Holidays
Happy New Year’s Eve Mini Rattle Drums!
To celebrate New Year’s Eve so we crafted a rattle drum with a special twist. They’re perfect for kids because they make noise but aren’t as annoying as kazoos.
Big Kid
Snipping the Safety Net
I’ve always been the “Mean Mom” and it’s weird to pull back and let my nearly-adult teen make her own choices, but I have to trust her. It turns out, I do.
Big Kid
Zen and the Art of Molasses Cookies
Through years of challenges, one cookie has steadied me every single holiday season. Is it magic? Maybe. I’m not going to rule it out.
Holidays
Milk Carton Christmas Village Craft
Lots of holiday company and lots of creamy delicious holiday desserts has brought an abundance of milk and cream cartons through our refrigerator and instead of just tossing them this year I washed them out and saved them to upcycle and craft into a simple Christmas village!
Holidays
The Friendship is Really Over When You Stop Sending a Holiday Card
When do you know it’s time to take someone off your holiday card list? Or is sending cards a life time commitment?
Toddler
My Toddler Is Pulling Out Hair…Her OWN
A toddler is falling asleep by self-soothing and pulling out tufts of her own hair. Clearly her mom is concerned. What can she do?
Holidays
20 Parenting Truths: Holiday Edition
It’s once again that magical time of year when you take beautiful photos of your kid screaming her lungs out on Santa’s lap and your children are playing soccer in the house with your favorite tree ornament. There are some universal truths about parenthood – especially during the holidays.
Big Kid
Harassment vs. Helicoptering
A reader asks if she should stop in when her middle schooler is being harassed, or if it’s too much. I have soap box for this one.
Food & Home
Grilled Cheese (Recipes Kids Should Know How To Cook Before Leaving Home)
How to make grilled cheese, a meal kids should know how to make before leaving home. Here’s our recipe and special tips for kids.
Health & Safety
It’s a Miracle Any Of Them Live To Adulthood
We’ve all missed an illness or worse-than-we-realized injury in our little kids, but does it stop happening when they get older? Not exactly. At least we’re not alone.
Holidays
DIY Minecraft Christmas Ornaments
Minecraft is all the rage at my house so when my daughter suggested we make Minecraft Christmas Ornaments I knew I had to share her idea. Whether you’re making them as gifts, as an activity at a Minecraft-themed party, or just as ornaments for your own tree, they are sure to please every gamer big or small!
Holidays
Floating Snowman Marshmallows
Here is the easiest trick ever to have the cutest marshmallows in your hot chocolate! Turn those marshmallows into snowmen!
Holidays
St. Lucia Day Craft: Bubble Candle Wreath
St. Lucia Day (or St. Lucy’s Day) is a popular holiday celebrated in Scandinavia and Sweden and many other parts of the world on December 13th. We introduce this international holiday and an associated craft.
Health & Safety
Tell Me How To Feel About: THE LEASH
Kids on leashes. Probably one of the top parenting choices all but guaranteed to earn you some judge-y side-eye or comments from strangers, even more so than say, breast- or bottle-feeding in public.
Big Kid
College Worries, Big and Small
As I try to prepare both my kid for college and myself for her launch out of the nest next year, I’m realizing my worrying strategy may be skewed.
Food & Home
Recipes Kids Should Know How to Cook Before Leaving Home: Omelets
The first post in a series on recipes should know before they leave home. First recipe up – omelets!
Holidays
Ombre Paper Dreidel Printable for Hanukkah
Use our free printable ombre dreidel for decoration for play. Happy Hanukkah!
Holidays
The Very Best Kid Christmas Gift
So classic, it’s not even a trick to figure out why we keep giving kids these things every single year. But we do. And we love that we do.
Big Kid
Teenagers and Bad News Parties: What Do We Tell Them?
A reader asks how we deal with teens and the specter of poor teen decisions about drugs and alcohol and parties.
Big Kid
Insomnia & Special Needs Kids
A school boy with ADHD is having an extra hard time falling asleep recently and its causing lots of stress on the family. This is not an uncommon problem amongst special need school-aged kids. Amalah has some advice.