8 Psychologist-Backed Tips for Improving Communication with Kids
When you communicate well with your child, it leads to a strong relationship, greater cooperation, and feelings of worth. When communication is a struggle, it can lead to your child switching off, ...
Why I'm Tired of the Unsolicited "Just Wait Until" Parenting Tips
I understand that for the most part, people mean well. So usually these "let me warn you" statements are intended to either commiserate slightly over the difficulties that all parents go through, o...
How to Get Through Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Even if You're Not a Duchess)
It takes a certain amount of guts (sorry) to face down Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) a third time, as the Duchess of Cambridge announced she’s doing. The condition, which affects 1 percent of pregnan...
6 Educational and Mess-Free Activities That Entertain Traveling Kids
While traveling long distances is not a part of every family's summer plans, for some families who live far away from grandparents and extended family, this is peak travel season. A useful, thrifty...
9 Valuable Tips for Negotiating Down to a Part-Time Schedule
Two parents with 40 hour work weeks can be hard for families to juggle. If a part time schedule would suit yours better, these tips can help you get it. How to know your limit and make work fit you...
5 Ways to Teach Your Kids the Value of $5
One of the perks of being a kid is not having any monetary responsibility, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help our young ones learn financial planning and literacy. Giving your tykes a head sta...
Helping Kids Handle the Post-Holiday Blues
The build up to the holidays can be a big deal. There are strategies to help your children overcome the feeling of the post-holiday let down.
7 Ways to Teach Little Ones The True Spirit of the Holidays
Don’t let materialistic frenzy overpower the season’s wonder. Here are 7 tips to give kids a greater understanding about the true spirit of the holidays.
Why Everyone Needs More Koselig in Their Holidays (and Year-Round)
"Koselig" usually translates as “cozy,” but in Norwegian it's more than just an adjective. It's a feeling, a state of mind and being.
No Christmas Spirit: A Holiday Story
Fin stared deeply into his brother’s eyes. "… And you are going to ruin Christmas… And you are going to ruin everything!"
The Countless Distractions of the Work-From-Home Parent
Working from home seems like an ideal setup. Except, of course, for the millions of distractions. Many parents are juggling full-time jobs and countless life responsibilities, all with kids at home...
Holiday STEAMcation: Activities for Kids During the Holiday Break
Holiday break is a great time for both you and the kids to get some much needed R&R, but without schools open, life can quickly become boring without its usual stimulation. That’s where the joy...
Just One More Time: How One Kid’s Dreams Came True at the Local Skate Park
There is a skate park in our town, built sometime in the decade before we moved here. It’s steep concrete bowls are confined to a space that could park a half dozen cars. It’s because of this park ...
Trying the Brutal Honesty of Kids on For Size
Imagine if we had the same types of rules for honesty and story-telling that our kids do. How bad could it really be?
In the Midst of Your Own Struggles, Give
It’s easy to get stuck on how messy life feels for us right now, so the simple act of helping others comes as a joyful distraction.
The Art of Essentialism: How to Do Better by Doing Less
Embrace the idea of "less but better" and accept trade-offs as an inherent part of life. We can't do it all.
Dear Holiday Shoppers: Thanks for Nothing
Seriously? How could you? Honestly, I've never been so disappointed in a collective group of people in my life. My faith in humanity may never be the same.
To be grateful is to live a full life. It is to know worry and accept worry.
The Unexpected Blessing of a Less-Than-Perfect Grandma
It wasn’t until I had kids that I began to wonder what it might have been like to hug a grandparent who returned affection with shining, loving eyes.
How I Found Myself Through My Son's Autism
When my son turned six, I found myself in a doctor’s office hearing words like autism, sensory processing disorder, and sensory integration disorder.
The No-Stress Holiday Tradition That Saved Our Christmas
You do it for work parties all the time, so why not family? It would turn gifts into a kind of game and who doesn’t like games? Save your Christmas and bank account with the gift that really keeps ...
To any mother out there who has in the past or is experiencing the slump – or any mental health challenges for that matter – let’s talk about it.
One Interesting Factor That Could Impact Future Family Size
Do you have kids? When are you having kids? How old are your kids? There's no need to ask a family member when they are planning to have more kids.
How to Live a Life of Lagom (and Prosper) Like the Swedes
Still obsessed with the Scandinavians, people are now moving onto the Swedish lifestyle word: lagom.