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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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Map Your Morning Minefield: Where Chaos Really Begins

Mornings used to feel like a daily ambush in my house. The alarm would ring and, before I even swung my feet onto the floor, the day already felt out of control. Someone couldn’t find their shoes, another child was crying over the wrong cereal bowl, the dog needed to be let out, and the clock on the microwave seemed to sprint ahead every time I looked away. For years I thought this was normal—that mornings were supposed to be frantic until the kids were older or life magically slowed down. But the truth is, the chaos wasn’t starting at 7:00 a.m. when the first alarm buzzed. It was beginning long before the first hint of daylight , hidden in small habits and decisions I wasn’t even aware I was making. I finally reached a point where I couldn’t keep starting the day with my shoulders up around my ears. Something had to change. That’s when I began what I now call my “morning minefield map”—a process of noticing, naming, and defusing the little bombs that were going off every single day...
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Teach Responsibility Without Punishment: Natural Consequences That Work

I once gave a speech so long about wet towels on the floor that I’m pretty sure it qualified as a short audiobook. Our 18-year-old listened politely, our 13-year-old took detailed notes for her future memoir, our 11-year-old stared at the towel as if considering its life choices, and our 5- and 4-year-old started a towel cape parade. Ten minutes later: same towel, wetter floor, grumpier dad. That was the night I officially broke up with punishment-as-default and started dating natural consequences . Natural consequences are the real-world outcomes that happen when a child’s choice bumps into reality. No shaming, no power struggles—just cause and effect with a side of empathy. When kids learn to connect their actions to outcomes, they build responsibility from the inside out. Think: the forgotten homework that stays home (for non-urgent items), the toy that gets left out and is “closed” for the afternoon, the sticky cup that sticks to the...
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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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