#MomLife — Family

I don’t call them household chores, but my children do help me to keep our home clean and comfortable. Getting the whole team on board for this effort might seem like an impossible task, but I have worked out a few ways to ensure we are all working together. Here are a few tips that helped.

April Fools' Day is when people try their best to fool one another with clever hijinks and practical jokes. As a parent, you, too, can join in on the fun with a few of these light-hearted pranks to play on your little ones. 

The winter months can be cold and harsh, especially for young children. It’s cold, it’s wet, and there’s so - much - gear. Kids take off their gear quicker than they put it on, and sometimes the words “snow day” just result in meltdowns. Luckily I’ve learned a few things from my past mistakes that may just help stop those meltdowns before they happen.

The transition back to school each year is, in my opinion, the hardest one, not only for children as they enter a new grade with new friends, but for families, too. Here are a few ways to best prepare the whole family for this big transition.

I am a mom of five, and of those five children, three are extremely picky eaters. I’ve tried everything to get them to try new foods, with not much success to speak of. Then I stumbled on the idea of using our family vegetable garden. Getting my picky eaters involved in planting and growing vegetables also got them involved in eating vegetables. 

Just think: What if you offer your children’s guests a great party favor that meets all of your criteria and also makes parents appreciate the favor, rather than stress about finding it when their child suddenly “remembers” it? Here are 3 that just might make the cut. 

The intention of going out to eat is good; it’s meant to be a night off for parents and something different and fund for the kids. But sometimes the very idea of going out to eat is more taxing than just making dinner at home. There are ways to make a night out with the kids less stressful and even, perhaps, fun for everyone. 

New Year’s resolutions can help give a new feel for a new year. It’s a fresh start, and flipping over to a new calendar with fresh ideas, goals and outlooks can help start the year on the right foot. While typical resolutions are not realistic for children, there are goals that can be set with children to kick off the year. Here are three family-focused New Year’s resolution ideas to get you started.

At 15 months old, my son was diagnosed with a peanut allergy. It wasn’t long before I realized there was a lot more to this allergy than simply avoiding peanut butter sandwiches. And because he’s too young to understand the importance of this diagnosis, I realized I needed to come up with an action plan to educate myself, my family and friends.