• 6 Ways to Get a Workout WITH Your Kids ::: Inspired to Action
• 2012 Newbery, Caldecott Award Winners ::: Jump Into a Book
• Valentines 2012 ::: Playful Learning
• Free Valentine’s Day eBook and Printables ::: Motherhood Your Way
• How to Plan a Snow Picnic ::: Simple Bites
• My friend Katie’s family is selling Valentines for a great cause!

And don’t forget you have until midnight EST tonight to enter to win the Sparkle Stories giveaway.  Happy Weekending!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

• Lessons in Simple Living from a Toddler ::: Minimalist Mom
• Cold Comfort ::: Seasons of Joy
• Love Bug Pet Rocks ::: Let’s Explore
• The 10 Day Family Re-Charge ::: Erin Goodman (I’m honored to be contributing)
• Baby Led Weaning: Real Food for Little Ones ::: Simple Organic
• Mindset for Moms ::: Steady Mom

I believe I’m caught up on Pinterest invites, but if you requested one and didn’t receive one, please email me again and I’ll get you invited.  Pinterest seemed to be having some growing pains and was down quite a bit this week and I’m not convinced that all of my invitations went through.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

• Thriving Through the Seasons ::: Betty Beguiles
• SoulePapa Blogs: A World Between ::: SouleMama
• Snowman Bird Feeder ::: Birds and Blooms
• Hearts in an Apple Sandwich ::: Happy Together
• Checking Out Preschools? A Few Things to Look For ::: Not Just Cute
• Exploring Snowflakes ::: The Chocolate Muffin Tree

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

• This Big Sister’s Advice ::: Soulemama
• Process, Product, and Personal Growth ::: Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple (Nancy Morhbachers’s reflections on her son’s 30th birthday)
• Water the Flowers ::: Exhale. Return to Center.
• How I Make Goals for My Kids (Printable) ::: Small Notebook
• 7 Tips for Dealing With Mommy Anger ::: Steady Mom
• Moms Need Lunch, too – 5 Easy Midday Meals for Mom ::: Simple Bites

“… reminding us that there was and will be no greater prosperity than the warm and well-fed child.” – Sallyann J. Murphey, Bean Blossom Dreams

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

Simple living is a very personal thing. I know I don’t have to tell you that parenting is, as well. What life looks like at my house probably doesn’t look exactly like life at your house. There is no one-size fits all.

For that reason, I feel that an important part of my job as editor of Simple Kids is to hand-pick contributors for the site who can expand the base of life experience and information that is offered here.

I’m honored to work with writers from a variety of backgrounds and with a range of experiences, expertise, and perspectives that I believe blend together to form a well-rounded blog.

The writers and I are united in the belief that childhood should be uncomplicated and that play and learning are important priorities, for kids as well as parents.

It is my honor to work with these contributors and I’m so thankful for the time that they give to this blog and Simple Kids readers.

Here are the 2012 Simple Kids Contributors

Amy AndersonAt her blog, Let’s Explore, Amy shares her family’s experiences creating, imagining, and playing together. Amy is a mother of two. You can read about her family’s homeschooling journey at Early Bird Homeschool. Read all of Amy’s posts | Follow her on Twitter

Christen Babb is the founder of NurtureBaby, a website dedicated to inform, inspire, and encourage busy parents to make wholesome homemade baby food. She is blessed to experience life alongside her best friend and husband of nine years and is a mommy of two. Read all of Christen’s posts | Follow her on Facebook

Jennifer Brown Our Music Reviewer, Jennifer, is a stay at home mom to two energetic, fun little boys. She fancies finding music that connects her to the past & keeps her grounded in the present, and can often be found dancing the 5 pm (and most recently 2 am) hour away in her living room. Read all of Jennifer’s posts

Vanessa Brown Vanessa blogs over at I Never Grew Upand is one of the owners of the Utah blogger review site Sassy Scoops. She has has three children, two old dogs, and one celebrity dog trainer husband and loves living in Salt Lake City. Read all of Vanessa’s posts | Follow Vanessa on Facebook

Mariah Bruehl Mariah is the mother of two creative daughters, wife to an incredibly supportive husband and an educator at heart. She is the author of the book Playful Learning. You can find more ideas and resources for family friendly learning experiences over at her website, Playful Learning. Read all of Mariah’s posts | Follow Mariah on Twitter

Emily Carter Emily is a former Early Childhood Teacher, wife, and mother. She spends her time traveling, writing, reading, and relaxing with her sweet little family. At The Pilot’s Wife, Emily blogs about flying, building their hangar-home, mommy-hacks, faith, and life on the go! Read all of Emily’s posts | Follow Emily on Twitter

Jaimie Franchi Jaimie writes about creating a simple, creative, sustainable life with children. An American ex-pat, she has lived in Michigan, Georgia, and California, and she now makes her home in Montreal. As a single parent, she spends her time being messy and crafty with her two daughters, working to build her freelance editing and writing career. She blogs about their adventures at Two Chicks and a Hen. Read all of Jaimie’s posts

