Enjoy time and experiences with your kids for no good reason. Just have fun! I confess. I’m a pretty serious mom. I like quiet. I get anxious if I haven’t fulfilled my work obligations. I get a little twitchy when the house is a wreck. As if the all-seeing eye is looking down on us…
Want to give your children some practical kitchen skills and a sense of independence and accomplishment? Play a game of Chopped — for kids. The littles love the Food Network TV program, Chopped. They’ve been watching it from time to time ever since we moved back to California five years ago. Though we no longer…
Our family just got back from a 3-day road trip. While we had a fabulous time out of Dodge, we are tired and happy to be home. Our kids are pretty good travelers, packing their stuff and loading the car in pretty short order. We love the idea of traveling with our big family. As…
Ready to let it go? How about a Frozen screening party complete with a family-friendly menu and a Frozen cake? This party menu works for birthdays and other celebrations as well. If you’ve lived on this planet for at least a month, you’re well aware that Disney recently produced a hit, animated musical. Frozen, the…
I asked my friends on Facebook to name their favorite classic Disney film. The responses were really quite interesting, and reflective of our ages. It also brought up the question as to what the term classic really applies to. In some circles that would be defined as something whose message stands the test of time….
Looking for a Frozen-themed Valentine’s Day Card? If so, Life as MOM contributor Janel has an easy printable to decorate a box of Sweethearts for Valentine’s Day. My children usually give out homemade Valentine’s Day cards rather than the store-bought variety. It probably stems from my childhood. I never liked it when someone else gave…
Thrill the little girl in your life with a DIY Elsa Costume. Life as MOM contributor Janel shows you how. Be sure to check out the Anna costume tutorial as well. all photos: Janel The other day I shared how to make a DIY Anna Costume. Well, the duo is just not complete without an…
Thrill the little girl in your life with a DIY Anna Costume. Life as MOM contributor Janel shows you how. Looking for Elsa? Here’s the Elsa Costume tutorial. all photos: Janel I’m not a professional seamstress, nor do I play one on tv. I’m just a mom with some very basic sewing skills and a…
We don’t have cable. So we play games. Or read books. Or watch movies. We get plenty of screen time even without traditional TV. Over the weekend we watched The Lord of the Rings with a friend who’d never seen it. The week before we introduced Devin and Jessika’s kids to Captain America. Both events brought back…
As the gift-giving and gift-wrapping season approaches, let your kids customize your wrapping paper for a fun and crafty presentation. About 20 years ago as I was finishing college, I lived with a family from my church. Kathy had three boys and modeled all kinds of great characteristics for me, frugality being one of them….