If you’ve been following me for long, you know I’m a huge proponent of giving kids household responsibilities and teaching them to manage money at an early age. I’ve done a lot of research on the topic and even developed some pretty slick tools to help parents get started. I’ll be the first to admit, though, that even the best routines need shaking up every once in a while, and my Kids’ Responsibility and Money Management Kit is no different. In our house, the system was still working beautifully for keeping the kids on task doing chores and managing their allowance. The problem was their att ..read more

This “Sibling Appreciation Advent Calendar” is an idea our elf came up with last year and worked really well. On the first day he appeared, always the day after Thanksgiving in our house, he arrived with this Advent Calendar (only $15!) and an explanation. The idea is simple. Our elf asked the kids to take a minute each day to write something nice about each other and place it in that day’s pocket. The next morning the kids wake up to find the notes they wrote about each other and a small chocolate hug. The kids loved this little tradition and I loved that they were taking time each day t ..read more

I’ve got some big… HUGE news to share today! After a LOT of hard work behind the scenes for the past several months, I’m so excited to finally announce that I have a picture book coming out and it just became available for pre-sale! Trains Coming Through! My First Big Book of Trains is the book every little train lover you know should have! I was inspired to write it by all three of my kids’ fascination with trains, pretty much from birth through their early elementary school years. While there are certainly some great kids books on trains out there, we’ve really only come across two types. Ei ..read more

It is a very stressful time for parents, particularly as the news cycle remains consistently dire, social media continues to showcase alarming posts, and the stock markets are on a roller coaster ride.  Pair those worries with income loss and school shutdowns, and any parent can be at their wits end. Now, these concerns, combined with the tragic death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests and rioting, can easily push parents to the edge of their stress thresholds. Tempers can be short and result in parents lashing out at each other or at their children. The key to surviving and thrivin ..read more

Image Credit: © Suzette Pauwels (text & graphic added) | 01.01.11 | CC by 2.0 As we all continue to deal with shelter-in-place, I thought it would be the perfect time to re-post a piece written by one of my blogging buddies, Amanda from Not Just Cute. She shares a wonderful method for dealing with problem behaviors in a positive and effective manner… And make sure you don’t miss the extra-helpful printable for trying the techniques out in your home.   If you’ve been a reader here for a while, then you probably recognize Amanda – she’s my go-to parenting resource.   ..read more

*This post is sponsored by Camp Invention®, all opinions are 100% my own. Like many parents, I’ve got a number of concerns bouncing around my head these days. One of the big ones is whether my kids will actually go back to school at all this year– and what that could mean for them academically. I’m worried about all the learning they’re missing out on while their schools are closed. Every summer we talk about guarding against the infamous “summer slide”. Will there be a much larger Coronavirus slide this year instead? Another thing I was discussing with my neighbor yesterday, is how ..read more

Did you know my kids’ school district was the very first to be shut down in the country? Today is our 9th day of no school and we’ve got a minimum of 6 weeks to go. There’s still a long haul ahead of us all, to be sure, but I’ve learned some things since we’ve been stuck at home and I have one big piece of advice I’d like to share with any of you who aren’t as far down this road as we are…Take a little time to throw together a general daily schedule- you’ll thank yourself later. I’m not gonna sugar coat it… Finding a way to occupy the kids during school breaks is always challenging, but ..read more

Earlier this week I shared my experience living at the center of the coronavirus outbreak in America. It’s only been 4 days and the situation has elevated quite a bit. Late Wednesday night word came from our school district’s superintendent; effective immediately, all schools in our district are closed for up to 14 days. Teaching will continue, at home, via the internet. For the foreseeable future, I’m a working mom with no childcare, overseeing the daily lesson plans of a kindergartner, a third grader, and a fifth grader. To read more about how we’re handling this new way of life, yo ..read more

With cold days persisting and school breaks coming up, I thought now would be the perfect time to share one of my all-time favorite indoor play ideas… Have you noticed the big emphasis on both creativity and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills for kids lately?  At first glance these two things may seem to be in opposition, but in reality creative thinking and innovation are necessities to scientific and technological advancement. So how do we foster these skills in our kids at home?  By providing lots of engaging and open-ended set ups to get them flexing bot ..read more

Life comes at you fast these days.  Have you noticed how we drink our morning coffee and the next thing we know, we’re tired and crawling into bed? If we don’t stop to be intentional, we can miss out on some really important moments with our spouse and kids. There are two things we’ve found helpful in being more present with our kids at dinner time: A no-technology rule at meal time. A handy set of conversations starters to get the ball rolling. Today we’re going to show you how we enforce that no-technology rule via our “Parked Phone Station” and share with you a huge list of our favorite fam ..read more