Amanda Morgan Amanda is a full time mom to three busy boys and a part-time trainer and consultant for a non-profit children’s organization. She also writes at Not Just Cute, a blog full of ideas that are more than just cute, for preschoolers who are much more than cute too. She is the author of Parenting With Positive Guidance. Read all of Amanda’s posts | Follow Amanda on Twitter

Catherine Way Cat is mum to 2 boys, living in North Australia. They read lots, run lots, love to learn new things and are good at finding fun and mischief. Catherine blogs about her family adventures at Adventures With Kids. Read all of Catherine’s posts | Follow Catherine on Twitter

Robin Zipporah Robin has two daughters, a son, a lovely husband who works many more than full-time hours and a full-time career of her own in government in the suburbs of Washington, DC. You can always read more about Robin’s parenting philosophies and her family’s antics and adventures at her personal blog: The Not-Ever-Still Life Read all of Robin’s posts | Follow Robin on Twitter

On behalf of the contributors and myself, I want to say thanks for making Simple Kids a part of your day!  We work hard to bring you quality content on simplicity and childhood.  The internet is a big place and we’re proud you come to visit our little corner of it.

What would you like to see from Simple Kids in 2012?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

• Bringing Our Children To Rest ::: The Wonder of Childhood
• FREE Weather Tree Printable ::: Se7en
• Managing Life as a Work-at-Home Mom ::: Keeper of the Home
• Don’t Wait for Perfection to Get Started ::: Steady Mom
• The 10 Day Family Recharge  :::  Exhale. Return to Center.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

Happy New Year, my friends!  We celebrated with a family jigsaw puzzle, kid-friendly “mocktails” and appetizers, and a weekend long listen to Rollingstone’s Top 500 Songs of All Time.  I’ve also been pinning some new ideas and goals into my Operation 2012 Pinterest board.

I haven’t spent much time on the computer over the holidays, but I do have a few links that I wanted to share with you this New Year’s day:

• Living Every Day Like It’s Vacation ::: Free Spirit Knits
• Montessori Materials and Traditional Toys at 8 Months ::: How We Montessori
• Magical Thinking ::: Inchmark I love this idea!
• Paper Snowflakes 101 ::: Life is Sweet
• 2011 Time Capsule Printable ::: Amy’s Finer Things

And a few good deals to ring in the New Year!

• One Bite at a Time ebook by Tsh, Simple Mom, is $1 off with the code HAPPYNEWYEAR. The code is good until January 10, 2012.
• If you haven’t read Tsh’s excellent book Organized Simplicity, right now Amazon Primemembers can read the kindle version for FREE!
• Jessica, Life as Mom, is having a sale for $2 off of any purchase of $8 or more from her estore with the code NEWYOU good until January 8, 2012.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2012 is magical!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

The following is by editor Kara Fleck.

Two years ago, on New Year’s Eve, Megan started a tradition of listing Simple Kids readers’ favorite posts from the past year.  I really like that tradition, so every year I honor it by taking a look back and showcasing readers favorites.

2011 has been a wonderful year, and I thank you all, on behalf of the entire Simple Kids team, for being a part of it!

Without any further ado ….

Top Ten Reader Favorite Posts

1. Simple Summer Snacks for Kids
2. No Sew, No Knit Gift Ideas
3. Simple Activities for Excited Kids
4. Taking Dictation: Crafting Stories with Young Kids
5. Create a Letter Writing Kit for Kids
6. Seeds of Potential: Exploring Similarities and Differences
7. Rotating Books and Toys, Knowing When to Downsize
8. 3 Strategies for Dealing With Criticism
9. The Three Types of Friends Every Parent Needs
10. Ages and Stages: Toddlers
    

I can’t wait to see what 2012 holds for Simple Kids! Thanks for reading!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

• What’s Behind a Temper Tantrum ::: NPR
• When Parenting Means Steering Into the Skid ::: Simple Mom
• Why Gift Giving Can Be Good for Kids ::: Life As Mom
• On NOT Doing it All – The Holiday Remix ::: Rockin’ Granola
• Holiday Cuteness in Record Time (graham cracker houses) ::: Caked Alaska
• Make Your Own Handcrafted Gifts: Playsilks ::: Sarah’s Silks

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

Guess who learned how to blow raspberries?

• A Smooth Christmas Season With Dairy Allergies ::: Somewhat Crunchy
• Reminders From Neverland ::: Not Just Cute
• Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Artificial Food Coloring ::: Sorta Crunchy
• 7 Gifts to Take to a Family With Autism ::: Huffington Post
• Play Felt Tree and Ornaments ::: Johnny in a Dress

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
• E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
• Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
• Organizing Life as Mom - inspiration and planning pages.

© 2009-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Kids subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.