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.
The best, most hilarious part of our (rare) date night last weekend
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Steve and I were overdue for a date night, and luckily, the stars aligned for that to happen last Friday night. When we finished dinner, we realized we had a whole hour before we needed to head home... Steve said, "So, what do you wanna do now?" "Honestly?" I said, "I want to find a bench to sit on with you and play games." "Okay," he said. He knew it would make me so happy. But little did he know HE was the one who was going to end up like THIS: We found a bench and as the sun set, we played my favorite improv games, including:
(By the way, I pulled up my own FAMPROV resource of improv games to choose from! Tap HERE to learn more) See, the thing is... Steve and I used to play games with each other like this all the TIME when we first met. One time we ended up accidentally talking for the characters for a WHOLE 2-hour movie because we were having so much fun. But in this season of life, most of the games we play are as a family with our kids. It was really nice and fun to reconnect with each other this way (and get to do some R-rated themes in the games which were beyond hilarious but obviously not quite appropriate for kiddos). As we were laughing and snuggling on that bench I couldn't help but think... Laughing with someone really is the shortest path back to connection, hands down. My invitation for you this week: Whether it be your partner, a friend, or your child... see if you can carve out even just a few minutes for a quick, silly game this week. It's always worth it. Cheering you on always, Mia 💞 P.S. If you are an Activate Play Mode member, we just moved our community onto the Circle app and it's AWESOME! So easy to chat with each other, and yes I am active in the group! This is included with your APM purchase, no matter when you grabbed it, so if you haven't seen an invite from me, reply here and I'll make sure to get you in there. 🥰 MORE FROM PLAYFUL HEART PARENTING: Turn ordinary moments into unforgettable family memories with my favorite improv-inspired games for laughter, connection, and all-ages fun. Skip the brainpower and jump straight into fun with with 1,500+ prompts, games, conversation starters, and silly moment ideas right in your pocket! Includes 400 print-your-own cards for screen-free play. A practical framework to help you enjoy parenting again with more laughter, cooperation, and connection. Includes lifetime access to the private podcast course, the private Play Mode Activators app and community, plus ongoing encouragement from Mia. |
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.
Yesterday our dear friends were over and just before it was time for them to go home, the witching hour had started. My son’s best friend was running around, sticking out his tongue and blowing wet raspberries at everyone, spit included. actual footage We told him to stop. We told him “spit stays in your mouth.” But it was the end of a long day, and he literally was not hearing us… you know when kids are dysregulated and just on another level? It was that. To make matters worse, my son picked...
(Hey, that subject line rhymes!) We just got back from our first big family adventure visiting family across the country, and as usual I was in hustle-and-bustle mode, drenched in sweat from packing… already running late as usual for our fam… (Side note, I used garbage bags and then sat on them to press out all the air and semi-vacuum-seal our clothes and I felt like a GENIUS… I am going to pretend I discovered this so don’t correct me if I’m wrong, let me have this 🏆) When we got to security...
I recently got punched in the EYEBALL with the corner of a Rubik’s cube. It all started when I felt like I was CRUSHING it at being a mom, doing all of the following at once: Reading to my toddler on the couch (aka she was sitting on top of my chest and flipping the pages before I could read any of the words) Playing the “Jingle Game” with my 10yo stepdaughter, perched on the top of the couch - this is where we give each other random items and then make up a jingle together for them on the...