Wow, it's been a rough few months and, if you're like me, current events have brought up a lot of questions on how to talk to my kids about all kinds of stuff. Today, our contributor, Lara, is here sharing her thoughts on how to address the topic of gender equality. I feel teaching gender equality is essential, even though (and maybe especially because) I have boys, not girls. Yet, I’m historically awkward when it comes to large and important discussions on character development.However, … [Read more...]
MPMK Gift Guides: The 27 Toys Everyone Will Want This Year!
The gift guides are here, the gift guides are here!!How great would it be to feel confident your kids are not only going to love their Christmas gifts, they’ll keep returning to play with them again and again? These are the toys that are actually worth your hard-earned money.These are the Toy Awards that parents in-the-know have already viewed over 7,000,000 Times!Pin it to your favorite gift or toy board or bookmark it (and share it with your mom friends – they’ll thank you!). New! Sign … [Read more...]
4 Oatmeal Recipes that Will be Ready When You Wake Up
Oatmeal is a breakfast staple for so many families and it’s not hard to see why. It’s packed with nutrients, customizable and satisfying- perfect for kids and adults alike.Today, we're making it our mission to help you send the family off with a nutritious oatmeal breakfast each and every morning in the quickest ways possible. 1. Traditional Soaked Oatmeal Basic Ingredients:1 cup Quaker Steel Cut Oats 1-2T yogurt/whey/vinegar/lemon juice 1 cup milkMethod:Soak … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Remember the Best in Your Child and See It In Your Teen
This post is sponsored by the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. All opinions (and memories!) are my own.Then The thing I remember most about Jake's birth was how scared I felt bringing him home from the hospital. There's no guide book for being a parent. I wonder if first born babies sense the way new parents approach every task with uncertainty.The good news is that babies are resilient.They forgive us for putting the diaper on wrong or being a little too over protective … [Read more...]
Keep Kids’ Art Organized All Year with DIY Artist’s Portfolios
Are you struggling with what to do with all that art and school work coming through the door when the kids come home from school? Never fear - today Julee's with us sharing a simple DIY project we think you're going to love. We create - and save - quite a bit of art at our house. With school just starting, the volume of paintings, drawings, and other crafts is only going to increase.My current storage solution for keeping my children's creations is to pile them on my desk until it becomes … [Read more...]
Handmade Halloween: Make Spider Sack Decor with the Kids
I'm so excited about this Halloween project, it turned out even better than I'd envisioned. It's the quintessential MPMK project - easy enough for kids of all ages to get in on the action and the finished product is a decidedly stylish take on traditional Halloween decor. And did I mention how inexpensive it is? … [Read more...]
7 Things Your Kids Say You’re Getting Wrong About YouTube
My kids rarely watch TV. They get their entertainment from YouTube, and they aren’t the only ones. Dubbed The YouTube Generation, one estimate puts them in league with over one hundred trillion other young people who feel the same way.On a family trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park this summer, the park broadcasted YouTube compilations to entertain people who were waiting in line for rides. This was my view of YouTube—funny fail videos and cat compilations.I was wrong. #1 … [Read more...]
Spooky Halloween Sandwiches
Maybe it's because of my past life as an elementary teacher, but I love celebrating holidays.I'll take any opportunity to be festive.For Halloween, I have a fun little food activity that will work for little and big kids. You can make this something that you do together on a weekend, or surprise them by packing this spooky sandwich in their lunch. … [Read more...]
Must-Try: 30 Days of Doing with 4-H!
*This post was written by Modern Parents Messy Kids through an activation with HireInfluence on behalf of 4-H. Although Modern Parents Messy Kids received compensation for participating in the campaign, all thoughts and opinions are our own.When I was in the 6th grade, my mom sent me down the street to join the local 4-H club in Stevensville, Montana. As a shy kid, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The thought of learning about agriculture and raising livestock, which is what most … [Read more...]
7 Books to Get Your Kids to Stop Fighting All the Time
One of the things I want most for our family is a loving family culture, where unkindness and fighting isn't part of the daily makeup of our lives.But with three children all fairly close in age (they are each about two years apart), this can be a tall order.Probably just about every parent can relate to those moment where you can't take the bickering and teasing any longer and you just want to scream, "Can't you all just get along?!"I know I'm not alone in that because there are … [Read more...]
Parenting Hack: The Secret to Getting Your Kids to Love Brushing Their Teeth
*This post is sponsored by Colgate, all opinions are 100% our own.Isn’t bedtime the craziest part of a day as a parent?I think one of the things that makes it such a challenge is that there are so many parts of bedtime, from baths to pjs, teeth brushing to tucking in your child (possibly 7 times).There are some things you can skip at bedtime or re-arrange to make it easier and faster. Baths don’t have to be every single night and you could read to your children over breakfast … [Read more...]
Kids’ Responsibility & Money Management Printables Pack
Happy September guys! It's the first week of school for my kids and that means I've got our morning and afternoon routines on the brain.If you're in the same boat, I've got a great deal for you today! For two weeks only I'm offering our readers... 30% off our Kids Responsibility & Money Management Kit Just use the code: BackToSchool What would you say if I told you that my 4 and 5 year old get up, get dressed, and even make breakfast on their own every morning - … [Read more...]
3 Favorite Finds for September!
I know it's not quite September yet guys but Pumpkin Spice Everything has already hit the shelves so I'm gonna jump the gun too!This month I've got a couple of fancy electronic gadgets and a cookbook- all of which I can't wait to start using. #1 Buddyphones WAVE Over the summer my 2nd grade daughter has gotten super into audiobooks (especially Harry Potter). The bibliophile in me is absolutely jumping for joy over this development.Not only do I love, love that she seems … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Have I Overdone the Internet Safety Lectures?
Like many parents, I'm terrified of allowing my kids on social media. We have all read the horrific stories of cyber-bullying, and it would destroy me to watch either of my kids being harassed online, or in real life for that matter. We talk about internet safety often—perhaps too much, it turned out. Lats week my kids were watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul in the backseat as we began the first leg of our summer road trip. I overheard some dialog about the main character trying to … [Read more...]