Questionable Choices in Parenting
Laughing at life as a parent so they don't commit me
Listen, I love a good chocolate bunny, but I still have Halloween candy up in this house– and probably Easter candy from last year. So this year we are asking the Easter Bunny to change things up and I’ve got 5 non-candy basket ideas for kids of all ages. I’m sharing these adorable baskets on the Today Show. Bonus–No Easter Grass!! Click here to see the baskets.
I’m a firm believer that if your Mamma doesn’t make a HUGE fuss over your birthday, then who will? Now I’m not saying break the bank on every single birthday for over-the-top parties, gifts galore, and food better than what you had at your wedding, but here’s a few super special traditions that let your birthday boy or girl know you think they’re the bees’ knees and some easy Mom Hacks to take the stress out of throwing a birthday party.
The Big Day Hacks
Decorate Their Door– More than any party or gift, my kids are beyond ecstatic when they wake up on their birthday to find their bedroom doors covered in balloons, crepe paper, and a birthday sign. Decorating the birthday boy or girl’s door while they sleep is inexpensive, super easy, and so worth the payoff when they wake up to see their surprise. Decorated doors are now expected in this house and this year my kids decorated my door for my birthday—seriously, how sweet is that?
Cupcake Breakfast- Around here, if it’s someone’s birthday, you can bet there will be cupcakes for breakfast. Is it over the top, yes. Is a cupcake a good food choice for the morning, absolutely not. Is it a special treat your kids will love, you betcha. I have grand visions of sending cupcakes to my kids when they grow up and are off at college. Maybe it will be a reminder to call their Mom Every Single Day.
Birthday Present Scavenger Hunt– Make their birthday morning an adventure by leaving clues so the birthday kiddo has to go on a scavenger hunt in your house to find their present. The first clue can be waiting on their decorated door.
Birthday Party Hacks
Use What You’ve Got- If the party theme is also your child’s favorite toy, use those toys as part of the décor! Put those Octonauts in the punch bowl and let them go for a swim. Create a Hulk Smash cake with a Hulk action figure. Got a Minions crazed kiddo? Use their Minion figures to decorate the food table.
Pain Free Piñata– Confession: I loathe piñatas at parties. I know, I know, that’s a major kid party foul. Bring out a piñata and the kids get all Hunger Games and that paper candy holder usually isn’t the only fallen tribute. Save everyone a few black eyes and tears by filling your piñata with goodie bags rather than individual candy. When the piñata breaks, everyone grabs a bag and I can breathe a sigh of relief the piñata part is over.
Ice Cream Hack- Don’t get mobbed by ice cream hungry kids at your next party. Pre-scoop ice cream into cupcake liners, place them on a cookie sheet or metal baking tray and pop them in the freezer. When it’s time to serve cake and ice cream, you won’t be up to your elbows in the dessert.
Jazz Up The Balloons– Don’t spend a fortune on decor when you can grab bags of balloons from the Dollar Store and get a little crafty by:
Give Store Bought Cakes a Facelift– Save yourself a lot of money by using these tricks to turn ordinary store bought cakes into extraordinary birthday treats
Balloon Drop- Want to hear the sounds of sheer joy? Create a balloon drop by taping two a plastic table clothes together with painter’s tape (the kind that is sticky but not too sticky). Attach a few long strings on the end of the seam. Attach the table clothes to the ceiling or a ceiling fan and fill with balloons. When you are ready for the drop, one good pull on the strings will make it rain balloons. Yay balloons!
Birthdays should just be really, really, really fun. After all, you’re a mom and that means you probably won’t get to blow your own candles out ever again. And, I’m OK with that.
This post originally ran on my other blog AmandaMushro.com
Tic Tac Toe is a crowd pleaser in this house and I think the kids and I have played approximately 354 million rounds while on long car rides. But to change things up a bit, I got a little crafty and made a travel tic tac toe board and it was so easy. Really! It was so easy! Come see how I made it by clicking right here.
A year ago The Today Show launched their Parenting Team and for me, it has been life changing. LIFE CHANGING, friends! Because of the Parenting Team, my posts have been featured on Today.com, shared on their Facebook pages, and of course my Today Show appearances. So when I gush about the Parenting Team, it’s for a good reason.
