DIY Glitter Traveling Lanterns for Nighttime Confidence

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 - Mama 5 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ConfidentKids #CollectiveBias

My son is stubborn. Anyone who has met me has probably figured out where he gets it from, I’m sure, but it seemed like potty training took us a little longer than it did for many of his peers. It wasn’t like he didn’t know he needed to go– it’s that he just… didn’t want to take the time away from what he was doing. We tried timers. We tried bribery. We tried just about everything. When he finally started to get the hang of it, it was a serious celebration. We even had a potty party to celebrate NO MORE DIAPERS!

But then he continued to need one at night. We had made it during the day, finally broken the cycle of constant accidents, but night was a totally different story. And this time? It wasn’t stubbornness. He either didn’t wake fully to make it to the potty, or when he did, he struggled to get there in the dark without nervousness.

Confession: I Judged a Fellow Parent

July 9, 2015 - Mama 1 Comment

It started as an innocent text. And then, before I knew it, I was doing the one thing I hated the most: judging a fellow parent. I hate when people make judgments about my parenting style, so why was I doing it?

Must-Have Annual Memberships for Kansas City Families!

June 22, 2015 - Mama 4 Comments

This winter, I had what many of my friends referred to as my “grinch year.” I was up to my eyeballs in too many toys, and I put a ban on the entire family– NO. TOYS. PERIOD. I was not going to let another toy come into my house when we were overloaded even after getting rid of a bunch. Instead, I encouraged my family to consider ideas that might be more long-lasting and educational, but still fun (like subscription boxes or annual memberships). I also put my money where my mouth was and got my son an annual pass to SeaLife Aquarium, the Legoland Discovery Center, and to Union Station, 3 places we visited last fall and loved.

And this summer? I’m so thankful for my grinch year, because the memberships we have now are perfect for our summer fun, and we’ve been getting tons of use out of each. So, now that my son and I are well-versed in what memberships are worth it in the KC area (and which you might want to skip).

Beach Bag Mom Essentials!

June 19, 2015 - Mama Leave a comment

Packing your beach bag for summer fun? Don't forget to pack these essentials when you head to the beach on your summer travels! Vacation time is hectic and it's easy to forget-- but this list will help you out! #Sponsored #CleverGirls #OREOMultipack

Summer vacation is always a ton of fun, but for moms, it can be a ton of stress. It seems like before we go anywhere– the museum, the beach, the park– we have to make sure we’ve got everything for all of the kids. I’ve been prone to forget things again and again, so I’ve now got a tried-and-true list for what must go in my beach bag every time!

An Open Letter to the Dads of my Son’s Baseball Team

June 17, 2015June 24, 2015 - Mama Leave a comment

When you live in a community, it's great when one family or person looks out for others that live in community with them. Taking others under your wing is a great way to foster community-- read this mom's open letter to the dads who took her son under their wing during baseball.

To the dads of the kids on my son’s baseball team:

As the season winds down to a close, I realize there are some important things I didn’t know how to say to you in person. I just want to take a few minutes to say thank you.

Why Moms are Basically Superheroes

May 27, 2015 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #V8EnergyBoost #CollectiveBias

Come on, moms, we do it all-- quick changes after baby spit up, mind control through redirection techniques, and the power of sonic hearing! Moms are essentially superheroes, with a whole list of incredible superpowers! What's your super power? #V8EnergyBoost #Ad

My son has gotten really into superheroes lately. Every time I ask what he wants to watch before bed, it’s always, always superheroes. And the other night when I was watching, I realized with all of the quick changes, invisibility, and super speed, Super Powers really aren’t that far removed from what being a mom is like. Moms, we’re basically superheroes, and I’m pretty sure our families don’t know our secret identity, but if you aren’t convinced, here are a few ways that moms are pretty much superheroes…

Recycled Regatta: How to Make Sailboats out of Recycled SunnyD Bottles

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 - Mama 11 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
#WhereFunBegins #CollectiveBias

It's time to pull out the sails and have some summertime fun! If you're looking for a summer craft to add to your summer bucket list, or if you just need a boredom buster for your kids, they'll love these fun recycled DIY boats! #WhereFunBegins #ad

I am a huge fan of crafts made with supplies I pretty much have on hand. When my son says “I’m bored!” I like having a project available for him to do. Because of that, I tend to save things like bottles and straws in a bag in our pantry– they make the COOLEST homemade toys!

How to Get Kids to Do Chores (With Free Chore Chart!)

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 - Mama 9 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleaningUntangled #CollectiveBias

Are your kids slobs? Are they fighting you on pitching in with the chores? Do you struggle to get organized because of the clutter, mess, and lack of family participation? You can get your family to help with chores, without a fight! Get some tips (and print a free chore chart) to get your family motivated to clean up! #CleaningUntangled #Ad

Why does it so often feel like it’s mom’s job to do all of the housework? And how many times have you asked your kids to make their bed, clean up their toys, and help out with cleaning, only to get a fight? It’s an absolute pain, and in our household, it was time to say Enough. Is. Enough. It actually isn’t hard to get kids to do their chores– without the fight. You just have to get a little bit creative.

Writing Letters to Your Children, Part Three: The Prompts

April 23, 2015April 23, 2015 - Mama Leave a comment

So you'd like to write letters to your children as the perfect wedding gift, graduation gift, or just to instill a little wisdom in them.... but you don't know where to start! Here are 70 prompts to get you started on writing to your kids! They also make great journaling prompts!

Over the past two weeks, I’ve been sharing some ideas on writing letters to your children for a future date. The first week, we discussed why it was important to share these stories with your children. Last week, we talked about the best ways to write these stories and store them so they wouldn’t get lost or damaged over time. Today, I want to give you some ideas and prompts for what you can write about– it’s easy to say that you will or want to write letters to your child, and choosing a format is pretty easy, too, but it’s a lot harder to come up with ideas when you do sit down to write. Here are some prompts to get you started.

Writing Letters to Your Children, Part Two: How to Organize Them

April 15, 2015April 12, 2015 - Mama Leave a comment

Writing letters to your children can be a great gift to them when they're older-- at graduation, or on their wedding day. But what do you do once you've written the letters? How do you get started and how do you store them? Here are some ideas.

Last week on the blog, I shared my heart in terms of why it’s important to write letters to your children for them to read when they get older. Writing letters helps you leave a lasting legacy to your children and tell them stories that you want to preserve– don’t wait until it’s too late to share these stories. This week, I want to give you some ideas of how to prepare your letters for your children.

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