Parenting & Family | Blog Category Archives | Meraki Lane

11 Family Virtual Christmas Celebration Ideas | If you're looking for online party ideas to help you celebrate the holidays with family and friends when you can't get together in person, this post is a great place to start! We've included a list of planning tips to consider if you want to know how to throw a virtual party for the first time, tons of fun online games to play with friends and family that are suitable for kids, as well as creative ways to exchange gifts with the ones you love.

Online Celebrations: 11 Family Virtual Christmas Celebration Ideas

44 Easy and Delicious Dairy Free Recipes for Kids | If you're little one has a dairy sensitivity or allergy and you're looking for dairy free snacks and meals the whole family will enjoy, we've got you covered! From breakfasts, to packable lunches, to family-friendly dinners and desserts, many of these recipes are egg- and gluten-free as well. The dairy free snack and dessert options double as great party food ideas for food sensitive kids, and provide bento box lunch options too!

Milk Allergies? 44 Easy and Delicious Dairy Free Recipes for Kids

10 Hobby Ideas for Women | If you're trying to get into a new hobby at home, we're sharing 5 indoor hobbies and 5 outdoor hobbies to consider. From DIY art projects, like knitting, drawing, painting, and making crafts, to finding ways to make money online, to budget-friendly ways to improve your social life, these simple and creative ideas will give you the inspiration you need to find a way to reduce stress and decompress in the evenings and on weekends.

Relax and Unwind: 10 Simple Hobby Ideas for Women

Surviving Long Car Rides with Kids | Family road trips can be fun, but when you're traveling with kids (particularly toddlers!), the time spent in the car can test even the most patient mom's sanity. If you want to know how to survive long car rides with kids, we're sharing our best travel hacks and ideas for staying sane. From knowing what to pack, to figuring out when to travel (Morning? At night?), to organizing car activities, to preparing for detours and emergencies, these tips will help!

Road Trip! 14 Tips to Survive Long Car Rides with Kids

18 Indoor Activities for 2 Year Olds Who Are Stuck At Home | If you're looking for simple toddler activities for rainy days, snow days, sick days, or any other time you're stuck inside, we're sharing 18 fun and easy ideas for boys and girls! We've included a mix of learning toys, sensory activities, family activities, busy bags, independent play ideas, and activities that burn energy to keep your little one entertained when you can't go outside.

Fun and Easy: 18 Indoor Activities for 2 Year Olds Who Are Stuck At Home

How to Get Kids to Wear a Face Mask | There are so many templates, patterns, and DIY tutorials to teach you how to make face masks for kids - some without sewing! - but many parents are struggling to figure out how to get kids to wear masks once they have them. In an age of social distancing, face masks are often a requirement, which can be a nightmare for children, especially those with sensory processing disorder and challenges. Check out our tips to get kids comfortable with face masks!

How to Get Kids to Wear a Face Mask: 8 Tips for Parents

24 Hidden Veggie Recipes for Kids | If you're looking for healthy recipes for kids who are picky eaters and refuse to eat vegetables, we're sharing the best of the best! With tons of options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert, you'll learn simple and creative ways to hide vegetables in your cooking and baking! Clean eating for families with kids has never been easier or tasted so good!

How to Deal with Picky Eaters: 24 Hidden Veggie Recipes for Kids

7 Interoception Activities for Kids | What is interoception? If you've ever wondered about the 8th sense and how it impacts kids with autism and sensory processing challenges, this post is a great place to start. With sensory activities and occupational therapy resources for teaching kids internal body awareness both in the classroom and at home, the ideas in this post will help you develop a sensory diet for increased self-regulation, problem-solving, flexibility, and social thinking skills!

The 8th Sense Explained: 7 Interoception Activities for Kids

12 Zoom Games for Kids | If you're looking for easy games and activities your kids can play online with their friends, we've got 12 ideas to inspire you! These ideas are perfect for virtual kids birthday parties, playdates, and classroom group Zoom calls. From interactive scavenger hunts, to silly 'would you rather' games, and so much more, these online games for kids are easy to setup, free, and fun!

Zoom Games for Kids: 12 Online Activity Ideas to Keep Kids Connected

8 Size of the Problem Activities for Kids | Inspired by the Social Thinking and Zones of Regulation curriculums, these games and activities teach children to identify whether a problem is small, medium, or big, as well as what is and is not an appropriate reaction to each. With visual tools, posters for class bulletin boards, scenario cards, worksheets, coloring pages, Google slides, boom cards, and puzzles, this collection of activities has it all - even Size of the Problem BINGO!

