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There’s just something about having a daughter that makes you feel a touch sentimental. From the moment she outgrows the outfit she came home from the hospital in, you’ll find yourself getting teary-eyed at the littlest thing. As with most strong emotions, the best thing to do with the feeling of sadness you get when you see that your daughter is growing up is to channel it into something creative and productive. Creating a keepsake box for your daughter is one of the ways you can channel that energy. Instead of feeling sad when she outgrows your favorite outfit or when it’s time to replace a drawing that’s been on the fridge forever, get excited about the possibility of sharing those memories with your daughter when she’s grown. So how do you create a keepsake box for your daughter? This guide will help!

Whether going back to work was a choice for your personal fulfillment or based on the financial needs of your family, the transition is going to be hard on your whole family for a time. Stay-at-home parents do a lot throughout the week, and as you head back to work, some of the things you used to take responsibility for may now fall on your kids’ shoulders. This can be an extra-difficult time for them to make the transition to doing more for themselves because they’re also dealing with the emotional transition of having less of your time throughout the day. However, with some planning and communication, you can not only make it easy for your family to make this transition together, but you can also use it as a teaching opportunity to set your kids up for more success in their lives.

Being a parent—especially a parent of a baby—is all about finding the balance between convenience and frugality. Babies cost a lot of money, so it’s important to save as much money as you can. But they’re also demanding, so you have to save that money without spending a lot of extra time doing things yourself. One place this debate is especially relevant is when deciding whether to purchase baby food or make it yourself. Purchasing baby food is the most convenient way to do things. However, it’s also expensive and can mean your child is eating a lot of preservatives and added sugars that you don’t necessarily want them to have so early in life. If you’re interested in making your own baby food, here are 5 quick and easy foods you can have at your disposal.

One of the best things about homeschooling your children is the variety brought to the conversation by having multiple age groups working together in the same room. But it can also be a challenge. Coming up with a homeschool unit that makes sense for all the age groups you’re representing in your home can be a massive stretch to your creativity. Depending on the age span of your children, you may always have to do some level of independent teaching, but the more that you can bring them together for their lessons, the more that you promote them working together and stretching their understanding of the subject matter. It’s also easier for you to teach one unit than five, which will save you time and sanity. With that in mind, here are some homeschool unit ideas that work great for multiple age groups.

With the taste of spring in the air and the mourning doves singing at your window, you know that summer break is just around the corner. Of course, just because your kids have the summer off from school doesn’t mean that you have the same luxury. The decision of what to do with your kids over the summer is a big one. Summer learning loss is a big issue, and to prevent that with your children, it’s necessary to engage them in activities that stimulate their minds and thinking over the course of the summer. For a lot of families, that includes some sort of summer camp. But as your kids come home with packets of information about summer camps—and as you realize that there are twice that many places they could go to camp that aren’t advertising through the schools—the paradox of choice can leave both you and your child unable to make a decision. Here’s how to help your kid pick a summer camp this year.

You’ve always known that time is a commodity, but never has that felt as true as in the first few months after you have a baby. Babies eat so often that you feel like your day is broken into 2-3-hour chunks. You’re tied to your watch, and the day can seem to drag, but it can also feel like you had no time to finish anything important. So how do you “get it all done” as a new parent? The truth is, no parent gets it all done, but with these time-saving parenting hacks, you can get more done than you think.

We all know moms are tough. The phrase Mama Bear wasn’t pulled out of thin air. But sometimes, the media gets it wrong. It so loves to portray man as the protector of the house that it often forgets that moms do more than bake cookies and keep things clean. But every once in a while, TV gets it right. These 10 TV moms aren’t just tough as nails: They’re tougher than any guy we know.

As parents, we realize that kids are all a little different, but you often wouldn’t know it when traveling through a children’s toy store or clothing store. Most days it feels like are children are shoved into one of two distinct boxes—a pink one or a blue one—and society tells them over and over again that’s where they should stay. Encouraging our children to be who they want to be is hard when our sons are getting bullied for wearing nail polish and our daughters can’t lead without being bossy. So how do we do it? The same way we encourage other skills: We read them books about it. These eleven gender-creative books teach our children that they don't have to fit into neat boxes, and that they're just great the way they are. 

Let’s be real: Being a mom is tough. Sure, it’s the most rewarding job you’ll ever have in your life, but it’s also one of the hardest, and the most thankless. No one pats you on the back for defusing a tantrum, and your kids certainly aren’t thanking you for the wholesome, organic lunch you neatly bento-boxed them. In fact, they’re probably trading their carrot sticks for a pack of Oreos as you read this. Sometimes, it takes a little extra inspiration to make it through the rough days. Here are some of the best inspirational quotes for moms.

One great way to make the holidays really feel like they belong to you as a couple and aren’t just pale hand-me-downs of the holidays your parents put together is to start some new traditions within your home. While you’ll certainly want to carry on some of the holiday traditions you both enjoyed when you were younger, starting new traditions with your budding family can make the holidays feel unique to you and add a little extra touch of magic to the season. If your young family is looking to start some new traditions, here are some great ideas to get you started.

Creating a time capsule is often an assignment in late elementary or early middle school. Even if your child is not specifically instructed by their teachers to make a time capsule, you may be interested in helping them to create one. These are transition times in your child’s life. Time capsules are a great way for your child to acknowledge that change is a part of life and that it’s not always a bad thing.