There is only one real rule this holiday season if you are bringing a hostess gift to a dinner party or a weekend get-away: the gift has to be something your harried hostess would actually enjoy. Okay, there is the secret second rule, wh…
We're now formally in the "handing-someone-a-bottle-of wine" season, and while most of us can simply stick a bow on it and pass it on, there are times when that bottle needs a little more oomph than a plain brown paper bag or a crinkled …
"Gosh, honey. I'd love to give you my water bottle and have you spit a bunch of germs and floaty pieces of avocado into it," I said. "But Mommy's new bottle is GLASS, so it's not for kids." ...and that's how I finally got to taste normal…
Perhaps you've poked around our holiday gift guide this year and come across the category called Gifts Under $15 That Don't Seem Cheap at All . If so, you very likely spotted the gourmet lollipops. You know the ones. The ones that call t…
That growing anxiety I feel is because Thanksgiving is right around the corner, like a really long race I have to run and if I down, I'll never catch up again. Luckily, there are some food-tastic sites and bloggers who are a great help t…
I spend a lot of time thinking about what gifts to buy each person on my Christmas list. Some gifts may say, I know you love nice things, or You have a great sense of humor , and even Maybe next year you'll do a wish list so you don't ge…
Could your local school use a salad bar? Because I sure know that ours could. Well, believe it or not, you can possibly get one --free-- thanks to a grant by the Salad Bar Project. But you need to hurry. Chef Ann Cooper, Whole Foods, and…
The latest rage at our house isn't candy. Or even the colorful vegetables that might end up spit-splattered across your blouse if baby isn't into beets. No, this exciting new pick is healthy, delicious, beautiful, and handy. And, honestl…
There are some women out there who seem to overachieve the pants off of the rest of us. Environmentalist, author, producer and mother of two Laurie David is one of those ladies. Her latest project is The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Conn…
Kids like snacks. Like, really, really like them. Understatement of the year, right? I truly believe that if I just had a constant supply of snack-type foods on hand , my children would eat all day. And I have a sneaking --or is it snack…
I'd like to think of myself as somewhat of a yogurt connoisseur. I grew up on Dannon and over the years have tried everything from the healthy and organic to the junky and gimmicky. And apparently I've passed on the yogurt gene to my son…
This year I'll be on crutches trying to pull together the perfect holiday meal, which I've already realized is going to have to be super "good enough." So, I've decided I should focus on cocktails, and lots of them. These fun cocktail na…
Every year, I make two kinds of holiday cookies from recipes that have been passed down from my mom. But yummy as the traditional family recipes are, I'm ready to branch out from the same old pecan balls and sugar cookies, and try and st…
It's soooo haaaaard to open my inbox and find an email inviting me to sample a new artisanal chocolate bar. Really, it's right up there with letters from Nigerian Princes and notices about my "Paypol Account," but you know. I am so devot…
We are what you'd call foodies at my place, despite my sigOth absolutely hating that term. Whatever it means when your pantry is filled with lots of little jars, and you tend to have more kinds of mustards in your fridge than most superm…
We've all heard the standard wisdom that if we each gave up one daily luxury--say, your morning latte --you could put that money towards charity and really make a difference. And I happily gave up my frou-frou coffeeshop runs for brewing…
If you've flown on a particular airline, then you're probably familiar with the scarily yummy Biscoff cookies. And as a wife of a pilot who flies for said airline, I have to giggle every time someone tells me that they hoard them, mostly…
Remember those Dapper Dan the Magnetic Man toys from when we (or , okay, maybe our parents) were kids? It was so much fun to use the magnetic wand to give that smiling bald dude bizarre facial hair, hats, and eye patches. And now our kid…
With some Halloween candies containing loads of hydrogenated oil, artificial colors and even high-fructose corn syrup, I appreciate why so many of us are taking a closer look at what we drop into those pillow cases come October 31st. Eve…
You know how you can tell when your kid is using a really cool sippy cup ? When you hear they sell them in the MOMA design store. Oh, and when they're imported from Italy, of course. The new mOmma line of baby feeding products fits the b…
I admit that I completely poo-poo'd the idea of registering for fancy pants dishes when I got married. I also used Chef Mic (aka the microwave) for most of my meals back then too. But after seeing the amazing place settings by Ink Dish, …
Sure, as a seasoned mama, you know that even the cutest plate won't keep the applesauce out of baby's hair and the peas out of her nose, but hope springs eternal. And really, what makes a better baby gift than adorable tot-sized tablewar…
I know, I know - we keep featuring reusable snack bags! What can I say, there are so many to choose from these days. Our job is just to pare down the cool ones for you, and we've got a couple more options for you, whatever your own perso…
I definitely enjoy my one plus cup of coffee every morning, but with our new busy schedule, that usually means I'm enjoying it on the go, which means I have a perfectly good reason to purchase one of these simply fabulous ceramic travel …