We eat out with our kids a lot. They have been going to restaurants since they were infants, and I can recall maybe twice since Big M was born nearly 4 years ago, where they were so badly behaved we took turns racing through our food while the other shepherded…
Featured Series
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CraftsCrafts & DIYFamily OrganizationFor KidsFor ParentsPractical ParentingSkills
DIY Weekly Magnet Calendar
by MeghanBig M, at 3.5, has become increasingly interested in the concept of days and times. When she is awaiting a holiday or Grandma coming to visit, she will ask what day it is happening, and then everyday ask if it is that day yet! Similarly, she has picked up on…
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Last week, I realized both Big M and Lil’ M were about to outgrow their current car seat settings. The same morning, another mom at preschool drop-off asked me how long our girls had to stay in their 5-point harnesses. The world of car seat safety has changed dramatically since…
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It starts with drool around the time your baby is 3 months old and continues, off and on, until nearly their 3rd birthday. Teething. For some babies, suddenly, one day, a tooth just appears. Consider yourself a lucky mama if that happens to you. For the rest of us, teething…
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For ParentsPractical ParentingSleep Series: Infancy to Preschool
Child Sleep Tip: Post-Nap Crying
by MeghanBig M had always been a great sleeper. From the time she was about two weeks old, she has always happily slept on a consistent routine, both for night and daytime sleep. As I share in my Early Childhood Sleep Series, I credit so much of this to my cousin’s…
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Family Finance MomFamily OrganizationFor Parents
12 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Vacuum
by MeghanWe are in the market for a vacuum cleaner. Our current vacuum was purchased the year we first moved in together nearly a decade ago. And even with the move to our starter home a year later, and now two kids many years after that, it is more than sufficient…
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As I mentioned in last week’s post on School Fundraisers, this month, we have been raising money at Big M’s school with Coin Wars. Every week we sort out the coin of the week from Daddy’s coin jar to bring into school and fill her class’ jar. Having sorted the…
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CraftsFamily OrganizationFor KidsFor ParentsPractical Parenting
How to Stock Your Craft Closet
by MeghanThe secret to keeping your kids entertained, especially through this interminable winter, is a well stocked craft closet. You’ll often notice in my At-Home Activity posts, I mention that an activity was free or cost me a $1 because I already had everything else in the craft closet. So what…
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Early Childhood TransitionsFor ParentsPractical Parenting
9 Ways to Ease Daily Transitions
by MeghanWe continue our Transitions series this week covering daily transitions. If you have a toddler or preschool aged child, I know you have been there… The morning is going swimmingly, right until the moment it is time to load everyone into the car to be somewhere. They don’t want to stop…
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It is not news to anyone that the cost of a college education increases every year, growing at astronomical rates, faster than the overall economy and significantly higher than inflation. When I went to college, I had no college fund, but with the moral support of my family, hard work…
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The dreaded day has finally arrived… There is no more nap for Big M. She has always been a great sleeper, and I cherished my daily 2-3 hours of peaceful solitude. It was enough time to do household chores, shower, AND still have time to myself to catch up on…
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Early Childhood TransitionsFor ParentsPractical Parenting
Transitions: Potty Training in 3 Days
by MeghanEvery Tuesday, we post tips to make family life easier, covering an array of topics from the kitchen, to parenting, to managing your household. Over the next few weeks our tips will focus on childhood transitions, and how to make them as seamlessly as possible. We started with our best…
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Early Childhood TransitionsFor ParentsSleep Series: Infancy to Preschool
Transitions: Sleeping in a Big Kid Bed
by MeghanEvery Tuesday, we post tips to make family life easier, covering an array of topics from the kitchen, to parenting, to managing your household. Over the next few weeks our tips will focus on childhood transitions, and how to make them as seamlessly as possible. Two weeks ago, we offered…
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Every Tuesday, we post tips to make family life easier, covering an array of topics from the kitchen, to parenting, to managing your household. Over the next few weeks our tips will focus on early childhood transitions, and how to make them as seamlessly as possible. Last week, we offered…
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When I was expecting Lil’ M, my mother-in-law kept telling me to prepare myself… that 1+1 did not equal 2. I would laugh, and think to myself, how much harder can it be? How I Survived 2 Under Two I had reached the honeymoon stage of babyhood. By the time…
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Early Childhood TransitionsFor ParentsPractical Parenting
Transitions: Getting Rid of the Pacifier
by MeghanEvery Tuesday, we post tips to make family life easier, covering an array of topics from the kitchen, to parenting, to managing your household. Over the next few weeks our tips will focus on childhood transitions, and how to make them as seamlessly as possible. First up: saying goodbye to…
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For ParentsPractical ParentingReal Mom MealsRecipes
Quick Tip Tuesday: 10 Favorite Crockpot Meals
by MeghanEven when I was working 80-100 hour weeks in Financial Services, I never so keenly felt the sense of there not being enough hours in the day until I was a mom. Of course, work fed us, so with that basic need taken care of, it freed up a lot…
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For ParentsPractical ParentingSleep Series: Infancy to Preschool
Creating Sleeping Beauty, Part 3
by MeghanSleep… you will never talk about how much your child sleeps, or more likely, doesn’t sleep, as you do in those first few weeks you bring your child home from the hospital. Or when they consolidate down to one nap. Or when they learn to stand up in the crib,…
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For ParentsPractical ParentingSleep Series: Infancy to Preschool
Creating Sleeping Beauty, Part 2: Baby Sleep Routine
by MeghanSleep… you will never talk about how much your child sleeps, or more likely, doesn’t sleep, as you do in those first few weeks you bring your child home from the hospital. Or when they consolidate down to one nap. Or when they learn to stand up in the crib,…
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For ParentsPractical ParentingSleep Series: Infancy to Preschool
Creating Sleeping Beauty: Infant Sleep
by MeghanSleep… you will never talk about how much your child sleeps, or more likely, doesn’t sleep, as you do in those first few weeks you bring your child home from the hospital. Or when they consolidate down to one nap. Or when they learn to stand up in the crib,…