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.
Sorry I got a little sappier than usual in this one
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You know what hits me right in the gut when it pops up in my feed? Those reels about waking up at 80 and wishing for just one more day with your kids as littles. It’s not a gut-punch because it’s wrong. It’s a gut-punch because it’s true. And it physically hurts my stomach to think I might not be soaking it up enough right now. It’s the same ache I feel when someone says, “Enjoy it, it flies by.” Even as I type this, I’m lying between my sleeping 4-year-old and 1-year-old. Not petting their heads or breathing them in, but staring at my phone. Partly because this is when I work. My whole business happens here during their sleep. But those posts still make me feel sick, like nothing I do will ever be enough. Like I’ll regret not savoring every second. 😭 But I also know that’s not realistic. Those videos are meant to wake us up, to make us go, “Oh my gosh, I need to appreciate what’s right in front of me.” And yet, they still make me sad. I hate thinking about time passing fast and my kids growing up. Nothing makes me feel more tender but also grateful at the same time? The emotions are so complicated! Do you feel this way, too? Let me know how you’re coping with it 🫠 My invitation to you (and to myself): Let’s savor what we can, and try to release the guilt for not doing it constantly. Sometimes soaking it up looks like deep moments of presence, sure. Other times, or maybe even most times(?), it looks like just laughing together and snuggling for a few minutes in the middle of the chaos. Speaking of…!! I just finished making this year’s advent calendar Laughing All the Way (shout out to my friend Liz who came up with the perfect title last year!) I’m personally excited to use with my kids this year. It’s a month of lighthearted, silly little games that help us connect in the middle of all the busyness. Tap HERE to learn more and grab it for 9 bucks 💞 Cheering you on always, Mia P.S. If you don’t celebrate Christmas but still want simple, daily moments of play, my apps make it easy. You can also grab my free Play Break Bingo if you don’t have it yet! MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: Done-for-you fun. Simple, creative prompts for games and silly moments of connection that take the brainwork out and let you skip straight to the fun part. 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.
An unfortunately true haiku: Virus number fourWe should just get a punch cardBetter be the last 🙃 My invitation for you this week: Find a moment to stop the scroll (literally or figuratively) and give your brain a mini-creativity break. Like making up a haiku! (5 syllables, then 7, then five). Cheering you on always (and hoping next week’s email mentions nothing of germs), Mia P.S. FAMPROV is available to preorder for a couple more weeks at the earlybird price! Info below :) MORE FROM PLAYFUL...
I don’t know about you, but we are on our THIRD virus within a month. Over it!! 😩 Yesterday was just one of those days where I felt tempted to go into “woe is me” mode (and I did slip into it a few times, let’s be honest!) One super random thing that helped me a little bit was a game I played in my own head throughout the day… and it all started with a stinkbug lying dead on the floor next to the couch. For some reason the phrase “Stinkbug Revival” popped into my head (don’t ask why because I...
My sis came to town this past weekend and, yep, per usual I peed myself from laughter. Listen, this is actually not a common thing for me, so please don’t worry about my pelvic floor. It’s just my SISTER makes me laugh so hard I literally lose control of my bodily functions. The night before she left, we decided to go live on Instagram (something I never do) and take requests for inspiration to do games where we make something up by trading off every other word. We did: GPS directions to the...