As summer ends, we’re left with fond memories of warm days filled with family fun and the time we spent together. A new school year is an exciting transition for all. It’s also a good time to hang on to fun traditions, like family movie nights, to stay connected. To celebrate the end of summer…
Movies
Goodbye Christopher Robin: How a favorite bear inspired classic stories
This is a sponsored post I don’t know when she fell in love with him but all of a sudden, the two were inseparable. I look back on photos of Emily as a baby and her bear is always nearby: on his side in the corner of her crib, a snout poking up in the…
Enjoy a Girls Night Out Courtesy of Fun Mom Dinner
This post is in partnership with Momentum Pictures and Fun Mom Dinner Between keeping track of family schedules, attempting to balance time with and without screens, conjuring healthy meals that kids will love, keeping the peace between siblings, sounding like a broken record, seeking the elusive work-life balance, and multitasking to get it all done,…
Everything, Everything: 3 Things to Discuss with Teens After the Movie
“Mom,” Emily said breathlessly waving a copy of Everything, Everything at me from the couch. “This book is SO good. You have to read it before we go to the screening!” Emily is an avid reader who devours books but her new love of Everything, Everything is right up there with her obsession with The…
Teaching Kids About Growing Up Chinese American in San Francisco with An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance
This is a sponsored post As a child of the 70s who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, watching An American Girl Story — Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance was like a peek into my childhood. The newest American Girl special tells the story of Ivy Ling, a 10-year-old Chinese-American girl…
Beauty and the Beast: 5 Things to Do Before You Go & 3 Topics to Discuss After the Movie
Beauty and the Beast isn’t just another princess movie. Beyond the castle and the gorgeous gown is a story that conveys strong themes that empower the next generation of girls while teaching our boys to honor and respect strong women. Despite being the tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast has grown up…
How to Use the Academy Awards to Teach about Winning & Losing (plus past & current Oscar nominees to stream on Netflix)
Tonight the entertainment industry will assemble in Hollywood to celebrate this year’s nominees for the Academy Awards. Since it’s an exciting night for families who love movies, it can also be a great time to have some timely history lessons about the Oscars, seize upon teachable moments to have conversations about winning and losing, and…
Free LEGO Batman Movie App Brings Movie Fun to Digital Devices and Inspires Screen-Free Building
This is a sponsored post “Do your kids still play with Legos,” asked a friend recently, wondering if our favorite colorful building blocks still have a cool factor among the tweens and teens in our house. Truthfully, Legos don’t occupy as much time as they used to in my kids’ lives but I have a…
5 Tips for Making Family Movie Nights a Bonding Experience in the Digital Age
The days when we used to all sit around snuggled on the couch with favorite snacks as we watched a movie together seem to be disappearing. As sad as this might be, it’s reflective of how the way our family consumes content has changed as our kids have grown up and the way that digital…
4 Ways to Practice Self Care to Be the Best Parent You Can Be
I’ve been in a funk. Cold, gray winter days combined with a transition of power that has left our country divided and an onslaught of news that makes my head spin sapped me of my energy, creativity, and desire to write. I knew my mood was turning sour and since the last thing I wanted…
