Parenting
Raising tiny humans like it's my jobMy husband and I grew our family through biology and adoption. Each method of adding kiddos presents its own challenges, but both add so much love and joy to our lives! In this section, I share tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way…and occasionally let you learn from our parenting fails.
7 Best Non-Toy Gift Ideas for All the Kids in Your Life
Does it feel like toys are multiplying in your house? It stresses me out a bit to think of where to put everything after Christmas or birthdays. So I compiled a list of the best non-toy gifts for kids of all ages. You’ll find something for babies, toddlers,...
18 Personalized Teacher Appreciation Gifts (Plus Ideas for School Staff!)
The past year made me more appreciative of teachers than ever. I can’t tell you how happy I was to get a photo from school of my daughter practicing scissor skills with a trained preschool teacher. Guys, I am not cut out (no pun intended) to teach those things and...
Three Easy Last Day of School Traditions
Has anyone else mentally moved on to summer? After an unusually cold and snowy March and a dreary April, May is here! Cue the sunshine and Justin Timberlake memes! Last week, I chaperoned my oldest’s field trip to the zoo. It was 80-something degrees and sunny. I had...
8 Tips for a Successful Beach Vacation with Young Kids
Let me tell you about my happy place. I’m lounging on a padded beach chair by the turquoise water under the shade of a colorful umbrella. The roar of the ocean is peppered with the laughter…
7 Cute Very Hungry Caterpillar Party Ideas for a Fun Birthday
When I was pregnant, my husband used to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle to my stomach. It was no surprise that it was a favorite bedtime story after my son was born. When it came time to pick a theme for his first birthday, I knew a Very Hungry...
Save Your Sanity with this Free Kids’ Summer Schedule Template
While people reminisce about the lazy days of summer, those of us who spend the warmer months with kids all day often face a different reality. It may be constant bickering between siblings, a chorus of “I’m bored,” or an insatiable thirst for screen time. Or maybe...
The Meal-Time Hack New Parents Love: An ezpz Review
I distinctly remember standing in a baby supply store at around 20 weeks pregnant, registry gun in hand, with tear-filled eyes because I was completely overwhelmed! As a first-time mom, I didn’t have the slightest clue which baby bathtub was safest or which crib...
How to Host a Daniel Tiger Party Your Kid Will Love
We did a Daniel Tiger Party for my daughter’s birthday and it was such a fun theme! If you need ideas for invitations, food, party supplies, cake, decorations, outfits, games, and gifts, you are in the right place. Read on for tips and tricks to make this party easy...
What Life Looks Like 3 Years After International Adoption – Part 2
Welcome to the second half of my reflection on three years after international adoption. If you haven’t already, read Part 1 here. There I talked about medical needs, developmental milestones, and education since adopting from China. Read on for several other aspects...
How to Make a Simple DIY Desk
Like many parents, I’ve been scrambling to get a space ready in my house for my kids to do virtual school. We don’t have a dedicated office, playroom, or any free area so I had to get creative to find a quiet spot for my son to learn for the foreseeable future. Then I...
What Life Looks Like 3 Years After International Adoption – Part 1
It has been three years since we first met our daughter in a nondescript municipal building in China. While anniversaries like this bring adoption to the forefront of my mind, most days I don’t think about the different ways my kids arrived in our family. I pray for,...
The Best Guided Journals for Adults and Kids
Do you journal? Or maybe you have intentions of journaling that never come to fruition? (Guilty as charged over here!) The folks at Promptly Journals make it easy to put words on the page with their beautiful and thoughtfully made guided journals. I recently got to...
How to Dye Rice with Food Coloring for the Best Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are a great way to entertain kids while giving them input for their senses. There are endless opportunities for fillers, and I recently made my own rainbow sensory rice. It was such a hit with both of my kids that I thought I would share how you can dye...
Why Quarantine Is Hard for Adoptive and Special Needs Parents
When we adopted our daughter from China in August 2017, our family chose to keep her world as small as possible in the first weeks after arriving home. This meant limiting trips out of the house, keeping visitors to a minimum, and spending lots of time with just our...
