Practical Positive Parenting Advice and Resources
The kids are bored. You are exhausted (even more so than usual). It is hot outside. You can’t afford anything extravagant (groceries are expensive). So, to save your summer and your sanity, I’ve rounded up a few free (or almost free) activities that you can do with your children over the next few months. Below are 5 ideas for free family fun.…
I don’t “mind’ tent camping necessarily, but ask me to do it with little kids and my head gets overwhelmed with stress. Up until this point (our kids are 2, 4 and 6), I have kindly said no. However, I know my husband likes it. I see the positives and fun points in it, and I can get excited about it more now that the kids are a little older. A couple of months ago, I felt compelled to give it a try. When I mentioned it to my husband he was thrilled. Well, that was after he just about fainted in shock, but needless to say, he said yes right away to going camping with kids….
Traveling is one of the best ways to bring a family closer. Not to mention its ability to widen your and your children’s perspective of the world around you. There is no denying that kids can be a handful at bedtime. However, a new environment and the excitement of the trip may cause your kids to feel even more restless than usual. Here are ten easy tips on how to help your kid sleep on vacation!…
Having 3 small children of my own, I have had plenty of experiences with mishaps while out and about. So, I created my own car travel bag that I always keep in the trunk. A lot of these items are also doubled in my diaper bag, but there is nothing worse than reaching for something and realizing that you are out. By keeping these backups in my car, I know that we are always covered!…
This easy, 2-ingredient strawberry and cream smoothie recipe is a refreshing breakfast or snack anytime. And kids love it too! For on the go, try freezing the mixture into reusable squeeze pouches to thaw out by lunchtime for a frosty treat!
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What should I pack for the beach with kids? These items will help make your day at the beach more enjoyable, relaxed, and safe for the whole family!
Taking young kids to the beach can seem like a huge undertaking. Long gone are the days when you could waltz down to the water’s edge with just a towel… But there are a few things to pack for the beach to make your life a little easier when spending the day in the sand, sun, and water with little kids….
Great amusement park tips for families (including a few secrets that you may not know about)!
Amusement parks became my passion the year my oldest daughter turned two, and we took her to our local children’s amusement park for the first time (Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania). The moment I saw the pure joy on her face when she rode a small version of The Whip, I was hooked. We left the park that day with a season pass, and in the years since we’ve expanded our trips to cover amusement parks from Florida to California. Not sure if I’m proud or embarrassed to say that this year we have season passes to 15 amusement parks around the country. …
I am a work from home mother with three young children, and I’m pregnant. So I get it. I too am overwhelmed with now trying to homeschool – while juggling the house, my work load, and my health. I am fearful of what the news is reporting. And I am worried about our little family’s future. There is so much happening around us that we have zero control over. And yet, there are also wonderful free resources out there that can really help to ease our stress and frustrations as we try to navigate this crazy time. Below are free family resources for staying home during the COVID-19 quarantine as a way to help your family during this unprecedented time.
This article is written by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Home collection
If we chose to focus on the bad, we will most definitely find that without needing to look to hard. However, if we look for the good, we can find that too. Neighbors are helping neighbors. Friends are supporting the community. And total strangers are going out of their way to help others in need. There is so much love going around, and it is absolutely amazing to watch!
[check out the Good News Network for a daily dose of positive, or watch this fun video made by a few favorite celebrities Some Good News]
Throughout this article, you’ll find links to helpful articles, free printables, and other resources that will surely help you and your family during this crazy time. Take a deep breath, dive into what seems relevant now, and save this link to come back to later on when you are ready to focus on another topic. No one is expected to make all of the right changes overnight. But if we focus on a few areas of our life at a time, we can make big changes over the next few weeks. And who knows, we might just find a new pleasure, or some new strategies, that we can continue to implement even when our lives do return to “normal”.
Use this time to make a new memory, find a new hobby, or make-over an aspect of your life. You can and will emerge from this even stronger if you try 🙂
Just by staying home your family is probably saving some money. No longer are we eating out, going to the movies, running between activities, attending sporting events, and so on. But, your life doesn’t have to stop. You can still order take-out (if available) from a local restaurant. Or create your own restaurant at home with your kids and these free pretend play printables. You can have your own movie and game night in the family room, in someone’s bedroom under a blanket fort, or outside on the patio. Get creative and plan your own Family Night In experiences. (Keep scrolling for more ideas below).
