Big Kids

Just two and a half hours south of Scottsdale in the wild nature of Tucson is Tanque Verde Ranch, beaconing you to come find your inner cowboy. No boots, no hat, no horse, no problem! Tanque Verde is a...

  Like every other craft-loving-DIYing-Pinterest-obsessed-mother, I deal with my post-Christmas withdrawal symptoms by throwing myself fully into the next holiday on my radar: Valentines Day! And, as result, I usually spend the majority of January trolling through Pinterest trying to find uber...

Never trust a mommy with clean SUV or minivan. It means one of 2 things. Either she doesn’t let her kids eat in the car OR she vacuums her car daily. Both are scary propositions. Your mommy friends usually are...

One of the many reasons I wish we had smartphones when my kids were little is that I would have liked to log the number of hours we spent at the playground. Both my son and daughter were born...

As someone who grew up in Ohio, I have had share of my rainy days. Though a monsoon may cause more chaos for the valley, the rain still puts a smile on my face. I love the smell of...

As we approach the beginning of Kindergarten, I want to tell you how proud we are of you!  You have grown so much and it is hard to believe you are spreading your wings a bit more each day....

The what??? I know many of you may be reading this nursing your babies or cherishing the quiet while your toddler sleeps. Now I brought up THE talk and you have sweaty palms and heart palpitations. If you are...

My children are getting older, and I find myself trying to deal with issues that our parents didn't have to be concerned about when we were our kids’ ages. Even just ten years ago, parents did not have to...

Earlier this month I hung up the world's smallest uniform skort and stared at it trying not to cry. It’s a size 3 that I dug out of the used uniform bin at school since her older sister’s hand-me-downs...

Hi there! As we get settled into the start of a new school year, our kiddos meet new classmates and find new friends. Let’s be honest here, some kids we would love for our children to play with. Others,...

My kids will argue about anything. I am sure those of you with multiple kids that are about the same age can relate. They will argue about which movie they want to watch and who gets to get out...

Perform To Learn Academy has been an award winning program in Arizona for over 6 years. P2L has now ventured into elementary school education with our play-based, performing arts program. The P2L philosophy allows learning through exploration, supporting independence and...

I once heard a wise teacher say in passing that parents often have ridiculous expectations on their children. He said he sees them yelling at their kids TO SHARE.  But they have never taken the time to teach them...

About one year ago, my seven year old twins started asking to host a sleepover. It was the new thing all the kids at school were doing. And eventually I relented. Truly, all of the kids were perfectly behaved...

"We could fit 13 kids in this house!" my sweet hubby exclaimed upon deciding to buy our current house. It is by no means a large house. We have 4 bedrooms. If we are in one, he was thinking about...

Arizona Language Preparatory is Arizona’s only tri-lingual full immersion school. Arizona Language Preparatory is FREE public charter school with grades k-6th. The goal is for their students to become fluent in three languages simultaneously. These langues include English, Mandarin, and...

If you grew up rooting on Horton the Elephant for the sake of his precious Who's, while reviling the dreadful Wickersham Brothers and that mouthy Kangaroo mom/babe combo -- you'll so appreciate this storyline.

Recently our family traveled cross-country for a wedding in a big city. As all of you know, the planning of travel and logistics with kids is never fun. We were staying downtown and would not have a rental car....

My first born headed to Kindergarten last week and I am not okay. I know that I will learn to deal with it and eventually I’ll be okay, but for now I am not. I also know that he...

An important question every parent should ask: Are your kids safe online? As my kids have grown from plastic toys to tech  gadgets, I am struggling to allow them to play and learn, but safely.  Here are tips and tricks...

I am calling out to all Scottsdale Moms Blog readers for your take on how to talk to your kids about the death of a family pet. I have a loving, energetic and emotional almost-three-year-old who loved our beloved yellow...

There is no greater desire of any parent than to make sure that our children are given every opportunity to remain healthy. We have all been to the 24-hour pharmacy in the dead of night to pick up a...

While we don’t yet know what the long-term consequences will be for our tweens and teens who lived through Covid-19 during some of the most formative years of their lives, we do know that the experience was super challenging...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and everywhere we turn there is Pink! Pink products, pink ribbons, pink drinks, all things pink.  Over the years, I have donated my time and money to help others learn about breast health...

With three daughters, I spend a big chunk of every morning trying to brush out slept on, messy hair. I have one child who has especially fine, tangled hair and a very sensitive scalp. So she spends the morning...

With it being 105+ here in Scottsdale for who knows how long, I figured we should talk sunscreen. Allowing your kids and yourself to get some Vitamin D is great, allowing them to get a sunburn..not so much. I'll give...

Kiddos are freaking out? Facilitate 10 ways of finding calm. Explore below to help them learn or improve on how to smooth things over within themselves. Whether your kiddo just “needs to calm down”, could stand to develop more...

One of my struggles as a parent is keeping the kids safe while they are online. I truly believe granting them access to the internet, texting and games is a necessary part of them growing up. The older they...

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine tackling online learning with a first grader. When things started closing down due to COVID-19, I knew organization and routine would be key for our busy daughter. We filled our day...

As your child ventures back to school, are you getting dizzy from all the deadlines? Organization is the key for your sanity (and your child's success). The Middle School years are a time of increasing independence with your preteen and...