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Good Idea: Start a Family Spring Cleaning Tradition

March 29 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Spring is in the air! Or at least right around the corner for most of us. With the arrival of warmer temperatures, blooming foliage, and Little League Baseball, your house might still be crowded with the remnants of winter. Are there still cardboard boxes from Christmas in the garage? Are the blinds heavy with dust after months of the windows being closed? Have the kids’ toys begun to take over the house? It’s time to kick spring cleaning into gear. Sure, Mom and Dad may be motivated … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cleaning House, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life Tagged With: family traditions, parenting styles, spring cleaning, spring cleaning with kids, starting a family spring cleaning tradition

Parenting Styles: Better Than Me

March 28 by Jessica Timmons

Image Credit: © Alton Jefferson II | Horse Stance | CC by 2.0 My kiddos are suddenly old enough to be better than me in certain things, and I’m as humbled about it as I am impressed. I’m not particularly competitive with my children, but as I sat watching my daughter at her martial arts test a few weeks ago, I realized that there is no way I could do what she’s doing. She’s eight. And she’s on the small side for an eight year old. But her Thai kicks are insanely high, her punches are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Jessica, Parenting Tagged With: karate for kids, kids karate, kids martial arts, martial arts for kids, parenting styles

Camp Mom Activities eBook – Back on Sale!

March 20 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Camp Mom: and eBook full of activities, reading lists, crafts and adventure ideas for making the most of your spring and summer break!

Happy Thursday guys, we've made it through another week. I've been receiving lots of emails from you all lately asking if/when Camp Mom would be available for sale again.  At first I didn't get it (blame it on the baby brain) but then it dawned on me - spring break is rapidly approaching and you guys are looking for fun and easy ways to connect with your kids. So look no further - I'm here to help a mother out! Camp Mom, our jam-packed kid activities eBook is officially back on sale! CAMP … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Engaging Tagged With: art and craft ideas for kids, kid activities, kid activities for summer, kid crafts, kids activities, outdoor play ideas, playtime activities, spring break activities, summer break activities, summer curriculum, summer kids activities, summer play ideas

Easter Potluck Must-Have: Rice Krispies Easter Egg Nests

March 15 by Kristin

Rice Krispies treats have always been a kid-favorite around our house.  So we decided why not take the recipe and make it into an Easter-themed treat? This recipe is one that kids can help with, there's no oven time, and you'll be done in about 15 minutes.  It's that easy! Not to mention these little 'Easter baskets' are as cute as can be. Ingredients 7 cups Rice Krispies 1 package mini-marshmallows 3 Tablespoons butter 1 package cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, In the Kitchen, Kristin Tagged With: Easter desserts, easter egg nests, Easter Rice Krispy nests, rice krispy desserts

Parenting Styles: How 10 (or even 5) Minutes of Yoga Made Me a Better Mother

March 13 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

  I’m a bit of a high-stress person. One of my favorite and most time-consuming hobbies is to replay any and all cringe-worthy moments of my life over and over in my head.   When I get bored of that, I like to devote some quality time—usually between 2:00 and 3:00 am—going over any potential calamities that may befall the children or myself in the future.  If I have time left, I like to reminisce about Bad Things That Didn’t Happen Yesterday but Could Have.   I’ve been told by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fresh Finds: Parenting Tagged With: exercise for moms, mom workouts, yoga, yoga for moms

Positive Parenting Gold: “Listen, Allow, Support, Repeat”

March 8 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Yesterday was a crazy day (power outages, cancelled activities, melt downs, etc.) and let's just say, I wasn't at my positive parenting best. That afternoon, during a 5-minute period when all three of the kids had miraculously found something to entertain them, I picked up my copy of Parents Magazine. (Do you guys subscribe? I've found it to be surprisingly useful month after month.) Inside I spied an article on great podcasts for parents and immediately picked up my phone and subscribed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting, The grown ups (that's you!) Tagged With: parenting, parenting tips, positive parenting

Parenting Styles: Hot/Cold Friends Are the Worst

March 6 by Jessica Timmons

I have two daughters, and once upon a time I was a grade school girl myself. I knew girl drama was in the cards, but I was deluded enough to think that between an almost-nine-year-old and a three year old, I had years before we’d be dealing with that. Surprise! Seems everything starts earlier these days, because third grade has been rough. There are twelve or thirteen girls in my daughter’s class, and G has known most of them since kindergarten. One new girl - older and with a mean streak … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: girl drama, little girls can be mean, parenting styles, Smart Girl Guides: Friendship Troubles

