We had a busy Saturday. To start it off, the kids got up much earlier than they usually do. This ended up being fine because we had big plans for the morning: Our Breakfast with Santa! This is an event that our church puts on every year. There are crafts for the kids, carols, silly games, a fantastic hot cocoa bar, a hot pancake breakfast, all topped off by a visit from the big guy himself. It's ...
Parenting
Sanity-Saving Tips for Busy Moms
When I first started blogging, I had newborn twins, a full-time job, and a 9-year-old with a packed extracurricular schedule. To say I was busy is an understatement! Since then, we added another bundle of joy to our family. I've learned a lot over the years about managing a growing family while working full time. With a little planning and these sanity-saving tips for busy moms, you’ll be more ...
How We’re Raising Literate Children
Now that the girls are in school, I have a lot more time with my 3-year-old, Johnny. He’s not in preschool yet, and I want him to be on track for kindergarten in a few years. Kindergarten is not at all the finger painting and nap-taking class that it was when I was little! These days, kids leave kindergarten already reading. My teacher training gave me some starting points for teaching little ...
The Key to Helping your Child Stay in Bed at Night
I never learn my lesson. We’ve had this issue with 4 children so far, and I make the same mistake with all of them. In the middle of the night, the youngest one stumbles out of his room and into my bed. Part of me is too sleepy to bother with getting up and tucking him back into his own little bed. But the other part of me, the part that regrets letting him sleep in my bed every single time, ...
Mercury Insurance Drive Safe Challenge
This post is sponsored by Mercury Insurance and Socialtyze. However, the opinions expressed are my own.As kids grow older, it’s so exciting to watch them turn into young men and women. Then they turn into teenagers and start talking about driving, and suddenly growing up is downright terrifying to mom and dad. I wish I could just wrap my teenager in a bubble, but that’s not reality. He can’t ...
We Only Behave for Santa
This was a big day for us. The twins have been looking forward to meeting the big red-coated guy from the North Pole for days, and today he was coming to our town! My kids are usually a little bonkers, but thank goodness they had it in them to smile pretty and behave for Santa when the cameras were on them. Every year our church puts on a big "Breakfast with Santa" event. 2 staff members dress ...
Safeguarding Your Family’s Online Activity
Disclaimer: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.Kids today are submerged in technology and digital devices. 4 years ago when I was teaching Pre-K, I was amazed at how tech-savvy the 4-years-olds in my class were! Nearly all of them could operate a touch-screen tablet, and some knew how to use ...
Sending a Healthy Teen Back to School
This post was sponsored by Unity Consortium as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.Last week I dropped my baby off at high school. Not only was it his first day at a new school, this school is 6 times as large as his middle school was! With such a big transition, there was a lot to do as we got ready for that big first day. ...
Planning a Mommy and Me Playdate
I’m currently on summer break (woot! woot!), which means I am at home with three little ones every day. We’ve been keeping ourselves occupied by going to the library for story time, reading our favorite summer books at home, and going to the pool. It’s been fun, but I’ve missed hanging out with people my own age. That’s why I decided to set up a Mommy and Me Playdate at the park. Here’s what I ...
Connecting with Your Older Child
It feels like there is so much that needs to get done every day: Laundry, dishes, making meals… Whether you work outside the home or not, there just don’t seem to be enough minutes in the day to do it all. I’ve heard too many stories of parents who feel completely out of touch with their teen. I wonder how much of the disconnect started long before high school, when all the day-to-day life stuff ...