25 Christmas Countdown Ideas & Advent Calendar Activities

25 Christmas Countdown Ideas and activities perfect for toddlers, kids, teens and family! I don't know about you but once December 1st rolls around, my kids turn into math wizards -- they are able to let you know at a moments notice how ma...

5 Things to Do Before Halloween Night

Are you ready for trick or treats??  Great tips on things to do before Halloween night! Halloween seems to always sneak up on me -- Are the costumes ready?  Do we have enough candy? Or other non-candy Halloween treats to hand o...

100 Free Summer Activities to Do with Kids

Find more than 100 Free Summer Activities near me to do with kids using this FREE printable planner & list! Whether you're looking for easy backyard ideas, fun places to visit with kids near me or a *new* local adventure, we've got mor...

5 Money Skills Every Tween & Teen MUST Know

This post has been sponsored by Greenlight. All opinions are my own. Money lessons that all kids & teens should know before they leave home! Money skills are one of those responsibilities that fall to us parents as we raise kids.  ...

Taking the Stress out of College Life with Amazon Prime Student

  As you may remember from our 48 Things Kids Should Know Before they go to College, our oldest started college last year.  As a parent, it's these moments when you hold your breath and think "did we teach him the skills he nee...

Reading Tips & the Best Books for Kids

In our home, helping the kids learn to read was what we called 'a full contact sport'.  Constant movement. Non-stop questions. Continuous encouragement (and honestly, even some arguing). It was not an easy task.  Both of our ...

Care Package Ideas for College Students

Great ideas for things to include in a care package for college students!Our son went away to college to begin his Freshman year last week. Amazingly enough, we fit everything he needed in the car, drove 900 miles to drop him off, helped hi...

How Can I Tell if My Child Needs Glasses? Making Kids' Vision a Priority

Wondering how you can take care of your vision and help a child in need of vision care? One in four children has an undiagnosed vision problem. Right now, when you purchase an individual vision insurance plan from VSP Direct™ for...

5 Ways Moms Can Find More 'ME' Time

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Best Western. All opinions are 100% mine.   Do you know a hard-working Mom who deserves some ME time? I hope you just said "yes, ME!" And I'm sure quite a few other names popped i...

What I Did Right & Wrong When Teaching My Kids about Sharing on Social Media

  How many times a day do we reach for our phone when we see something awesome? Think about it – most of us never even grab  a camera any longer.  “Oh, I’ll just use my phone”, right? Because we always w...

48 Things All Kids Need to Know Before College

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.   I’ve been in a parenting quandary lately. My oldest is a senior in high school (I know – when the hell did that h...

What's Your 'Snack Mom' Personality -- Inspired by NickMom

I'm happy to be sharing my ideas on snack offerings as part of a compensated campaign with Collective Bias® and NickMom.  Although this is a sponsored post, all obsessions with healthy snacks and snarky opinions are entirely my own!...

Taking Care of Your Child's Eyesight - An Important Lesson

    Today I need to tell you a story. It's all about how sometimes life can move too quickly and you may miss one of those “this is important -- PAY ATTENTION” moments. They don't all scream out at you like that, o...

Handwritten Memories in this Age of Technology

  Have you ever done something brilliant (I mean absolutely amazing!) but you just didn't realize it until years later? I recently had one of those moments last month but it didn't start as happy as it ended....

How I Became The Fun Police (Or What I Learned While Overprotecting My Kids)

  Anyone who’s met me, or my kids, will tell you that I’m a fairly protective parent.  Or as my kids lovingly refer to me, 'The Fun Police'.  I didn’t plan to be this type of parent – one who monitors what they ...