Modern Parents Messy Kids

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Parenting Styles: 7 Reasons I Love Short Vacations

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When I was a kid, my parents saved their time off work and extra spending money for the big two-week summer vacation. The trips started out humbly—camping in a tent—but progressed to more exotic locations like Mexico and Hawaii.  Two weeks is a significant amount of time. You can drive far distances, really experience a new location, do all the tourist things on the list. While there’s nothing wrong with the two-week vacation, I’ve found that mini-breaks work best for my family. We spent two … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: My Biggest Mistake with Family Game Night

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I was pretty excited when my eldest was old enough to play Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. I’d been waiting for years and years to reach board game age. Unfortunately, the two-and-a-half-year age gap between my kids meant that my youngest wasn’t ready—not by a long shot. Neither was he interested in leaving us alone to play a board game without his “help.” If you have a toddler, you know just how helpful they can be. I came up with “baby rules,” which meant that the baby got to do whatever he … [Read more...]

4 Simple Summer Routines for Beating the Summer Slide

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It's only a few weeks until the last day of school for us and I know summer vacation has already started for many of you! To help you prepare for a wonderful summer filled with lots of relaxing, playing, connecting, and - yes - even learning, I've asked my good friend Mariah of Playful Learning to stop by and share her tips. To say Mariah is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to education, is an understatement. She has 20 years of experience working in the field of education and a Master of … [Read more...]

Exclusive Excerpt: Mama, Mama, Only Mama!

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Mama, Mama, Only Mama: An Irreverent Guide for the Newly Single Parent—From Divorce and Dating to Cooking and Crafting, All While Raising the Kids and Maintaining Your Own Sanity (Sort Of)Negotiating with SpidersAn excerpt from Mama, Mama, Only MamaI had never lived completely on my own before, without a boyfriend, husband, or roommate. Yes, technically I wasn’t “alone,” as someone pointed out once—I had the children five days a week, but toddlers are more like badly behaved pets than life … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: 5 Words for When Your Child Struggles Academically

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My kid recently bombed a Big and Important Test. It happens to all of us at some point. I certainly bombed a test or two in my day. OK, let’s be honest, I’ve bombed plenty of tests—and not just the written kind.  I’ve gotten Fs—note the plural. I’ve been fired from a job. Backed my car into more than one inanimate object. Been divorced not once but twice.  My life is salted with screw ups of various gradations. I generally don’t need someone to help me feel bad about my … [Read more...]

The Complete Guide to Homemade Baby Food

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Do you guys make your own baby food? It's something I always wanted to do but never quite got my system down in time. Our contributor, Kaley, though? She absolutely knows here stuff. She walks you through every step and points out the exact tools you'll need to get the job done quickly and easily. She makes it look so easy I'm going to give it a go and serve it up to my kids in reusable pouches like these as a nutritious snack! Oh, and P.S., be sure you check out all of Kaley's brilliant … [Read more...]

The Ultimate Guide on How to Fly with Toddlers When They Outnumber You

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  Traveling with young children this holiday? We know it can be daunting but don't worry! We've totally got your back...   The Prime Directive: Realize it is you against them, and you’re outnumbered. Like in any hostage situation, appeasement is your best option. Remember, it’s just one day. It does not define your parenthood. Forget about eating vegetables or avoiding materialism or any other things that parents love and children hate. The goal is to keep them gruntled … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: 7 Tips to on How to Really Talk to Your Kids About Gender Equality

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Wow, it's been a rough few months and, if you're like me, current events have brought up a lot of questions on how to talk to my kids about all kinds of stuff. Today, our contributor, Lara, is here sharing her thoughts on how to address the topic of gender equality. I feel teaching gender equality is essential, even though (and maybe especially because) I have boys, not girls. Yet, I’m historically awkward when it comes to large and important discussions on character development. However, … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: Remember the Best in Your Child and See It In Your Teen

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This post is sponsored by the Center for Parent and Teen Communication.  All opinions (and memories!) are my own. Then The thing I remember most about Jake's birth was how scared I felt bringing him home from the hospital.  There's no guide book for being a parent. I wonder if first born babies sense the way new parents approach every task with uncertainty. The good news is that babies are resilient. They forgive us for putting the diaper on wrong or being a little too over protective … [Read more...]