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Mama Smiles

Joyful Parenting

MaryAnne at Mama Smiles Welcome to my blog! I'm MaryAnne, and I write about building a rewarding family life through mindful parenting, hands-on learning, and creative family activities. Learn more.

Christmas

Winter Fun for Kids: Bring in the Snow for Winter Sensory Play!

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Do you have kids who love to play in the snow, but they don't feel well or you just can't keep dressing them up to go out for two minutes? Try bringing in snow to play with indoors! Winter sensory play brilliance! We don't see much snow since we moved to sunny California, but back when we lived in Massachusetts it was a fixture of our lives for months on end. The kids … [Read more...] about Winter Fun for Kids: Bring in the Snow for Winter Sensory Play!

Make It a Kindness Elves Christmas and Bring Christmas Spirit Home

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We love the kindness elves as a way of focusing on the reason for the season during Christmas. We actually use our kindness elves year round, but a Kindness Elves Christmas is truly magical. We got our kindness elves about six months ago, and my kids love them! My 11-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son work together to create kindness elf challenges and letters for the … [Read more...] about Make It a Kindness Elves Christmas and Bring Christmas Spirit Home

Gingerbread House Glyph Activity for Kids

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Gingerbread themed learning activities for kids. I love this gingerbread house glyph activity! Easy and fun for all ages. Gingerbread Baby is one of my family’s favorite Jan Brett books. I love her twist on this classic story, and so I was excited to learn that it is this week's Virtual Book Club for Kids pick! My kids and I loved making and decorating gingerbread … [Read more...] about Gingerbread House Glyph Activity for Kids

How to Create a Meaningful Holiday Season for Your Family

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The holidays should be a joyful time, not a stressful time! Use these tips to beat holiday stress and create a truly meaningful holiday season for your family. Growing up, my parents gave me the gift of simple yet meaningful holidays. They created family traditions that were designed to focus on gratitude and giving, and spending time together as a family. Simplify to … [Read more...] about How to Create a Meaningful Holiday Season for Your Family

Visiting Miramar Beach and Setting Goals for May 2017

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Visiting Miramar Beach and Setting Goals for May 2017. Setting goals each month makes it easier to stay accountable. April was a hard month, so it was pretty amazing to end it by dropping the kids off for a one-night sleepover with cousins while Mike and I escaped to Half Moon Bay. This was our first time child-free since Emma was born in 2006! The kids had a blast with … [Read more...] about Visiting Miramar Beach and Setting Goals for May 2017