Modern Parents Messy Kids

The best ideas on how to raise engaged kids, organize your life, and create a stylish home.

Parenting Styles: I’m NOT Teaching My Kid to Have Grit… And It’s Totally Fine

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Our five-year-old locked himself in the bathroom at the neighborhood coffee shop a few months ago, and now we're dealing with the fallout. At the start of the school year, I fell into the habit of a latte and a chat with a few other moms before the 3:30 pm chaos, so we hit this place up regularly. It’s not every single school day, but we’re there enough that the baristas all know me by name and drink order – and my husband has pointed out more than once that an espresso machine would be a lot … [Read more...]

The FREE Webinar is Back: A Quick-Start Guide to Positive Parenting

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  I don't know if it's just me, but I find that late January/early February is a great time for a sort of parenting re-boot. The holidays are over and we're doing our best to return to our normal routines (and to work on any behavior issues that may have crept up as the kids have been showered with toys and treats over the past few months). It just seems like the perfect moment to step back and take stock of our parenting techniques (what's working and what's not) as we embark on … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: My Kid Wakes Up Too Damn Early

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  It’s 4:30 am.  You’re in a peaceful slumber… until your mind slowly registers the cries of “Mom! MOM! Mooooooom! Waaaaaaaaah!” You go into your child’s room and try to get her to fall back asleep. Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn’t. But one thing’s for sure: by that point, there’s no way you’ll be able to. Sound familiar? Almost every parent I know has experienced a bout of early waking. For the lucky few, it’s a short period caused by a sleep regression or illness. But for many, … [Read more...]

Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Families

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Image Credit: © Shawn Spencer-Smith  (text added) | family in shadow | CC by 2.0 The New Year is a great time to come together and set some family goals for the upcoming year - and it doesn't have to be done on January 1st, it's not too late! In case you need a little help, I've put together a list of 10 New Year's Resolutions for Families. You'll notice that a lot of the items on the list are things that you're probably resolving to do for yourself this year - I just added a family … [Read more...]

How to Set Up a Successful Homework Routine with Your Kids

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Image Credit: © John Bolland | homework | CC by 2.0 With a brand new year, many of us are looking for a fresh start so today I've got a professional organizer with us to help! She's going to teach us all about how to help our kids become more independent in their homework routines. I love her suggestions and practical tips and have been using them at home with great success. Here's Lea with everything else you need... Eventually, most parents want to stop doing homework. At least, I know I … [Read more...]

Parenting: Making Cookies with Grandma, Uninterrupted

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*This post is sponsored by Huggies. In this house, we love uninterrupted family time. We were so excited for my parents to visit last week, for example. We all had the chance to sit down and ice gingerbread cookies together for what felt like hours. I honestly got teary eyed, it was so special. Three generations, bonding and baking together, with no interruptions. My son was so proud icing the pieces "all by himself." And I know he was happy to be dry during our cookie frosting family … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: The Truth about the Elf on the Shelf

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Image Credit: © Jon DeJong | The Elf is Shelved | CC by 2.0 I watched my son lose a little bit of his childhood the other day, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it. Two years ago – maybe three – we caved to the elf on the shelf hysteria, primarily because our kids were bewildered and a little hurt that no elves invaded our house come Christmas time to spy and create mischief. Fine. Bring on the elf, even though I find the whole idea a little creepy and I have a real aversion … [Read more...]

Mom Hack: 17 Ways Kids Can Use Wipes to Help You Clean the House

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This post is sponsored by Huggies. Both of my girls are long out of diapers. But I still buy Huggies Natural Care Wipes by the caseload. Did you know that Huggies worked in partnership with NICU nurses to develop the first baby wipe specifically designed for fragile premature baby skin to be used in NICUs? They're called Huggies Natural Care Extra Sensitive Wipes and they're only found in Neonatal Intensive Care Units, not sold in stores. However, many of the features found in the Extra … [Read more...]

The Terrible Twos Really Are Terrible!

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About a year and a half ago, I wrote about my crazy-naughty three-year-old son. I pissed and moaned about the terrible threes and complained that the terrible twos were nothing. Well. About that. It turns out, you can have four kids and know nothing about anything. Because I’m here to tell you that the terrible twos are not only real, they are no joke. I’m navigating this two-year-old like I would a grenade, something that could go off any second and obliterate everything in a two-mile … [Read more...]