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Archives for December 2015

Life With a 4 Year Old: When You Never Know What They Will Say Next…

Life With a 4 Year Old: When You Never Know What They Will Say Next…

December 30, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 7 Comments

One of my favorite things to post to my personal Facebook page is mini conversations with my 4 year old. I find them to be generally hilarious and highly entertaining, now clearly I’m biased, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless. My son turned 4 in 2015, and with that came

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Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: Entertainment, funny, kids, preschooler, quotes, stay at home mom

10 Ways to Become a More Positive and Present Parent in 2016

10 Ways to Become a More Positive and Present Parent in 2016

December 30, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 23 Comments

There are days where I feel like I have this parenting thing under my belt…and then there are days where it just completely gets the best of me. Ironically, those days actually have very little to do with my children and are more a product of outside stressors wearing on

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Filed Under: Gentle Parenting, Parenting Tagged With: attachment, moms, new years, parenting, positive parenting, preschoolers, self-esteem, toddlers

Room Cleaning Checklist for Kids

Room Cleaning Checklist for Kids

December 30, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 1 Comment

I believe in raising helpers. The awesome part about that, is that the kids don’t really mind it! Chores to us are really often fun for them. However, there are a couple of places where my kids need that extra push and structure to maintain their responsibilities. These simple room

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Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: checklists, cleaning, kids, planning, resolution, stay at homes

Fun Cleaning Games Involving Your Children

Fun Cleaning Games Involving Your Children

December 23, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

With Christmas approaching, your kids might be home from school and wreaking havoc on your house! Are you like me, constantly nagging your kiddos to clean up after themselves, or reminding them that before they take out a new toy, they need to put one away? By making cleaning up

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Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized

Christmas Tree Brownies: Kid-Made Holiday Treats

Christmas Tree Brownies: Kid-Made Holiday Treats

December 22, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a super quick Christmas dessert that you can make with your kids? Look no further! These Christmas tree brownies are SUCH an easy treat and can be made completely homemade, or from a box (in our case). We were inspired by these from One Little Project. My

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Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: baking, brownies, christmas, christmas tree, goodies, kids activities, party food, treats

Christmas Printable Packet

Christmas Printable Packet

December 12, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone Leave a Comment

Sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter and receive all of our Christmas Printables in one easy to print packet! As a subscriber, you will receive some of our fun kids activities delivered straight to your inbox, and don’t worry, I promise not to flood your account with spam. As

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Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Uncategorized Tagged With: christmas, optin, printable, stay at home mom

Homemade Puff Paint from Pantry Items 

Homemade Puff Paint from Pantry Items 

December 10, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 2 Comments

Christmas is quickly approaching which means time off from school and spent at home with the family…this can leave a lot of moms with that overwhelming of feeling of “how do I keep them busy and entertained??”, especially once Christmas is over, and you have those few days before the New

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Filed Under: Arts & Crafts, Preschool Arts& Crafts, Recipes, Toddler Arts & Crafts, Uncategorized Tagged With: boredom buster, kids art, paint, stay at home mom

Kindness Candy: Spread Cheer this Holiday Season and Teach Kindness

Kindness Candy: Spread Cheer this Holiday Season and Teach Kindness

December 8, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 3 Comments

Too often this time of year we hear stories about how poorly people can treat each other. It always amazes me that people have the audacity to say or do rude things to one another. I don’t want this post to be negative, and I do see good in people

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Filed Under: Christmas, Gentle Parenting, Holidays, Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: acts of kindness, christmas, kids, kindness, preschool, stay at home moms

7 Sweet Treats for a Kids Holiday Party!

7 Sweet Treats for a Kids Holiday Party!

December 4, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 2 Comments

One of my favorite parts of any holiday is the opportunity for a super fun kid’s party. My son loves to get together with a few of his friends and celebrate. I always enjoy planning some activities, like renting a minion jumping castle melbourne for extra excitement, but I especially love

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Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Recipes Tagged With: christmas, desserts, Holidays, kids parties, kids treats, party, treats

Gift Guide for the Active Mind: Ages 3-8

Gift Guide for the Active Mind: Ages 3-8

December 3, 2015 By Katie Chiavarone 3 Comments

Does your child have a mind with wheels that never seem to stop turning? I’m sure it is one of those qualities that you absolutely adore, however, you are probably constantly trying to find ways to engage them and keep them occupied in a constructive way. My little guy falls in this

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Filed Under: Christmas, Gift Guides, Holidays, Parenting, Preschool, Sponsored Work, Uncategorized Tagged With: critical thinking, gift guide, gifts, Holidays, imagination, preschool, present, Toys

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Welcome to Views From a Step Stool!

Welcome to Views From a Step Stool!

I am a mom to three little ones and love to create and explore every day with them! We have open minds and messy hands, come join in our adventures!

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What’s New

  • 12 Snowman Crafts for Kids
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What’s New:

  • 12 Snowman Crafts for Kids
  • 10 Elf on the Shelf Printables to Download
  • 12 Elf on the Shelf Ideas
  • Candy Corn Sensory Bin
  • Emotions Sensory Bag
  • 10 Thanksgiving Handprint Crafts
  • Build a Jack-o-Lantern Sensory Craft
  • Breakfast Smoothies for Kids with BlendJet Portable Blender
  • 12 Outdoor Painting Ideas for Kids
  • Educational Sensory Bin Ideas
  • 12 Animal Sensory Bin Ideas for Kids
  • 10 Insect Themed Sensory Bins
  • 12 Bee Crafts for Kids
  • 15 Easter Chick Crafts for Kids
  • 15+ Earth Day Crafts for Kids
  • St. Patrick’s Day Emotion Cut and Paste Printable Activity
  • Valentine’s Day Charades Words
  • Printable Color by Number Valentine’s Day Cards for Kids
  • Valentine’s Day Kindness Countdown Calendar: Free Printable
  • Valentine’s Day Pixel Art Color by Number: Free Printables

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