“What is the most important quality you want your kids to have?” We asked Our Whole Village’s awesome community this question and the answer was… KINDNESS. Closely followed by COMPASSION. And I couldn’t agree more. In the words of no other than the Dalai Lama, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If […]

My good friend, and the founder of Our Whole Village, Patricia Monahan, wrote a blog post for Our Whole Village last year titled “Parent Like A Traveler.” The post, with its focus on mindful parenting, inspired me and motivated me. But, if I’m being completely honest, I also felt a twinge of, “oh man, I […]

I don’t travel alone much since I’ve had kids. In fact, I’m afraid I don’t do much of ANYTHING on my own these days… When I had my first baby, my loss of independence was certainly the biggest adjustment for me. Not the sleepless nights. Not the countless diaper changes. Not the painful first weeks breastfeeding. Hormones […]

It’s that time of year and we all could use a little inspiration for our gift buying lists. There are plenty of good ideas beginning to circulate. We’ve pinned several and have come up with just a few more that our kids (and we) wouldn’t want to be without. 1. Colored Pencils & Pencil Roll […]

Do you remember how much fun fall was when you were a kid? You got to jump in the leaves, go to the pumpkin patch, dress up for Halloween and bake fall-themed treats. Or, at least, that’s what I did and I loved it. Little did I know that it actually meant quite a bit […]

Does your family take day trips? We do, but not regularly and not enough. We’re city people and really would rather be out and about on foot rather than driving off somewhere in the car. But, I think we’re missing the boat sometimes by not making more of an effort to head out for the […]

Kids are picky eaters; even the most voracious tend to have their limits. I know very few kids who will try absolutely anything put in front of them. Quite the opposite, the majority turn up their noses, cross their arms, wrinkle their faces in disgust and say something along the lines of, “I don’t like […]

This post is part of a blogging carnival promoted by Multicultural Kid Blogs and hosted by Kid World Citizen. This month’s theme is “flags”. As soon as I saw the word “flags” I was taken back to Tibet 12 years ago where, surrounded by thousands of colorful prayer flags, I had one of the most […]

We at Our Whole Village love to explore other cultures through food. What better excuse to sample Turkish baklava, German apple pancakes and English rhubarb tart (not to mention eat some batter and lick the spatula)? Cooking is a great way to encourage kids to learn about different countries and cultures and maybe try some […]

I have to say at the outset that I am not a huge fan of television. I personally have way too many things on my to-do list and am just too fidgety to sit and watch much. I also don’t love that my daughter turns into a total zombie (a genetic defect inherited from her […]