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Lunch Box Smoothies 101

September 15 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Lunch Box Smoothies 101 - The post tells you exactly how to pack healthy smoothies in your kids' lunches without making a mess. Love this idea!

Have you guys ever packed smoothies in your kids' lunches? I'm so intrigued by this idea - it seems like SUCH a good way to get some much needed veggies into my kiddos' lunches and I know they'd see it as an extra special treat. But I wonder about the mess factor - is this really do-able?!  Our food contributor, Natalie, assures me that it is and she's here today sharing everything we need to know, along with her favorite tools and recipes. Frozen smoothies are lunch box staples at my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: healthy kid food, how to freeze smoothies for lunches, how to make lunchbox smoothies, kid lunch ideas, lunchbox smoothies, sponsored

Simple Ideas for Celebrating Grandparents

September 10 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Some really good gift ideas and ways to celebrate a special day with grandparents - Saving for when I need it!

(sources clockwise from top left: 1/2/3/4/5) So, technically, Grandparents Day was last Sunday. But I think most grandparents out there are pretty understanding about the fact that last week was also the first week of school (what genius decided to put Grandparents Day during one of the busiest weeks of the year?!) and are willing to give us a pass. As such, I've put together a great list of ways to honor the grandparents in your family. It includes the fun crafts above, but also … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography & Memory Keeping Tagged With: DIY gifts and ideas on how to celebrate Grandparents Day

31 Must-Try Halloween Treats for Kids

September 9 by Jennifer

There are so many of these I want to try this year - #12 for sure!!

(pictured: Pretzel and Cheese Broomsticks, Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts, Candy Corn Pudding Pops, Haunted Hooting Owl Pretzels, Pretzel Mummy Treats, Ghost Milk Bottles, Oreo Bat Truffles) Halloween chatter has already started around my house, with my daughters throwing new costume ideas around every few minutes. Our neighborhood gets really into Halloween, with costumed kids everywhere and even most adults dressed in something festive. Naturally, I couldn't help but notice all of the fun treat … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, In the Kitchen Tagged With: Halloween dessert recipes, Halloween desserts, Halloween desserts for kids, Halloween kid food, Halloween treats

POYEL: Kids Clothing Organization

September 7 by MJ at Pars Caeli

Free printables: Never put your kids clothes away again!!

Question for you guys - do your kids put away their own laundry? I recently mentioned in my post on our Kids' Responsibility & Money Management Kit that my 4 and 5 year old get themselves dressed, brush their own teeth and make their own breakfast each morning and have been doing so for over a year. That alone created a bit of a stir on facebook and I didn't even mention that they also put away all of their own clothes - woo hoo! (Now you know how I actually survive being a mama of 3 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Rhythms, MJ, Printables, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life Tagged With: clothing, kids, organization, printable

Our Fail-Proof 3 Step Plan for Saving Kid Art & School Projects

September 1 by Julee

A fail-proof 3 part plan for how to handle ALL THAT artwork and school papers!

My kiddos headed back to school last week, and I know it won't be long before they start coming home with all sorts of papers, projects and pictures. Last year, I struggled quite a bit with deciding what to keep and where to keep it. This year, I'm starting with a plan. My plan is intentionally simple. I don't follow through with overly structured systems for managing household tasks, and I know it's likely to fall to the bottom of my to-do list if it isn't amazingly easy. Here are the basic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Julee, Organizing, Photography & Memory Keeping, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life Tagged With: art organization, artwork organization, How to get organized, keepsakes, kids art organization, photo books, POYEL, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life, saving kids artwork, saving school work, school work organization

What Moms are Talking About

August 27 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Recently I've been doing a little much-needed updating to our facebook page. It's becoming quit the cozy spot where MPMK readers can come to chat, to learn from one another, to laugh, and even to dish a little. I'd love for you to come join us! Here are some of the most popular things we've been posting on this month: Top 36 Photos from the Blog, "Reasons My Kid is Crying" (cover photo) The Infamous 1st Day of School Letter An Apology to My Second Child A Stranger Saw What I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

5 Tricks for Calming Back-to-School Jitters

August 25 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Numbers 3 and 5 are genius.

We've got a whole "Back-to-School " theme going on here this week. Last week it was 6 Things Your Child's Teacher Wants You to Tell Them and on Monday I finally released our new Kids' Responsibility & Money Management Kit! (I'm SUPER excited about this. It's going to be just the thing to help get your kids organized and ready to take on the school year, as well as some new responsibilities.) Today, I'm over at eHow Mom discussing 5 easy tricks we use to calm back-to-school jitters. These … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting, The grown ups (that's you!), Uncategorized Tagged With: back-to-school tips, first day of school, parenting, positive parenting, school anxiety, tips for starting a new school

How to set up a study space anywhere

August 20 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

This are brilliant - can't wait to set one up for my new kindergartner!

