Family

Did you know that October is National Bullying Prevention Month? Now that both of my kids are in elementary school, I’m becoming more aware of bullying. Although so far, my kids haven’t experienced any bullying, I still want to be prepared. It’s equally important I teach my kids how to be kind to others. Just as I don’t want my own kids being bullied, I’d hate for them to be the ones who are unkind. Both real-life and cyberbullying are major problems that my kids will likely face. They are still pretty young, but I want to be prepared. So, I am working on teaching my kids how to be kind through real-life actions that will someday translate to online actions.

Last week, Disneyland invited me to attend their opening night of Oogie Boogie Bash at California Adventure Park. I’ve never been to Halloween at Disneyland or Disney World before, so I had no idea what to expect. What I did learn was that I definitely want to visit Disneyland every single Halloween, it was that special.

I’m so glad it’s Halloween season! It’s definitely one of my favorite holidays. Who doesn’t like dressing up in fun costumes and getting free candy? Next to Christmas, Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday. To get in the spirit, I decided to try making these fun Halloween spider cookies and I’m SO excited how they turned out.

Summer is all about slower days, more time with my kids, and all the ice cream we can eat. Well, not really – I’m not that nice of a mom. But I do keep more ice cream in the house in the summertime than the rest of the year. Enjoying a cold treat with my kiddos on a summer day is one of the few times when I actually slow down and can really be present with them. If you’re anything like me, I struggle to find that down time, even in the summer. We’re rushing from one activity or summer camp to the next, planning another road trip or family adventure. That’s why I decided to write this post about 5 simple ways to slow down and spend some quality time with your kids this summer.

Have you considered the benefits dance class for young kids and whether you want to sign your child up? When my daughter turned two, I signed her up for ballet class. At the time, I thought it would be so adorable for her to be in a little tutu. Ballet was something I always wanted to do as a child but just never ended up doing. I did a lot of organized sports, but not dance.

Traveling with early elementary-aged kids is leaps and bounds easier than traveling with babies or toddlers. My kids are at the age that I no longer have to bring bottles, diaper bags, etc., which is such a relief. They are pretty good at entertaining themselves. But on long trips, even my usual travel tips and tricks start to fail. That’s why I’m so glad we finally got a new Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablets – or KET for short.

When I was six years old, my parents took me Disneyland. It was my first time on an airplane and I can distinctly remember the excitement leading up to this trip. Given my fond memories of my first time at Disneyland, I wanted my kids to have that experience around the same age. Since my parents were going to be in town, it felt like the perfect opportunity for all of us to experience it together – just as I had 30 some years ago. So I made all the plans. Going to Disneyland with little kids takes a little extra planning, but it’s totally worth it.

Alright moms, have you jumped on the family matching pajamas yet? When these adorable pjs arrived from Pink Elephant Organics (c/o), I was excited for a couple reasons. First, the pjs are super comfortable. Second, they are adorable! Third, my kids were actually thrilled to receive new pjs and even more excited that I had a matching pair too.

Did you have chores as a kid? I did. But they were all very simple, and I received incentives for helping. My kids have always been very interested in helping around the house. As preschoolers, we came up with several things they could do to help around the house. I’ve read several articles that talk about the benefits to kids who have chores. But should little kids get an allowance for helping around the house? Or is this part of their ‘job’ to live in our family’s home?