Connect with Your Kids: 50 Screen-Free Activities

This week, Joyce from Childhood Beckons and I thought it would be fun to share 50 of our best ideas for connecting with your kids through unplugged play, and we’ve even included a free printable list! To download the list, head over to Joyce’s blog to check out our latest post in the Connect with […]

Connect with Your Kids… Through Art!

It’s time for another post in our Connect with your Kids series — this time the lovely Joyce from Childhood Beckons and I are sharing our ten favorite tips for turning art and craft time into treasured family memories! We hope you enjoy lots of quality time with your kids while creating beautiful artwork together. […]

Connect with Your Kids — Outdoor Play

I’m so excited about this week’s Connect with Your Kids post!! You can find it at Joyce’s amazing blog — Childhood Beckons. This week we’re featuring 10 Simple Tips for Outdoor Play, just in time for Earth Day, along with some of our favorite outdoor games and activities. Have fun enjoying some quality time outdoors with […]

Connect with Your Kids – 10 Easy Tips for Family Game Time

For an easy and FUN way to connect with your kids, try setting aside a little time to play some games together as a family. To help get you started, Joyce from Childhood Beckons and I got together to share some of our best tips to turn game time into cherished family memories. We hope […]

10 Simple Pleasures for Cherished Childhood Memories

1. Brighten the walkway with some Sidewalk Chalk Stencils.   2. Kids LOVE dirt!! Create an outdoor Mud Pie Kitchen for hours of messy pretend play fun.   3. Bubbles are sure to make everyone smile!   4. Grab a roll of pennies, and visit a local water fountain to Make Lots of Wishes.   5. Go shopping for […]

NEW Series! Connect with Your Kids

Have you met Joyce from the well-loved blog Childhood Beckons?? You may already know her from this post on Hands On As We Grow entitled “10 Simple Ways to Slow Down and Make Your Child’s Day” or this post on Toddler Approved for “5 Easy Ways to Show Love for a Working Parent“. I’m so […]

10 Ideas to Foster Creative Play with Your Kids

Looking for some inspiring ways to promote creative play with your little ones?? Here are some of our favorite screen-free, simple, imaginative playtime activities for kids that won’t break the bank! 1. My kiddos have enjoyed hours of imaginative play with Story Stones and Sidewalk Scenes. Lots of creative storytelling fun!   2. Learn a […]

10 Awesome Ways to Make Cleaning FUN for Kids

It’s time for some Spring cleaning, so why not make it fun?? I asked some of the most creative moms in the blogosphere to share their best tips for keeping the kiddos motivated to help out around the house. These mamas make cleaning time seem like a blast! Pretend Play — 1. “Dress up like […]

10 Creative Ways to Make Time for Your Kids

For many busy parents, finding quality time to be with their kids can be a big challenge. I asked some of the busiest moms in the blogosphere to share their BEST tips for squeezing in quality time with their kids. You’ll notice how many of these busy moms don’t just “find” time to spend with […]

Sunday Snapshot — Priorities

Last week, there were piles of dirty dishes in the sink, mountains of laundry, and our kitchen floors were a bit… shall we say… crunchy?? I worked hard to ignore all of that, so I could take Clara to the park to do this: You might say we were procrastinating, but I prefer to think […]

Teaching Kids the Art of Graciousness

With the holidays being so close, now is a great time to remind kids about the proper way to give and receive gifts. One of the most effective ways to do this, is through pretend play! 1. Without the kids seeing, wrap up a few small items from around the house. Bags and tissue paper […]

Things That Make Me Smile

A few things that make me smile… 1. Super Daddy and Princess Clara battling the rain to take Emily to the bus stop. No job is too small!   2. Beautiful (and delicious!) cupcakes at Molly’s Cupcakes in NYC — a portion of the proceeds goes to support local schools (awesome).   3. Watching Clara […]

Sunday Snapshot — The Wave

“You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back.” – William D. Tammeus A big thank you to Mr. & Mrs. V for gifting us with tickets to Hershey Park — we […]

6 Fun Ideas to Entertain Kids at a Restaurant

If you are a parent, you know that keeping the kids entertained while waiting at a restaurant is no small task! We rarely go out to eat, but for those special occasions when we do, it’s always nice to have a few fun ideas up my sleeve for keeping the kiddos happy while we wait. Here are […]

Sunday Snapshot — Pick Your Battles

Sometimes when I tell Clara we need to run some errands to the post office, grocery store, bank, and playground, she asks to be dressed like a ladybug princess. This is when I try to envision what life will be like when she is a teenager. Because it puts silly little things like this into […]

10 Cheap Boredom Busters for Kids

Looking for a few easy ways to keep the kids from getting too bored? Here are some of our favorite boredom busters that are quick, easy, cheap, and fun!! 1. Beading with cut up straws — easy, frugal, and a great way to build up important fine-motor skills.   2. Make photo puppets and put […]

Twitter Party!

“With parenting, the days are long, but the years are very short.” For many of us with young children, saving for college can seem like something that is very far away. We are so busy trying to keep up with everything from toilet training, back-to-school schedules, and even what to put on the table for […]

Cherish Them

“To a child, ‘love’ is spelled T-I-M-E.” “Good moms have sticky floors, messy kitchens, laundry piles, dirty ovens…. and happy kids.” “To be in your child’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.” “Children will not remember you for the material things you provided, but for the feeling that you cherished them.” […]