With a soon-to-be kindergarten in the house (what?!) I've been scouting out spots in the house to set up a study station for him. And, after doing a little web surfing, I became convinced that it's impossible to set up such a space in literally any space. So I put together a handy roundup of the most ingenious ideas I found. You can check them all out here. Want more MPMK goodness over the weekend? Be sure to sign up for our newsletter (and get the free 6 week meal plan) and to follow … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Organizing, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life Tagged With: homework station, how to put a study station anywhere, how to set up a study space

{Book Nook} 10 Books Kids Will Love if They Loved Frozen

August 19 by Janssen

Such a smart idea to use your kid's latest obsession to help fuel a love of reading. Love that this list is from a children's librarian and has age recommendations.

I know by now you are likely pretty sick of all things Ana, Elsa and Olaf. But here's a parenting trick I learned a while back - you can use whatever your child is currently obsessing about to help foster a love of reading.  It's all about pointing out the similarities between the story they already love and some new stories worth exploring. The key, of course, is to know where to look. So today our resident children's librarian, Janssen, is sharing 10 books every Frozen fan is sure to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Janssen, The Book Nook Tagged With: book nook, books for Frozen lovers, children's books, Frozen books

Don’t Have Another “Date Night In” Until You Read this List!

August 13 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Really doable ideas on how to make dinner and a movie at home more fun - nothing ridiculous my hubby will roll his eyes at!

If you're like our family, having young children in your brood can mean a lot of "Date Nights In". While ordering our favorite takeout and zoning out on the couch to Netflix can be relaxing at the end of a long week, it's not exactly the best way I know to keep the romance alive. So I've done a little research and put together a list of 10 ways to liven up dinner and movie at home with minimal effort. And I promise, it's stuff you'll actually want to do. I really can't take all those … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The grown ups (that's you!) Tagged With: date nights at home, date nights for parents, dinner and a movie ideas, ideas for date night in

{In the Kitchen} No-Bake & Peanut-Free Dark Chocolate Energy Bites

August 12 by Jennifer

Easy, no-bake and peanut-free energy bites kids will love to eat, and help make!

Great news friends - we've brought a new food contributor to the MPMK team and she's got TONS of healthy family-friendly recipes she's ready to let us in on. Jen's not just about food, though. Over on her own space, The Chronicles of Home, she shares all aspects of her life as a self-described wife, mom, cook, DIYer, and decorato, turning our house into a home one day and one project at a time. Today she's sharing with us a tasty new way to get the kids in the kitchen AND to help keep … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Jen Tagged With: energy bites, healthy snacks, kid snacks, nut-free snacks

{Play Idea} 17 Unique Materials for Building & Creating

August 11 by Kristin

Lots of great ideas here for my little engineer!

Summer has hit full stride and all the free time off school has lost its allure.  We've been swimming, hiking, adventuring and more!   So, now it's time to explore new activities that will satisfy the kids' natural curiosity and endless amounts of energy. We've picked our top 17 building activities, using everything from newspaper to marshmallows.  Most of these items you'll have at home, so pick an activity from the list this afternoon when boredom hits your house. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kristin, Sensory & Interactive Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: block activities, building activities, building for kids, STEM activities for kids, summer building projects for kids, upcycled building blocks

{Parenting} Teaching Kids to Wash Hands & Kill Germs

August 7 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

A simple game to teach your kids to wash their hands (finally!)

As a parent of three small children, germs are kind of the bain of my existence. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for my kids building up their immunity while playing in the dirt and socializing with friends. What I'm not cool with, however, are my kiddos neglecting to wash their hands after using the toilet and then putting said hands on EVERYTHING. Apparently Clorox understands my pain. Check out this funny little video on just how sticky germs really are (but beware, it's a bit … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: cinnamon magic hand washing game, getting kids to wash hands, sponsored, teaching kids to wash hands

Don’t Take Your Kids to a Busy Place Without Teaching these 5 Things!

August 6 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Super useful tips - working on teaching both of my kids all 5 of these things now!

We've still got one more month of glorious summer before school starts up again, which means there are still lots of opportunities for fun outings with the kids. Before you head out, though, have you taught your kids what to do if they ever get lost (especially in a busy place? I'm over on eHow's Mom Channel with 5 essential things to teach your kids to do and say if they ever get lost. Also, don't forget, only our Back-to-School bundle of over 90 printables to get your ready and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: keeping kids safe in busy places, teaching kids what to do when lost, when kids are lost

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