Chances are that even when the quarantines are lifted, it will take some time for your family to return to your old spending budgets. Maybe you have experienced layoffs, cut-backs, or loss of business. Just remember that you are not alone! And in time you will make it back. But be smart by using this time to develop a new plan and strategies for how to save some money and simplify your family’s life.
Here are additional free resources that offer tips for saving money at home. While some of these options might not be applicable until we are out and about in society again, they can still prepare you now for what will be to come – like tips for selling items at a consignment sale. You can use this time at home to go through closets and organize your piles. Then once a sale is scheduled again, you are ready. Also, take advantage of tips for saving money while grocery shopping, how to waste less food, saving money on kid’s activities, and more!
If you are like me, then you have traded your extra curricular activities for enormous amounts of laundry, snacks every 30 minutes, and dishes piling up in the sink. But hopefully you are also enjoying the benefits of having more down-time and play-time at home. While I love having my family at home with me all of the time, it has definitely created new types of work, and I have had to adjust my schedule to make sure that I am still being as productive as possible.
I would encourage you to use this time to really take a long hard look at your your family’s lifestyle and priorities. We were given this opportunity to re-assess, to re-adjust, and we will (eventually) be able to move forward in a new way – if we’d like. Ask yourself what it is that you really miss? What are your relieved to not be doing? How has going back to basics impacted your life?
Checkout these amazing tips and free resources to help simply your family’s life now, and to help better prepare you for moving forward in a more balanced and satisfying way. Good luck!
I am sure majority of parents are thinking right now “I never wanted to homeschool!” Or, “I never wanted to be a teacher!” Well, I am right there with you. And I too am trying to now figure this out as I juggle working from home with now teaching my three kids at home, all while being pregnant and hormonal at home. While I would like to think I am doing an OK job, I have definitely had my fair share of struggles with it all.
Thankfully I have found some wonderful free resources that have helped me, and will hopefully help you during this time as well. But the important thing to remember is that no one expects your best. We are all just trying to survive. But eventually your child will return to school. Eventually they will learn to read, to do their algebra, to write an essay, and they will eventually graduate.
Keep in mind that you are not the only one in this situation – the entire country is in the same boat. I saw this quote floating around on Facebook that a few teachers were sharing, and I couldn’t agree more!
Don’t worry about them regressing in school. Every single kid is in this boat and they all will be ok. When we are back in the classroom, we will all course correct and meet them where they are. Teachers are experts at this! Don’t pick fights with your kids because they don’t want to do math. Don’t scream at your kids for not following the schedule. And don’t mandate 2 hours of learning time if they are resisting it.
If I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: at the end of all of this, your kid’s mental health will be more important than their academic skills. And how they felt during this time will stay with them long after the memory of what they did during those 4 or more weeks is long gone. So keep that in mind, every signal day.”
Whether you are stuck at home for days on end because of a snow storm, hurricane season, or because of the COVID 19; it can be challenging to keep your kids entertained. However, I have found some amazing benefits can come out of trading our extra activities for more play time at home. Here are just a few:
CLICK HERE for an entire collection of free articles and ideas to inspire at home entertainment for your children no matter their ages, enjoy!
No matter what day it is, or the circumstances, there are always meals to prepare and mouths to feed. But what gets tricky is when you are trying to do so while your entire town is shutting down. Again, maybe it is weather related, or maybe it is because of illness. Either way, it is helpful to know what to stock up on, how to stretch your shopping budget, how to avoid food waste, and how to fill those precious little bellies with healthy lasting food.
Tips for Cooking During COVID-19
Thankfully we have worked with some amazing contributors who have helped us create helpful free guides for all of this. Take advantage of their helpful insight and learn some new tips that will help you and your family better prepare.
No matter what you have been dealing with, eventually your life will return to “normal”. Once the storm passes, once the sickness subsides, once the schools reopen and businesses begin to re-hire, it will get better. But in the rush to return to our daily life, it’s important to take a moment to pause and ask ourselves what is really worth returning back to? Are their things that you did not miss? Were you relieved to not have certain commitments in your calendar for a period of time? Pay attention to what this phase at home is trying to teach you.
