Giving Kids Their Own Space Notebooks

Do you have boxes and boxes of every scrap of paper your child has ever drawn on? Do your kids get upset when you accidentally write your grocery list on a random piece of paper that you thought was scrap, but was actually one of their drawings (even if it was indecipherable scribbles)? My husband and I started to lose …

What happens when a storm shuts off all the power and forces your child to become unplugged? Magical things like conversation and outside time.

Unplugged

I never thought it would take a power outage in order to get my son off the computer but that’s what happened. I need to be honest here. My 10 year old son is a lover of all things electronic. Whether it be reformatting my phone, playing his Nintendo 3DS or some other computer game, the kid is addicted. While …

Why Brands Should Support Mandatory Labeling

We’ve been talking about GMO labeling a lot lately and it might seem confusing that we’re specifically asking Quaker for support around this issue. “There are no GMO oats…” is the response many people have. I want to shed some light on why we’re asking for brand support in this way. Here’s the thing: our government is heavily influenced by …

YOU can help us have Quaker Conceal or Reveal their use of GMOs - read more and sign the petition to demand mandatory GMO labeling! #ConcealOrReveal

Will Quaker Oats Conceal or Reveal GMOs?

Hi, Jess here. I have some important information to share with you about something that affects all of us. It affects you. It affects your children. It affects our environment. In fact, there isn’t much that the topic of this post does not affect. It is so important to us over here at Scratch Mommy that we applied and were accepted …

Music affects people in different ways. To me, country music makes me a better mama because it allows me to be light-hearted after a long day of work.

How Country Music Makes me a Better Mama

I’m completely aware of the irony: music that esteems pretty girls, getting drunk, and getting drunk to forget pretty girls is supposed to make me wiser, more empathetic, and a guide to growing souls? Perhaps you think, instead, that I like the sentimental country songs, the ones that talk about true love, family values, the USA, and God himself. Actually, …

Non-Toy Gifts For Your Loved Ones

This Christmas our family is adopting the idea of buying less and giving more, an Advent conspiracy if you will. We are choosing to purchase intentionally, boycotting big box retailers, and supporting small businesses. Part of my goal for this season is to focus on purchasing non-toy gifts for my kids. I know, I’m one of those boring moms but …

Montessori lessons are very simple, yet extremely rich. Read Crystal's post on setting your home up for Montessori and what simple things to include.

Setting Your Home up For Montessori

I’m a huge fan of the Montessori Method. I have a history with it that goes back to my own days of attending a Montessori preschool. My husband went to the same one as I – he was in the morning class, I was in the afternoon. One of my sisters, my brother, and two of my nieces went. My …

It's not always a smooth ride to get your kids on board with their chores. Why not create a DIY chore chart that puts fun back into it all? It's so easy!

DIY Chore Chart

Getting your kids to do their chores on a regular basis can often be challenging. It’s a good idea to get them started at an early age when ‘helping out mom’ is still a fun thing! For toddlers, you want to choose chores that are simple and easy for them to understand and accomplish — such as putting away their …

A little reminder to those who feel like they are just a mom; give yourself a little more credit. You are doing the most important job in the world!

Hi, I’m Just a Mom

It’s easy to feel like being a mom is not a job or not “good enough.” For some reason, it’s also easy to feel ashamed to tell people you stay home with your child(ren) when they ask you what you do. It often seems unimportant, and just a part of life. You may have desires of changing the world and …