Problem Solving 101: 8 Size of the Problem Activities for Kids

How to Be a Calm Parent | If you're looking for tips to help you figure out how to become a calm mom, we're sharing 7 strategies to help. Being a patient mom isn't always easy, especially if you struggle with anger management. If temper tantrums and power struggles are the norm in your household, these positive parenting solutions are simple yet effective, and will help you adopt positive discipline strategies and open the lines of communication with your kids for a happier and healthier home.

How to Be a Calm Parent: 7 Positive Parenting Techniques to Try

10 Calming Strategies for Kids | If you're looking for tips to help improve your child's self-regulation at home, we're sharing 10 simple ideas that help. If your little one struggles with impulse control and big emotions, and finds it hard to calm down when triggered, these tools help prevent emotional outbursts and teach kids how to exercise appropriate self-control. Inspired by the Zones of Regulation and Social Thinking curriculums, these behavior management strategies for kids work!

Self-Regulation at Home: 10 Calming Strategies for Kids

12 Stress Relief Activities for Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed | If you're looking for quick and simple calming activities to help you destress, we're sharing 12 fun and creative ways to relax. This list includes things you can do on your own, as well as fun ideas you can do with your kids to help you reset when emotions are high. These also double as anger management activities for women!

12 Stress Relief Activities for Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed

How to Host a Virtual Birthday Party for Kids | Stuck at home on your child's birthday? Don't fret! We're sharing 11 ideas for kids birthday parties that are being hosted on Zoom or another online platform. From virtual birthday party games for kids, to birthday activities for teens and tweens, these ideas will teach you how to throw a virtual party your child will cherish for years to come!

How to Host a Virtual Birthday Party for Kids: 11 Ideas for Parents

17 Virtual Baby Shower Ideas | If you're trying to figure out how to host an online baby shower, this post has 17 planning tips and virtual baby shower games to inspire you! From figuring out the best hosting platform (Facebook and Zoom are top choices!), to party favors and food, to invitations and gifts, to super fun and easy games, these virtual party planning tips will make your long distance celebration meaningful!

How to Host a Baby Shower Online: 17 Virtual Baby Shower Ideas

How to Stay Calm in a Stressful Situation | If you're looking for tips and strategies to help you stay calm in any situation (when stressed, when angry, when nervous, as a parent, in a crisis, etc.), we're sharing 9 stress management tips that help. Learn how to stop anxious thoughts in their tracks, what to do when things are out of your control and you feel overwhelmed, and how to be less stressed in the face of adversity moving forward.

9 Tips and Tricks to Help You Stay Calm in a Stressful Situation

10 Educational Apps for Kids in Elementary School | If you're looking for the best educational websites you can access on your tablet to keep your little ones engaged and learning outside of the classroom, there are tons of great ones available for free (or for a small fee). From math and literacy games, to puzzles and brain teasers, to science, coding, and STEM learning, we've curated the best free learning apps for kids, with paid options for teachers and for parents who want more.

Learning Made Fun: 10 Educational Apps for Kids in Elementary School

9 Time Management Strategies For Moms | If you're looking for productivity tips and ideas that go above and beyond creating daily schedules, meal planning, and kids' chore charts, this post is for you! Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, or you go to work outside of the home each day, these simple, life-changing productivity hacks will help you to stay focused and find balance on even your busiest days!

9 Time Management Strategies For Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed

17 Independent Activities for Kids Who Are Stuck at Home | If you're looking for fun and engaging quiet activities your children can do by themselves on sick days, school holidays, and/or during an extended school closure, we're sharing 17 ideas that require little to no prep! Most of these are indoor activities for kids, but we've included some outdoor options for spring, summer, and fall! If you're trying to figure out how to work from home with kids, these ideas are perfect!

17 Independent Activities for Kids Who Are Stuck at Home

How to Work From Home with Kids | If you're a mom or dad in search of time management tips to help you be effective with your job while still being an awesome parent, this post is for you! Whether you're dealing with school closures, sick days, or school holidays, you're a stay at home mom working a side hussle to earn a little extra money to help with your monthly budget expenses, or you're switching to a full time career as a work at home mom, these productivity tips for moms and dads work!

How to Work From Home with Kids: 13 Tips for Parents

How to be a Better Wife | If you're looking for tips to help you be a good wife without losing your independence, this post is a great place to start! As much as I enjoy the humor in those 'how to be a good housewife' memes about women in the 50s, I like to think our view on the important qualities of being a good wife have changed since then. If you're looking for the modern woman's guide to a happy marriage, we're sharing 12 tips you don't want to miss!

How to be a Better Wife: 12 Tips for a Happy Marriage