Adore Them Parenting has put together a collection of wonderful resources to help you navigate a better work-life-balance. Every family and each situation is different. But hopefully these tips will inspire you to make some positive changes in your life that will benefit your family as a whole. Don’t think of it as a daunting task; but rather a fresh start to a new adventure! Best wishes as you continue to move forward in life and on your journey 🙂
You do everything for your family and those around you. But don’t forget to take care of yourself! By taking a few moments to meet your needs, you will have more energy to conquer that impressive to-do list each day. Check out our full Self-Care collection for inspiration on how to start pampering yourself throughout the day at little or no added cost – You deserve it!
For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Home 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
We are living in an unprecedented time as our entire world is battling the Coronavirus. Many of us are isolated from our friends, family, and co-workers. We are home much more than we are used to, and that can present some challenges for sure! Cooking during COVID-19 can be a challenge, which is why we’re sharing tips for feeding your family during coronavirus isolation
Having worked from home for the past 5 years, I understand the challenges our current situation has placed on parents. Whether it is the change of working remotely, grocery shopping on-a-dime, or even homeschooling children; I have faced these obstacles before. But something new I have had to navigate, as I’m sure you have as well, is the longer stretches between grocery shopping trips and making the food you have in your pantry stretch as far as possible. In an effort to help each other – I have put together this article to provide tips, tricks, and recipes to help keep you safe and healthy as we move forward.
This article is written by Katie Strohecker
For more on this topic, check out the full Surviving at Home collection
Try to stock-up on foods that can stretch and feed a lot of people (for larger families), or can provide you with leftovers (for smaller families). We have to make what we have last us for longer stretches than we are used to.
Check out our Recipes page for simple, nutritious, and delicious options that your family is sure to love!
And check out more inspiration and ideas at TheKitchn.com
Another way to make your groceries last longer, and to save money, is by stretching your meals. What does this mean? It’s about filling everyone’s belly up, but not using as much to do it. It means conserving your proteins and being strategic about what and how you serve your meal.
Check out our Saving Money collection and FunCheapFree.com for more free tips and strategies.
If you do not already plan your meals, now is the time to start! Plan out what you are going to make for the next 2 or 3 weeks and stick to it. This will be useful for when you make your shopping list. {Look for more tips on grocery shopping a little later in this article.} You may have to get creative with your meals – think outside the box. In the next section, I’ll share some apps and online sources for recipes.
The internet is an endless resource for recipes. Try searching for recipes with few ingredients or ones that use canned products. There are even sources (some with convenient apps) that you can type the ingredients you have on hand in your fridge or pantry, and they will provide you a list of recipes using only those ingredients.
I also recommend checking out some of my favorite sources for recipes with few ingredients. One of my favorite recipes for flatbread includes only two ingredients: Self-rising flour and plain yogurt and tastes amazing [source: Jamie Oliver]!
Since you are isolated at home, and possibly need something to do with your children…try your hand at making your own bread, bagels, rolls/biscuits, tortillas, sauces, soups, spice mixes, jellies/jams, etc. (If you can find the ingredients you need!) It will be a memory your children will never forget!
Enjoy these inspirations to help you get started:
I wanted to end this article with a few tips on how to make your grocery store trips safe and quick. In our area, delivery and pick-up has been unavailable due to demand, so here are a few suggestions to make your grocery trip fast and efficient. Don’t forget to use hand sanitizer and a mask if possible.
I hope this article has provided you with some ideas of how to make meals less of a stressor at this unprecedented time. As much as we are apart, we are in this together. Stay safe and stay healthy!
For more on this topic, check out the full Staying Home collection
Featured Contributor: Katie Strohecker
I love this time of year! Daffodils and tulips are beginning to peek through, the grass turns green, and the trees begin to blossom. It is Springtime, and it is Easter. For many it is a fun celebration filled with chocolate bunnies and Easter Egg Hunts. And for a lot of us it is also a religious holiday; a spiritual time for reflection and appreciation. Either way, parents are always on the look out for fun Easter activities for kids, and I have included a few of our favorites below!
