I sat on my kitchen floor in Cabbagetown last July, surrounded by seven open bags of tissue paper circles and a very confused golden retriever. Maya’s 4th birthday was three days away, and I had somehow convinced myself that a “Rainbow Extravaganza” was a task a single dad who struggles to assemble IKEA shelves could…
My son Leo stared at the lightning bolt scar I had carefully drawn on his forehead with hypoallergenic, non-toxic eyeliner. It was April 12, 2025, in our drafty basement in Denver, and I was determined to win the “Dad of the Year” award without spending a fortune. Most parents drop five hundred bucks on a…
Thirty toddlers in a Houston backyard during a humid Saturday in March is exactly as chaotic as you imagine. My niece Sofia turned two on March 12, 2024, and my sister-in-law begged me to help her figure out how to throw a encanto party for 2 year old that wouldn’t end in a literal house…
Walking into my living room at 7 AM on March 12th felt like stepping onto a plastic landmine field, but that is just life when you have an eight-year-old named Leo who is obsessed with building blocks. I spent exactly $63.99 on his birthday bash last year because I refused to pay those inflated party…
February in Chicago is a beast. The wind off Lake Michigan feels like it’s trying to peel the skin right off your face, so when my twins, Maya and Leo, turned six on the 12th of last year, a backyard bash was out of the question. We were stuck inside our two-bedroom apartment. Eight kids….
Easter Egg Hunt with a Toddler: Send Help (and ideas!) Hey party peeps! Caroline Moore here from Charlotte, NC. So, Easter is, like, next weekend? And naturally, I’ve done zero planning. My oldest, Ellie, is 13, then Wyatt is 10, Caleb is 7, and then there’s Isla, who just turned 2. Yeah, a toddler. Last…
Living in a tiny apartment in Logan Square with twin toddlers means my life is a constant rotation of “find the missing sock” and “why is there peanut butter on the ceiling.” When Leo and Maya turned one last November, I knew I wanted that iconic puppy-themed bash, but my bank account was screaming for…
My daughter Chloe turned fifteen last October, and instead of the usual request for a mall spree or a neon-drenched arcade night, she looked me dead in the eye and said she wanted a “Cottagecore Barn Burner.” I live in Denver, where the line between urban hipster and actual ranch hand is thinner than a…
My kitchen table in Chicago was buried under a mountain of wet towels and half-eaten cupcakes last July 15th after my twins, Leo and Maya, turned two. I survived. Actually, I did more than survive; I pulled off a nineteen-kid bash at the local park pool for exactly fifty-eight dollars. People think having twins means…
Toddler Easter Hunt Chaos? My 1-Year-Old Found a Rock. Send Help (and Tips!) Posted by: @sienna85 Hey GINYOU fam! Okay, so Easter is right around the corner, and I’m already envisioning the chaos. This year, Chloe (my youngest, she just turned 1 last month!) is officially mobile. Last year she was mostly chilling in her…
