Tag Archives: practical

Multi-age Play Ideas

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multi-age play

My older kids don’t always include the baby in their play. There are just some activities that are not very baby friendly. They go in their room and shut the door.  What do they do in there?  Lately the have been coloring, playing board games, and having “book club”. Usually it is fine for the baby too because she has things that she likes to do that they don’t, like trying on everyone’s shoes, getting into the cabinets, or pulling books out of the bookshelf. My favorite though is when they all come together and play!

Here are some of the activities I have observed my multi-age kids (7, 5, and 1.5) enjoy together.   Continue reading →

Read with Enthusiasm

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read with enthusiasm poster

Your baby brings you a book.  She sits up on your lap and together you hardly get through 2 or 3 pages before she wants to get down.  Does this sound familiar?  Your baby might be at a stage where she is just more interested in exploring and that is fine but maybe you want to be a little more proactive because you know how important reading is.  I wrote about encourage your baby’s interest in reading here.  I wrote about reading with enthusiasm but what what does that mean in practical terms?  What are some things you might actually be doing when reading with enthusiasm?

If you are having trouble reading the poster you can view it as a PDF and print if you like…

Read with Enthusiasm Poster

Please share this poster with someone you think it could help and please share YOUR read with enthusiasm ideas!

Unlock Your Baby’s Inner Bookworm

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Reading to Babies

books for babies

If there is something you want to learn about you can find it in a book. Want to travel the world? Go there in a book! You can even travel through time or to magical worlds. Reading exercises your brain, increases your vocabulary, and is free (with a library’s card). I would guess kids who like to read do better in school too.   Continue reading →

Egg Cups

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We eat eggs about once a week.  We might have them for a late breakfast on a lazy Saturday or sometimes we make “breakfast for dinner”.  It is usually scrabbled but sometimes we change it up with soft boiled eggs.

I have been seeing eggs made in muffin tins for a while on Pinterest and I thought maybe I will finally get around to trying it for my egg series (this is number 11 if you are counting)!

egg cups 2

Here’s how I made mine…   Continue reading →

Survive the Drive

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road trip tips

If you are planning a family trip during school vacation week expect to pay a premium to fly. I knew this when I checked into airfare for our recent trip to Florida for my sister’s wedding but I was shocked at how sizable that premium would be! It was going to cost over $3000 for our family of 4 for airfare alone! For a little less than that we could rent a nice minivan from Priceline, drive down, stay in a nice hotel along the way, and tack on a two day Disney Resort Package!   Continue reading →

Having it All

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(in moderation)

juggling

My blogging friend, Mia, recently asked me how I manage work, be a mom, and blog.  As if she doesn’t know!  She had 3 kids with busy schedules and 3 awesome blogs (Pragmatic Mom, I Love Newton, and Jade Luck Club).  She posts to Pragmatic Mom at least once a day and her other blogs are very current too.  Not only that but since her posts are educational they are always well researched which requires time too!

All mom bloggers manage to blog on top of an already full life.  I get a lot of satisfaction and community out of it.  Being home all the time as a mom can be isolating and blogging can really help fill that void.   Continue reading →

Bam!boo

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I like wood.  But do you know what I like every more than wood?  Bamboo!

It has so many uses just like hardwood except since it’s a grass it grows back when you cut it down.  It also grows super fast!  So how about including gifts made of bamboo this holiday!  It has all the same warm tactile qualities of wood but is also renewable.  You can get a bamboo plant.  I have somehow manage to keep one alive since September.  Do you like handmade gifts?  How about decorating and stringing some bamboo beads.  Do you know they even make fabric out of bamboo?

Or choose from the follow Amazon finds and a zillion other cool things made of bamboo you can find online!   Continue reading →

Mending

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5 minutes of fun with a piece of yarn, paper, and a hole punch

Guess what I am doing right now…

I am mending clothes, a pair of my son’s pants to be exact.  I don’t bother fixing most things but if my kids get a hole in something nice that still fits, I will add it to the top of my sewing pile.

What’s at the bottom?  Sorry Mr. Doodles and Jots, I promise to eventually get to your pants that you haven’t been able to wear for months because they need a button.   Continue reading →

Frozen Meatballs Save the Day!

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Easy Dinner Ideas and GIVEAWAY!

Update: A winner has been announced for this giveaway.  Congratulations to Diane from Dollops of Diane!  Thanks to everyone who participated and added great easy dinner ideas in the comments section!

Gather ’round ladies!  Are you a busy mom?  Are you often at a loss as it nears six o’clock?  Does your family love the classics?  Do you delight in seeing all mouths quietly chewing instead of complaining?

Well I am going to let you in on a little secret!  For me, frozen meatballs occasionally save the day!  That is why I am very excited to share a GIVEAWAY from Farm Rich with you today (for U.S. residents)!  They offer regular, Italian, and turkey meatballs.  Not a meatball family?  They also offer many popular frozen appetizers!  Check out their offerings here.

Not sure if your grocery store sells Farm Rich products?  Enter your zip code under the product finder tab to see!

The winner will receive 2 coupons each good for one free Farm Rich product.  This prize has an approximate value of $14.00!

I almost always have Italian style meatballs in my freezer and use them to make meatball subs or to compliment a spaghetti dinner.  And I always include a colorful salad and whole wheat rolls to keep it healthy.  Another little trick of mine is to cook them a little longer and hotter to cook off much of the fat content and we all like how they get crispy on the outside.  Farm Rich also offers Turkey meatballs.  Try these with pasta or how about on a bulky roll with gravy and cranberry sauce.  Yum!

Click on the meatballs to go to the product page for recipe ideas from Farm Rich.

Last day to enter is October 11th and a winner will be chosen at random and announced October 12th.  I will also email the winner for an address to send the coupons!

Enter with Rafflecopter…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone!  What are your “save the day” dinner secrets?  Please share!

Disclosure:  Farm Fresh provided me with 2 product coupons however opinions expressed are my own. 

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This post is linked up at Frankly My Dear, Oh So Savvy Mom, Going Crazy! Wanna Go?, Momma is Sweeping, Your Golden Ticket Blog, At Home, Take 2, and Frugality is Free.