I love celebrating the holidays with my kids - they have such a knack for getting excited about each and every one. But that doesn't mean I want to stay up all night frosting cupcakes! Simple but special treats that take under 5 minutes to prepare are much more up my alley. Here's Janssen with a great one... Last year, I made some of that rainbow jello that's floating around on the Internet to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It looked great, but it took hours to make (because it had to set between … [Read more...]
Free Printable: A Week’s Worth of Valentine Lunchbox Jokes
I've been talking to you a lot about healthy kid food lately. You know what goes fabulously with healthy lunches? Absolutely anything that makes eating them more fun! Younger kids almost universally love knock-knock or punny jokes. So we've put together a printable with valentine jokes for you to slip inside your child's lunchbox. Simply print out the free form, cut along the lines, and you're good to go. Send me the lunchbox notes! You'll have one for every school day the week of … [Read more...]
Playtime: Valentine Fortune-Tellers & Knock-Knock Jokes
I don't know about your kids but mine are totally obsessed with knock-knock jokes - they think they're hilarious and absolutely love getting a laugh when telling one. So I know they're going to go nuts for these adorable Valentine Fortune-Tellers. Be sure to click for the printable with all 14 Valentine-inspired knock-knock jokes! Do you remember folding fortune tellers back in elementary school? (Maybe you called them cootie catchers?) If I wasn't busy playing M.A.S.H. with my BFFs, we were … [Read more...]
Family New Year’s Eve Idea: DIY Balloon Drop
Do you guys celebrate New Year's eve with your kiddos? In years past I've skipped it due to the whole, "there's no way my kids are making it to anywhere near midnight and, if by some some miracle, they do - I'm scared to see what will happen the next day" thing. But then I stumbled on the concept of "Happy Noonyear". Which is just what it sounds like, basically celebrating at noon instead of midnight. Kinda genius, right? Regardless if you decide "Happy Noonyear" or stay up for regular … [Read more...]
Free Printable: Family New Year’s Resolutions & Year-in-Review
How is it possible that we can easily countdown the final days of 2018 already? Whether I'm ready or you're ready, the end of the year is quickly approaching. It's just about this time when I always ask myself: Should I make New Year's resolutions this year? And if I'm making that plunge, which goals are both aspirational and approachable? This year we've come up with a simple tool to help you and your family make some goals for this year while reminiscing all the … [Read more...]
Giant Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallows
I had grand ambitions of baking a fancy madeira wine cake for each of my neighbors this year... guess how far I've gotten. I think, instead, I'm going to make a batch or two of these over-sized chocolate marshmallows with the kids and gift a few to each neighbor. I love Janssen's idea of putting them on a stick and adding them to a decorative bag filled with hot cocoa mix in the bottom! Psst one quick thing... Christmas is coming SOON, be sure to check out our SUPER POPULAR toy gift guide … [Read more...]
MPMK’s 2019 Top Toy Awards are Here!!
How great would it be to get all of your Christmas shopping done ahead of time this year AND feel confident your kids are going to love their gifts and keep returning to play with them again and again? I've got some HUGE news today friends! Drum roll please... The 2019 Top Toy Awards are Here! The Toy Awards Parents In-the-Know Have Already Viewed Over 7,000,000 Times! I am such a fan of your website and emails! Thanks for working so hard, especially at Christmas shopping time! Grandparents … [Read more...]
DIY Halloween Decor: Spiderweb Garland
If you're looking for a simple DIY Halloween decor idea to try with the kids this year (one that - bonus - will keep them quiet and busy for a good chunk of time), check out my kirigami paper spiderweb garland. Kids love the ancient art of origami and kirigami takes it up a notch by adding in cutting work (which is great for building fine motor skills). Follow our step-by-step instructions below to make some basic kirigami spiderwebs with the kids in Halloween colors. Then string them … [Read more...]
Hands-On Holidays: Simple Ideas for Making Memories October to December
With 4 weeks until Halloween I know many of you may be scrambling to get on the holiday merry-making with the kids. No worries, I've got everything you need to easily make Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas memories! We put a lot of time and love into creating this ebook because we wanted to give busy parents a way to make tons of holiday memories in a very low-stress and manageable way. Commit to Less Stressing & More Connecting this Holiday Season The holiday season is such a wonderful … [Read more...]