Practical Positive Parenting Advice and Resources
I don’t spend a lot of time decorating for each holiday, but I do like to have a few seasonal decor items sprinkled around my home. These items don’t shout Valentines but do suggest a holiday is approaching. To freshen up my mantel and hint at the holiday of love, I created an easy Valentine wreath that took no time to make. Scroll down for an easy step-by-step guide and photo examples.
…
What makes a good friend? Try this fun, simple, kid-friendly activity to teach your children the 5 finger friendship challenge. Remind them what it means to be a good friend, how to choose good friends, and why it is important to get along with everyone.
{Check out Teaching Kids About Friendship}
Dip your child’s hand in paint, and then mark their handprint on a canvas or piece of paper. Write in these 5 tips, and hang somewhere to remind them daily the importance of picking good friends, and how to be a good friend by:
Created by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full Friendships or Be My Valentine collection
For more on this topic, check out the full Friendships or Be My Valentine collection
Co-Owner: Karissa Tunis
Karissa Tunis is the co-owner of both the parenting website Adore Them and the family event company Milestone Family Expos. Through these ventures she is able to share inspiring, heartfelt insight with large audiences within local communities and across the country! Her knack for all-things-organization allows her to balance content creation, brand partnerships, and event planning without losing sight of what she wants for her own family. Despite her busy schedule, Karissa also makes it a priority to spend quality time with her husband and three children. You will often find her volunteering at her children’s schools, cheering them on from the soccer sidelines, or enjoying the great sites of Charleston, SC with her family.
Contact: Karissa@AdoreThem.com
The most powerful advice given to my husband and I as newlyweds was about our words. And now, ten years and five kids later, I reflect on that advice which has been an important key to a long and fulfilling relationship… I would definitely argue that language is the most powerful tool we have. It plants ideas, nurtures dreams, and communicates information. And depending on how we use it, it can greatly affect our lives! Below are the most important words that my husband and I use to strengthen our relationship. These 5 simple phrases help us express our love and appreciation for one another.
To me, our love story is from a fairy tale complete with roses, kisses, and a whirlwind romance. But happiness doesn’t just happen. It takes work. And by choosing the right words, it has helped us and our relationship continue to grow even deeper over the past decade.
…
I often find myself asking “What does a perfect marriage look like?” Or “What does a perfect marriage look like with three small children and sleepless nights?” Or how about, “What does a perfect marriage look like with three small children, sleepless nights, 4 dogs, busy schedules, an upcoming move, and juggling all of this while trying to run a new business?” Sometimes all of the chaos of everyday life has me thinking about where my marriage and relationship is at. Prior to kids our life was so different! We traveled, went to fancy dinners, hosted parties, and enjoyed much more alone time. But with each child that seemed to change… So how do we make our relationship work now?
This article is written by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full Be My Valentine collection
Now, 12 years later, traveling to exotic places has been replaced with exploring anywhere a packed SUV can take us. Instead of going out to fancy dinners, we pick up sushi to go and enjoy it on our patio. And the noise and laughter in our home has also changed. There are no longer quiet days looking for something to do. There are no more last-minute movie dates, because we are now surrounded by kids, dogs, popcorn, and Disney characters.
Life has changed. The feelings and love has changed. But for us, it’s gotten even better!
I once read that a
Successful marriage is falling in love with the same person over and over again.
– and I could not agree more!!
It is so easy, especially in this phase of life, to fall out of love or to not always like each other. In fact, there are days that we sometimes cannot stand one another!
And yet…. some-how and some-way we do make it work. We look for that common ground, and we appreciate the small gestures and the big choices such as…
The day-to-day can be hard and challenging with so many demands and three little kids that need us for everything. But we are building a life, expanding our careers, raising our children, creating memories, and deepening our relationship. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves, and even each other, that we really are partners in this journey. At the end of the day we both want the same things for our family.
Together we find a compromise. Sometimes we need to watch our words, perhaps apologize, put aside our stubborn ways, and agree to reconnect. Together we make it work, and together we take care of our home – our family. I don’t like to cook, but my husband does. He sometimes make a mess, but I clean it up. He claims the basement and garage, I get final say in the house. I clean inside, he does all the yard work. I love to laugh, and he can be very funny. He stays up late with the kids, and I get up early with them. Together we can accomplish a lot!
I have realized that the butterflies definitely do not last forever. But they were replaced with 3 precious little human beings. And those feelings of infatuation were replaced over time with something much deeper – LOVE….. a true friendship and partnership. We respect one another, appreciate the value that we each bring to this relationship, and together we share the same dreams and goals.
For us, the key to making our relationship work through this phase of life is that we don’t put as much pressure on “us”. Instead, we both agree that our family is our priority. We love each other, and do occasionally try to sneak away for a special date night. But by sharing the same priorities, and working towards the same goals, that brings us close together. It’s in a different way than when we were dating or newly weds, but it’s also deeper.
