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...]
DIY Projects Just to Make the Kids Smile
One look at The Make & Play Vault and you know I'm not one to shy away from a good DIY. For playtime, for learning, for getting organized, for sprucing up the place and etc.... but how about DIYing for no other reason than to make the kids smile? Isn't that a lovely thought? Today I've got a handful of projects which, while they may not revolutionize your life, your little ones will be sure to think are pretty darn special. I love everything about the space on the top right … [Read more...]
We Tried It! – Routine Charts
We've been struggling a bit with typical 3 year old power struggles around here lately. I've been wracking my brain (and my parenting library) for possible solutions. And then it hit me. Close examination of the problem revealed that these blow ups aren't coming out of nowhere as they initially appeared. They are, in fact, almost always centered on one thing - transitions. My boy HATES transitions - most specifically leaving the house and going to bed. No matter how smoothly we seem … [Read more...]
Stuff I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You About
Hi friends, are you all enjoying a day off today? We got a good dump of snow this weekend - our first of the season and a lovely surprise. So we'll probably try to get in a little more sledding before the day is through. Before I head off though, there are a few things I've been meaning to tell you about. With it's wild popularity, you've probably already seen the amazing post, Don't Carpe Diem. But I had to post about it just in case - it's one of my favorite reads in a long, … [Read more...]
Parenting Thoughts for 2012
Along with making all those other resolutions, the new year always seems like a good time for a little parental reflection. From big things like learning to cherish the moment and building confidence to the smaller stuff like dealing with all those toys - this weekend is a good time to take stock of how we're doing and to get a little perspective. To help you out, here are 7 parenting related posts that have caught my eye recently. If you have a toddler, do yourself a favor and … [Read more...]
Christmas Card Look Book for Babies and Toddlers
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I'm still spending time with visiting family (as I'm sure many of you are as well) but I wanted to pop in and quickly re-post an idea I had last year. I get a little sad having to take down all the Christmas stuff and this is one way I've found to extend the magic a little longer... I'm always torn this time of year about exactly what to do with all the lovely Christmas cards we've accumulated. I feel bad throwing them out but I'm also … [Read more...]
How to Maintain Your Zen When the Kids Have Lost Their Ever-Loving Minds
I bet you read the title of this post, looked at the photo and thought something along the lines of, "Is this chic seriously trying to tell me a beach ball is all I need to stay calm when my child is having a level 10 melt down?... Go sell crazy somewhere else sister. I ain't buying it". Don't worry, the beach ball photos are from my momtastic post this week - all about our favorite way to burn off some steam indoors. As for maintaining your zen - I've got back up for that, a … [Read more...]
Finding Quality Kid Music (That You Can Stand Listening to 483 Times a Day)
If there's one tool in my parenting arsenal I couldn't live without it's kid music. There's nothing like springing a dance party on your children "flash mob" style to chase away afternoon crankiness. I wouldn't even think of getting into my car with tots in tow for longer than 30 minutes without some Raffi and I'm always prepared to launch into several rounds of "Wheels on the Bus" or "Old McDonald" if need be. As life-saving as kid music and songs are - they can also be overly peppy, … [Read more...]
Some Parenting Tricks & Halloween Treats
Happy Friday and congrats to Laura, the winner of the Elissa Hudson giveaway! If you didn't win but would still like a print of your own, Elissa is generously offering 15% off. Just visit her shop and enter the code TAKE15 when checking out. I'm so glad I decided to poll you guysthis week. Not only have your responses been overwhelmingly supportive, they've confirmed that we're all on the same page here and I can't wait to start weaving a little more substance into all the activities … [Read more...]
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