Blog Posts by Parentables

Yoga kidI've been reading William J. Broad's book, The Science of Yoga, which explores everything from preventing injuries and the history of Tantra (think Sting and his sex life) to yoga's ability to increase an enzyme called telomerase in our body, a kind of fountain of youth component of biological aging.

Read More: Can Infant Yoga Really Help Your Baby?

And while there have been some overstatements in the yoga industry about the benefits of yoga (as a tool for aerobic-based weight loss, for instance), it's clear that it's one of the most effective ways to gain strength, endurance, balance and flexibility, not to mention decreasing depression and anxiety. There's a veritable laundry list of reasons to take up the practice.

Read More: 6 Stress-Busting Tips for New Moms

Yoga for Kids
This has me thinking of my daughter, who at 3 years old loves the 15-minute program her school does each day. Mainly she likes to bark like a dog during downward dog, roar like a lion ...

Grow your own edible flowers.

Photo: Frugal Mama

Last night's dinner menu consisted of fried pumpkin flowers and daylilies, with a salad of kale and nasturtium flowers, and my kids gobbled it up. Edible flowers are colorful, unusual, and full of good-for-you nutrients. Pumpkin flowers, for example, are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, as well as a collection of B vitamins and folate.

Read More: Blueberry Pie So Easy Your Kids Can Make It Themselves

Since you can't find edible flowers at the grocery store, these treats are perfect to grow at home. We grow ours in the front yard, where we have the most sun, and the flowers beautify our landscape (when they're not filling our tummies).

Read More: How I'm Creating an Edible Front Yard (and You Can Too)

We're just at the beginning of our flower-eating adventure, but a little research unearthed a long list of flowers that are safe to eat. Not surprisingly the flowers of most herbs -- like basil, mint, and rosemary -- can be

Baseball gameWhen it comes to throwing my kids' birthday parties, I'm very frugal, but I also really like to put on a good party. In the past I've always put on a big shindig at my home for the kids. I put a lot of hours into getting the party I want without spending a fortune; I refuse to pay $200 to rent a space at the local bounce house, swimming pool, or arcade.

Read More: Party Planning 101: Keep it Simple to Make the Party More Fun

I didn't think it was possible to have a party outside of the house that wasn't outrageously expensive and still impressive, but the truth is that it's quite easy. This year I finally ventured outside of the house for my son's sixth birthday, and he had one of his greatest parties while I spent less than ever and didn't have to worry about the house being clean or spend hours crafting to create the "experience." There are lots of places that you can hold birthday parties without having to spend a fortune in venue rental fees. Here are a few to

3-legged raceEvery year my family holds a big lobster bake with our neighbors and friends to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Read More: Play These Two Classic Games to Make Your Kids Healthy, Happy, and Smart

When we were kids, one of my aunts organized a series of games ranging from egg tosses to human pyramids that were so much fun, but as we got older the games dissipated and became minimized to who could hit a golf ball the furthest amongst both the kids and adults.

Read More: 10 Fun Family Board Games You Didn't Play as a Kid

But for the first time in over a decade we brought back the kids games this year as those of us who once were tossing eggs now have both enough children to make it fun and ones that are old enough to really understand and get into the games.

Read More: 36 Fun, Free Printable Travel Games to Entertain the Kids on Your Next Road Trip

The only problem -- or so we initially thought -- was that we hadn't actually planned any games until we got there,

The DuggarsFor our family everything that we do and everywhere we go is part of the classroom of life. We're always learning, and we like to include a lot of field trips in our homeschooling. And field trips can be many different things -- you don't have to go far to find them.

Read More: Duggar Homeschooling: The Advantages of Online College Courses

One of our trips was to an eye clinic where we took a tour and then watched a video of an eye surgery, and it was pretty fascinating. It was so cool to have experts explain how our eyes work and learn about all the different diseases of the eye. Of course you can see videos of eye surgeries on the Internet, but for us it's exciting to visit experts in person, and it's fun to learn together as a family.

Read More: Michelle Duggar's Clever Strategy for Motivating Kids

Our favorite field trip in the U.S. is to Washington, D.C. -- you could spend weeks there if you had the opportunity. It's just so amazing to go from building to building

Too sexy for my onesie.In a country where many parents dress their babies in onesies that read "Party at my crib" or "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" it's hard to know where to draw the line when it comes to inappropriate onesies. But many parents have become outraged by a faux woman in bikini onesie a la the beach cover-ups with the cartoon woman's or man's body that make them look svelte on the beach. There's no doubt that the design by the brand Wild Child errs on the side of tacky, but is it really inappropriate?

Read More: French Lingerie for Children: Is it Really That Different Than American Clothing?"

My initial reaction to seeing the onesie was to let out a little chuckle kind of like I did the first time that I saw the adult version many decades ago. While I don't find the adult version quite as amusing these days (some things really should have an end date), seeing it in a new version is kind pretty amusing...at least enough so to let out a chuckle. But should an infant or

Saving up.As another provocative article roars through the American parenting community -- this time, Spoiled Rotten: Why Are American Kids So Spoiled? -- people are once again asking, what have we done wrong? Or is this issue to parents what "fat is the enemy" was to dieters -- a scare that was eventually discounted?

While I can't claim to know the answer -- the oldest of my four children is only ten -- feedback is leaking out from colleges and psychotherapists who tell us that young adults are helpless, disrespectful, and kind-of lost, having never been responsible for engineering their own happiness.

While that portrait may have described me as a 20-something, my parenting has swerved in another direction. Not as a result of any moral high ground, but in response to a tight budget, a larger family, and a longing for a simpler time. I expect my kids to help me clean bathrooms, take care of younger siblings, and entertain themselves without many toys and very little screen time --

ARG!Have you ever reached for a cupcake when in you felt moody or in a funk? Have you ever gone shopping when upset as a means of distraction? What if I told you that you could help prevent these same behaviors in your children? How you manage your toddler's tantrums today can help make a difference in how they handle their emotions for life.

Read More: Coping With Tantrums by Channeling Ron Burgundy and his Glass Case of Emotion

If not taught at a young age, it can be very difficult for people to discern what exactly they are feeling and how to develop healthy methods of self-soothing. Showing your child empathy and helping her regulate her emotions and impulses gives her the basis to develop emotional intelligence that will serve her into her adult years.

Read More: Top Tips for Dealing with Tantrums. The Terrible Twos are Awesome.

Here are the steps you can take to calm your child down, stop a tantrum, and help her learn emotional control. Of course, every child is