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Parenting: When Modeling Good Behavior Backfires

January 17 by Jessica Timmons

Positive Parenting: When Modeling Good Behavior Totally Backfires

It sounds like such a great parenting philosophy – modeling good behavior. Treat others as you want to be treated, and show those little hurricanes zooming around the house what it means to live consciously and kindly. Show them what it means to be patient, to be kind, to be generous. Show them how to have a healthy relationship with food and fitness and technology. Show them how to be a happy, healthy, functioning person. It’s what I strive for, and boy, I’m constantly falling short. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Jessica Tagged With: modeling good behavior for kids, parenting, positive parenting

30 Dinner Ideas for Preschoolers

January 7 by Kaley

30 Dinner Recipes to Feed Your Preschooler - this was such a help with my picky-eater kid!

We've covered making your own baby food. And also meal ideas for a 1-year-old. But what happens when that cute little chubby toddler turns into an opinionated preschooler who refuses to eat anything but grilled cheese sandwiches? (Replace grilled cheese sandwiches with buttered noodles, or whatever your little one deems the food of the month.) Even the best of eaters has been known to turn super picky during the preschool years, and the vegetables that they used to gobble up are now fodder … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Kaley, Meal Planning Tagged With: dinner ideas, dinner ideas for preschoolers, dinner ideas for toddlers, easy dinner recipes for kids, easy kid recipes, kid food, meal ideas for preschoolers, toddler recipes, what to feed your preschooler, what to feed your toddler

12 Month Book Club Guide for Moms: Amazing Books for January to December

January 6 by Janssen

A Year-Long Book Club Plan for Moms- So many awesome picks and such a great range of fiction, parenting, non-fiction, etc.

Don't you sometimes wish someone would pick out your next book? I frequently think that when I'm standing in the library or bookstore and completely overwhelmed by the options. Whether you're looking for things to read on your own this year or trying to pick titles for your bookclub, these books are perfect for reading each month in 2016. JANUARY 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam What could be a better way to start out the year than this book? You may … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, The Book Nook, the grown-ups (that's you!) Tagged With: best books for moms, best books for women, book club for moms, book club recommendation

Parenting: The “Summer Baby” Kindergarten Conundrum

January 5 by Jessica Timmons

It's January and for many parents that means it's time to start thinking about school registration for next year. Jessica's back today with a parenting topic that strikes close to home for me- when to officially start your "summer baby" in school.  Our middle child was born in July so we wrestled with this ourselves and were surprised by the factors that came into play... academic readiness and social readiness, definitely, as well as if kindergarten will be full day or half day. What it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Jessica, Parenting Tagged With: parenting, starting kindergarten early, starting kindergarten late, when to start kindergarten

What Nutritionists Eat on Busy Weeknights

January 4 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

What Nutritionists Actually Eat for Dinner- Great list of quick and easy healthy dinner options!

Happy new year! It's been a little quiet around here with everyone snuggling up to family for the holidays but we're back and ready to hit 2016 running. As has become our tradition, we'll spend January covering lots of ways for you to tackle whatever it is that most needs your attention this year (eating better, organizing, parenting, going green- we've got you covered!) Today we're kicking it all off with our favorite functional nutritionists from Prescribe Nutrition sharing with us their … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: eating for energy, healthy dinners, healthy eating, healthy family dinner, Prescribe Nutrition, quick healthy dinner

DIY New Year’s Eve Party Hats

December 28 by Kristin

DIY Party Hats - Totally making these watercolor New Year's Eve hats with the kids this year!

Spending New Year's Eve at home with the kids is as fun as you make it. You can mope around about the fact that you're not hitting the town, or you can pick some activities that the kids will really get into, celebrate it at 8pm and then toast each other when they're all tucked in bed. Last year we made our own balloon drop, drank some super yummy mocktails, ate sparkling Jello push pops, and even contemplated the 14 habits of happy families to fill out our FREE year-in-review/year-to-come … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Kristin Tagged With: DIY kids party crafts, kids party crafts, new year's eve, New year's eve DIY, New year's eve hats, new years craft ideas, new years with kids, party hats

The Most Important Post I’ll Ever Write

December 21 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

How to help refugees with a donation of $5 to $25: the compassion collective.

Hello friends, I know it's only a few days from Christmas and we're all running around frantically trying to finish our to-do lists, but can I ask you for 5 minutes of your time? I just wanted to make sure you've heard about the astounding thing that's happening here. Some of my favorite people are behind it and although they have a huge goal, they are asking so little of you. Here's the deal. Their goal is to raise one million dollars to feed, clothe, shelter, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: How to help refugees, refugee aid, The compassion collective

Our 25 Favorite Kid Stocking Stuffers ($3 – $20)

December 21 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

25 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids - All under $20, most around $10 - great list!!