Last week during my fourth appearance on the Today Show, I talked to the digital team about what the Parenting Team is all about and why parents and bloggers should join and they made this awesome video.
I have to warn you, this video makes me a little weepy because I’m just so proud and excite. Plus I’m just a big crybaby that gets weepy over everything. I’m serious when I say if there is an emotion to be had, I’m probably crying. Big old crybaby. My favorite part of this video is the clip of my first segment where I’m talking to Carson about chocolate and then I get all Oprah and sing “chocolate.” My BFF keeps saying she is going to make that her ringtone. Ridiculous
So happy birthday to the Parenting Team. I will eat cake all week in your honor.
We just got back from a family vacation and I am exhausted. EXHAUSTED! The giant suitcase that I crammed all of our clothes into is still sitting in my bedroom calling to me each night. I just can’t muster the energy to unpack everything. Sigh, maybe next weekend.
Even though vacations are supposed to be nothing but fun, the actual planning can be pretty stressful. Right? So many travel sites! Today I’m sharing some of my favorite travel hacks that will save your time, save you money, and hopefully save a little sanity. S0 if you have a spring break trip or you are already looking into your family summer vacation, you need to check out my travel hacks.
Click right here to be magically transported to the article
If your kids are like mine, they love Legos. And if you are like me, you’ve probably stepped on your fair share of Legos. OUCH! But taking Legos in the car is rarely a good idea, right? One bump in the car and the Legos go flying and you know you’ll be finding Legos for months. But have no fear, Lego lovers, here’s a DIY Lego case that is perfect for car rides! Click right here to get the directions!
Before having kids, my husband would spend a lot of time tripping over my suitcase. I like to say it’s because he was being too lazy to watch where he was going, but really I always had my bags packed because I wanted to be ready for my next trip. I loved having every weekend planned full of traveling to places near and far and taking off a few days off in between to do grown up things. You know, like work, pay some bills, and wash all those clothes in my suitcase. When my kids came along, I worried that I’d have to clip my wings and my days of travel would be over. Lucky for me, the bug to travel must be genetic.
While I’m not hitting the open road every single weekend, the kids and I still travel a lot, and since we started traveling with them from an early age, they are old pros at this point.
So if you have a spring break trip planned in the near future with your toddler, don’t fret, I’ve got lots of great mom approved tips for traveling with your toddler.
Click right here to be magically transported to Tips for Traveling With Toddlers.
This week the kiddos and I are in Florida and we are taking on Universal Studios and Lego Land. Right now, I’m not sure who is more excited, me or the kids. Seriously, I cannot wait to hug a Minion. So even though we are hitting the ground running all over the parks today, as all parents know, the real work happens before the trip: all the planning, all the silent prayers no one gets sick, and of course, all the packing. Since my husband wasn’t traveling with us this time, I wanted to make everything super easy on myself. So that meant one large suitcase for the three of us rather than me trying to juggle kids, carry-ons, and three suitcases. Since I tend to be an over packer, I had to get creative to make everything fit. It sort of became a grown up game of Tetris in my suitcase. But sometimes just making everything fit just isn’t enough and I knew I needed to find some amazing life hacks to make this packing a whole lot easier.
So if you have a trip planned, you’ll want to check out my 12 packing hacks. Click right here to be magically transported to the article!
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you are probably like me and still searching for cute Valentine’s Day treats for your kids or for their class party. However, if you are also like me, you cannot spend hours slaving away in the kitchen or look at Pinterest ONE MORE TIME…kidding, I love Pinterest but I need to step away for the good of man kind. So this year, walk away from the baked goods and make the sweet holiday easier on yourself with this adorable and easy Valentine Robot Snack for your kids or for their class party.
I love these Valentine robots for a number of reasons:
Here’s what you need:
With just a little bit of glue, you get this handsome fella!
When making this guy I found that a little bit of glue goes a long way. You can also use a heavier tape to assemble your robot. To put him all together too me less than a minute! So if you are making this for a class, you can start a little assembly line a few days before.
I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and that someone gets you something really sweet too!