Modern Parents Messy Kids

We're all about finding ways to make family life better while keeping our sense of humor. Check out our famous MPMK Top Toy Awards, already viewed over 7,000,000 times!

  • Start Here
  • Travel
  • The Kids
    • Our Famous Toy Gift Guides
    • Play Activities & Art Ideas
  • The Home
    • In the Kitchen
    • Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life
      • Cleaning House
      • Meal Planning
      • Decluttering
      • Organizing
      • Schedules & To Do Lists
      • Daily Rhythms
    • The Holidays
    • Photography & Memory Keeping
  • Parenting
    • Parenting Discussions
    • Happy Family Habits
    • The Book Nook
    • Mom Health & Beauty
You are here: Home / Blog

Candy-Free Easter Basket Goodies

April 15 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Dunck from Skip Hop. Sunny Bunny Wooden Teething Toy at Buddy and JoJo. Animal Ear Headbands at Hart + Sew. I'm putting the finishing touches on the kids' "all play, all the time" Easter baskets this weekend.  (For a sneak peek, see here and here).  In the meantime, I thought I'd give you a few basket ideas of the non-DIY variety.  Check out the candy-free finds above (OK, so one of them is a DIY - I couldn't resist).  Then click through for lots more items.  Set of Six Rainbow … [Read more...]

Filed Under: MPMK's Comprehensive Toy Gift Guides, Seasonal Fun, Toy Recommendations

Free Printable: Easter Memory Game

April 14 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Free printable: a simple and sweet Easter memory game for the kids' baskets

When I rolled out the Easter toy I made for S's basket, I also mentioned I had a few more projects up my sleeve.  So today I'm sharing a memory game I made for C's basket.   To make these patterned bunnies, I used Photoshop and a few of the awesome (and free!) patterns over at Sprik Space.  If you haven't been there yet, be sure to stop by and check out the whole series.  There are 13 different patterns in 25 colorways, which is enough for all kinds of cool projects. To make your own set … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Projects, Learning & Engaging, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: Easter activities for kids, Easter memory game, Easter memory printable, free Easter printable

Easter Style: Sew vs. Shop

April 13 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Easter will be here before we know it.  Which means it's time to think about suiting the family up to look good in all those pics.  Whether you want to make or buy your duds this year, you have lots of great options. Today I have for you a round up I'm calling "sew vs. shop" with a little bit of something for everyone.  First up is this super sweet girl's skirt at Aesthetic Nest vs. fun flowy layers at J.Crew.  Click through for the rest of goods.   Of course, mama needs a cute … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Seasonal Fun

Having Fun with Science and Nature

April 12 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Trying out simple experiments at home is a great way to introduce science to young children and I've got a classic nature-based experiment to share with you today.  Wondering where that pic above is leading?  You're gonna have to head over to momtastic to find out.     And speaking of nature, have you picked up your e-copy of Action Pack, volume 2 Seeds and Beads over at Whip Up yet?   The folks over there were kind enough to send me a copy and let me tell you, it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Educational Activities, Learning & Engaging, The Make & Play Vault

A Simple Handmade Toy For Baby’s Easter Basket

April 11 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

A simple and lovely DIY felt toy for baby's Easter basket.

What would you get if you combined Made by Joel's latest super simple toy and Craft Jr.'s free Easter printables?  Click through to find out.   It's the perfect handmade toy for baby's first Easter Basket!  I'm putting an MPMK twist on S and C's Easter baskets this year and this is your sneak peek at what's to come.   For this project (which I also refer to as the "Which Came First?" toy), I simply printed out Craft Jr.'s Easter chick and egg graphics in a small, medium … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Seasonal Fun, Sensory & Interactive Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: baby easter basket, DIY baby toy, DIY Easter baby toy, DIY Easter Toy, homemade baby Easter toy

Weekend Look Book

April 9 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

I don't usually do a lot of writing for the weekend look book (even bloggers deserve a weekend right?) but I'm making an exception today to send out a big THANK YOU! to all of you who have shared my paint chip Easter garland.  It's been so exciting to watch the word spread and so nice to read all of your lovely comments.And now the amazing Amy Atlas is even hosting a contest based on my little DIY.  Check it out here and then come back and click through for your weekend eye candy.  As always, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Weekend Look Book

Mini-Tutorial: Super Simple Baby Blanket

April 7 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

An easy beginning sewer project - super simple baby blankets (no sewing machine required)

