Happy New Year everyone! How was your New Year's Eve? If you're an MPMK facebook fan, then you already know we celebrated with sparkling cider for the kids and a Homeland marathon for us once they were in bed. We also took a little time to make some resolutions for 2013. Nothing too astounding - we tried to keep them to a few specific and doable goals. On my list were: preserving memories in a better way (more on my plan later this week) and finding a little time for gratitude and peace … [Read more...]
Outdoor Preschool: How to Dress for Hours of Rain & Cold
I've shared here before that our son goes to an all outdoor preschool, but only briefly. In case you missed it, let me say it again. Our son attends a preschool 3 1/2 hours a day, two days a week which, aside from the bathroom, has absolutely no indoor facilities. And, yes, we do still live in Seattle where it rains approximately 9 months a year. Are you shocked? Think I'm nuts? … [Read more...]
Dealing with Night Time Fears Through Play
One of my boys was blessed with my very over active imagination, which can be fun during the day, but not so much at night. We've battled our nighttime monsters in different ways. We talk about what good dreams he wants to have that night - where he wants to go, what he wants to do etc. I've also given him an old remote control so if he wakes up from a bad dream he can change his dream channel. Another way to battle those monsters is by melting them! This activity is fun … [Read more...]
Two Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Learn
Like it or not, it's back-to-school time. Just as you prep your kids with new clothes and school supplies, now is also a good time to think about optimizing your home and routines for learning. Today Kim is sharing two tips for doing just that. … [Read more...]
How to Travel with Kids
Before we dive in today, I wanted to give you a quick update on the site's redesign. We are tenatively shooting for a launch in 4 weeks. That has me both incredibly excited and more than a bit nervous about all the work to be done. So I'll be stepping back a bit for the next 4 weeks. Don't worry though, between contributors, guest posts, and a few roundups - I've got you covered with tons of fresh stuff while I'm away. Now, back to the topic at hand... Many of you with kids probably remember … [Read more...]
Good Idea: Busy Bag Swap
Ever since sharing with you guys about parents swapping cliff notes (and your resounding positive response to the idea), I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. So here's the good news, tomorrow I'll have some bona fide cliff notes for you from a very special guest poster, Whitney of Rookie Moms. And who knows, it could be just the beginning of a whole new venture here. Before we get to that, though, I've got something else to share today. I've been thinking about other great … [Read more...]
Good Idea: Parenting Books Cliff Notes Swap
The books pictured above have been taking up residence on my nightstand for as long as I can remember, and I haven't gotten past the first chapter on any of them. I have a 3 year old and a 19 month old, I just don't have time in my life to crack open a book (and the 7th grade bookworm version of me just died a little with that sentence). So there they sit, mocking me each night before I turn off the light. I'm confident they're filled with the secrets to totally nailing this parenting thing, … [Read more...]
On Being Stuck at Home with Sick Kids
'Tis the season of the runny nose. The worst part about this time of year isn't the sick kids, it's being trapped at home with little ones who are too contagious to be unleashed onto the world but still too spunky to stay in bed and sleep it off. If you find yourself in that particularly frustrating position, you might want to check out my momtastic post, 10 Activities When Sickness Has You Stuck at Home. Then, once you've adequately tuckered out the little guys, read this post, snuggle them … [Read more...]
Parenting Happy Kids
photo via The Busy Budgeting Mama I've got something very exciting to announce: "The meal plan is coming! The meal plan is coming!". My friend Mel (who's a healthy cooking rock star) is currently training and raising funds for Team in Training. So I suggested she make a 12 week meal plan, which I'll put up here along with a link where everyone can show their appreciation by donating to help fight blood cancer (completely at your discretion and no minimum amount required). … [Read more...]