4 Keys to Picking the Right Summer Camp

February 27 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Image Credit: © Camp Art Nature | Summer Ete 2017 | CC by 2.0 I know it sounds nuts, but summer camps really are already starting to fill up! I also know that sending your kids away to summer camp can be stressful for parents, especially newbies. Below is a helpful checklist from a bonafide summer camp aficionado to ensure that you choose the right camp for your family, so you can relax and enjoy the summer... and speaking of summer and camps, don't forget to also download our free … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: how to pick summer camp, kids camp, parenting styles, summer camp, summer camp tips

Self Care: 7 Days of Fruit-Infused Sparkling Water

February 22 by Kristin

7 fruit infused sparkling water recipes - a new healthy drink for each day of the week!

In my renewed quest to eat healthier, my husband and I have recently become totally hooked on sparkling water. Something about the bubbles, make it seem like a treat instead of plain old water, and the health benefits of substituting it for all our other drinks have been amazing! We've also found that while the store-bought, lightly flavored stuff is OK, infusing the water with fresh fruits, citrus and often some mint makes them feel even fancier. (Friends are especially impressed when we … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Kristin Tagged With: fruit infused sparkling water, fruit-infused sparkling water recipe, healthy drink recipe, healthy drink recipes, healthy ideas for moms, how to make sparkling water

Parenting Styles: Busy Little Lives, Times Four

February 20 by Jessica Timmons

About four years ago, when we had a seven, six and three-year old and a six-month old baby, I thought life was busy. Between first grade, preschool, diapers and not nearly enough sleep, I did a lot of running around. And I had this idea that things would get easier as all these kiddos got older. I pictured a time - and I’m almost there, actually - when no one would be in diapers and everyone would be in school and able to keep themselves occupied in a non-destructive way that wouldn’t involve … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized

Free Printable: The Single Page Summer Planner because Camps are Already Filling Up!

February 15 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

I'm gonna keep it super short today guys and simply present you with an organizational tool I love to help you stay on top of your mom game. I'm really enjoying coming up with free tools to help you win the war we're all waging on busy - I hope you guys are too. Today, I've got something I rely heavily on this time of year. Drum roll, please...   Get the FREE Single Page Summer Planner Printable Now!   There are SO many camps, vacations, swim lessons, etc. during the summer and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Rhythms, Printables Tagged With: free printable, How to get organized, one page summer planner, POYEL, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life, single page summer planner, summer planner, summer planning printable, summer printable

Don’t Even Think About Heading to Disneyland without these 13 Essentials

February 13 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

*Post contains affiliate links.   I’m not the type of vacationer to get super hung up on schedules and plans once we’re there, but I also don’t want to waste any time looking stuff up or figuring things out when we could be taking in a show or screaming with delicious delight on the kids’ favorite ride. Plus, there’s enough waiting around at Disneyland as it is, no need to test the kids’ patience any more than necessary, right? One of the things I found most helpful in my planning were lists … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Disneyland, Disneyland essentials, Disneyland hacks, Disneyland tips, Family Travel, what to buy for Disneyland

The Best Potty Training Books: 7 Books to Get You and Your Little One Through

February 9 by Janssen

Must-Read Potty Training Books- love that there are books for parents on when and how to potty train as well as cute potty training board books kids love!

Looking for some potty training tips? You might want to start with our super popular post, The 5 Biggest Potty Training Mistakes (and maybe also this potty training tip for some self-sustaining humor).  After that, head over to Amazon or your local library because as with almost all parenting challenges, it's always helpful to have a book for both you and your kiddo to help tackle it!  Here's our resident children's librarian, Janssen, with her best picks on the topic... Are there any … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, Parenting Tagged With: potty training age, Potty training books, potty training tips, potty training tips for boys, potty training tips for girls

5 Things Every Parent Should Know About the Emergency Room During Flu Season

February 6 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Image Credit: © anjanettew | Sean at the ER | CC by 2.0 Your child has been sniffling, sneezing and coughing for the last few days. His fever hasn’t gone down and his sore throat seems to be worsening. You know this scenario, right? Your mama bear instincts kick in and you begin preparing yourself for a trip to the emergency department (ED). We get it, bringing a sick child to the ED can be stressful, especially this winter with hospitals nationwide reporting record-breaking admissions. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: flu season, taking kids to the emergency department, taking kids to the emergency room

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