Cynical Parent

Here in the Midwest, there are several months of the year when it is cold and there is plenty of the white stuff.

Snow is a four letter word most of us have a love/hate relationship with.  It’s pretty and fun to play in, but it can also be a hassle (driving can be a major pain in the ass). And sometimes, when old man winter is feeling especially generous, it means you’re stuck in your house for a while.

Fortunately, this makes me an “expert” on finding fun snow day activities (since I’ve been snowed in more than a few times myself!).

So, if you are dreading that first good snowfall and the inevitable school “snow” days, fear not! Here are 10 insanely fun snow day activities for you and the kids this winter!

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As a parent, I am always looking for ways to keep organized and make life just a little easier.  One of the problems I’ve found is that all of the really cool organization stuff out there is expensive.

And when you’re looking to organize drawers, closets, kids toys, etc. the cost really starts to add up.

Fortunately, genius minds of the internet have found a lot of really cool low budget ways to get organized.  I’ve compiled a list of my favorite, and it’s time to share with you.

Prepare to have your minds blown with my list for 9 Dollar Store hacks that will make you an organizing genius!

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You may have thought your little one’s sleeping problems were behind you.

Waking up with a newborn guzzler is no joke, but now your bug-eyed toddler seems to be going through the dreaded 2 year old sleep regression. And like me, you could be waking up with a kid’s foot in your face.

Although you may have thought this was the time to reacquaint with your partner, catch up on romance novels, or binge Netflix shows, think again!

But don’t worry – we’ve got some answers for you here.

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Let’s face it: most toddlers are picky as hell.  Figuring out lunch for picky toddlers is sometimes harder than it looks.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made lunch or dinner for my daughter only to have her barely pick at it, push it away, and say “all done!” when she clearly needed to eat more.  

I hated doing it, but like many parents, I would give in and just end up giving her what she wanted, whether it was a pouch of applesauce, crackers, or some bread. 

I know, I know, parents shouldn’t do that.

And that’s why I set out to find ideas of what to make for lunch for picky toddlers.  You know, meals that they would actually eat so that I wouldn’t feel like I was just making food for the trash can (yeah, the dog would end up getting a fair amount of it too). 

So, keep reading, and I’ll share my top 10 ideas for lunch for picky toddlers that they will actually eat!

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When it comes to food, there’s a good chance you struggle in some way with your toddler. Some don’t eat much at all and you’re always trying to get them to eat something…anything.

Some will eat, but struggle to eat healthy. And some are just downright picky in general.

We’ve tackled meals before, but now we’re going to focus on something near and dear to every toddler’s heart: snacks.

Snacks are usually less of a struggle, but how do you get them to actually eat something that’s healthy?

Let’s check it out…there’s a lot here!

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Planning for a baby’s nursery is one of the most enjoyable parts of preparing for a newborn.  There are literally unlimited options! 

Today, we’re going to focus on baby farm animal nursery ideas.  You know, like cows, pigs, chickens, etc.

Although we are going to show you some great examples of nurseries, we’re going to focus on the actual stuff you can buy (like signs and pictures).  

As with any nursery theme or design ideas, don’t feel like you have to copy exactly what you see on the internet.  Look at different pieces and take what you like (and ignore the things you don’t like).  I promise, whatever you come up with is going to look cute.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of these farm animal nursery ideas!

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When you’re shopping for baby toys, there’s an endless supply of options.  It’s almost overwhelming.  One toy that my kids always loved when they were babies is the activity table.  But which is the best baby activity table?

Like we usually do, we spent some time researching a bunch of different options.  There are just so many out there.

Like anything else, you typically get what you pay for, so we’ll go through a few different options – some that are more expensive, but we’ll also tell you what we think is the best baby activity table if you’re on a budget.

Let’s get to it!

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Does your little one love all things bug-related?

We’ve found 10 fun and creative bug activities for toddlers that we think will be a big hit at your house, especially as we get into the spring and summer months!

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Wooden toys have been popular forever, but over the last several years they have definitely seen a spike in popularity.  I never used to have much of a preference between wood vs. plastic – after all, there is plenty of plastic stuff that is high quality, and plastic allows you to do more from a toy design perspective.  So what are the benefits of wooden toys?

Are they higher quality? How does the cost compare to non-wooden toys?

What about durability?

We did a bunch of research around wooden toys and it’s pretty clear that there are in fact a lot of great benefits, including some you probably haven’t thought about.

Let’s get into it.

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We’ve already written quite a bit about the best wooden play kitchen for kids, but once you have a good play kitchen, the fun has just begun.  Imaginary play is MUCH more fun when you have the right accessories.  So what are the best play kitchen accessories?

We’re not going to lie, there is a LOT out there. Some of it is garbage quality. Some of it is high end – almost as good as the real stuff.  

We decided to look at all varieties, because even if you don’t go with the best (which is typically more expensive), your kids can still have just as much fun with the less expensive, budget quality accessories.

Let’s take a look at what we found.

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