Family Theme Night Blog

I have a confession to make.  As you may have noticed, I have been neglecting my blog lately.  But I have a reason!  I am busily putting the finishing touches on a new book, a companion book to my family fun night book.  It is a cookbook with fun ideas and recipes for busy moms (including "no time to cook" menus). Today I took one of the super eas ...

No, I don't have it all together.  There, I admitted it!  I have some fun ideas that I want to post, but the laundry is piling up, the kids need me—and I need to be mom. Just for a couple of days.  Have you ever felt like that?  Do you just have too much to do too? I did manage to pull together a super fun family night with friends this week (and ...

Thanks for stopping by! Yes, there will be a faith filled blog this week—just not on Friday.  Check back tomorrow (Saturday) for some family fun while learning about the Psalms! ...

This week's terrific tales post will appear on Thursday! ...

My kids love "castle family fun nights"—fun evenings with castle themed food, games/activities and castle bedtime stories. Here are a few of our favorite castle picture books—for castle nights, or anytime! (Click on the titles for more information.) The Knight and the Dragon by Tomie De Paola Knights in Shining Armor by Gail Gibbons Castle by ...

Family dinner can be a special time.  Here's an easy idea to add some spark to your dinner table, especially if you have a racing fan in your midst.  (We happen to be in the racing mood because of a family trip to Indianapolis, but this cute race flag is perfect for anytime.) I spooned vanilla yogurt onto a platter in a flag shape, then I added ...

Our family loves having "familly fun nights" at home, and they are often based around other family activities or interests.  This summer we're learning about the United States as we go on a big trip.  This week's state?  Indiana!  Try out a virtual trip to Indiana with these fun and easy activities! 1.  Sporty Fun Indiana is a big sports state.   ...

"Terrific Tales Tuesday" is a regular blog post feature that includes either book lists (usually based on a theme), or a book with an activity suggestion. In honor of our "big trip" this summer, our family has been learning about some of the states on our itinerary. One of those states is Indiana. Here is a list of books that I pulled together, ...

I love making memories with my kids!  In fact, I've been away from my computer doing just that—making memories; simple memories, ordinary memories and crazy memories.  Here are five of my favorite ways to make memories with kids: 1. Make the ordinary extraordinary. Life gets very busy, and sometimes it can seem a challenge to fit fun ...

It is spring cleaning time!  My kids just finished their spring break.  At first glance, our major spring break activity might not seem like the definition of fun.  In between play-dates and mini-trips visiting friends, we completed a family project (or perhaps I should say we started a series of family projects).  We enjoyed ...

I have a confession to make. I have a new addiction. A Pinterest addiction. Have you discovered this newest web sensation? This online pinboard is just filled with wonderful and exciting ideas, and I have fallen victim to its appeal. Yes, I've spent a lot of time on Pinterest—time that I should be spending cleaning my house or folding that ove ...

I had a nice early Christmas present.  When I opened the newspaper this morning (and when I logged onto Facebook), I discovered that our main local newspaper had published a column about a recent interview.  A few weeks ago, Marketta Gregory ("Simply Faithful" columnist for the Rochester, NY Democrat and Chronicle) sat down with me as we ...

My new cookbook (a companion book to my family fun book) is now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions!   Memory Making Meals: Fun & Easy Family Dinners (Created by an Ordinary Mom)... ...

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This morning on Twitter I discovered that today is Maurice Sendak's birthday. (http://www.pragmaticmom.com/?p=17371) It also got me to thinking: wouldn't it be fun to have an impromptu Maurice Sendak birthday celebration when my kindergartner and second grader get home from school? I have always loved the book Where the Wild Things Are. I also ...

With "March Madness" in full swing, there is a lot of excitement and talk of basketball in our home.  Today I made a fun afternoon snack for my kids, in honor of March Madness:  an orange basketball! I used an orange peeler to make lines on the peel so that it would look like a basketball.  Easy, fun, and a great way to get my kid ...

March Madness is underway, and basketball is on the mind of many families. Here are some fun ideas to celebrate March Madness with your kids! 1. Serve a (Mostly) Healthy Basketball Snack! I love to make snacks that are both healthy AND fun. I started by trying to make this orange basketball using only fruit (well, half a peeled orange with fru ...

The Daytona 500 marks the beginning of another NASCAR* racing season. Excitement abounds in our household as the racing fans gear up for the big race tomorrow! I already caught my husband holed up in the den watching the Nationwide race today. I'm preparing myself for the roar of the engines tomorrow. Do you have any young racecar fans in your ...

Do you have a young football fan in your midst?  Check out these picture books with a football theme—including books by NFL football greats Tiki and Ronde Barber, Peyton Manning and T.O. (Terrell Owens). (Click on titles for more information.) Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard By My Brother's Side by Tiki and Ronde Barber Game Day by ...