For the Babies Lamaze Clip & Go Squeezy Donkey $14.99 Lamaze toys were all the rage in the mommy and baby class I attended with my first son and it didn’t take us long to figure out why. They’re oversized, plush, and have lots of fun stuff for baby to pull and chew on. Plus they’re durable – all of ours lasted through all three kids. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes $7.19 You know those lovely early months when many babies scream just about the ENTIRE time they’re in the car? This … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: kid stocking stuffer ideas, MPMK toy gift guides, stocking stuffers for kids, stocking stuffers under $20

Simple Holiday Baking: Peppermint Bombe Cake

December 17 by Kristin

Holiday Dessert: Peppermint Snowball Cake - My favorite Christmas treat and SO easy to make!

Don't you love those recipes that look way more complicated than they actually are?  You get all the credit for slaving away in the kitchen, when really you spent 20 minutes throwing it together and watched it turn into something amazing while you help the kids with their homework. I love this peppermint bombe cake because it looks so pretty on inside and out. You really can't mess up the frosting and when you sprinkle the outside with candy canes, it turns incredibly festive. Once … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, In the Kitchen, Kristin Tagged With: Christmas cake, Christmas dessert, holiday candy cane cake, holiday dessert, holiday desserts, holiday recipe, peppermint bombe cake, peppermint cake, snowball cake

MPMK Gift Guide Glimpse: Best Toys for Kindergartners

December 15 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

MPMK Toy Gift Guide: Best Toys for Kindergartners- So much better than the latest "it" toy - all of these picks will bring hours and hours of engaged playtime from your kindergartner.

Time for another “MPMK Gift Guide Glimpse”… For those of you not exactly sure what I’m talking about, this is a day when we highlight one of our favorite sections of the: 2016 MPMK Gift Guides Why? Because I realize that our MEGA gift guides are a lot to take in- detailed descriptions and age recommendations of over 400 toys, books, games, and more divided into 15 themed guides takes some concentration to get through. Update: See the Latest Sales on All our Picks Here!! I’ve heard from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best toy 5 year old boy, best toy 5 year old girl, best toy 6 year old boy, best toy 6 year old girl, best toys for 6 year olds, best toys for kindergartners, birthday presents for 5 year olds, birthday presents for kindergartners, Christmas presents for kindergartners, MPMK gift guides, toys for 5 year olds, toys for 6 year olds

Our Favorite Play Doughs and Slimes to Keep Your Kids Busy

December 10 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Best Play Dough and Play Slime Recipes Ever! - Love, love, love the calming lavender plah-doh, super soft Jell-O play-doh, and the sparkly scented slime!!

Yesterday a good friend group texted me and a couple of our other mom friends to ask for our favorite DIY play dough recipe. Of course, I immediately replied with a link to our famous Jell-O play dough. A few hours later she texted a photo of happy kiddos and my other friends were chiming in what a life-saver this recipe is when kids are home from school and there are lots of hours to fill. A light bulb went off and I realized all of you might also benefit from a reminder about our best … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: diy play dough, DIY play slime, homemade play dough, play doh recipe, play dough recipe, play slime recipe, sensory activities

Stocking Stuffer idea: Protect Your (or Your Kids’) Tech

December 9 by Kristin

Best Way to Protect Your Phone: Tech21 Cases

In October we wrote the post Kids & Phones: A Guide for the Newbie Mom so we thought we'd follow up today with how to protect that new phone if you decided this was your child's year. Here's our contributor Kristen, mom of two teens and a tween, with her review of the innovative phone cases made from our newest sponsor, tech21 ... If you're giving the gift of technology this year, don't forget to think about protecting it too.  The holidays seem to be the time when we upgrade our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kristin Tagged With: best cell phone case, best tech gift, holiday gift ideas, Tech21, technology gifts

The 20 Best Books of the Year

December 8 by Janssen

The best books of the year - all of these are going on my library list ASAP

If there's one thing I love about December, aside from the holidays, it's the Best of 2015 book lists that come out. As a former librarian and a huge reader, both on my own and with my small children, it's basically like Christmas all over again when I get a little time to pore over the lists and max out my library card with the ones I haven't read yet. Of course, I can never resist putting together my own list too. If you're looking for something great to give as a gift to a spouse, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, The Book Nook, the grown-ups (that's you!) Tagged With: best biography, best books, best books of the year, best design book, best fiction, best self-help book, best women's lit

The Top 25 Best-Selling Toys of 2015

December 7 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Best Selling Toys of 2015: The top toys for ages 1 to 12 from our famous gift guides

One of my favorite parts of putting out our massive collection of gift guides every year is figuring out what the best-sellers of the year are going to be. Once Black Friday passes, I always have a pretty good idea. In case you're wondering what everyone is buying this year too, here are the top 25 best-sellers from the over 400 toys and games included in the gift guides this year! Oh and good news - half of them are currently on sale! In order of most popular... Educational … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best-selling toys, favorite toys, gift guide, MPMK Toy Gift guide, MPMK toy gift guidebest selling toys, top toys, toy gift guide

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