Modern Parents Messy Kids

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Yarn + Sandpaper + a Cereal Box = A Fabulous 3-in-1 Quiet Time Activity

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I've been doing a lot of lamenting about C dropping naps over on the facebook page lately (which, by the way, is new and improved!).  Despite all my whining, the situation remains the same - I can no longer count on having a chunk of my day all to myself.   Honestly, it's not as bad as I feared it would be.  C is very good at independent play and he does still nap occasionally.  I've found the key to surviving the no-nap days is to always be prepared with a stimulating activity or … [Read more...]

Playtime: Green Activites & Art Projects for the Whole Family

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I've got some exciting news to share today.  A few month's ago the folks over at FamilyFun Magazine asked me to design the "Go Green" edition of their Family Fun Badges, to be featured online and in print.  "What's a Family Fun Badge?" you say.  They're kind of like boy scout badges for families.       I really love how the whole concept promotes family time and creativity and was thrilled to have the opportunity to get involved.  Also, I got a pretty great theme to … [Read more...]

One Last St. Patrick’s Day Project

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St. Paddy's Day is just over a week away so here's one more fun project to try with the littles.  It's a really fun one too - green bracelets made, of all things, popsicle sticks.  The kids will love it - see my full tutorial here.   I also do a weekly roundup of family finds for momtastic and this week good stuff abounds (if I do say so myself).  Along with the fabulous frame wallpaper project above, I'm featuring posts on making time with the kids,  raising creative kids, an incredible … [Read more...]

Good Idea: Parenting Books Cliff Notes Swap

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The books pictured above have been taking up residence on my nightstand for as long as I can remember, and I haven't gotten past the first chapter on any of them.  I have a 3 year old and a 19 month old, I just don't have time in my life to crack open a book (and the 7th grade bookworm version of me just died a little with that sentence).  So there they sit, mocking me each night before I turn off the light.  I'm confident they're filled with the secrets to totally nailing this parenting thing, … [Read more...]

POYEL: Decluttering the Kitchen

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Time for a POYEL check-in.  Hopefully you're settling into a cleaning routine and you're saving some time each week on meal planning.  I've heard from lots of you via comments, facebook and email and it sounds like some serious progress is being made.  So what's next?  I'm thinking decluttering.  I figure the extra time is the perfect opportunity to start incorporating this into our lives.  And if you allocated a spot for decluttering in your weekly schedule then you're already ahead of the … [Read more...]

Interactive Leprechaun Trap

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Around this time last year I stumbled on the idea of making a Leprechaun Trap for St. Paddy's Day and mentally filed it away.  So when I started thinking of activities for the upcoming holiday, it was the first thing that popped into my head (which is somewhat of a miracle considering how long it was stowed away in there).  As with many of my projects, I wanted to add an interactive element and this DIY chalk version is what I came up with.   I like it because it allows me and the kids … [Read more...]

In Support of Hands-On Play (and Defense of Myself)

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I apologize to everyone tuning in today hoping for some playtime fun (soon!), but I've got to start this week by getting something off my chest.  Ever since publishing the post We Need to Talk: Kids & Screen Time, I've been tossing and turning in bed over the response.  On the one hand I was really happy that the post generated a (mostly) constructive discourse on the topic of kids and screen time.  On the other hand, though the conversation was a good one, it wasn't the one I meant to … [Read more...]