My fam was in town this past weekend. My sweet son turned four(!!) and my mom, sis, and dad flew out to celebrate. We packed a lot in and while sometimes quick visits like this can feel stressful, this was a great weekend full of moments that helped everyone laugh and loosen up so I want to share them with you now! 1- Name That (Minion) Tune We sang songs like the minions from “despicable me” and it’s literally so fun for all ages (even grandpa played) - tip, just sing the syllables...
8 days ago • 2 min read
The other night, I caught myself thinking something that wasn’t true. It had been one of those tricky days. The older two were bickering. My son was being too rough with the baby (my biggest trigger). I lost my temper. But then dinner shifted everything. Just me and the kids, waiting for my husband, connecting through my favorite way: collaborative storytelling. (We each tell a few sentences, then say “popcorn!” to pass it on.) That night’s story was called Nigel and the Beast 😂 Quick...
15 days ago • 1 min read
When my sister and I were kids, we made up a ridiculous game where we’d give each other random prompts for facial expressions or poses. Our favorite way to play was cramming all our friends into the tiny half-bathroom (the only room without windows), turning off the lights, and waiting in the dark. 😂 One person would give a prompt, count to three, and everyone froze in their best interpretation. It was always something funny (and usually gross), like: “You just looked in the mirror and saw a...
29 days ago • 2 min read
My husband stumbled on the video of the first time my stepdaughter met my son, shortly after he was born. "Awww," I said as I watched her nervously skip into the room with a shy, excited grin and climb into the bed where I was holding her sleeping baby bro. But then something happened in the video that made my jaw drop. Something small but not actually small at all. Something I had no memory of... There was a little bar code sticker that had somehow gotten stuck to my arm from something. My...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
I knew Saturday was also my only day to get some work done, uninterrupted, but I also knew that we needed at least a few minutes together as a family to just be together and laugh. My son, as always, had wild energy (it seems to be getting more and more wild as he approaches age 4… who can relate??) ...and I was proud of him for asking, “Can we play ‘Who can sound like?’” where I give him weird, silly prompts to channel his loudness. I shifted from that game to “You are…” so I could give him...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Yesterday I did something I haven’t done in four years. I went into the studio to record harmonies on an album. This was for a producer I used to work with a lot… …until I gave birth to my son. Last time I was in there I was super pregnant. It was like time traveling, because it had felt like such a long time and also not a long time at all. This was a big deal for me because it was like getting a big part of myself back that I had been missing! 🥺 Singing harmonies is good for my soul and...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
There’s this trend on social media, maybe you’ve seen it - short videos saying… “I’m bored. Tell me your wildest hack for ___. I don’t mean basic, I mean unhinged.” Honestly though some of those comment sections have some really interesting tips! But what I get hung up on is like… You’re “BORED??” Adults get bored? I don’t! I don’t have the time or space to be bored. I wish I could be bored! I don’t think parents even remember what it feels like to be bored. Right? Maybe… and I’m literally...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
“I know the truth.” That’s the mantra I’ve developed over the last few years. When I started Playful Heart Parenting I thought I’d have to grow “thicker skin” to deal with criticism on the internet. It felt like part of the deal. No way around it. What I didn’t know yet is that the criticism would sometimes bleed into my real, non-internet life too, from people who know me personally. But guess what? Two and a half years later, I have not grown thicker skin. Criticism still stings. It still...
2 months ago • 1 min read
“This room is driving me CRAZY!” I huffed as I pushed a couch to the other side of the room while holding a clingy baby on my hip The living room was crammed with stuff, the furniture so oddly arranged that walking wasn’t even possible. “Why is it driving you crazy? It’s just a room!” My 3yo… The voice of innocence… and wisdom!! All I could do was laugh. Because he was RIGHT! It reminded me of a song that Leah S., one of the parents in the first round of Activate Play Mode, made up. The...
2 months ago • 1 min read