I am a planner: to-do lists, calendars, and Post-Its rule my universe and make me feel complete. You would think that I would have been all over the baby book record keeping, right? Looking back, I think it was a commitment issue, the sa…
It's finally here, the time when your sweet, drooly, dribbly little baby is ready to get down with some solids. You go to the supermarket and marvel at the huge selection of options, scratching your head as you read the ingredients, know…
Did you know that it only takes three little words to fill an entire book? At least in this case. We have long been fans of Paper Hat Press and their groovy personalized books for kids, but it's their latest and greatest that has us head…
I am a sucker for bright, colorful socks, and so is my kid. We're all for feet having more fun (not to mention that having fun socks to look forward to each day seems to magically get us out the door faster). It seems to be going around …
It seems that our society might be seeking out a few too many reasons to celebrate each and every day of the year (Penguin Awareness day anyone?). That said, I have found room for some elite exceptions. With today being National Peanut B…
While I will never come close to the Martha Stewart level of preparedness, there are some nifty tricks I've picked up along the way to help me appear as a super hostess-goddess always at the ready for guests (even of the unexpected overn…
The potatoes are peeled, the menorah is polished and the kids are sniffing around for the gift stash. Yes, Hanukkah is kicking off and excitement is in the air. So we've got the perfect little Hanukkah craft project to keep the kids busy…
The world of children's music has come a long way, baby. I definitely grew up in simpler times, lying on my bedroom floor listening to record-album recordings of my favorite stories. While it's incredible to have such diverse offerings f…
I adore everything about the holidays, especially decorating. Growing up in my family, prepping the house pretty much stopped at setting out the menorah. Now that I'm in charge, I love decking out our home with a cozy all-holidays-welcom…
We bet you know a pint-sized superhero or two. You might even have one battling baddies in your living room at this very moment. So maybe it's time for some new superhero threads for your fave good guys (and good girls). One of our favor…
Hanukkah comes early this year, kicking of the Festival of Lights on December 8th (or the 25th of Kislev if you want to be technical about it). Which means for some gifts, you need to start getting ready now already (eek!). For parents t…
If you don't know Elizabeth Mitchell's music, you're missing something special. She invokes a vibe of simple joy that's been part of our daily soundtrack as a family for the past few years. Daniel, Elizabeth's husband, and Storey, her be…
I do a whole lot of roleplaying with my daughter. Whether we're reading books or playing dolls, my daughter assigns us our roles: "That's you mommy, and that's me !" She loves to picture herself in whatever imaginary world we visit. So i…
Before I was a cool mom, I was a cool aunt with very high standards. Lucky for me, being a cool aunt in New York City isn't tough, as fabulous boutiques beckon from just about every other corner. But one in particular really captured thi…
The cooler weather is setting in, so I'm already on the hunt for inside activities that will save my hide come winter. I admit I'm pretty picky about what crafty goodness makes the grade at our house, so when I heard about green 3D puzzl…
We all know that personalized items make a baby's or kid's gift ten times more special. While many of the big catalog stores offer custom embroidery, they'll usually only personalize their own brand's items--which is kind of limiting. So…
When I was a kid, instead of a growth chart, my parents measured us old-school style on the doorframe between the kitchen and the dining room. Quaint they were, but old-school doorway measurements had their drawbacks. Before my folks eve…
I am a big fan of family traditions. And one of the best parts of having a family of my own is that we can create our own traditions. Whether schlepping to Aunt Stacy's every Thanksgiving for her perfect roasted turkey or watching the NY…
You know how it goes: your kids wear their clothes for a ridiculously short period of time. Sure, there's always hand-me-downs, or consignment and Craigslist, if you're motivated enough to try to make some money. But those routes require…
Going out for Chinese food was a regular event during my childhood, and we kids always loved it. Chinese restaurants are the great crowd-pleasers of the culinary world, kid-friendly environments where veggies are magically hidden in almo…
I must admit, once or twice I have bought boxes of lovely, organic snacks only to find they've gone stale before we've had a chance to get through them. What can I say? My daughter is picky and not every snack is her style. Leave it to E…
Imagination is in no short supply around these parts. One of our toys can have half a dozen alter egos and we love and encourage the unstoppable creative flow. And so when we were introduced to the Clump-O-Lump crew of stuffed animals th…
It seems a lot of baby toys are awfully loud these days. They light up, crinkle, beep and blast music, so sometimes its nice to just have some low-key playthings to appease our easily overstimulated little ones. These quiet handmade soft…
Being named the #1 anything in New York is a major badge of honor. Not to brag, but this city is chock full of the best of pretty much everything our country has to offer. Knowing that, when I found out there was a new #1 Zagat rated ice…
