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An Inside Look: Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge

December 4 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Top Family Vacation Spots: An Inside Look at Great Wolf Lodge's Snowland!

It's about this time of year that the folks in my neck of the woods start making plans for family vacations come spring. (It's somewhat of a natural consequence of the start of the rainy season.) But our family isn't joining them this year for two reasons: We did the vacation thing BIG last year and it seems prudent to keep it much more low key this year Our youngest is at the perfect age (20 months) for making the idea of a plane trip or long lines at an amusement park sound … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, The grown ups (that's you!), Travel Tagged With: Best Resorts for Families, Family Travel, Great Wolf Lodge Snowland, sponsored, Vacationing with kids

MPMK Gift Guide Glimpse: Art Kits & Books

December 3 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Best Art Supplies for Kids - So many cool and interesting picks here, love the age recommendations and detailed reviews.

It’s 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. I’ve heard from several moms in fact, both via email and in real … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best art books for kids, best art kits for kids, best art supplies for kids, best new art supplies for kids, kid art sets

A Veggie Tray for the Holidays

December 2 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Joy Veggie Tray for the holiday - healthy, easy, and SO impressive!

Headed to potluck after potluck this season? Looking for something that's easy to assemble, festive AND healthy?  P.S. Speaking of Thanksgiving, did you hear what we’re doing to make your holiday shopping way easier this year? Veggie trays are a mainstay at parties year round, but I thought I'd add a little holiday spin to make things more interesting this year. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Tagged With: holiday entertaining ideas, holiday vegetable tray, holiday veggie tray, Joy Christmas veggie tray

Parenting: The Santa Question

November 30 by Jessica Timmons

How to Answer the Question: Is Santa Real?!

Image Credit: © Steve Wilson | santa-clause | CC by 2.0 I adore Christmas. I love the lights and the decorations, the music and the good cheer. I get all nostalgic about “the reason for the season,” lapsed Catholic that I am, and I especially love the whole notion of Santa, particularly through the wide eyes of our four kiddos. Really, it’s downright magical. But with an eight year old in the house, I’ve been thinking lately about what I’m going to say the day he stares up at me and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Jessica, Parenting Tagged With: Is Santa Real?, The Santa Letter, The Santa Question

Roundup: Black Friday Sales on MPMK Gift Guide Toys!

November 27 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Amazon Toy Sales Alert Page - Part of MPMK's famous mega toy gift guides. This is where you can see which toys have gone on sale. There's also an email sign-up so you don't have to check back each day... This page blog gives the most detailed toy descriptions and awesome age recommendations and now you can save $ on all their picks- hooray!!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Now that we’ve all stuffed ourselves and, hopefully, had a great day with the family – it’s time to get a little Christmas shopping done. I stayed up extra late last night/this morning to scour Amazon for deals they’re running on any and all of the 400+ Toys featured in our gift guides this year. I really hope this goes a long way to saving you a little time and money today! Before you get to shopping, don't forget to Bookmark our new page: NEW THIS … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alli Tagged With: Amazon Black Friday toy sale, amazon sales, amazon toy deal of the day, amazon toy goldbox deal, amazon toy sale, amazon toy sale alerts, best toys, Black Friday toy sales, Christmas toy sales, MPMK toy gift guides, top toys, toy sale alerts, where to find toys on sale

Last-Minute Thanksgiving Craft: DIY Pilgrim Hats

November 26 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Simple DIY Pilgrim Hats - One 99 cent poster board makes two hats. The perfect project for occupying the kids while you cook.

Happy Turkey Day!  Today Janssen is here with a classic Thanksgiving craft that takes me back to my own days spent at the kids table.   This one is simple, inexpensive, and can be used both for craft time and dramatic play afterward. P.S. Speaking of Thanksgiving, did you hear what we're doing to make Black Friday and all your holiday shopping way easier this year? NEW THIS YEAR: Check out our Alerts Page for Sales on All of the Toys from our Famous Gift Guides – Updated … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Holiday Projects, Janssen Tagged With: DIY pilgrim hats, pilgrim craft for kids, Thanksgiving craft, Thanksgiving crafts for kids

Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies for a Cozy Winter Day

November 20 by Janssen

Cinnamon Chip Christmas Cookies- This is my favorite twist on the classic oatmeal and raisin cookie and our family's very favorite Christmas treat!

*This post is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company, but all opinions are 100% my own. Who doesn't love a good holiday cookie? Fun to make with the kids, share with the neighbors and, of course, to eat! Plus they make the house smell heavenly. As part of our official role as a member of The Oat Authority, we’re once again teaming up with The Quaker Oats Company to offer you lots of simple and yummy ways to use their classic oats. Today is without a doubt one of my favorites. Here’s our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Janssen, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: Christmas cookie recipe, cinnamon chip cookie recipe, holiday cookie recipe, holiday dessert, oat cookie recipe, sponsored, The Quaker Oats Company

MPMK Toy Gift Guide Glimpse: Best Toys for 2-Year-Olds

November 18 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

MPMK Toy Gift Guide: Best Toys for 2 year olds- super engaging toys that are my "go-to" gifts for two year olds come Christmas or birthdays... part of an AMAZING set of comprehensive gift guides that cover all kinds of toy categories with great details and age recommendations!

