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About Me

 “Less stress, more connection—that’s the kind of parent I want to be.”

Hi, I’m Cory. I’m a husband, a dad of five, and someone who knows firsthand how messy, overwhelming, and beautiful parenting can be. Like most parents, I’ve had mornings that felt like chaos, bedtimes that seemed endless, and days when it felt like nobody was listening.

Over the years, I’ve learned that parenting doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to be simpler. When we focus on building connection, creating routines that work, and giving ourselves a little grace, family life gets a lot easier.

That’s why I started Raising Made Simple—to share practical tools, encouragement, and step-by-step strategies that make family life smoother and more connected. Here you’ll find ideas you can actually use in real life, even on the busiest days.

And if you’re looking for structured, ready-to-use help, I’ve created a set of 7-day parenting guides—complete with printable tools—that tackle the biggest challenges: chaotic mornings, bedtime battles, and getting kids to listen.

👉 You can explore them all at my Raising Made Simple Shop

Thanks for stopping by—I’m glad you’re here. Let’s make parenting simpler together.

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Positive Reinforcement for Kids: Catch Them Listening (and Make It Stick)

I used to treat “listening” like a rare meteorological event. If a child completed a task without me repeating it twelve times, I just stood there in awe—no idea what to do next. Meanwhile at our house: the 4-year-old gallops past in a tutu, the 5-year-old drafts a strongly worded letter to her oatmeal, the 11-year-old stares at his backpack as if it contains the meaning of life, the 13-year-old has notes on my tone, and the 18-year-old eats cereal at 10 p.m. like he’s contemplating philosophy. (He is.) What finally changed the vibe wasn’t a louder voice or a better lecture. It was learning to reinforce the moments I wanted more of—catching the first step, the quick transition, the quiet voice—so the behavior grew on its own. This post is the playbook we use for positive reinforcement across ages: what to notice, what to say, what to offer (that isn’t candy), and how to make it stick without turning your home into a sticker economy. ...
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How To Stay Calm in the Heat of the Moment: Scripts, Science & Real-World Parenting

Here’s the scene from our kitchen last Tuesday: The 5-year-old is weeping because a blueberry “looked at her funny.” The 4-year-old insists socks are “too spicy.” The 11-year-old can’t find his math notebook, which is obviously the notebook stacked under the other notebooks. The 13-year-old would like to present a 14-minute TED Talk titled “Why My Tone Was Actually Helpful.” The 18-year-old is eating cereal like a philosopher. Meanwhile, I can feel my pulse in my ears. Ten seconds later I’ll either lead or join the chaos. Sound familiar? Staying calm isn’t about being a Zen master with unlimited time. It’s about learning a short sequence that helps you regulate fast, connect first, and guide behavior without turning into a human foghorn. This is the playbook our family uses with five kids and approximately one million socks. I’ll give you short scripts, practical tools, and a simple plan you can try tonight—even if your day’s been a ...
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How to Build a Consistent Bedtime Routine for Kids (That Actually Sticks)

At 8:06 p.m. our home turns into a variety show. The 5-year-old performs pajama cartwheels. The 4-year-old petitions for “emergency water.” The 11-year-old remembers a science question that apparently woke up just now. The 13-year-old needs a two-minute download on seventh grade social economics. And the 18-year-old contemplates a bowl of cereal like a philosopher. We used to brace for impact. Now—on most nights—we land the plane with a calm, repeatable sequence that even our pajama acrobat can follow. This guide is the routine we use with five very different kids to make bedtime predictable, kind, and (dare I say) quick. I’ll give you the 6 steps, the exact scripts, and the tiny tweaks that turn “why won’t they go to sleep?!” into “oh… we’re actually doing this.” Want a plug-and-play plan with printable visuals and checklists? My one-week system Sleep Easy Kids walks you through the same steps we use at home....
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