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Our best Amazon Prime Day Finds, part 2 – The Capsule Wardrobe of Your Dreams

October 11 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

After previously covering our best Prime Day Sale finds for the home, the kids, the teens, and the guys ... it's time for the ladies! (And, ok, also the techies).Don't forget - if you're not already a Prime member, you need to get your free 30 Day Prime Membership here to get in on the deals.Ready to build the capsule wardrobe of your dreams? Here we go...After previously covering our best Prime Day Sale finds for the home, the kids, the teens, and the guys... it's time for the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Amazon Prime Day Sale, capsule wardrobe, Gifts for her, Prime Day

Prime Day Finds – Part 1

October 11 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

 for the first time ever Prime Day is coming twice this year! And officially starts now and lasts until tomorrow, October 12th!Psst - You need to get your free 30 Day Prime Membership here to get in on the deals.With thousands of you shopping the sales I've recommended in years past, I'm feeling like a bit of a veteran this time around and I'm here to share with you my secrets.First, there are certain items that Amazon puts on deep discount … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: amazon sale, Prime Day Sale

Gift Guide: My 2021 Favs

December 13 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

I've been getting a lot of emails asking when my gift guides will be coming out and I have to apologize. We've had some set backs over here.See exhibit A..​​Yes, that is an enormous Cedar tree that fell onto our house earlier this month. Luckily no one was hurt but, needless to say, it's been quite the project. Add to that my daughter's swim team, youngest's soccer, and oldest's TWO basketball teams and you get the picture.So today I want to tell you two … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas gift

Today Only – 40% Off the Holiday Cards I’ve Loved for a Decade

November 15 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

*Today's post is sponsored by Mpix. All opinions are 100% my own.If you're like me, you're probably pretty sick of hearing about the supply chain shortages by now.Nevertheless, there's a deal going on today I really want you to know about- hopefully it will not only save you a lot of money, but also a big headache from ordering cards too late and having them not arrive when expected.Ever heard of Mpix?They've been my secret for getting professional quality photography prints at a budget price … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

My New Favorite Hack for Getting the Kids to Do Their Chores

September 13 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

If you've been following me for long, you know I'm a huge proponent of giving kids household responsibilities and teaching them to manage money at an early age. I've done a lot of research on the topic and even developed some pretty slick tools to help parents get started.I'll be the first to admit, though, that even the best routines need shaking up every once in a while, and my Kids' Responsibility and Money Management Kit is no different.In our house, the system was still working beautifully … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: chore system, chores, chores for young kids, toddler chores

4 Steps to Start an Amazing Family Movie Night Tradition

March 15 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Photo via Decoholic. Remember a time when technology brought people together? When the whole family would gather around the only TV in the house instead of spreading out to separate rooms and devices? Yes, these days personal gadgets tend to isolate people in their own cyber world, but you don’t have to feel hopeless. There are ways for you to use technology to engage your family as a unit—a movie night, for example! Here are some ideas for making the most of this evening activity for the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Everyday Tagged With: family movie night, movie night, movie night recipe, Ratatouille move night menu

10 Cheap & Easy Indoor Beach Ball Games to Keep Kids Active

March 2 by Alli

These are such smart ideas - cheap, easy, and will help the kids burn off steam inside!

I was looking through some old photos recently and I was reminded of how much we used to play with beach balls in the house when the kids were younger. It was such a simple way to keep the kids active and happy when we were stuck indoors - plus it was super inexpensive and easy to set up (two of my favorite qualities in a kids' activity). Back in the day, this one was right up there with our Life-Sized Building Blocks, Construction Sensory Box and Upcycled Inventor's Box. The idea is so great, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alli, Sensory & Interactive Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: beach ball games for kids, being active inside with beach balls, indoor beach ball game, play ideas

What to Show Your Kids on Inauguration Day

January 20 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

It's a historic day today for many reasons, not the least of which is the swearing in of the first woman elected to National Office.Like many of you, I watched it live this morning with my kids on TV (tears were shed). But in case you haven't yet, I wanted to let you know that a special inauguration day children's special covering all the events is available here!I love that this historic day is being presented in such an accessible way to students all over the country, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Free Printable: Family New Year’s Resolutions & Year-in-Review

January 1 by MJ at Pars Caeli

2020 is over!!  This is the time I always ask myself: Should I make New Year's resolutions this year? This year the answer is a resounding YES. I'm aiming for goals that are both aspirational and attainable. Luckily, we also happen to have a simple tool to help you and your family make some goals for this year while reminiscing all the happenings of last year. Download yours here... At our house, we've been chatting over dinner about our favorite memories of this year - our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, MJ, Printables, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: family new year printable, family New Year's Eve activities, Family New Year's Resolutions, Kid New Year's Resolutions, kids New Year's Eve activities, kids New Years Eve printable, New Years eve resolutions printable, printables, year in review printable

How to Make a “Sibling Appreciation” Advent Calendar

December 1 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

How to make a Sibling Appreciation Advent Calendar - This is such a wonderful way to promote the spirit of the season and sibling kindness!

This "Sibling Appreciation Advent Calendar" is an idea our elf came up with last year and worked really well. On the first day he appeared, always the day after Thanksgiving in our house, he arrived with this Advent Calendar (only $15!) and an explanation. The idea is simple. Our elf asked the kids to take a minute each day to write something nice about each other and place it in that day's pocket. The next morning the kids wake up to find the notes they wrote about each other and a small … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Parenting, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: advent ideas, DIY advent calendar, giving back advent, kids advent ideas, sibling appreciation advent

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

30 Breakfast Ideas for a 1-year-old

October 28 by Kaley

30 Breakfast Ideas for 1-Year-Olds. Tons of great ideas!

Our post, 30 Meal Ideas for 1-Year-Olds, has been so incredibly popular that I asked our contributor, Kaley, to follow it up with a breakfast version. What I love most about this is that we have breakfast for dinner on the regular around here- which means that now we have 60 great kid-friendly meal ideas! Here she is with her list (and if anyone knows healthy kid food, it's Kaley, so it's a great list). We have two go-to breakfasts in my house. And they are both super simple formulas that can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Kaley, Meal Planning Tagged With: baby food, breakfast for toddlers, easy breakfast for kids, easy breakfast recipes, easy recipes, meal ideas for 12 month old, meals for one year olds, one year old, toddler recipes, toddlers

Yes, You Can Have a Fun Covid Halloween! Here’s How…

September 17 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

In my neighborhood, Trick-or-Treating is a thing. It's one of those 'hoods that's proud of their reputation as the spot to be, and happily embraces the families that come from all around year after year. Our kids especially love it; the over-the-top decorations, the excitement of seeing so many classmates and friends walking the streets and ringing our doorbell, the block party vibe that permeates the night.So I've been thinking a lot about how we (and all other parents) can live up to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Uncategorized Tagged With: covid halloween, halloween at home, Halloween crafts, halloween party ideas, Halloween treats

We Tried It! – Milk Colors

September 3 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

  These magic milk colors have been on our to-do list for a long time (like ever since I first got on Pinterest long).  I'm sure you can tell by the photo above, this project is the perfect mix of art, science, and fun.  I've seen the idea several places over the last few months.    I'd highly recommend checking it out (hint: there are two equally exciting bonus activities).     It's a good bet you already have everything you need for this one in your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art + Kid Crafts, Learning & Engaging, The Make & Play Vault, We Tried It Tagged With: at home science experiment, kid craft, kitchen science, milk colors, painting with milk, toddler craft, toddler science

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