Thanks to ZURU for sponsoring today's post A Just-Because Gift. When I was younger, some days I would come home from school or from a friend's house to find a surprise gift on my dresser from my mom. Sometimes it was socks, sometimes a new shirt, sometimes a candle (I love candles). No matter ...
YourModernFamily
10 life lessons I want our children to learn
Every day, we get the opportunity to shape our kids, to literally change their lives. Everything that we say to them sticks with them, our words become their inner voices, our expectations become their goals. If I had to pick just 10 life lessons I want our children to learn… I would use these ...
Drowning doesn’t look like drowning
Today I am working with Nationwide on a sponsored post about their Make Safe Happen campaign to talk about water safety, which is such an important issue. My dad once told me a story about when he was little. He was at the community swimming pool with his parents. His parents were sitting by ...
25 Reasons the tooth fairy forgot to come
When the kids wake us up to tell us that the tooth fairy forgot to come last night – we need to be quick on our feet to think of a reason why. Our tooth fairy usually comes and leaves a cute little note that smells like perfume and has fancy handwriting, but sometimes she just forgets! I guess we ...
Why our children do school work over summer break
I wanted to talk about Why our children do school work over summer break. A while back, I wrote a post where I shared my NO SCREENTIME UNTIL printable. It had rules about what the kids need to do BEFORE they are allowed to use electronics. It was received by many as helpful and many as ...
20 ways to work from home (when you don’t want to work outside of the house)
Lately I have been talking to a lot of moms that have been asking me about working from home. I love it, because I can be at our kids' schools when I want to go and I can be here when I need to. I can work late at night after the kids are in bed and be a full-time mom during the day. To help ...
Say Yes to the vacation.
Always say yes to the vacation. Time goes by too quickly and things come & go. Time together can't be found once it's gone. Days, weeks, months... when they are gone, they are gone and we can't get them back. Say yes to the vacation, to the chance to bond and create memories. I read a ...
Daily, weekly, monthly cleaning list
With four children, I have given up on having a home that looks pristine. If I'm being completely honest, I don't want it to look pristine. I want it to look like a home that our family loves to be in, to hang out in, to play in. I love to look at spotless homes in magazines, but even more, I ...
Best Birthday Party Ideas for Kids
When my son came to me and said he wanted an epic birthday party this year, I was stumped because that's just not what have done in the past. I'm more of a "great- let's have a party on Friday and invite a few good friends." Luckily, they love those kinds of parties and in their minds, they ...
DIY Fingerprint tie for Father’s Day
I was looking at some of my old Father's Day crafts on the blog & came across this one that our youngest son made when he was in preschool. It was so sweet, so I wanted to share it again today. It is a two-sided DIY fingerprint tie craft for Father's Day - and Dad can wear it! ;) MATERIALS ...
Summer Cleaning Hacks for Families
Messes don't take a break, especially as spring turns into summer and pollen is everywhere. However, we don't want to spend all of our time cleaning. The key is to keep the house (inside and out) tidy as we go and then it is easy to clean the house to set the stage for an amazing summer party. ...
What I want our sons to know before they are teenagers
Sponsored post by Mirum. All opinions are my own. "I'm coming..." I yell to our daughter, the youngest of our four children. She is waiting for me on the swings in our backyard. I push open the screen door on the back porch and take a step out. I look down, as I am searching for my ...
10 Damaging Parenting Habits
I am working with the Monique Burr Foundation for Children on a sponsored post to spread awareness. We all want our children to be kind, confident, cooperative and assertive. It can be hard to teach our children to handle so many different behaviors. We miss providing learning opportunities ...
Non-Toy Rewards
I try to find rewards that are not toys when I want to show our children that I’m proud of them. Just like science proves that giving our kids an experience is better than a toy, recent studies show that giving toys as rewards may backfire. In complete transparency, I don't always succeed at ...
Never-before seen tips for Disney with kids
When we first went to Disney, we were given a lot of never before seen tips from friends & Disney natives. I love passing these things on to you because it can seem overwhelming when you are planning your trip, but it should be FUN, not overwhelming. We love going to Disney- we love the rides, ...
How to read with your preschooler (and toddler)
Taking the time to read with your preschooler (or toddler) is so important! It doesn't have to be hours one end, just twenty minutes a day will make a huge impact in the life of your child (and it will get them ready for Kindergarten)! I was a teacher for several years, before becoming a ...
Father’s Day Questions Free Printable
This father's day questions free printable is perfect for a fun, thoughtful, quick (and cheap) father's day gift. Print this by clicking here Print this questioner by clicking here. Here are the questions for the Father's Day Questions Free Printable, in case you wanted to copy them to ...
Those days when we fail at motherhood
Some days are great. Everyone is ready to go ten minutes before we have to leave. Lunches are pack, dinner is in the crockpot, you have on your favorite jeans and a blouse with your adorable new shoes. You look and feel the part. Those days are great. Some days are not so great... some ...
A Mean Mother
When I was little, my parent's bedroom held a poem titled A Mean Mother, that I often read, but never truly understood, until I became a mom myself. I would walk by this poem on a daily basis and pay it no attention, until my mom gave me this poem when our first son was born. Today I happened to ...
Surviving Little League
“Woo hoo! You can do it!” A clapping parent yells out their encouragement to the awkward seven-year-old standing at home plate. His stance looks uncomfortable, his arms crooked and bent, tongue sticking out displaying his complete concentration. The bat is ready, he swings and hits the ball. “Go! ...