Every summer is a party in the eyes of your family ... if you play your cards right. :) Our family loves summertime because we aren't on a busy schedule, we have time to play, time to relax, and more time to just be together! Read More
Easy Cleaning Schedule to use Daily, Weekly, and Monthly
This easy cleaning schedule is the first place I point to when people ask me about keeping a house clean. I hope it transforms your family the way it has transformed ours! With four children, I have given up on having a home that looks like it Read More
Disney Themed Party Ideas
Thinking about planning a Disney Themed Party? It's never too early to start planning and you've come to the right place! After taking several trips to Disney (check out how we go for half-price), looking at the changes to Read More
Study proves: Teaching kids to play independently lowers parents stress levels
Last year, a *study of 2,000 parents found that when kids were home, on an extended break (like summer break or the stay-at-home order), it took only 13 days for parents to feel stressed. 60% said the stress came from feeling like they Read More
20 minutes of play a day
There is truly nothing like playing with your children. Did you know that the average parent spends less than 20 minutes a day playing with their children? I'd like to challenge you to beat that average. Can you spend Read More
When the kids are older, I’ll be able to…
It's funny. We think about all of the things that we will do when our children are born. We rock them, hold them, sing to them, enjoy every minute of them. Not much time passes before we begin looking to the future when we start Read More
Drowning doesn’t look like drowning (Kids drowning happens in 20 seconds)
Did you know that drowning doesn't look like drowning? Often, we think of kids drowning (and adults drowning) as it seems in the movies (thrashing about, yelling for help & just an overall "Hollywood style" of drowning symptoms), but that Read More
Survey Shows Parents are Enjoying Distance Learning More Than We Think
I'm partnering with Pearson and Connections Academy® for today's post. Survey Shows Parents are Enjoying Distance Learning More Than We Think In my 14 years of parenting, I cannot remember a more unprecedented time. Witnessing the global Read More
Science Experiments with Water ~ Paper Towel Hidden Messages
If you are looking for a fun craft, cool STEM lesson, an art activity to do at home, or a lesson on chromatography for kids, today's science experiments with water are perfect. We're going to do the Paper Towel Experiment which almost Read More
Stained Glass Sidewalk Chalk Art with Kids
If I had to pick a favorite outdoor activity to do with the kids, it would have to be making chalk art with sidewalk chalk. When our kids are at home or looking for things to do outside - I can always suggest easy chalk art Read More
DIY cardboard box cars and movie night
My biggest priority in life is to raise our kids to be the kinds of kids that we want to hang out with as adults. That can only happen by spending time with them… teaching them, guiding them, talking to them. In order to make that Read More
Activities that neighborhoods are doing together (Neighborhood Hunts)
Today I wanted to share some activities that neighborhoods are doing together as a community. I've been sharing ideas like Stained-Glass sidewalk chalk and Inspirational Drawings on windows, so I thought these ideas would be fun to share, Read More
Easter Activities you can do from Home!
We are sharing Easter Activities you can do from home... just Easter is going to be very different this year doesn't mean that it won't be just as great as years past. Many states are under "stay in place orders" throughout spring, which means Read More
Easter Baskets Fillers (that don’t come from a store)
Are you looking for Easter Basket Fillers for Easter this year? What do you do if you can't get to the store (like during the outbreak) or when you realize that the Amazon orders probably won't arrive in time for Easter? With Read More
Stained Glass with Washable Window Chalk
I've seen some of the most adorable ideas lately! So many of these ideas have been picked up by my friends and neighbors. I've loved the Stained Glass Sidewalk Chalk drawings and the Neighborhood Bear Hunts. Read More
Disney CARS Traffic Light Treats
A few years ago, we had a Disney Cars themed birthday party and today I wanted to share a fun treat that we made for the party! I just found these pictures again today, while the kids and I were looking through our son's old birthday party Read More
Make the Most of Social Distancing: Embrace the Crazy
I've been talking about how we can make it through this pandemic right now, with free online resources for students & fun ideas to do at home. Today's post about how to Embrace the Crazy of Social Distancing comes from my Read More
Easy and Effective Reward System for Kids
This is, by far, the easiest and most effective reward system for kids that I have done. I've shared this before but had to do so again because it is a reward system that works so well! As an elementary teacher, I tried so many Read More
For Teachers: List of Companies Offering Free Tools, Free Subscriptions, and Free Resources for Teachers Moving to Teaching Online.
I wanted to share these Free Resources for Teachers & Schools Shifting Online. With so many schools closing right now, many districts are moving their in-person instruction to online instruction. Finding high-quality classroom resources is Read More
How to Talk to Your Kids about Coronavirus
Today's post comes from Amy Shepley... During the Coronavirus pandemic, I have been staying with my brother and his family. He and his wife have three boys, aged 7, 4, and 2. It's so hard to break their little hearts. I'm sure some people have had Read More
