I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when Soft Clothing first arrived on the scene, bringing flat-seamed, soft cotton clothing basics for kids who have sensory issues. My own son isn't as picky as he used to be, but he still goes for th…
This is one of those times when I find myself wishing I owned a sewing machine. And that I had a single crafty bone in my body. Check it out: Gulf Coast Cottage , a wonderful shop filled with soft toys, has an entire category filled with…
Despite the fact that looking at this kids furniture got The Gummy Bear Song stuck in my head (no, I won't burden you if you don't already know it), I'm totally grooving on these adorable gummy bear chairs from yam & toast . They're swee…
Stumped for Father's Day? Maybe it's because I'm married to a photographer (though I don't think so), but I'm thinking that if Dear Dad from Chronicle Books doesn't bring a little tear to his eye, he might not actually be human. The volu…
When my husband and I talk about taking a trip, it always goes along the same script: "How about here?" "Too expensive." "How about here?" "No good with kids." "How about here?" "Are you kidding??" "Fine, let's just go camping." And don'…
Do you suppose our parents agonized so much over what kind of parents they were as we do, today? Probably not. And yet, I hate to cast aspersions on folks genuinely seeking guidance on the right way to raise little people into fabulous a…
I scream, you scream, we all scream for... well, okay, I lied. I didn't scream over these adorable soft ice cream-festooned beanbags, but I did squeal just a little bit. The Baby Gardner brings us Lisa Bacigalupi's exclusive hand-stitche…
Mother's Day is creeping ever so close, and dads, you may have remembered to order flowers for your mom, but did you remember to do something awesome for the mother of your kids? (Sorry, dudes. That's your responsibility, too.) Don't pan…
I gave up on my Bluetooth headset for my mobile phone a while back; I was always forgetting to charge it, and on the rare occasions when I didn't, I had trouble getting it to stay in my ear, and the sound quality was terrible. So despite…
Back when I was pregnant with my kids (you know, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), "nursing dress" was synonymous with "giant chest flaps on something shapeless and ugly." Sad but true. So you'll have to pardon me for feeling like y…
I have a thing for rings, so when I first saw these recycled sterling silver stacking rivet rings from the very talented Julie Booras of Heart and Stone Jewelry I was immediately drawn to them for all of the obvious reasons. But I realiz…
I'm a somewhat nervous traveler, but unlike most of our kind, it's not the flying I hate. More like I need to know exactly what we're doing when. My husband, on the other hand, is happy to just plan "camping" and "figure it out when we g…
We're all trying to eat better, right? And preparing fresh, healthy food for our families is no problem at all, what with our busy lives, children's picky palates, and our own dietary restrictions as we head into swimsuit season (ahem). …
Sure, it's awesome to be gifted all kinds of needed gear and cute outfits when you're having a baby. We're the first to tell you that! But maybe you're doing well enough to afford all of that stuff on your own. Or maybe this is your seco…
Kristin van Ogtrop is the editor of Real Simple , which means that her life as a working mom is full of high-power glamour and nary a regret. Right. Okay, I'll confess I was worried that might be true, but it turns out that Kristin is so…
Somehow I think my oft-repeated empty threat of serving my kids' heads on a plate might have carried even less weight if we had owned had these adorable It Looks Like Me! personalized plates from Olliegraphic. Choose hair, eye and skin c…
There isn't a single thing not to like about the functional design of these groovy desk/chair pairings from midesk , from their hand-crafted here in the USA wooden cut-outs to the non-toxic paints used to finish them. These desks are a m…
As the mother of a fashion-conscious tween, I am here to tell you that sizes 10-14 or so are a forgotten wasteland when it comes to outfitting your kid. Little kid clothes are plentiful and varied, but the choices taper off with each suc…
It's all well and good when I shoot a picture or two off to my parents from my phone while the kids are at an event, but then sometimes I forget (or don't have time) to type in a complete explanation. Later, my dad calls me up and says, …
The first thing I thought when I checked out the Grammaropolis website is that it's like Grammar Rock and the Mr. Men books had an adorable love child. You've got the catchy music, the little cartoon parts of speech (the verb is a superh…
Family game night getting a little stale? Gather round for a whole new game of speed, literacy, and I'd say, hilarity with this dandy little game I've found right here for you mamas of older kids . You've Been Sentenced! is deceptively s…
Oh, Kiki magazine , where have you been all my daughter's life? Where are the scantily clad waifs in thousand-dollar outfits? Where are all the advertisements for more stuff that no one needs? Where are the tips and tricks about how to l…
YesKidzCan! is about co-founders Lisa Novick and Julie Chapman's dream of making it easier for even busy families to participate in giving back to their communities. Which is great. So when I had the opportunity to chat with them last we…
I have delicate, dainty necklaces and I have chunky, rustic necklaces, and sometimes I wish I had something that was more, I don't know, both . (Why yes--I am that person who always gets twist when we go for soft serve. How did you guess…
