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{Get Organized} Four Art Quotes Perfect for Family Spaces

August 5 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

4 awesome quotes for a family home!

If you've been following along with this facebook post, you know that we're knee-deep in sleep training baby M around here - which means some sleepless nights for this Momma. One of the things I like to look at with my blurry eyes in the wee hours of the morning are pieces of art to one day adorn my still quite bare walls. Occasionally, I even get around to ordering and hanging a few! Here are four of my current favorites - two of which actually hang in my house and two of which I so far … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Style & Simplify Tagged With: best art quotes, johnny cash quote, moby dick quote, quote for families, Shakespeare quote, though she be little

{Play Idea} A Simple Technique to Keep Kids Coloring Longer

August 4 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

A super easy tip for extending coloring time - filing this one in my Mommy toolbox!

Coloring is at the very top of my super-simple, go-to activities for keeping the kids happy and occupied. It's a total classic, of course, and encourages all kinds of open-ended creativity. So when my friends Holly and Rachel of Kids Activity Blog sent me their new book, I knew it was going to be well used in our house as soon as I saw this project. This is such a simple way to extend a basic coloring session. Can you guess what we're using to make our crayon creations pop? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art + Kid Crafts, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: crayon art projects, DIY hair gel paints, kid art projects, kids activities

The Best Breakfasts for School Brain Power

August 3 by Natalie

Great list of breakfast ideas to give kids energy to pay attention and focus all day long.

I know, I know - August just began, don't start the back to school stuff already! But it never hurts to plan ahead. Plus, a great breakfast is just as essential for fueling your kids for a day at the beach as a long day at school! Here's Natalie with her best breakfast ideas and why we should all be eating them.  Everyone says breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but is it really all that important? I'm not here to guilt you into making a full breakfast spread every day … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Natalie Tagged With: brain food, easy breakfast, healthy food, quick breakfast, school breakfast

{In the Kitchen} Three Dips to Get Kids to Eat More Vegetables

July 29 by Kristin

Going to try these to see if I can get my kiddos to eat more veggies - I think they'll especially like #3!

Having my kids home for the summer means constant grazing.  Sure we eat regular meals, but when the kids are swimming and playing hard they need an extra snack or two. I like to cut up all my vegetables at the beginning of the week and then mix it up with a few dips. Let's face it, vegetables alone are a hard sell.  I've perfected three dips that I know my kids will enjoy.  And the more the dip, the more vegetables they eat! The first is similar to ranch dip, but a little … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Kristin Tagged With: cooking for kids, getting kids to eat vegetables, healthy kid snacks, healthy snacks, homemade vegetable dips, how to get kids to eat more vegetables, vegetable dip recipes, vegetable dips

{Memory Keeping} Chalkboard Photo Frame DIY

July 28 by Kristin

Love the modern look of this DIY chalkboard frame. Would be fun for kids to make or as a hostess gift too!

Have you guys checked out our new Photography & Memory Keeping category yet? The plan is to fill it to the brim with usable ideas for busy parents on how to take great photos, how to organize them, and what to do with them once you actually print them! It's one of the things I'm most excited about this year - can you tell? Here's Kristin with a quick and easy photo project that will make a big visual impact in a special nook or cranny in your home. We already know the importance of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kristin, Photography & Memory Keeping Tagged With: DIY Chalkboard photo frame, DIY photo frame, kid photo projects, photo projects

{POYEL} Decluttering, Recycling, Earning Money & Giving Back with Your Old Technology

July 27 by Kristin

I never know what to do with my old phones and tablets - love that this is a safe way to recycle and make a little money too!

We've got a new Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life installment today. This time we're tackling just what to do with all those old (and sometimes broken) smart phones, tablets and MP3 players with the help of our newest sponsor, . Have you heard of them? I hadn't but I was quite pleasantly surprised to hear I could make money AND safely recycle my old tech with a simple trip to the mall. (I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of money I could make!) Here's Kristen with her experience … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decluttering, Kristin, Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life Tagged With: declutter electronic devices, ecoATM, recycle electronic devices, sponsored

{Play Time} DIY Outdoor Easel & Water Wall

July 23 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

My kids have found so many ways to play with this simple DIY outdoor easel!

The hubby and I have been on a serious DIY kick around here lately and today I'm excited to share with you guys our latest home project. True to form, it's yet another way to promote open-ended creativity in the kids. (This time, outdoors - double score!) Head over to eHow's Mom channel to get the full DIY on how to make your own outdoor easel. Then stock up on squirt bottles, sponges, squegees, shaving cream, and pretty much anything else you can think of to let the kids have at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: DIY water wall, outdoor activities, outdoor easel, outdoor play, water wall

{Happy Family Habit #13} Involving Kids in Giving Back

July 22 by Kristin

Awesome easy suggestions for ways for kids of all ages to give back - love the library book idea!

