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.
Sneak peek at my 39yo birthday resolutions
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I turned 39 yesterday. …and what I’d like to leave behind! TAKING WITH ME (Or prioritizing if I’ve let it slip lately) • Games at mealtimes (Plot Twist is still a hit with my son!) • Being my authentic, comfy, messy self online • Laughing more with my husband (not just with the kids) • Trying at least one silly little thing a day (lately I’ve been pulling from my own Little Moments collection) • Telling my kids how much I love hanging out with them (my son’s face lit up when I said it the other day 🥹😭) • One load of laundry a day, loaded the night before = sanity saver! • Speaking more gently to myself, especially about parenting (we can’t model compassion if we don’t give it to ourselves!!) • Staying mostly dairy-free 😱 (started last year for my daughter’s gut health… turns out it’s helped mine too!) • Letting my kids help more around the house (Hunt, Gather, Parent has reminded me they want to, if we let them, and I’ve already noticed a shift) LEAVING BEHIND • Treating everything like an emergency • Letting mean people online get to me • Being too hard on myself for mistakes • Believing I’m not worthy of help … and probably lots more, but this is getting long so I’ll see myself out 🫡 Your invitation this week: Birthdays and new years are great natural reset points… but we don’t actually need them to start fresh! Maybe reflect on one or two things you’d like to do more of or less of this week. If it helps to have accountability, hit reply and share. I love hearing from you! Cheering you on always, Mia P.S. In case you missed it, I made a new Halloween freebie! It's like pumpkin spice-flavored sample of my app games, full of wholesome silly Halloweeny prompts for connection. 🎃 Just tap the link below to download it! MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: Done-for-you fun. Simple, creative apps that take the brainwork out and put connection and laughter in. LITTLE MOMENTS FOR BIG LAUGHS: Quick and easy, random, silly moments to share with your kids. Private podcast program: playful strategies for navigating everyday parenting challenges and reducing power struggles. |
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.
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...
Surprise! I've just made a brand new play resource: "Turkey Day Play!" It's a printable Thanksgiving-themed resource full of prompt-based games for laughter and connection. If you don't have the apps or advent calendar, this will give you a good idea of what's inside -- and if you do have them, you'll love this "gravy-flavored" version! DOWNLOAD, PRINT, AND PLAY: Turkey Day Play.pdf *perfect for family get-togethers and fun even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving! If you try these out, I'd...