7 Reasons to Take an Independent Birth Class
Imagine if someone just tapped you on the shoulder and said, “Here’s your baby,” handing you a fragile, helpless newborn. Uh, what? You would need a little more time to prepare, right? You would need to get your mind in the game. You would at least need to get in the mindset of motherhood. Pregnancy, birth and motherhood are a journey. You don’t just skip a period and end up with a baby in your arms. Everything happens gradually, and it works that way for a reason: It helps you transition into motherhood. Birth is the same way. If you...
read moreEaster Baskets: Kids Activity Book Ideas
As I was cleaning up my kids’ art supplies the other day, I had a genius idea. Amidst the drawer jammed with wrinkled paper, half-opened markers, stickers and sticker books, tangled shoe laces, and other seemingly useless but nevertheless saved materials was a lightbulb. Metaphorically speaking, that is… I would never leave a glass object near my crazy kids. Just permanent markers, glue, perfectly safe stuff that can only destroy the house. Anyway, I began to put some of the activities in plastic zipper bags. Here, the idea took on...
read moreGrow Flowers from Paper – You might find a pot of gold!
At last Friday’s Play Cafe, our newest instructor, Laurel, brought the magic of little leprechauns to Tmuffin. The kids left with smiles on their faces and something cooler than a pot of gold – gold “coins” that they can plant. Wherever the coins are planted, a sea of marigolds will sprout! This is an easy project that can be so much more than a St. Patrick’s Day craft, and lots of moms wanted to know how to make their own plantable paper, so we’re sharing! Here’s what you need: bits of paper (any...
read moreWarning: Pinterest May Make Your Child Turn Blue
I’m addicted to Pinterest. I drool over blogs filled with kid-friendly activities, showing preschoolers proudly displaying their handmade creations, images of glass jars lined up on shelves filled with googly eyes and bits of scrap tissue paper, and perfectly just-out-of-focus closeups of chubby little fingers up to their elbows in sensory materials like dried lentils and puddles of glitter. My 3-year-old has also been blue for 2 days, and I have hot glue in my half-melted hair. A recent project that entailed painting with jet-black acrylic...
read moreBoxes of Love
Share the news about Boxes of Love! WECT WWAY News Channel 14 After hearing the news of the devastating tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School, our hearts broke. Big T and I have been wandering around the house in a daze, crying, hugging Baby T and Little M, and feeling fearful, disgusted, intensely heartbroken, and helpless. Big T grew up in Newtown, a quaint little village where the flagpole in the center of town is the biggest landmark. It’s a town where everyone knows each other, a town that’s so pretty...
read moreFrosty’s Busy Box
There’s a lot going on around the holidays. It seems like there’s so much more for us parents to do that it’s easy to lose our connection with our kids. Even coming up with something creative that our kids can do while we prepare holiday meals or wrap presents can be daunting. That’s why we came up with Frosty’s Busy Box. It’s portable, it’s convenient, and it’s filled with open-ended activities for kids. Parents can use it with their kids or give it to their kids to play with so they feel...
read moreParenting – The Control Issue
I recently had an epiphany: Kids go through developmental stages. I know, I know… brilliant, right? I mean, we all know this. I’m not saying anything new. In fact, you’re probably sitting there thinking, “Duh. This girl has lost her mommy marbles.” Well, that may be true, but something else rang true to me recently: My kids are going to get through their developmental stages when they’re ready. That means that there’s not much I can do to stop tantrums, get my 3-year-old to share with his brother, and...
read moreFootball Crafts for Kids
Big T loves watching football. Baby T gets all excited about it too, but come on: he’s three. When it comes time to watch a game, he sits just about as still as the football players on the TV. So in order to give Big T a break and a chance to nap in front of watch a game on the weekends, I’ve had to get creative with Baby T’s projects. Last Sunday, he stayed out of Big T’s hair for perhaps a whole hour. I even heard Big T say he squeezed a nap in. Surprise, surprise. When it comes to football crafts for kids, it’s...
read moreHide and Seek
I haven’t been blogging that much, and I miss it. I spend so much time working on the big stuff that it’s easy to neglect the small stuff. Like enjoying my time with my kids without checking the computer. Like spending the day outside and feeling the first inklings of fall breeze across my face. Like giving Big T a hug and a smooch when we wake up in the mornings. And then something so delightfully adorable happens, and it reminds me to always stop for that second glance. Little M has taken to hanging out behind pillows, so there...
read moreTake Out the Trash: A Recycled Craft Supply Contest
I collect more garbage than anyone I know. It makes Big T roll his eyes every time I yell at him for taking my cardboard boxes to the recycling center. I recently had to admonish him to refrain from throwing away any stray can or food container that had made its way to the dishwasher–that meant that I needed to keep it. I am continually reminding him that this garbage is helping us make a living. It’s also staying out of landfills, helping kids get more creative, and helping parents save money on art supplies. Now that my Activity...
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