Modern Parents Messy Kids

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Simple & Special Ideas for Valentine’s Day

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I've got a brand new Valentine tutorial up on the mom channel at eHow and - I must say - I'm pretty excited about it.  It's a jumbo, and much healthier, version of the classic conversation heart. Go check it out, if you're so inclined, then head back here for 13 more easy ways to make the 14th special. Two reminders first though: The FREE parenting webinar we're hosting with Today Show expert Amy McCready is tonight at 6pm PST/9pm EST.  If you're tired of yelling, nagging, etc. to get … [Read more...]

Modern Kid Art: Valentine Graffati

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Last Thursday morning I was standing in the kitchen dealing with two delimmas: The natives were getting restless and I'd yet to make a plan for entertaining them. Our fridge, which is not enclosed and thus has a big, ugly exposed side, was making me twitch. (This is actually an ongoing dilemma, not especially specific to last Thursday but it was extra annoying that morning... possibly because I've recently given up my morning iced coffees?) As I saw it, I had two … [Read more...]

Getting Crafty for Love: Our Favorite Valentine DIYs

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Yesterday we talked about a super simple way to share Valentine's Day with your sweetie, even in a time crunch.  And in the next three weeks we'll be sharing lots more V-Day inspiration. But why wait? With me still away at Alt, I thought now would be a good time to remind you of some of our ideas from years past. Last year it was all about these little guys.  Do you remember what we used them for?  Click through for that idea plus a few more of our favorites. … [Read more...]

Kid Activity: Become a Birder for a Day

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Today we've got a very sweet playtime activity from our newest contributor, Alli.  I love the dramatic play aspect of this idea and I can see it sparking all kinds of curiosity in my littles.  As is the case with a lot of activities, spend 20 minutes participating with the kids and you should be able to set them loose on their own while you tackle something for Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life. We do theme months at our house, and right now we're in the middle of Sky Month– learning about … [Read more...]

Make It: Pretty Science Snow Balls

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We're taking a little break from Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life today and highlighting an intriguing winter science decor project (I think I may have invented a new category of project with that one).  Because the whole point of organizing and simplifying is to have more time to connect with the kids, right?  Take it away Jen... As much as I love January and the fresh beginnings that come with a new year, I'm always a bit sad to watch the Christmas decorations make their way back to … [Read more...]

Getting Our Christmas Craft On

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I always try to make an extra effort to do some special activities with the littles this time of year. Lately, I find sitting around the art table with the kids is just about all I want to do. So here's a glimpse of a few simple crafts the kiddos and I have made together this past week.  I hope you can find the time to share one or two of them with your little ones. … [Read more...]

Make It: Washi Tape Tree

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I'm thrilled to introduce you guys to our newest MPMK contributor, Alli. She's an amazing mama, photographer and kiddo activity planner!  I think you're going to love her and her first tutorial as much as I do. Decorating the family tree has to be the most exciting part about Christmas for a kiddo, right? Okay, maybe Santa wins out. But still, Christmas trees hold a very special place not just in our little ones' hearts, but our hearts as well. Having a small toddler, I am one of the … [Read more...]

Two Tips for Easy, No-Bake Gingerbread Houses

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So I know I suggested decorating ginger bread men in lieu of gingerbread houses in this year's 24 family Advent activities. But then my mother-in-law decided she wanted to host a family gingerbread house party the day after Thanksgiving and she kind of changed my mind about the difficulty of making gingerbread houses - with two very clever tricks. Wanna know what they were?  Read on for all the details... … [Read more...]

DIY Gratitude Turkey

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With Thanksgiving coming up (here in the US) there are plenty of opportunities to talk about thankfulness with our kids. Here is a fun art project that adds a little more than just whimsy to the Thanksgiving table - the thankful turkey. This little paper turkey can be constructed in many ways. The fun thing about him is that each of his feathers has a thankful note on the back for each person at the table to read during dinner. … [Read more...]