We're always looking for personalized gifts you just don't see everywhere, and this year, the personalized flip sequin pillows from The Mermaid Pillow Co definitely makes my list of It Gifts. As if my kids weren't already crazy enough fo…
I can get lost (er, I mean , my kids can) in a good seek-and-find book . One that's not so hard it's frustrating, but not too easy that you have the whole thing solved in ten minutes. So, when I saw that Wonderbly , one of our favorite i…
LEGO just keeps getting more insane -- in the best possible way -- with their new building kits, especially when it comes to the brand new LEGO Creator Expert: Roller Coaster set. You thought the LEGO Millenium Falcon Collectors Set was …
If you’re like me, this DIY Pin & Flair Kit from Yellow Owl Workshop will transport you back to the carefree days of your youth. That is, the good parts, not the parts with the retainer and the bad hair. Because the pins are made with Sh…
I took one look at the nature-inspired handmade wooden blocks from Water & Lightning at Toy Fair 2018 and...instant love. These minimalist but colorful stacking blocks feel amazing, are nicely weighted, and the perfect size for both litt…
Just when you were thinking the unicorn trend was passing...haha, just kidding! With all our Lisa Frank loving hearts, we all know that unicorns will never go out of style! And that's just one of the reasons I was so excited to find thes…
Ken Burns called our national park system, "America's Best Idea." And I have to say, the president's decision yesterday to eliminate more protected public land than ever before in US history -- nearly 2 million acres -- is absolutely dis…
This post is sponsored by Nintendo, who is awesome for letting us do this. The 80s and 90s were...quite a time. And so we cordially invite you to laugh with (at?) us as we depict some of the stuff we don't miss a bit. From the hell of ca…
I love receiving personalized gifts , because they show that a friend has put a little more thought into gift-giving than, "Hey, it's on sale!" So when I saw these fun personalized 4 Things tote bags at The Shop Forward, I went ahead and…
Essential oils are everywhere, if you haven't noticed, and they're not going away anytime soon. At least if my Facebook feed is any indication. So why wouldn't essential oil jewelry be A Thing right now? I'm a big fan of peppermint oil t…
Having a preschooler means lots of classmate birthday parties to look forward to during the school year. And that means lots of birthday gifts, which can really add up. Luckily, there are lots ideas of really cool birthday gift ideas for…
My girls are totally infatuated with bath bombs, ever since my middle schooler joined a Harry Potter Potions after-school science club (so cool, right?) and made her own handmade bath bomb. So when I started combing our neighborhood look…
Kids like rocks. Kids like painting. Kids like giving gifts. So it's pretty brilliant for Creativity for Kids/Faber-Castell to come out with the brand new Hide & Seek Rock Painting Kit which brings all three together. Admittedly on first…
We discovered the cool parent-run company that creates personalized Lost My Name books for kids nearly four years ago, and became instant fans. From the gorgeous art to the compelling story, and the clever customization that makes every …
When my kids get bored over the summer, their go-to entertainment, other than the Xbox (of course), is board games . So when we got a chance to try out the new Beyond Tablet -- an electronic, but screen-free, tabletop gaming system -- in…
My kids' playroom has a bookshelf with piles of board games taller than me. So yeah, you could say we're fairly avid tabletop gamers at our house. But, even so, we're still always on the lookout for fun new games. If they're really affor…
A few years ago my kids tried out the cool service Budsies , which turns kids' drawings into stuffed animals . They were so excited when their creations arrived, and they still have them in their beds today. So, when we heard that Budsie…
Of our entire 2016 holiday gift guide , by far one of the most popular gift ideas were the genius handmade Hamilton dolls by Christina of Etsy's Bobeena Shop . What can we say, you all have good taste in artists -- and game-changing Broa…
This past holiday season, my 9-year-old asked for a boy doll. "But not a boy baby doll," she said, "because they're exactly the same as the girl baby dolls when you take the clothes off. They are just girl dolls! Only in blue clothes! Th…
My daughter isn't what you'd typically call a "girly girl." Her favorite clothes are athletic wear and she can hold her own (and then some) with the neighborhood boys in a game of flag football. But she still loves to dress up and has a …
I did the research, and in 2013, out of 3,200 children’s books published, only 93 featured African American characters . Sadly, that's even more than I had expected. And the numbers aren't much better for other races and ethnicities. Tha…
When you've got a little one, you probably know that means you have a whooooole lot of preschooler birthday party gifts to look for over the course of the year. One gift for each party for each kid in your child's preschool class? Yeouch…
I've already let my secret out: I'm not one for elaborate birthday parties. In fact, we keep birthday parties simple and on a budget around our house. That said, I love to celebrate the birthday kid and make them feel really special on t…
If I had a dime for every time I walked into what was once a clean den or bedroom to discover it's been colonized by tiny pillow forts and sheet palaces, well, then I could buy one of these awesome, animal-shaped HULKI playhouses instead…