How do you pass time with kids? Grab your (plastic) sword, don an eye patch and host a pirate week!
We’ve spent many summer & school breaks home-bound. Whether it was due to work commitments, lack of finances or bad weather, spending extended periods of time at home with the kids is not foreign territory. One way I got through the time when the kids were younger was to host themed weeks. They usually centered around an outing at the end. Summer camps and science camps do the same thing, but hosting one on our own means you don’t have to follow the strict guidelines imposed by others. We’ve done Dinosaur Week with a trip to Dinosaur World as the grand finale; Royal Week with a daily reading of the Tale of Despereaux and the kids’ most favorite: Pirate Week. Check out these cool pirate themed activities for kids and host your own pirate week!
Parenting
The Top 10 Most Useful Things We Ever Did As Parents
We try our best as parents, but never know if we are getting this parent-thing right. And we beat ourselves up all the time. Our kids are teens now and this is what we do know-the the top things we’ve done as parents when they were growing up that actually have made a difference in their lives (for the better). Check it out 🙂
5 Ingenious Ways to Get Your Kids to Read (Even If They Hate Reading)
So, you find yourself at home with the kids. Your young kids may adore cuddling up for a story time, but as they grow older, those books are replaced by electronics. The only book you’ll ever see is one assigned from school, which you suspect will never emerge from their backpack to see the light of day. How on earth do you get your (older) kids to read- especially if you don’t have many or any books in the house?
Stop forcing the ‘reading is good mantra’ (kids can smell that a mile-away) and check out these five clever & creative ways to get your kids to read- (they may not even realize they’re reading!)
The First Day of School: Why You Are Doing It All Wrong
Summer ends and school begins. Soon all the photos of scrubbed children with shiny new backpacks and fresh clothes will fill up the Facebook and Instagram feeds. But what the unsuspecting parents who snap away at their posed kids, before shipping them off to new teachers, new classmates, don’t realize is they’re doing it all wrong. And this is why…
Easy Valentine’s Day Cards for Kids (And what to do when you find that class list)
You just discovered a list of names in your child’s backpack and it’s 2 day’s until February 14th. Don’t panic- it’s not a hit list; it’s your child’s Valentine’s class list and a parent rite-of-passage. Here’s what you need to know to deal with Valentine’s Day and kids.
21 Things You Should Do With Your Kids This Year
The new year stretches out- but don’t let this year buzz by like the rest- make a plan, a family plan. Here are 21 things you should do with your kids to help you all connect as a family and help them grow to be self-confident individuals. 21 things. And the best part- most of them are free! Are you up to the challenge?
The Truth About Christmas
I just found out a secret, and this is going to change your outlook on Christmas forever!
Coping With the Loss of a Loved One
We went to a teen’s funeral the other day. It was a gut-wrenching, heart-breaking experience. Whether it’s the first funeral or 20th, each loss of someone you care about can be equally as painful, but there are ways that may help you in dealing with the death of a loved one.
COOKING WITH KIDS: INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
So, you’ve introduced your child to the kitchen, shown them around the necessary utensils and started them at the basics. What comes next? Once they (and you) are comfortable in the basic level, perhaps it is time to kick it up a notch and introduce them to the next stage: Intermediate Cooking Skills.
COOKING WITH KIDS: THE BASICS
“I’ll make breakfast, mom.” Those are the words I both dreaded and wanted to hear. As my daughter whipped up ham and cheese omelets for everyone, I realized my days as chef in our kitchen were numbered. When she added the spinach, “because it tastes better with spinach,” I chucked my apron into the closet and decided that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. But not every child has access to a resident chef, so where do you start when you want to teach your child how to cook? We’ve got you covered- here’s the basic skills they need to know.