When we moved into our very small 2 bedroom home, I knew that having piles and piles of toys could possibly be the downfall of our family. So instead of letting them consume me, I have always worked to reduce our clutter, especially before the holiday season. But creating a family toy buyback tradition is…
The Sunday before Halloween my husband asked me to coordinate trick-or-treating with a friend to which I replied “If it was up to me, we wouldn’t go. I don’t want all that candy.” I know. Some of you are in sheer horror and others are standing in solidarity nodding their heads thinking “next year, we’ll do…
I realize that 25% would be a failing grade. I realize that 25% of a dollar can’t buy much. I realize 25% generally isn’t a lot of anything. …But today, Jenn is 25% of 18 years old and it feels like such a big number. It’s big and important because soon enough she’ll be too…
Driving long distances with young children can be exasperating, from “Are we there yet?”, to the bickering and fighting among siblings. I came up with a simple yet effective way to minimize behavior problems one summer while planning a trip from Oklahoma to Florida.
Ever since childhood, I have been a big fan of the maze game. Now that I am parent, I know that maze games are puzzles, making them great for spatial awareness, fine motor skills, and expanding the capacity of the mind. This inspired me to try my hand at a DIY maze game that my…
If you ave followed my blog for any time at all, you know that I love food. Not only do I love food, but I love HEALTHY, organic, non-gmo food. This means getting my hands dirty and exploring in the kitchen is right up my alley. The first year of marriage with kids, I explored…
As Christmas decorations come down, there are always items that are broken, torn, or simply otherwise trash. Figuring out how to recycle Christmas trash and finding new ways to re-purpose it can be difficult, but there are several crafts that you can do yourself or with your children to give that trash a second life….
Today I am so pleased to have Honey from Honey’s Life discussing going green with kids. She goes through some great questions to discuss as a family on making better decisions and ones that will help us all reduce our carbon footprint! Going green is simple and easy to do with children As a…
Homemade musical instruments are a way to get kids involved in the process of open-ended play. Whether they are involved in the steps it takes to make the musical instrument or not, the creativity in making ordinary objects part of music helps them see the world a little differently. In fact, knobby puzzle pieces have…
With kids, it is inevitable that there will be at least one puzzle with missing pieces. I see where many people choose to just throw them away, but I URGE you to find other ways to utilize puzzles. And at the very least, please donate them for people like me to find and re-purpose. Replacing…
So many family traditions and memories are centered around food, and rightly so. Food is what sustains us, so memories around making food or sitting together at the table are important. However, I am a firm believer in eating healthy and responsibly. I do not want to feed my child refined carbs or sugars, especially…
The holidays are just around the corner which means many of us will be buying gifts for our families. I for one love the holidays as a time to spend with family and to give gifts to those that I love, because it is my love language! However, I am of the opinion that much…