The Best Ways to Make Life Easier When You’re Stuck at Home
Like it or not, the coronavirus pandemic has us all stuck at home for a little while. But the silver lining in all of this is the abundance of resources and family activities that we can now access from the comforts of our living room. I have compiled a list of ways...
6 Things I Said I’d Never Do as a Parent Until I Became One
I am pumped to feature this guest post from Ivana Davies with Find Your Mom Tribe. She’s sharing things she said she’d never do before she became a parent. Goodness knows I have tons of those, too! I hope you identify and enjoy her insight into the realities of...
The Best Potty Training Hack: A Peejamas Review
Potty training is the worst. Especially during the middle of the night. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather be snoozing in the comfort of my own bed than worrying about setting back potty training with overnight pull-ups or changing my toddler’s...
How to Host an Amazing Mickey Mouse Party on a Budget
My daughter just turned four and loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So we celebrated with a DIY Mickey Mouse birthday party! I love to bring a party theme to life while keeping the budget small. Below are tips and ideas for decorations, outfits, invitations, supplies, and...
How to Celebrate the Beauty and Embrace the Trauma of Adoption
Grownups come back! That little song is repeated over and over in an episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Since the show is one of my daughter’s favorites, we have used it to ease anxiety when dropping her off at school, church, or for a visit with the...
How to Simplify Mealtime with 16 Easy Toddler Meal Ideas
Did you know that once you become a parent you are responsible for feeding your kids? Like, at least three times a day? And that doesn’t even count the snacks! Providing healthy food for young kids (and adults) can be stressful. That’s why I’ve come up with easy...
What My China Adoption Taught Me About the Love of God
Two years ago this month I met my daughter for the first time. As is in the case of a China adoption, the meeting was without fanfare. But from the moment that spunky 18 month old was placed in my arms, my family would never be the same. As I reflect on how far we've...
The Best Way to Label Kids’ Cups and Bottles You Need to Know Today
If you have a child in school, daycare, sports, camp, or extracurricular activities, you know that it is a constant battle to keep up with all their stuff. Anything my kids have to take with them is likely to mysteriously disappear or fall into the abyss of lost and...
5 Simple Back-to-School Hacks for the Best Year Yet
In an attempt to be as productive as possible the other day, I ran to Walmart to make a return, buy the toothpaste I meant to get on my last grocery order, get ice cream for my son’s birthday party, and do a store pickup of a gift for my nephew. I had about 45 minutes...
My Experience with Special Needs Parenting
Our daughter was adopted from China's Special Needs Program in 2017. As soon as she was placed in my arms, I entered the world of special needs parenting. (Read more about our China adoption journey.) There is a wide spectrum of medical, developmental, and...
How to Make the Best Summer Bucket List for Kids
Kids everywhere are cheering for the end of school. But moms? Not so much. If you are like me, the thought of keeping your children entertained for a couple of months without losing your mind is a little overwhelming. But I have an easy solution to the dreaded...
9 Best Mom Hacks You Need to Know Now
Parenting is hard work! Whether you have babies, toddlers, preschoolers, kids, tweens, or teens, moms and dads have their hands full. Sometimes a simple change in the way you do things can make life easier for your family. That’s why I put together this list of parent...
What to Expect in the First Year After International Adoption – Part 2
Jump into part two of this one-year post-adoption post! Though L was 18 months old when we met her, the orphanage primarily fed her formula from a bottle. They would…
What to Expect in the First Year After International Adoption – Part 1
One year ago, my husband, son, and I were ushered into a plain room in the equivalent of a Chinese DMV office for a meeting that would forever change all our lives. Along with another family on the same journey as us and our English-speaking guide, we met our daughter...
10 Best Developmental Toys for Young Children
Growing up, I remember being shocked that it takes children longer to talk than to walk. In my naïve mind, it seemed like moving your mouth would be a piece of cake compared to hoisting your body around on two feet. I mean, I spoke way more words in a day than I took...