in the coming days. Late last night, though, we got word that every school in my kids' district is closing- and we will be participating in at-home, mobile learning for up to 14 days.  Needless to say, I'm scrambling for ways to make it work having my kindergartner, 3rd and 5th graders home while I also need to work. One of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Engaging, Kristin, Sensory & Interactive Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: arts and crafts for kids, easy crafts for kids, ice cream dough, ice cream dough recipe, play doh recipe, play ideas, playdough recipe, rainy day play, sponsored, tactile DIY for kids

Free Printable: A Week’s Worth of Valentine Lunchbox Jokes

January 28 by Kristin

I've been talking to you a lot about healthy kid food lately. You know what goes fabulously with healthy lunches? Absolutely anything that makes eating them more fun! Younger kids almost universally love knock-knock or punny jokes. So we've put together a printable with valentine jokes for you to slip inside your child's lunchbox. Simply print out the free form, cut along the lines, and you're good to go. Send me the lunchbox notes! You'll have one for every school day the week of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Kristin, Printables Tagged With: lunchbox valentines, valentine jokes, valentine printable, Valentines for kids

How to Connect at Dinner Time: Conversation Starters & Parked Phone Stations

January 16 by Kristin

Hundreds of dinner conversation starters for kids- tons and tons of printable conversation starters to get the kids talking at dinner time. We started using these every night!

Life comes at you fast these days.  Have you noticed how we drink our morning coffee and the next thing we know, we're tired and crawling into bed? If we don't stop to be intentional, we can miss out on some really important moments with our spouse and kids. There are two things we've found helpful in being more present with our kids at dinner time: A no-technology rule at meal time. A handy set of conversations starters to get the ball rolling. Today we're going to show … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kristin, Parenting, Printables Tagged With: conversation starters, no-technology rule, phone parking station, technology free dinner, technology-free zone

Healthy Kid Snack with Hidden Protein: Roasted Peas Three Ways

January 9 by Kristin

Peas are one of those under-estimated vegetables. You think they need to stay in the frozen section and only come out for a chicken pot pie. Peas actually have more protein than a whole egg or a tablespoon of peanut butter. Not only that, peas are a source of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, thiamine (B1), iron and phosphorus. Getting peas into your diet can be a little challenging, so I decided to try my hand at roasting them as an alternative to steaming. I've made roasted chickpeas … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With: after school snack, healthy kid snacks, healthy pea recipe, healthy snacks, kid snacks, pea protein, pea recipe, roasted peas

Family New Year’s Eve Idea: DIY Balloon Drop

December 30 by Kristin

Why didn't I think of this? It's so easy - definitely doing it with the kids this New Years!

Do you guys celebrate New Year's eve with your kiddos? In years past I've skipped it due to the whole, "there's no way my kids are making it to anywhere near midnight and, if by some some miracle, they do - I'm scared to see what will happen the next day" thing.  But then I stumbled on the concept of "Happy Noonyear". Which is just what it sounds like, basically celebrating at noon instead of midnight. Kinda genius, right? Regardless if you decide "Happy Noonyear" or stay up for regular … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Kristin, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: balloon drop, DIY balloon drop, DIY New Year's balloon drop, diy new years eve, Happy Noonyear, kids balloon drop, kids New Years Eve activity, new year's eve for kids

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