It is better to give than to receive.  And there's no time like the present!  Even young children can learn the joy of giving.  Why is this important? It's important because we are raising our kids in a me-me-me culture.  Kids are bombarded with messages about satisfying our own needs and getting what we want.  Immediately. Slowing down to focus on others balances all of the 'me' messages.  Sometimes, we put off the idea of service or giving because it just seems so overwhelming.  I don't … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Happy Family Habits, Kristin Tagged With: B.O.R.E.D., giving back, happy family habits, serving with kids, teaching kids to give, teaching kids to give back

{Play Time} Frozen Inspired Quiet Time Activity

July 20 by Alli

Quiet time, "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" kit - my little frozen fans are gonna love this :)

Nearly a year later, and my family is still FROZEN obsessed. It's pretty ridiculous, actually. I'll take it, though. With a family of boys, after all, this may be the the closest to a "princess movie" I'll ever get. My boys adore Olaf. So I decided to put together a "Do You Want to Build a Snowman Busy Box" to set aside for rainy days. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alli Tagged With: busy bag, Frozen activity, quiet time activity, STEM activity

Outdoor Play Idea: Colorful Car Wash!

July 16 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Summer playtime activity: Colorful Car Wash - my kids will do this one for hours at a time!

The kids and I take the summer sun as a direct challenge to come up with new and innovative ways to play outside and today I'm sharing one of our absolute favorites. Try this colorful car wash idea once and you'll be hooked - I swear. My kids really do engage in this one for hours at a time and yours just might too! P.S. Did you know that facebook has recently drastically changed the way pages like MPMK can share with their followers? Even if you’re a fan of the MPMK facebook page, only a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: kids car wash, outdoor play, playing car wash, shaving cream play, summer kids activity

23 Healthy Homemade Kid Snacks

July 15 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

23 of our all time favorite healthy snacks to make for kids all in one place! Kale chips, granola bars, smoothies and more!

I was looking through our archives recently and realized we have a whole bunch of really awesome recipes for homemade healthy kid snacks. And what do we do when we have a plethora of something wonderful? We make a super helpful roundup so that you can access them all in one place (of course). Today I present to you no less than 23 of our all-time favorite healthy snack ideas for kids. Enjoy! Fruit and Veggie Rainbow Gummies Oatmeal To-Go Bars 4 Healthy Smoothie Recipes Kid … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With: baanan ice cream, chick peas, healthy kid food, healthy kid snacks, healthy snacks, kale chips, smoothies

Free Printable: Reading Scavenger Hunt

July 14 by MJ at Pars Caeli

Free Printable: Kids Reading Scavenger Hunt - Perfect for spring and summer breaks. my kids loved checking off all 25 items!

Scavenger hunts and reading make the perfect pair. Discovering new stories, interesting characters, or a great series builds your child's love for literature as well as her motivation to become an independent reader. As parents we want to grow our children's interest in reading but sometimes feel like we've run out of ideas on how to do just that. To help, we've created a fun and simple way to challenge your child to read and discover outside of their comfort zone. It's a free printable … [Read more...]

Filed Under: MJ, Printables, The Book Nook Tagged With: free reading printable, kids reading scavenger hunt, kids scavenger hunt printable, kids summer reading, printables, reading scavenger printable, scavenger hunts, summer reading

DIY Vacation Memory Jars

July 13 by Julee

An easy DIY project for creating vacation memory jars with your children. A great way to remember your favorite moments together.

Did you guys know we've got a whole new category on MPMK this year? It's called Photography & Memory Keeping and we're stuffing it with tips busy parents can use to take great photos AND get those shots off our tech and into our lives. Here's Julee with our latest summer-themed post... We just returned from our first family beach vacation. Our children absolutely loved the beach and haven't stopped asking to go back. For me, photography has become my way of remembering places I visit, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Julee, Photography & Memory Keeping Tagged With: children's crafts, kids crafts, summer, summer crafts, summer memory jar, summer momentos, vacation

Ten Perfect Lunches For the Park

July 8 by Natalie

10 PERFECT PARK LUNCHES - Love these options for avoiding eating my kids PB&J at the park - esp. the knock-off Starbucks protein box!

Are you spending most of your summer days at the park or the pool this summer? Instead of picking up pricey lunches on the go, try packing up something quick and healthy at home before you go! Here are ten ideas for park lunches to get you through the long summer days. Sandwiches with a Twist. Leave the peanut butter and jelly behind and try something new, like these Roasted Zucchini and Ricotta Sandwiches (pictured above). Less Mess Chicken Salad. Pack your favorite chicken salad … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Natalie Tagged With: easy lunches, easy summer lunches, healthy lunches, kid lunches, lunches, park lunches, pool lunches, summer lunches

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