When my daughter needed a new water bottle for school two years ago -- or 20 years ago in pandemic time -- she had mentioned something about a Hydroflask. So I looked and...holy sticker shock. 50 bucks for a 32-oz bottle with a straw lid…
I had a long talk with my (avidly LGBTQ+ supporting) teens this week about the overlap between Pride Month and brands. On one hand, there's an argument about the "corporatization" of Pride Month, and the rainbow washing of products. On t…
I've always been a fan of graduation gift books . When my daughter graduated from high school five years ago, the headmaster gifted each graduating senior a book with a personal message inside -- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemp…
With my almost 17-year old graduating from high school this summer (WHAT?), I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the things she needs to know before she leaves. Suddenly, I've got an urgency to make sure she remembers how to b…
As I was browsing ecards for teacher appreciation week, I was thinking that when I wrote about 8 creative ways to thank our teachers during a very different Teacher Appreciation Week last year, I had no idea that a full 12 months later, …
Honestly, we have never done a dedicated guide to home office gifts for moms, even if we have incorporated home office gifts for her throughout our other Mother's Day gift guides , and especially on Cool Mom Tech . But these days, with m…
For years, we've been recommending cool subscription gifts that make great gifts, and that includes Trade Coffee . So we're happy to partner with them on a fantastic deal -- right in time for Mother's Day and Father's Day. too. Right now…
So, how about 2021, parents? It's been a pretty rough year (which we know, understatement of the century), and well, let's just say, we could use a laugh . We could also use a few other things too (cough hugging friends cough), but for n…
As someone who didn’t grow up around animals, I’ve learned a lot raising kids who love them, especially my youngest who is an avid horseback rider. When she first asked to take riding lessons, I thought it might be a passing phase, espec…
If you had'n't noticed, houseplants are having a real moment right now. I'm cracking up over friends who are naming their plants and calling themselves "plant parents." It's a serious obsession and considering the year we've had, I get t…
It means nothing. Absolutely nothing in 2021. &$#*# April Fool's Day! I mean, can't we just have one day when we are not terrified about something -- real or otherwise? So my April Fool's Day proposal is we just get rid of it. And that's…
We have all been just devastated by the increase in hate crimes against the AAPI community . Even if you've avoided the horrific videos, from Atlanta to San Francisco to NYC, surely by now you've seen the #StopAsianHate social media post…
The world is a little overwhelming these days (understatement of the year, right?) and sometimes we just need to kick back, chill out, and as a wise songwriter once sang, forget about life for a while. Oh, and laugh. More laughing please…
We've hit spring. So yay! But, that also means we've all been inside for a long time now. A year of quarantine has taught me this, at least: it's time to update my home decor. A new rug or dining set may not be in my budget, but do you k…
Mother’s Day will be coming up before you know it, and while we love getting fresh cut bouquets of flowers , there are other options! Consider these flower bouquet alternatives for Mother's Day that will last way past the big day. Yes, i…
This global pandemic has impacted so many small businesses we have loved for years, from indie bookstores to local restaurants . And, now, one of our favorite letterpress cards and gifts shop, Sapling Press has raised the alarm that they…
The beginning of 2021 feels just as heavy as 2020, with the pandemic still in full force , and then our friends in Texas getting hammered with snow , ice and power outages. But as an Asian American (4th generation American-born Chinese, …
Considering this is a site dedicated to mothers and parenting, I would not be surprised to learn that you were one of the thousands (millions?) who read The Primal Scream interactive series on the New York Times this week. Compiled by Je…
February is hard for me in a zillion ways. Low light, cold temperatures, the biological imperative to eat all the Oreos. (Didn't Darwin mention Oreos somewhere in his writing? I could swear I remember that from 7th grade biology.) Oh, an…
I think so many of us just needed to laugh this week. So it's no surprise that the Bernie Sanders meme that's taken the internet by storm this week is just good fun. Not cynical, not snarky, not political. Just... funny. I guess 2021 wil…
If you've been paying attention for the past four years -- and in particular the past week -- there's been a lot of dissection of phrases uttered by horrified, primarily white people in response to bigotry and racist violence. Phrases li…
Each year, we put together the best planners for parents, and 2021 is no different. But after the year that was 2020, I have to admit I've hesitated longer than usual to take the plunge. What are we planning anyway? Will our calendars st…
I totally get the last-minute holiday gift problem. Believe me! I mean, we may have started amassing ideas for our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide in, like...February, but hey, we're busy moms. And we're busy shopping for you sometimes at the ex…
Political gifts from some of our favorite shops over the years, and some new ones I just had to share The truth is, it took me so long to get this post up this year because every day I found something new and amazing I wanted to highligh…