Modern Parents Messy Kids

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Virtual Summer Camps!

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Happy Friday everyone.  We're currently on family vacation at the lake, yay!  But I still wanted to quickly stop in and make sure you guys are checking out all the fun summer camps popping up around the blogosphere.     First up is dandee's Summer Craft Camp, which is actually her posts on a real camp she holds for girls every summer.  I recently found out that she's only about 3 1/2 hours away from me and I'm already plotting how to get S to this camp when she's big enough (the … [Read more...]

Kid Decor DIYs You Can Get Done in a Weekend

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It's been too long since we had a good "design with kids in mind" post around here.  To make amends, I've got three of my all time favorite kid room DIYs.  These projects will add a nice punch of style to any kid space and (the best part) each can be completed in a weekend or less.    There's a lot to love about this modern gray nursery featured at Buy Modern Baby (the monotone wall letters for one).  But my favorite element is definitely the DIY dresser.  You all know I'm a big … [Read more...]

Kid Craft: A Modern Take on the Classic God’s Eye

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 Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  I'm excited to be over at Make and Takes today participating in their wonderful Summer Camp for Kids series.   I'm posting my modern take on the classic summer camp craft: the God's Eye.  Head over for lots of pictures and step-by-step instructions like these.  See you back here tomorrow! Similar Stuff:Paper Crane Tutorial to Help Your Children & Those in Japan DIY Paint Chip Birthday BannerDIY Vases for Mother's Day … [Read more...]

Ideas & Tools for Dramatic Play

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This week started off with routine doctor appointments for the kids, which also meant routine shots.  To say I wasn't looking forward to it is an understatement.  I had visions of one kiddo watching the other scream in pain only to find out (from me) that they were next on the hot seat.  In the end, though, it turned out to be a rather benign experience.   Ironically, my saving grace was C falling down and scraping his knee the day before.  The cut was so minor that I didn't really … [Read more...]

MPMK’s “Learning to Love Reading” Book Lists: Beginning Readers

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I'm so excited to announce a new series starting today - MPMK's Learning to Love Reading Book Lists.  Several of you have written me requesting book recommendations lately.  So I contacted my cousin Lisa and asked if she'd be willing to do a post or two on summer reading for the kids.     Lisa is a fantastic resource because she's currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Literature for Children and Young Adults at The Ohio State University. She reads everything from board books for babies to … [Read more...]

DIY Paint Chip Birthday Banner

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I've already told you guys my little S turns 1 this month.  Of course we couldn't let that momentous event pass without a proper party.  I'll be sharing lots of details with you in the next few weeks, starting with today's DIY paint chip birthday banner.     You may remember when I debuted my paint chip Easter garland, I mentioned that I had a few more paint chip projects up my sleeve.  That little post ended up going viral (thank you all so much for over 1,000 facebook likes!).  … [Read more...]