Let's play a neighborhood I-Spy game! We're all hanging out at home, so why not make a little game out of it? Let's get those kiddos out and moving, biking, walking, skipping, or scooting. Everyone else (who is up for it!) can display a few easy-to-find or easy-to-make items on their windows, door, driveway, whatever. Here's the skinny. . . Neighborhood I-Spy It's all about being together, but apart right now, right? Right. There are a ton of ways to do just that. And … [Read more...]
lent for christian families: pray, fast, serve cards
I've wanted to create these Lent Cards for Thoughtful Christian Families for a while now. SO here they are! I'm thrilled--and so are many of my Christian friends! Finally, I've modified our Lent Cards for Modern Catholic Families, and I've made them more Bible-based. Still keeping with the idea of Pray, Fast, and Serve, which are important tenants of Lent, these Lent for Christian Families Cards are exactly what my family needs. Here's the skinny. . . Lent for Christian … [Read more...]
valentine’s day class party: 10 easy activities for that extra 10 minutes
Here are 10 easy activities for that extra 10 minutes at the end of the Valentine's Day class party. Keep these in your back pocket, and the party will be a breeze! Who even KNEW how hard running class parties could be? I wish that there was a guide somewhere--some easy-to-follow guide that gave you every kid-approved craft, game, activity, or snack that room parents and teachers needed to get through the chaos of class parties. If you want the whole Valentine Class party, you can … [Read more...]
holiday note gift idea for families: unique, thoughtful, and FREE
These holiday notes may turn out to be one of your family's most coveted and meaningful traditions! It's so easy for our little ones (and even adults sometimes!) to lose sight of what the holiday season is all about. So in 2008, when I saw this idea on a late-night, dvr'd Oprah, I knew I wanted to use it. With a little prompting, my family tried out Holiday Notes with both sides of the family. Even though some interpreted the exchange a little differently, it was a success overall. Most … [Read more...]
5 fun back-to-school rituals for busy families
Friends. There's no denying it. Back-to-school season is in full swing, so I thought I'd take a minute to share a few fun back-to-school rituals for busy families. I Here's the skinny. . . 5 Fun Back-to-School Rituals for Busy Families Family Camp-In No matter where in the world you live, the weather's always perfect for a Family Camp-In. A Camp-In is the opposite of a Camp-Out, of course! A Camp-In takes place in your house, in a room large enough for the whole family. And though you … [Read more...]
summer swim team: an absolute MUST for families
Summer swim has been a staple for our family for the last six years. Ever since Maddy joined the pre-team the summer before Kindergarten, we've spent the first seven weeks of summer camped out at the pool in the mornings and have spent our Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings at swim meets and Sunday afternoons at dive meets. We are grateful that our neighborhood pool is within walking distance from our home, and we definitely take advantage of it. But even if your family is not within … [Read more...]
st. patrick’s day BRAIN TEASER scavenger hunt
Even though our lives have changed quite a bit since I started this blog seven years ago, one thing has remained the same: we love to rock it out for holidays. Even big kids like to rock it out for the holidays. So this year, I decided to kick up our traditional St. Patty's Day Scavenger Hunt just a wee bit. My kids are quick, and they're smart. So our Scavenger Hunt needs to be tricky and engaging to keep them interested--or at least to stretch our hunt a bit past the … [Read more...]
lent for modern catholic kids | daily reflections and prayers
Cards have been updated to reflect dates for the 2020 Lenten season. Enjoy! We're one week into Lent this year, and I feel like we kind of struggled for the first week. Our parish priest stressed to us the importance of 'not giving up chocolate' again and instead challenged us to really make this Lent count. So we agreed. We wouldn't give up chocolate. But honestly, after so many years of doing just that--giving up sweets--for Lent, it felt strange not to. And we all … [Read more...]
be nicer than necessary notes: lunchbox love to help us stop bickering
We're in a mad winter funk over here. A serious winter funk. Lots of snow days and delays grey skies and dreary days and indoor recess at school means that there's been a lot of grumpy, grouchy kids at our house. And parents. No matter what we do to mix things up, it seems like we've all been doing more arguing and bickering than I care to admit. And it's not just the kids--sure, of course, it's the kids. But it's also my husband and me. The dog. The birds and fish. We're all a little … [Read more...]
valentine’s day class party ideas, 2.0
For many years now I've been roped into being Room Parent for my kids' classes, and though I do love the opportunity to meet other families from the school and to get to know the kids in the class, it's a lot of work. More than once I've wished that there was a secret site that gave me all of the Valentine's Day class party ideas I needed--the letters to send, the snacks to serve, crafts to make and the games to play. But knowing that such a thing doesn't exist and that each class party is … [Read more...]
top 5 must-read books for kids: babies through teens
Over the years, many readers and friends have asked me the about the must-read books for kids. Every few weeks, I get asked the million dollar questions: What books should my kids read? What are the best books for 5-year-olds? Which books will my 12-year-old love to read? Please tell me how to spend my book money--which are the must-have books for kids? We're heading to the library. Which books should I pick up? I've had the conversation over and over and over again. So … [Read more...]
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