“How’s Your Summer Going?” — A Pause for Mid-Season Reflection
| |

“How’s Your Summer Going?” — A Pause for Mid-Season Reflection

It’s July 21st – how’s your summer going? The response I’m looking for here is not, “Good! Busy but good!” Because that’s the pat response we give when we feel like we can’t say what many of us are really thinking — ugh. Summer is hard.    Signing Up for Camps – A Wonderful and…

30 Theme Day Ideas to Create a Fun-Filled Summer Schedule for Kids (and their Grown-Ups!)
| |

30 Theme Day Ideas to Create a Fun-Filled Summer Schedule for Kids (and their Grown-Ups!)

This week I’m giving a lot of thought to creating a summer schedule for kids! I know I’m late to the planning party — my kids still have school through this Friday because of a teachers’ strike in March, so it took until now to get a sense of urgency around planning. But come next…

11 MORE Fun and Meaningful Kid Birthday Tradition Ideas
| |

11 MORE Fun and Meaningful Kid Birthday Tradition Ideas

In this series on making your child’s birthday special, I’ve given you lots of ideas based on how we celebrated our three boys’ birthdays this past spring. In this final post, I’m including a bunch MORE kid birthday tradition ideas. There are so many fun possibilities! Pick the Birthday Tradition Ideas Meaningful for YOUR Family…

Thrill Your Kiddo with All Their Favorite Foods on Their Birthday
|

Thrill Your Kiddo with All Their Favorite Foods on Their Birthday

So far you’ve staged a birthday countdown, created a birthday burst, put up festive decor, exempted your child from chores, and given out a new privilege and new responsibility. Quite the celebration, right? But we’re not done yet! We’re missing something critical here — FOOD! Let Your Child Choose Their Favorite Foods If you’ve been…

Celebrate a Child’s Birthday Meaningfully: New Responsibility, New Privilege
|

Celebrate a Child’s Birthday Meaningfully: New Responsibility, New Privilege

On your child’s birthday, you of course want to make them feel celebrated. But besides the purely fun stuff, like an opportunity for a joy-filled leap into their next year and some festive decorations, what about a way to celebrate a child’s birthday meaningfully? New Responsibility, New Privilege Kids cling to every day of their…

Simple Birthday Decorating Ideas to Celebrate Your Child’s Big Day
| |

Simple Birthday Decorating Ideas to Celebrate Your Child’s Big Day

Another surefire way to make you child feel special as they turn a year older? Decorate! Here are some simple birthday decorating ideas to make the day festive. Make the Decorations a Birthday Morning Surprise Okay, I guess more accurate would be to make it kind-of a surprise. If you start this tradition, your kids…

Exempting Your Child from Chores (Make Your Child’s Birthday Special, Part 3)
| |

Exempting Your Child from Chores (Make Your Child’s Birthday Special, Part 3)

This year, we discovered another way to make birthdays special without spending a cent: excusing the birthday boy from chores. After finishing his breakfast this morning (a special one — more on that later in this birthday series), Evan wandered into the kitchen and started unloading plates out of the dishwasher. “Hey, no chores, remember?!?”…

This Birthday Streamers Idea Lets Your Child BURST into Their New Year
| |

This Birthday Streamers Idea Lets Your Child BURST into Their New Year

Looking for a fun, memorable way to help your child kick off their big day? Here’s a birthday streamers ideas that lets them burst into their new year! Is there any day a kid looks forward to more than their birthday? Their planning and dreaming starts months in advance. Show your kiddo how much your…