Image Credit: ©Donnie Ray Jones | Lego Feet - cropped and text added| CC by 2.0 These are awesome! I waited to make Christmas lists until they came out- and now I've shared with all my friends. The past two years I've used them and the gifts are ALWAYS a hit! -MPMK Reader, Ellen I am such a fan of your website and emails! Thanks for working so hard, especially at Christmas shopping time! Grandparents have scored major points after I forwarded them your lists. -MPMK Reader, Lauren Welcome to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best toys for two year olds, birthday gifts for two year olds, birthday presents for two year olds, Christmas presents for two year olds, MPMK Toy Gift guide, toys for two year olds

POYEL: Mudroom/Family Command Center Reveal

November 13 by Janssen

We're back today with the big reveal of our latest Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life makeover- Janssen's mudroom/family command center. You may remember from our previous post, that Janssen had a bit of a fail the first time she attempted to get this room organized. Today she's back showing us how a little support from our latest sponsor, DYMO, helped her right the wrongs in this space. I am so smitten with the "Hooray!" idea - total genius! I seriously couldn't believe what a huge … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, Organizing, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life Tagged With: sponsored

All-Time Favorite Kid Books (Picks for Every Age)

November 12 by Janssen

Best Kid Books: All-time favorite picks from a children's librarian... This list has everything from best board books and 1st chapter books to best books for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and best books for families to read together. Fantastic resource!

There are lots of signs that the holidays are around the corner: the radio is blaring Christmas tunes non-stop, every store is filled up with holiday treats, decorations, and gifts, and my inbox is filled with requests about what book to buy their child or niece or grandson as a gift. So many of us want to buy books for the children in our lives - we want them to love books, share our favorite titles from our childhood, and give them something that won't break or wear out in a few … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, The Book Nook Tagged With: best board books, best books for elementary aged kids, best books for highschoolers, best chapter books, best family books, best first read-alone books, best kids books, best picture books

MPMK Toy Gift Guide Glimpse: Best Games for Toddlers & Pre-Readers

November 10 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

MPMK Toy Gift Guides: Best Games for Pre-Readers and best games for toddlers. This is an amazing resource full of so many great detailed suggestions with age recommendations. LOVE!!

It’s 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 450 toys, books, games, and more divided into 15 themed guides takes some concentration to get through. I’ve heard from several moms in fact, both via email and in real … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best games for families, best games for kids, best single player games, best toddler games, Christmas gift guides, family game night, MPMK toy gift guides, pre-reader games, toy gift guide

Parenting: When Kids Dish Out (Your) Attitude

November 9 by Jessica Timmons

How to talk to kids- Dealing with bad behavior and talking back and thinking about how what you say matters.

Image Credit: © Donnie Ray Jones | Elsa's Getting Mad | CC by 2.0 It’s a startling thing to see this whole parenting thing – specifically, your whole parenting thing – from the perspective of the kids you’re parenting. Kids are sponges, I know, but it turns out, their innate talent for picking up on your curse word slip (whoops) is the least of it. Our oldest son is eight, and our oldest daughter is six. And we are dealing with all kinds of attitude these days. I’m hip to the testing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Jessica, Parenting Tagged With: dealing with kids bad attitudes, how to talk to kids, parenting, positive parenting

3 Free Apps I Use with My Kids Every Day

November 6 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Best Kid Apps: Three Apps I Use with My Kids Every Day- a great list of apps parents can use to quickly and easily connect with their kids every day... We use #1 every morning and my kids LOVE it!

Image Credit: © Johan Larsson | 12.18.11 | CC by 2.0 Like a lot of parents, I wrestle a bit with how much screen time I allow my kids- whether it be in the form of TV, on their recently acquired Kids' Edition Kindle Fires, or on my phone. The latter is definitely where they get the least amount of time. I've just never been the mom that hands my phone over to my child in the car, at the grocery store, etc... Partly because I'm scared to go down that rabbit hole, but mainly because I'm … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: best apps for kids, best apps for parents, best kid math app, free audiobooks for kids, top educational apps

MPMK Toy Gift Guide Glimpse: Best Yoga Toys

November 5 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

MPMK Toy Gift Guide: Best Yoga Games for Kids & Yoga Books for Kids - Yoga promotes health & self-esteem in kids while reducing feelings of helplessness and aggression.

It’s 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. I’ve heard from several moms in fact, both via email and in real … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best toys for kindergartners, best toys for preschoolers, best toys for staying active, best yoga books for kids, best yoga games, best yoga toys, kids yoga games, MPMK Toy Gift guide, toys for burning off steam

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