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.
What do you actually remember?
|
I don’t remember many specific gifts I got for Christmas as a kid. The only one I really recall was “Sally Secrets”—a doll with stamps and stickers hidden inside (yeah, it was pretty cool). My husband remembers getting a “WrestleMania” wrestling ring… But what we both really cherish and remember is the feelings and the moments of joy we shared with family. One of my favorite traditions growing up was listening to the Nutcracker. We’d put on a whole living-room performance every year, roping friends into it. (I always played the Rat King) Dad filmed, and he’d sneak whoopee cushion sounds into the background. Our “bloopers reel” had us crying with laughter every single year. These are the kind of memories that have stuck with me into adulthood. What do you remember most? I asked my Instagram community this question, and the responses were heartwarming. My hunch was right. Most of us don’t remember the actual gifts (aside from one or two special ones). What we really remember is: 🎄 Togetherness — family dinners, cousins’ laughter, playing charades. For many, Christmas was the one day everyone prioritized joy... ...and quite a few made a point to say it’s the one day they could count on their parents being happy and having fun. I say this with so much compassion and zero judgment: I think we all hope our kids remember us as joyful and fun for more than just one day a year. Prioritize joy this season That’s why I created “Laughing All the Way,” a playful advent calendar packed with easy, silly prompts to help you make magical memories this December — without adding to your stress (and hopefully reducing it!) 💡 Takes 10 minutes or less each day Let’s be accountability partners for connection and joy this season! 👉 Tap here to grab Laughing All the Way for the price of a fancy holiday latte Warm hugs, ☃️ P.S. I’d love to hear about your favorite holiday memories! It’s so fun to read them, and it’s also a great way to reflect on what made those moments so special. Just hit reply. ❤️ P.P.S. I'll be sending a few reminders about this before the month is up, but you can opt out of them by tapping here! |
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.
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...
I posted a video on Instagram before I went to bed Sunday night and woke up to THOUSANDS of comments on it… As I briefly skimmed through, I started laughing so hard (but trying to stifle the laughter because all the kids — yes, ALL — were in our bed) I nudged Steve and pointed for him to read some too and we were both giggling so hard. The video was my stepdaughter and me playing one of our favorite games where we tell a story one word at a time (trading off each word) but we were making up a...
this is what me dropping the ball looks like today: Yep. Snuggling the kiddos who didn’t sleep well. Normally I work late at night when they’re asleep (and in any nook and cranny of the day I get) But baby girl couldn’t settle last night. So I planned for early this morning. I’d get up before everyone else, write this week’s email, edit and post content for the day to Instagram, and we’d be good! but nope! This morning, everyone is still on top me me. and I realize: it is a HUGE privilege to...