Shopping for my tween niece can be hard. She's not a little girl any more, but she's not fully a teenager either. She wants cool stuff that's still sweet and cute. So, I'm excited to have discovered The Make Arcade on Etsy (thanks to Liz…
Do you know how hard it is to find good free Hanukkah coloring pages for kids? Like, really hard. Who knew that tracking 8 of them down would be another Hanukkah miracle! I searched a long time to find what I think are some of the best H…
If there is one gift we always hope our kids get unwrap this holiday, it's an art toy or craft kit , or something that encourages and help develops their artistic sides. For us, toys that build on children's natural creativity are as imp…
My kids' holiday gift requests are coming in fast and while I'm sure Santa appreciates the early input, I want to make sure my kids don't forget how it feels to give to others as well. That's why Little Loving Hands is one of my favorite…
We've covered lots of cool Advent calendar over the years, because what kid doesn't want to countdown to the big day of toys and treats with...well, okay. A lot of little toys and treats. So I was really touched by this sweet Acts of Kin…
Even though Thanksgiving is a pretty low-key holiday for a lot of us -- more about food, friends and family and football than anything too fancy -- I love how kids tend to get excited about celebrating every holiday. And about decorating…
Since I'll be busy in the kitchen next week,I'm going to put my kids in charge of the Thanksgiving table decorations. Craft projects and art are usually a fun way for them to fill their down time when they're home from school, and what I…
Even though Halloween is long over, my kids are still running around in costumes most days, as they'll continue to do. It's fun to see the stories they come up with when they dig through our dress-up box -- like when Cruella deVille and …
Our kids are usually pretty clear about what they want for their big gifts for Christmas, so I often have the most fun thinking about those smaller gifts that are total surprises for our kids. So, we wanted to share one of our favorite a…
Even though I'm still finding Halloween candy wrappers hidden under the couch ( kids! ), I'm keenly aware that December isn't that far away. Which means that it's time to start thinking about which Advent calendar we want in our home to …
As we get closer to the launch of our big holiday gift guide (next week, you guys!) we've been keeping our eyes out in particular for lots of affordable gifts. You know, the stuff for people on your list who deserve more than a stocking …
With holidays coming up, we're seeing a lot more interest in building toys and maker toys, a trend we've loved since, well, before it was a trend. And earlier this year at Toy Fair, when I saw the new 5-in-1 pegasus kit from YOXO I thoug…
We truly love Halloween, which is one of the reasons we start looking for the coolest costumes, spookiest decorations, and most delicious recipes around, oh...July. But we're all busy parents! So if, like us, you still need some last min…
If your kids are like mine and Kristen's, they started counting down to Halloween...oh, November 1 of last year. Now that they're in full Halloween commando mode, I've been looking for some easy crafts to distract them from asking me for…
I wish my kids had more candy this Halloween is not something you'll hear from our lips because--wow--candy is everywhere. And, while we're not against our kids collecting sugary treats (In fact, I'll be taking- um, sneaking - all of the…
We all know that as your kids get older , it can be tough to remember their milestones, like which Halloween your kid was a vampire bride and which year they were the Arthurian knight with the helmet that wouldn't stay on. Hopefully, I'm…
I knew the whole sexy Halloween costumes for women thing had jumped the shark (the sexy shark?) when I saw a sexy Freddy Krueger costume in our local costume shop. Not even kidding; we talked about it on a recent episode of Spawned . So …
First, you have to laugh at a shop called Wool and the Gang . (Take a sec...okay, there you go.) But when you look at their amazing selection of hand-knit accessories, and the knitting patterns you can buy, it turns out it's a massive re…
The house is decorated, there's candy in the pantry for trick-or-treaters, and your children's Halloween costumes have been planned for a month. Think you're set for October 31? Well, have you considered what your kids will use for Hallo…
Now that my kids are a little older — and a little braver — we can finally bump up the fear factor when it comes to decorating our home for Halloween. That means that the smiling cartoon ghosts and friendly pumpkin faces are about to be …
I like to think of Halloween as an equal opportunity holiday; you don't actually need to be a crafting maven to come up with the best costume. Even procrastinators can throw together last-minute Halloween costumes using (mostly) everyday…
When my kids' father was deployed for a few months to Afghanistan, I put together several military care packages filled with fairly typical items. Don't get me wrong, they were definitely very appreciated by his unit! But it wasn't until…
If cackling witches and spiders that drop from doorways aren't quite creepy enough for you for Halloween, perhaps a zombie-themed party is more your speed. I started looking for some fun zombie party ideas now that my kids are getting ol…
We love when our own readers share cool things with us, and in the case of Nicola Pravato of Next to Nicx, I'm so happy she brought to our attention her squee-cute kawaii Halloween printables that are awesome for upcoming Halloween parti…