*Note: This Easter will be different for us all as we are in the midst of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Continue reading for ideas of how to celebrate Easter at home…
This article is written by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full Easter Fun collection
As I get ready to celebrate this special occasion, I can’t help but feel thankful. No matter how difficult or hard life can get, I’m learning that there is always, ALWAYS, something to be thankful for. And if I focus on the many blessings in life, it’s easy to see even more of the wonderful opportunities around us. Especially since this time of year brings a lot of new beginnings and fresh opportunities. Not only just in nature, but many people are looking for a new move and a fresh start. And it is exciting to think what adventures could possibly be in store for us ahead!
I really enjoy planning festive activities with my children. So as we gear up for Easter, a few egg hunts, and springtime parties; I though I’d share a few things we have been doing around our house. Decorating eggs, playing a few new games, and making a simple yet delicious snack – all fun, simple, Easter themed activities that my young kids can enjoy 🙂
I don’t know about you, but in our house we have tried all kinds of ways to color Easter eggs – such as dyes, stencils, stickers, and probably even more. While a lot of these options are fun and creative; I am often left with a big mess to clean up. Not only that, but many of these applications take skill that is beyond my kid’s abilities. So reality is often me doing most of the work, and the kids just watching, which is not as much fun.
Thankfully, I found the perfect easy egg coloring solution for my kids!
Two years ago I discovered (thanks to Pinterest) that crayons work really well! Not only is this option much cleaner, it’s easy and fun! And it costs practically nothing – because who doesn’t have some old crayons laying around their house?!
The colors turn out so vibrant when coloring on a warm freshly boiled egg! Here are a few of our photos…
[ Read: 6 Easy Ways to Hard Boil Eggs ]
You can tell which eggs my oldest daughter colored when they were still warm, and which ones the her younger brothers colored after the eggs cooled off. But either way, they all turned out beautiful!
Just like old crayons, who doesn’t have plastic Easter eggs laying around their house? While they are great and functional in the Easter baskets, and perhaps add to the decor around your home, I am always looking for additional ways to use them. One option I have found is to extend their life and use them all summer long as a pool toy, (more details here).
The other option is to create fun games with them. Here are two easy and inexpensive games my children enjoy playing with their plastic colored Easter eggs. No matter their age, it provides a great opportunity for some hand-eye coordination. And for the older ones you can make it even more competitive by timing them:
This was a fun matching exercise! I pulled out Candy Land game cards to make a pattern, then they had to duplicate the pattern below the cards with plastic eggs. Time them for an added challenge.
For my older two kids, they competed against each other while being timed by the youngest. But you can also play this solo. For this game they had to use their chop sticks to grab small pom-poms and drop them in the matching color eggs in their tray. First one to fill their tray, or beat their old time won! Again, this provides great hand-eye coordination.
We have a whole collection of Easter content focused on fun Easter crafts for kids and the entire family! Most of these crafts can be done easily and quickly with materials found around the house (or with a few items from the grocery store).
Easter Egg Coloring Page – free printable for kids
Jelly Bean Tree – cute and inexpensive Easter craft for kids
Fingerprint Easter Eggs – 5 minute Easter egg craft
Religious Easter Craft – collect items from around your yard for this kid craft
A Cute Easter Treat for Kids – perfect Easter treat or party favor
Easter Jars – adorable chocolate bunny jars are easy and delicious
Thank you to Kellogg’s Rice Krispies for this easy, delicious treat idea!
Basically you make Rice Krispies in the shape of Easter eggs. I washed a plastic Easter egg to use as my mold. Just be sure to spray it with a non-stick spray so that you don’t have a big clumpy mess!
Next you dip the Rice Krispie eggs in melted chocolate, and then dip them in sprinkles. Put them in the fridge to set, and you have the cutest looking Easter snack for kids and adults to enjoy!
Below is how mine turned out. I decided to use white chocolate and bright sprinkles – and they were a huge hit at all of our Easter parties!
Happy Easter to our Adore Them Parenting readers!
For more on this topic, check out the full Easter Fun 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
