You guys went so crazy over this idea to get the kids to put away their own clothes, that we came up with another Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life idea aimed at getting the kids (and the hubby) to do even more to get those closets sorted.And, once again, this one comes with a free printable to help you do it!Here's MJ with the details... Maybe it's the new year or the winter snows, but my children are all going through growth spurts right now.Their drawers and closets contain a lot … [Read more...]
Free Printable: Advent Calendar with Jokes for Every Day
Advent calendars have become such a HUGE part of Christmas these days - have you noticed? We've tried several variations over the years from our DIY Freezer Paper Stencil Advent Calendar and our Family Activities Advent Calendar to LEGO Advent and our Reading Advent CalendarThis year, though, with three kids including a 7 month old, I'm opting to go the super simple route. This free printable Christmas Joke countdown will take zero effort from me once it's up and I can feel great about that … [Read more...]
Free Printable: Thanksgiving Gratitude Conversation Starters
Between the candy overload of October and the present overload of December, November is the perfect time for families to focus on what they have to be thankful for. And today's free download is just the tool you need to help!Simply print and keep near the dinner table, then pick a "thankful conversation starter" each night in November and discuss - easy peasy! And we're giving it to you now so you've still got a few weeks to get yourself set up.Here's MJ with the … [Read more...]
POYEL: Kids Clothing Organization
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...]
Free Printable: Reading Scavenger Hunt
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...]
Free Printable: No More “Mom, I’m Bored!”
Big announcement today guys - we've got ourselves a new MPMK contributor! MJ is an amazing graphic artist who's going to be creating a bunch of lovely printables for us in the coming months. She's also an endlessly creative blogger and mom of three just like me! (The mom of three part - I can only strive to her levels of artistry.) Check out all the good stuff she's got going on at her blog Pars Caeli, then be sure to come back here for the free printable - you're going to love it.I … [Read more...]
Giving your child P.R.I.D.E.
Did you know it only takes 5 minutes of quality time a day with your child to give them a sense of emotional connection with you? That's it! Just 5 minutes of down-on-their-level, one-on-one time per day - you can do that right? And to make that time even more valuable, mix in the 5 things mentioned above: praise, reflection, imitation, describing behavior, and enjoyment. If you're wondering where all this is coming from, it's one of the simplest things I learned in that Love and … [Read more...]
Check those Christmas Thank You Notes Off Your To-Do List
Taking a break from the blog's birthday celebration today to share these simple DIY photo thank you notes. I've seen fill-in-the-blank cards like these all over the web. While they certainly looked like they'd cut our note writing time in half, they also seemed a bit impersonal. Not that I think any of our friends and family are expecting a full length letter from my tots - maybe just more than three or four words. My solution was to add a photo of the kids playing with each … [Read more...]