Marriages go through phases. As we have children and raise our families our relationship changes. There are definitely challenges, but also really special moments. And just as your children grow, your partnership will as well. Just try to appreciate the good, and when it gets hard – appreciate your partner who is right beside you through it all.
Our marriage is imperfect, but together we will continue to fall in love again and again.
For more on this topic, check out the full Be My Valentine collection
Co-Owner: Karissa Tunis
Karissa Tunis is the co-owner of both the parenting website Adore Them and the family event company Milestone Family Expos. Through these ventures she is able to share inspiring, heartfelt insight with large audiences within local communities and across the country! Her knack for all-things-organization allows her to balance content creation, brand partnerships, and event planning without losing sight of what she wants for her own family. Despite her busy schedule, Karissa also makes it a priority to spend quality time with her husband and three children. You will often find her volunteering at her children’s schools, cheering them on from the soccer sidelines, or enjoying the great sites of Charleston, SC with her family.
Contact: Karissa@AdoreThem.com
As parents, life can feel very busy! But that doesn’t mean that we can’t do small things to help reconnect with our spouse, or find that spark again with our partner in all of this family chaos…
Be sure to check out the free printable below!…
Leaving the house isn’t always an option if you are sick or snowed in. BUT when you can leave the house, you need a few affordable options! Here are some of my go-to kid-friendly winter activities when we are going stir-crazy and need to spend a few hours outside of the house. They are options that take less effort than a full day trip, and many of them are free (or at least pretty affordable!)….
Homemade Instant Hot Cocoa is rich and creamy; and just as easy to make as the store-bought pouches! And, you can make it without the extra sketchy ingredients! Start with this basic hot cocoa recipe, and then choose a flavor add-in to mix things up!
…
Raising children today is very different from when my parents raised my siblings and I. Sure growing up we enjoyed signing up for a sports team here and there, or trying out a new class. But for the most part we were home a lot playing with each other. I doubt it was because that generation already understood the importance of play, but rather because that is just how things were done.
Fast forward 30 years and wow, have times changed! I love that there is so much more information out there, special events, new activities, fun opportunities, and more! But with all of these possibilities, we seem to also have much fuller schedules.
I only ever saw this as a positive, and loved the fact that my 7-year-old daughter had done more, and tried more, than I had in my entire life! But one day that busy exciting schedule came crashing down, and life completely changed for us….
Our family loves celebrating Christmas! We enjoy opening a door of our advent calendar every morning. We like writing letters to Santa. Sipping warm cocoa. Decorating the house. Searching for the elf on the shelf. Baking cookies, and so much more! But one thing we are always sure to do, is mix up some Reindeer food, read the special poem, and sprinkle it in the yard on Christmas Eve. Because this magical recipe will help ensure that Santa’s sleigh finds it way to our house 🙂 Below is our favorite Reindeer Food Recipe, along with a free printable poem. Enjoy!
This article is written by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full Happy Holidays collection
Some years we enjoy making this at home together as a family. And other years, I offer to go into school and help each of my children make it with all of their classmates. It is always a huge hit! What I love is that it is less messy than decorating cookies or gingerbread houses, but still offers something fun for the kids to take home and show their parents.
If you decide to make this at school, or with a group of kids, I suggest pouring the ingredients into large separate bowls. Have the kids form a line, and walk around the table (almost like a buffet), adding a scoop of each item to their goody bag. At the end of the line, have a parent or teacher make sure each bag is sealed, and staple the poem to the top. Now their parents will know exactly what to do with this fun reindeer food!
Each child will need one goody bag to store their mixture. What goes in it is up to you, or each little chef. But my favorites are:
Grab some cardstock, print this out, and staple it to your goody bags. Read it again on Christmas Eve night before you sprinkle your Reindeer Food on your lawn.
For more on this topic, check out the full Happy Holidays collection
Try this simple yet delicious recipe for grain free pancakes! Not only are they easy to make, but they are a great healthy option as well!
Going back to school is an exciting time of year! It is also a very busy time as your family is trying to adjust to new routines, early wake-up calls, and developing your new normal all over again. Just be sure that the morning chaos does not result in any missed breakfast meals!
Kids need energy for their school day. So getting a healthy filling breakfast is very important! Here is your perfect solution for whipping up quick and yummy pancakes, enjoy 🙂
For more healthy recipes, check out FaveHealthyRecipes.com
This recipe is provided by Katerina’s Finest
For more on this topic, check out the full Recipes and Back To School collections
For more on this topic, check out the full Recipes and Back To School collections
Featured Contributor: Katerina Zeppos
Katerina is a wife, mom of two young children, and founder of Katerina’s Finest which imports only the finest quality olives and olive oil from a small collective in southern Greece. They believe that this region grows the finest and most flavorful olives anywhere in the world! To finish out their line of products, they also produce their own Dressings & Vinaigrettes with a special Greek blend.