How often do you hear a parent telling their child “don’t touch” or “don’t do that”? Does it work? Sometimes, but most times they keep on doing it. Why is that? When you say “don’t”, followed by a co...
It’s 11:30am, you’ve just finished up three hours of work and you have an hour in which to feed your 2 ½ yr old son and ‘attempt’ to get him to take a nap (which he stopped doing about 6 months ago) ...
Screen Free Week at our house….didn’t go the way I expected. I was excited to participate in it. I love the idea of a digital detox….But, since our kids usually see just one show ea...
Once our oldest son turned four, there was a birthday party to attend most every Saturday. It’s the norm around here (and probably where you are too – this trend has more to do with the t...
We have a very simple rule in our house about television or computers. NONE. Of course, like all rules, this gets broken from time to time. It gets broken on the occasions when I’ve been workin...
This week, we prepare with our friends at Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood for their upcoming Screen Free Week (April 30-May 6). We will be sharing many wonderful articles and blog posts tha...
A giraffe threw a temper tantrum on my kitchen floor last week. Now, this wasn’t just any giraffe. This giraffe is “Baby.” My two year-old’s baby, to be specific. M...
There was an article in the Huffington Post recently about a mother who put her 7 year old on a diet, and has now written a book about it. Three questions arose in me when I read this. Firstly ̵...
It seems we are always searching for the “magic pill”to miraculously move our family into peaceful nirvana. But the fact is, parenting and daily rhythm is a process; a work in progress. You will neve...
That upcoming Birthday party is still weeks away…but you can already hear the march, march, marching of an ominous army of beeping, flashing, plastic toys – headed directly towards your h...
Recently I did something, as a mother, that was incredibly daring. Neighbours may consider it scandalous. Friends who know me well might raise an eyebrow. It even gave me a little lump in my stomach ...
One day when I was younger, my parents had to reschedule our piano lessons. My mother asked for a certain day (not sure which anymore – doesn’t quite matter), and the reply was, “Oh...
I have always been a bit of a doer. That is neither a good nor bad thing, it just is. I need to keep busy and stimulated, and subsequently always have lots on the go. Luckily, my career stemmed from ...
Have you found creating a healthy routine to be an uphill battle? Or do you find yourself completely repelled by the idea of routine? Many families struggle with this concept at first, or feel it won...
There has been a lot of talk on our facebook page recently about simplifying our playrooms and toy collections. It is exciting to share this journey with other parents who are asking many of the sam...
The Simplicity Parenting movement is seeing a definite strengthening across the nation and has enjoyed some good, extra attention in several recent news features! These are two great ones you will ...
Have you ever had one of those conversations where, no matter what questions you ask, the conversation never went past, “Hey, how are you? How’s the weather?” My relationship with m...
Play-based learning is a concept that has been around for a long time. It is through play that children learn how to make sense of the world around them. While play-based learning doesn’t seem ...
Today we feature a guest post from one of our Simplicity Parenting group leaders, Marianne Donahue Perchlick, a certified Parent mentor and childbirth coach in Vermont: Each time I introduce the thir...
We hear so often of the importance of emotional intelligence. We want desperately for our kids to have it! In Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne puts a high price on it as, well, saying, “I...
Want to make some New Year’s Resolutions worth keeping? A new article by the Chicago Tribune, “Words of Wisdom for a New Year of Parenting Experts” , features Kim John Payne along ...
6 Holiday travel tips for families The holidays are a time to be together with friends, family and loved ones. Often this involves traveling (think planes, trains and automobiles) and as any mom will...
This time of year, all of us are looking for a little inspiration for ways to connect as a family. We want to deepen family relationships and offer that wonder-filled experience that our children wi...
Are you feeling the temptation yet? This time of year it really does seem that the best way we can honor our children is to shower them with toys! The push to do this may come from commercials or fam...
This is the time of year, isn’t it, when all of our intentions to stay slow and mindful are put to the test? I admit to playing my Christmas music from time to time for a couple of weeks now...
A few years ago, I became very conscious of the impact stories had on my son (now age 4.) Stories have helped him overcome fears, accept new challenges, and have even shaped his behavior as he imita...
An interview on CBS 42
Welcome back book-studiers! We are nearing the end of our discussion. We have one final chapter to cover next week, and then I hope to cover a few of the (really great) questions which have been br...
We are excited to share news of a new home-study parenting conference, The Ultimate Parenting Course, which opens for registration today. The course will include interviews with many experts, psycho...
We had a great discussion earlier in this study about simplifying material things in our children’s environments - and this week we apply the same principle to our schedules. As Kim says in th...
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