I've been meaning to share a mini-tutorial on these easy-peasy baby blankets for a while now.  But then things got a little crazy and I thought I missed my window - cotton flannel blankets don't exactly scream spring time.     But now it seems that someone forgot to tell Mother Nature about Spring (it's down-right nippy in Seattle today).  Maybe I didn't miss my window after all?  Plus, even spring and summer babies love to be swaddled and these can easily be made with a lighter … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting, The Make & Play Vault, Tutorials Tagged With: beginner baby blanket, DIY baby blanket, easy baby blanket, how to make a baby blanket

Welcoming Spring: Flower Crafts

April 5 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

photos via Made By Joel, Frugal Family Fun Blog, Sycamore Corner Crafts, Morgan Made It, and Meet the Dubiens   I'm over at momtastic today sharing a collection of flower art projects for the kiddos.  Check it out for lots of fun ways to inject a little Spring into your home. And when you're done over there, click through for some grown-up floral crafts like these lovely paper wall flowers at Scrapbooks etc. When it comes to fabric flowers, Sara over at Craft Snob is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Exploring

Paper Crane Tutorial to Help Your Children & Those in Japan

April 4 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

As I watched the disastrous events in Japan continue to unfold last week, I became grateful that my children are still young enough to carry on blissfully unaware of the tragedies occurring there.  But I know someday soon that will not be the case. So I've been doing some research on how to help kids cope with these types of events.  Here are four concrete steps parents can take to help:   Talk to them about what they're seeing and hearing.  Not sure where to start?  See Not Just Cute … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art + Kid Crafts, The Make & Play Vault, Tutorials

Fun Ways to Make Tracks

March 31 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

bottom left photo via Tokketok, left photo via ohdeedoh. My little man loves pretty much anything that goes vrooom - cars, trucks, trains, etc.  He has an extensive collection of them all that he plays with daily.  So for a while now I've had a few special road and track projects stowed away for a quiet afternoon.  Well, it seems I'm not the only one with trucks and tracks on the brain.  While browsing the web over the past week I've found a couple more ideas to add to my stash.  And just … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Exploring

Imaginative Play “On the Fly”

March 29 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

I'm posting over at momtastic today on how to seize the moment for spontaneous fun.  Be sure to check it out for all the details on the above photo. And when you're done over there, come on back for more creative indoor play activities to add to your arsenal.  The lego ski resort and the colander sculpture are a dead tie for my favorite, you've gotta see them! Just like the popular toddler sewing basket from Childhood 101, this Colander Sculpture at Tinker Lab promotes fine motor skills … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Exploring, Dramatic Play, The Make & Play Vault

DIY Paint Chip Easter Garland

March 28 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

An easy upcycled Easter garland using paint chips - LOVE the pretty colors and how the lines on the paint chips mimic the lines in plastic Easter eggs.

I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to paint chips (see exhibit A below).  They all look so lovely in the hardware store that I have a hard time sticking to my intended color scheme.  As a result, I have quite a collection.   Lately I've been eyeing my stack and formulating a few simple projects in my head.  The first of which I present to you today - a DIY Easter egg garland.   This was super easy and turned out even better than I'd hoped.  I love how the white line … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Projects, Seasonal Fun, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: DIY Easter decor, DIY Easter garland, Easter craft, Easter crafts, Easter decor, Easter garland, Easter kid craft, paint chip easter egg garland, paint chip projects

Weekend Look Book – aka I Like It and I Don’t Care If It Fits “My Niche”

March 26 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

(So, I might be trying this new thing, the Weekend Look Book, but I'm not sure yet - consider this a test run.  And my apologies to anyone who got this post in their reader on Friday only to find a dead link.  I accidentally posted it immediately instead of scheduling it to publish today.  Clearly, it's been a long week around here.) It's the weekend so I'm not working too hard for you - just click on the pics for more info!I WANT TO HAVE...FOR FUNFOR THE HOMEI WISH I HAD THE TIME/SKILL TO...FOR … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Weekend Look Book

Fresh Finds: Maps & Globes with a Twist

March 24 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

photo via Sarah Jane StudiosI am absolutely loving this nursery I just found while surfing around online.  Everything about it is note perfect - the airiness, the bedding, the pops of color, and especially the maps. I've actually been collecting ideas on how to integrate maps and globes into kid spaces for a while now. I know what you're thinking, who hasn't?  But most of my finds go beyond your standard map and this photo has compelled me to finally post about them.  Click through for all kinds … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Design with Kids in Mind

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • …
  • 104
  • Next Page »

Get your kids' kit

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • xing

Finally Get Organized

Our Famous Gift Guides

MPMK's Famous Gift Guides

Find the Perfect Toy!

Copyright © 2025 · Parallax Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Web Design & Hosting Servously.com