Modern Parents Messy Kids

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Attention: How Much (and What Kind) Do Kids Really Need?

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photo via Sewing In No Man's Land   Isn't that jet pack rad?!  (That's not an adjective I use much but in this case it seems appropriate).  I found the DIY on pinterest with the caption, "Cool moms make capes.  Even cooler moms make jet packs." Ha!   In a perfect world I would spend all day, every day with S and C trying out new art projects, playing new games, and making cool stuff like this.  In reality, though, I tend to blog about these types of things more often than I … [Read more...]

A Colorful (& Cheap) First Birthday Bash

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I'm finally getting around to posting on S's first birthday party today (hip hip hooray!).  The celebration wasn't too long after our trip to San Diego so I knew I wasn't gonna have time to go over the top.  The problem was I made a giant, six layer monster cake for C's first birthday and I was feeling guilty about not doing something super spectacular for S too.   On the other hand, though, I've also developed a new outlook on kid parties since C's first.  Here's my take: while all those … [Read more...]

Color Creativity – 5 Unique Ideas for Art Time

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C is really into colors these days. (Sidebar: He learned his colors and numbers many months ago but he still often confuses green and yellow.  My husband and I have always thought it was kind of funny how those two colors trip him up then, this weekend, we caught my dad calling something yellow that was very definitely green.  Is there some kind of crazy hereditary color-blindness that only applies to these two hues?!)  C is so into it, in fact, that his standard crayons and paints are starting … [Read more...]

Elsewhere

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In trying to get everything scheduled for my recent vacation, I neglected to keep you up-to-date on my posts over at momtastic.First up is this post from last week on traveling with the dollar aisle - make sure you check it out if you're planning on going anywhere with a toddler this summer!  Yesterday I explored some ideas for forming a Jr. Jam Band (preschool style).Plus I posted two more family friendly web round ups.  They're full of stuff I'd like to include in my Weekend Look Books but … [Read more...]

Everything You Need to Know to Start Composting

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Now that our trash diet is well underway, I wanted to share with you what I've learned about composting.  This is the part of the program I was most excited about because I figured it would be an easy way to immediately start reducing our waste.  But before I get ahead of myself, let me give you a quick primer on how exactly it works. See below for a visual step-by step guide:     No really - that's it!  I have no idea why it took me so long to jump on the composting … [Read more...]

Quiet Time with Audio Books

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photo via ohdeedoh   Now that we're all rested from vacation, we're ready to tackle some new routines around here.  My 2 (almost 3) year old is starting to drop his nap on occasion and I have a feeling he could be getting rid of it all together in the near future.That's a problem because the kids' nap time is mama's work time!  Thankfully, I recently read this wonderful post on audio books and quiet time.  Then, on the very same day, ohdeedoh posted a top 10 list of audio books - I … [Read more...]

Party DIY: Make Custom Colored Donuts

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Today I have another short tutorial from S's recent 1st birthday bash.  I decided to keep it to two homemade elements for the party - her paint chip birthday banner and some custom colored donuts.  Why donuts instead of more traditional party treats like cake or cupcakes?  The party was at 10:15 in the morning (we were working around naps) so I thought it would be fun to do something a little more breakfast-y.   In fairness, I guess I should say these are "semi-homemade".  In an effort … [Read more...]

DIY Puppet Theaters & the Benefits of Puppet Play

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I'm so honored to have Amanda of Not Just Cute guest posting today.  If you've been an MPMK reader for long then you know what a big fan I am of both her blog and her e-book, Parenting with Positive Discipline.  I've referenced Amanda's insightful posts many, many times on topics ranging from picking the right preschool and talking to young children about death to being a better listener and Dr. Seuss.  Today, in typical Not Just Cute fashion, Amanda shares with us not only her favorite DIY … [Read more...]