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.
Romance these days…
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I got back from a walk the other day and saw a bunch of stuff set up in the front yard. “We’re playing arcade games. Pay up!” said my stepdaughter who was “working the ticket booth.” My husband leaned over, handing me two quarters saying, “They only take real money.” We laughed that the kids were the ones sitting and watching the grownups playing. I managed to win four tickets by bouncing a ball into a bucket! When my stepdaughter told me to pick out a prize, I selected a pink football. But she said, “Sorry, that actually costs five tickets. You only have four.” “Oh…” I answered. “Well, what can I get with four?” She pointed to a sad, small plastic shovel. “That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll just donate my tickets to that cute guy over there” pointing to my husband who was kicking a ball with my son. She gave my tickets to him. “Can I get a pink football?” he asked. He handed me the football and I said, “Aaaand THIS is peak romance when you’re parents.” We were cracking up. Because it’s so true. Romance just looks different in this season. Little moments that we add in during pretend play with our kids that say, “I still think you’re cute.” Leaning into silliness and play as a family isn’t just for the kids. It brings my husband and me closer together, too. When we all laugh together, it’s just as good for our marriage as it is for our parenting. And for those of you doing the hardest job — parenting solo… Romance isn’t just “hubba hubba” moments with a partner. Laughter through play can be your fast-pass to get there. My invitation for you this week: Reflect on one tiny funny or joyful moment you’ve had with your family lately. Take a second to relive it — or set the intention to create a new one today. 💞 Love, Mia P.S. I’m excited that many of you have grabbed the “Laughing All the Way” advent calendar! It’s so fun to picture all of us playing the same silly little games with our families each day in December. 🥰 If you want to join us, tap here! *If you want to keep getting these weekly emails but don’t want reminders about the calendar, tap here. If you already opted out but got one on Sunday, my bad! I’ve got it fixed now. 💞 |
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.
My weekend was SICKK (and not in a good way!) Yep, after caring for sick kiddos, the virus finally caught up to my husband and me this past weekend and knocked us on our BOOTANGS, as my friend Angela calls it. TV was working OVERTIME as we literally just tried to make it through and keep our kiddos alive. 😮💨 (SO thankful for power, it’s a mess in Nashville and many STILL don’t have power!!) Was I silly and playful this past weekend? Heckkk NOPE. But there was actually one moment. My 4yo and...
Reasons we've been spiraling over here: Our town was hit with a severe ice storm and we lost power for 12 hours... We are so grateful because so many are still without power in Nashville and are having to seek shelter. To top it off, we’ve got sick kiddos. (like, throw-up sick and I have emetophobia... not fun) And we’re feeling the weight of the world. So last night when my stepdaughter started spiraling about something else entirely, at first I was thinking… “come on, pleeease… everything...
The other day we were alllll grumpy. My husband and I were just kind of missing each other communication-wise, nothing big or bad happened, and nothing was even really "wrong..." but we were just off. The kids' energy was off, too. Things just felt kind of tense. You might be thinking... "Yeah, yeah, I know where this email's goin. Mia used some kind of playfulness or silly game to save the day and bust them all out of the funk..." Noooope! I literally had the conversation in my own mind of...