I’m a mom, stepmom, and theatre educator helping exhausted parents access their inner creative playfulness for more connection and joy. No messy crafts, complicated setups, or sensory bins here! Just simple, silly moments that bring your family back together through laughter. My short weekly emails share reflections from real life and a simple invitation you can try for yourself or with your kids.
I thought I'd never finish this email! 😮💨 But I did...
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I'm so tired... I can’t tell you how many times I got interrupted while trying to get this simple email out! As a toddler mom and stepmom with no family in town, sometimes I feel like it’s impossible to get even the most simple things done. Oh, and by the way... I’m also 23 weeks pregnant! (I haven't made this public on Instagram yet, so ya heard it here first! 😉) Add in potty-training my son this week and I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread. (Stay tuned for playful potty training tips!) See, I’m here in the thick of it with you. That’s why I always want to make sure my resources are not just valuable but feel realistic, easy, and actually doable for parents. I can promise you that our upcoming 7-Day Play Challenge is all of those things! Each day, starting May 4th, participants will get a quick video message from me with a playful intention and easy, specific ideas that take less than ten minutes — you’ll also have the option to send me responses and check in throughout the week. We did the first round of this in January and it was so nice to connect with parents in this really personal way. Here's what one participant said:
"I loved the challenge!! It was really well presented -- how brilliant to use Marco Polo! For the cost of Starbucks, it was a no-brainer. Thank you for the work that you do and the content you create."
I’d love for you to join us. Get more info here:
FREE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY GROUP: We’ve also got a new, free, private Facebook group going — it’s small and cozy so far, which is kind of cool and more personal! I’m personally approving each member to make sure it’s a safe space for sharing ideas, wins, and struggles.
Here’s something a mom in our group shared the other day that I totally related to: “I feel like motherhood somehow made me lose all my natural spontaneity and goofiness (I guess because someone had to move the day along and check all the to-do boxes??) and I so appreciate the permission I feel like Mia gives me to not take everything so seriously and just have fun with my kids again!“ That is exactly how I felt when I first became a stepmom! It took me a while to get back in touch with my playful, silly side, too. RECENT FAVE GAMES: Here are some recent games we’ve been loving in our house:
STAY TUNED... I've got some (more) exciting announcements coming your way next month! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your playful parenting journey -- it’s an honor. Until next time, Mia P.S. If you do not yet have my free list of 25 Easy And Silly Moments To Share With Your Kids -- or if you got the version where numbers 4 and 18 were accidentally the same (oops!), here it is: 25 Easy Silly Moments updated.pdf I also relied on this one heavily while feeling so sick and tired during my first trimester: Using AI For Connection & Quality Time 15 Creative ChatGPT Prompts.pdf |
Playful Heart Parenting
I’m a mom, stepmom, and theatre educator helping exhausted parents access their inner creative playfulness for more connection and joy. No messy crafts, complicated setups, or sensory bins here! Just simple, silly moments that bring your family back together through laughter. My short weekly emails share reflections from real life and a simple invitation you can try for yourself or with your kids.
Hanukkah begins soon, and I wanted to share something special that I put together! A big thank you to Jen, a wonderful mom from our community, who gave me the nudge to create this and helped me review it too. My mother grew up celebrating Hanukkah and we honored the holiday when I was a child, while also celebrating Christmas from my dad’s side. Christmas traditions are what I know most naturally, but Hanukkah has always held a meaningful place in my family story. My grandfather fled...
For November, I drew a cute turkey on the chalkboard pantry door and wrote “Grateful For…” and we each added things throughout the month. Come December, I felt a little sad to wipe it away. Then I thought, “Wait! Maybe we can just do a different theme each month!” So I drew a snowman and wrote “Snow Silly” and decided to write down silly things that happen that make us laugh! (Very on brand, I know). The first thing was me kissing our dog Nike under the mistletoe (because it was making my son...
I was telling my therapist yesterday how TIRED I’ve been. Yes, I have a teething 1yo and a 4yo who occasionally karate-kicks in our one big family bed. But overall I actually sleep pretty decently compared to many moms I know… So of course my inner critic jumps in with “Why are you so tired? You shouldn’t be. You’re not healthy enough. Not active enough. Not drinking enough water. You’re lazy.” That’s all normal negative self talk, right? But here’s the weird thing. THEN, I have a critical...