Toddler: 1-3 years

Growing up, I always looked forward to December 1st, and my Mom’s reveal of our annual Advent Calendar.  On a recent trip through Target, I saw an adorable 3D Christmas tree version… for $30.  And it still needed gifts to go inside.  I knew I could create my own version…

Black Friday pandemonium looms just one week away.  I, personally, have never been one to join in the shopping at midnight insanity.  I prefer to stay home, enjoy my family and let my turkey digest.  I am, however, all in favor of getting a jump start on preparing for Christmas.…

It was not that long ago that artistic techniques were as prescribed as scientific processes or mathematical equations.  Critics and instructors frowned upon artists who looked to create outside the confinements of traditional methods. Kandinsky was one such artist, and fortunately for all of us, ignored his critics.  He wanted art to…

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SnackPackMixins #CollectiveBias The best part about being a parent is sharing all the things you loved about your own childhood with your children.  I love all things Christmas, and one of my favorite holiday traditions…

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #CollectiveBias Every year, my husband groans and makes himself scarce when I drag out my KitchenAid mixer for my weekend of Christmas cookie baking. He knows the kitchen is about to be inundated for…

Georges Seurat is famous for creating his own painting technique.  Using hundreds of tiny spots of color, he created great masterpieces, with a technique now known as pointillism.  While applying spots of paint to create an image may be a bit advanced for preschoolers, painting a picture with spots provides great…

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PotPiePlease #CollectiveBias I knew my husband was the one the first time I came home with him for Thanksgiving.  It was my first major holiday away from home.  For a taste of home, I had committed…

My preschooler and toddler suddenly find themselves with a lot of free time on their hands.  Breastfeeding a newborn leaves them to play independently multiple times a day.  I could park them in front of screens each time, or I can prepare amusing busy box entertainment they can access and…

Henri Rousseau got his start painting professionally late in life.  He once said he had “no teacher other than nature”.  Taking a page from his book and the beauty that is New England fall, Big M (age 4), Lil’ M (age 2), and I decided to engage in a little…

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BeHealthyForEveryPartofLife #CollectiveBias As mom to three kids, age 4 and under, including a 4 week old newborn, my diaper bag is like an appendage to my body.  With my first, I filled it with…

Big M is on her journey to reading!  It is so exciting to watch and her enthusiasm for letters, sounds and recognizing words is contagious.  At preschool, they have a letter of the week each week – last week was ‘C week’.  She has to bring in a picture that…

We have another great round-up of kids activities for you today on Instagram, courtesy of #KidBloggersofIG.  This week features 12 awesome Halloween activities, crafts, and snacks just in time for Halloween week!  The girls loved our contribution, and have played with it every afternoon for the last 4 days: Halloween…

Sometimes our projects are invented out of the need for distraction!  This weekend we made one of my favorite family outings – to the pumpkin patch.  And of course the girls immediately wanted to carve our pumpkins as soon as we got home.  To buy us another week before turning…

Do you have a farm set laying around that your kids don’t play with much anymore?  Breathe fresh life and inspire an afternoon or more worth of activity by adding the elements to a sensory bin!  With a newborn at home, I am on a quest for quick, easy and…

 I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the TB Blood Test. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation. #TBBloodTest Are you a teacher or do you volunteer in your child’s school?  While regulations and requirements vary by school and state, if…

Looking for a little spooky, learning fun this Halloween?  The girls and I had lots of fun this week with this Spider Web Jumble.  It is a great fine motor skills challenge, and the simple set up makes for easy holiday STEM games for kids too. Spider Web Jumble Ever…

It’s Friday, and this week, We’re in Love with Leaves!  This is the second week of our weekly link-up party, It’s Friday, We’re In Love!  Each week, one of our 8 co-hosts will share featured ideas we LOVE from that week’s theme… and best of all, the link-ups will remain…

With the move to our new, forever house, everyone in the family got exactly what they wanted… The girls got a great new playroom and a yard to play in.  I got the kitchen I’ve always wanted.  And hubby got his man cave.  He has been plotting his man cave…

While Big M may look just like me, emotionally we are night and day.  Though she is little, not unlike other kids her age, she can be very emotional, highly sensitive, and it sometimes takes very little to set off big feelings. We recently discovered the book, The Pout-Pout Fish,…