Get your kids ready for the big game by checking out a few of these easy readers with a football theme! Hooray for Fly Guy! by Arnold, Tedd. Cori Plays Football by Florie, Christine Football Fright (Scooby-Doo Reader, No. 14) by Herman, Gail... ...

Don't you love a good garage sale? Whether it is scoring the perfect find at a local tag sale, or cleaning out your closets and hosting your own sale, garage sales can be great family fun. Here is a list of books and videos to get your family in the mood for a yard sale! Click on each title for more information. Arthur,clean Your Room-Troll by ...

It is the beginning of garage sale season.  In our notoriously cloudy city, the end of a long and blustery winter brings people outside at the first sign of sun.  People are ready to do spring cleaning, and garage sales are popping up all over!  When our street decided to have a neighborhood tag sale, I definitely wanted to be a part of the action. ...

"Memory-Making Meals Monday" is a regular blog post feature that includes meal ideas for fun-filled family dinners and/or kid-friendly snacks. It was a rainy weekend, but that didn't stop us from having some family fun!  If you are looking at the title of this blog post, you are probably wondering "what do s'mores have to do with Lewis and Clark?" ...

September 11th.  My son was born on September 11th, not THE September 11th, but 9/11 is his birthday.  I see the reaction of adults whenever he says the date of his birthday.  It is usually a simple “oh.”  My boys know very little about the details of September 11th, just a few of the basics:  there were some bad guys that flew airplanes into build ...

If you read my last blog, you know that a fox family made its home in our neighbors' backyard, which in turn spurred me on to plan a fox-themed family fun night.  What a fun night it turned out to be! The fun began by reading the Aesop's fable of "The Fox and the Grapes,"  and then enjoying a meal to compliment the story.  I made a pancake that lo ...

There is a fox family living in our neighbor's backyard.  You would think that we live in the country, but we are living in a nice suburban development—a development that is obviously encroaching upon the habitat of some of the natural wildlife.  We enjoy watching the deer and the rabbits (when they are not munching on our produce), but I'm not so ...

Our family loves having 'family fun nights,' and this week our family enjoyed a fun afternoon and evening with a Switzerland theme!  I think one of my favorite parts was the chocolate-tasting competition (see Monday's post for more about the food), but we had fun with lots of other Swiss activities. Swiss army knife craft: After reading books all ...

"Terrific Tales Tuesday" is a regular blog post feature that includes either book lists (usually based on a theme), or a book with an activity suggestion. This week my family has been dreaming of a trip to the Swiss Alps, all the while experiencing a staycation of sorts as we learn all about Switzerland. If you read my post yesterday, you know th ...

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It's Cinco de Mayo! I actually just realized this fact when I looked at my calendar today. Our main family fun night will be this weekend, but why not have an extra special family dinner tonight? Mexican cuisine happens to be one type of food that our entire family enjoys. (Well, the Tex-Mex, taco stand kind of food that we loosely term "Mexica ...

It's the beginning of the week and time to plan our next family fun night.  As our nation hears the news of the death of Osama bin Laden, it occurred to me that perhaps a patriotic family night is in order. Why wait until the 4th of July to celebrate?  It is a great time to make an Osama bin Laden lesson plan and teach my kids about history in the ...

Do you celebrate Advent? As you light the second Advent candle (traditionally the Bethlehem candle), here are five fun activities to add to your celebration! 1. Bethlehem Scavenger Hunt Do you have a kid-friendly nativity set? Hide the items around your home and have the kids "bring them back to Bethlehem" as they return the manger scene pieces t ...

Do you celebrate Advent? If you do, enjoy this blog with advent ideas! Our family celebrates Christmas.  We love all things “Christmas,” but we also want to remember the reason we are celebrating:  Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.  As part of that remembrance, we will light the candles on our advent wreath.  To ...

Friday is usually the day for my "faith-filled family fun blog," a series of weekly posts with fun activities based around Bible stories. In the days leading up to Easter, I will be posting additional faith-based family fun Easter ideas throughout the week. Easter is almost here, so I decided to combine the last list of extension activities for ...

Friday is usually the day for my "faith-filled family fun blog," a series of weekly posts with fun activities based around Bible stories. In the days leading up to Easter, I will be posting additional faith-based family fun Easter ideas throughout the week. Today I am posting my next installment of "ways to use Resurrection Eggs."  I a ...

Friday is usually the day for my "faith-filled family fun blog," a series of weekly posts with fun activities based around Bible stories. In the days leading up to Easter, I will be posting additional faith-based family fun Easter ideas throughout the week. All week I have been posting ways to use Resurrection Eggs.  It has been pretty ...