General Parenting

35 Beach Activities for Kids That Actually Keep Them Happy (And Give You 5 Minutes to Breathe)

35 beach activities for kids that actually keep them happy

I used to dread beach days with my kids. Now I have a system that works. I’ll never forget the first time I took my three kids to the beach alone. My husband was working, and I thought, “How hard can it be? Sand, water, sunshine – they’ll entertain themselves, right?” Wrong. So very wrong. […]

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The Real Truth About The Best Age to Have Kids (No One Tells You This)

the real truth about the best age to have kids (no one tells you this)

When I was 23, my college friend told me I was “too young” to think about having babies. When I hit 30, my mother started dropping hints about my “biological clock.” At 33, strangers at the grocery store felt entitled to comment on my pregnancy timing. The pressure around finding the best age to have

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Toddler Board Games That Actually Work (And Make Family Time Fun!)

toddler board games that actually work

Last weekend, I watched my 3-year-old Jake throw a dramatic tantrum because he “lost” at Chutes and Ladders for the third time in a row. Meanwhile, my 5-year-old Emma was getting increasingly frustrated trying to explain the rules to him, and I was questioning every parenting decision I’d ever made. Sound familiar? That’s when I

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Butter Beer Recipe for Kids That Actually Tastes Magical

butter beer recipe for kids that actually tastes magical

Last Halloween, my eight-year-old Emma asked if we could make “real” butter beer while watching Harry Potter for the millionth time. I thought, “How hard could it be?” Two hours and three failed attempts later, our kitchen looked like a hurricane hit it, and we had three glasses of what could only be described as

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Fun Snacks for Kids That Actually Keep Them Happy

fun snacks for kids that actually keep them happy

Last Tuesday, I opened my pantry to find my 6-year-old daughter standing on a chair, desperately reaching for the crackers while declaring, “Mom, I’m STARVING and there’s nothing good to eat!” Sound familiar? If you’re tired of the daily snack battles and want to discover fun snacks for kids that will actually get them excited

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Road Trip Games for Kids That Actually Save Your Sanity

road trip games for kids that actually save your sanity

Three hours into our first family road trip to Disney World, my then-five-year-old daughter Emma looked at me with tear-filled eyes and asked, “Are we there yet?” for the thirty-seventh time. My husband was white-knuckling the steering wheel, and our toddler had already thrown his snacks all over the backseat. I’d packed tablets, downloaded movies,

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Easy Lemonade Recipe for Kids That Actually Works Every Time

easy lemonade recipe for kids that actually works every time

Last summer, I watched my 6-year-old Emma dump what felt like half a bag of sugar into a pitcher, add some lemon juice, and proudly serve me the most undrinkable “lemonade” I’d ever tasted. Sweet as syrup in one sip, mouth-puckeringly sour in the next—it was a disaster. But here’s the thing: she was SO

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