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...]
Halloween Craft: DIY Stand-Alone Ghosts
If you’ve been to your local craft store recently, you’ve probably noticed the sudden abundance of cheesecloth available on the shelves. The thin, gauze-like material has been a Halloween crafting staple for decades and for good reason.It’s a very user-friendly material for both kids and adults to work with and it’s appearance naturally lends itself to ghost and mummy projects galore. Today we’re giving you the quick and easy steps involved in making some spooky spirits that you … [Read more...]
Halloween Recipe: String Cheese Bones and Blood
I love seeing all the food that people put out for Halloween get-togethers.At no other time is it appropriate to make food look disgusting. But, for Halloween, the grossest thing you can come up with is the biggest hit with the kids.This year, I put together an easy cheese-stick recipe that will work as a spooky after-school snack or as something you take to a Halloween party. Cheesy Bones and Blood Ingredientspre-made dough (Trader Joe's sells a bag of pizza dough) string cheese … [Read more...]
4th of July Fire Cracker Popcorn
Who remembers Pop Rocks? The snap, crackle, pop candy from when you were a kid is still around!And it's the key ingredient in this recipe for firecracker popcorn that actually pops in your mouth. How cool is that?I love the way the snack comes together visually. When you put it in a cute container, it would be the perfect thing to bring to a 4th of July get together. In fact, I'm pretty sure this dish will totally steal the show.If you're having trouble finding this candy from … [Read more...]
12 Crock Pot Easter Dishes
Whether you typically celebrate Easter with a fancy breakfast, a traditional ham dinner, or something in between, we can all use a short cut here and there to make meal prep easier, right? And what could be easier than setting it and forgetting it in a crock pot while you go on an egg hunt with the kids?Today we've rounded up a dozen delicious (and kinda genius) slow cooker dishes perfect for your Easter table.There are some classics, like carrot cake and honey glazed ham, that I didn't know … [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 happenings of last … [Read more...]