We've covered so many holiday books for kids over the years, and one thing we've realizes is missing: a good selection of books for children who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. While my teens may be jealous of friends who celebrat…
One way I always bring all of my family together over the holidays is with a Secret Santa gifting tradition. Truth be told, it's the most affordable (and let's be honest, fun) way to exchange gifts with a large family over the holidays. …
We have preached for years about the #1 rule of online shopping -- always look for discount codes before you checkout -- but even we forget that it always means...well, always. In fact, there are plenty of sites that just don't spring to…
If a dollhouse is on your kids' holiday wish lists, don't forget to include some dollhouse dolls so that they can get right to the business of playing (while you clean up wrapping paper). But unlike dollhouses which come in lots of diffe…
The #shopsmall movement is one we've been supporting even before there was an unofficial Small Business Saturday followed by a very official Small Business Saturday (now kindly supported by American Express). Lots of our favorite indie b…
Having some themed Thanksgiving crafts on hand is a great way to entertain your younger holiday guests over what can be a long day, but I'm never quite sure what to do with all the finished projects after the kids are done with them. So,…
I have to admit, I never thought about my car's tires a whole lot. I guess your tires are the kind of thing you don't think about a lot -- until they stop working properly. In which case...yikes. So I'm truly happy to support our fantast…
Each year during November, which is National Native American Heritage Month by the way, we like to take a look at some of the great resources for our kids about the Native experience. Especially as we approach Thanksgiving. Because witho…
This is a sponsored message from Lakeshore Learning Kids love toys -- all kinds of toys -- and parents love those toys when they get kids excited about learning and building skills they need through play. In fact, learning through play i…
We've been watching the news in shock and horror as fires ripped through California this past week. We know many friends and family who have been affected, and in an effort to lend some support, we've shared some ways you can help . And …
Hanukkah comes early this year -- December 2! -- so it's time to start gathering up ideas for cool Hanukkah gifts for kids . While of course every toy, game, accessory or gift can be wrapped up for Hanukkah, I love that we've been able t…
Leave it to Free to Be Kids to create a collection of positive multi-denominational holiday tees for kids and babies that I couldn't wait to run here to share with you all. We've joked before about the dearth of cool, clever Hanukkah tee…
With the tragic California wildfires all over the news right now, once again as parents, we're faced with prospect of having difficult conversations with our kids about natural disasters. We want to say the right things. We don't want to…
While there's no shortage of websites out there that offer free Thanksgiving coloring pages for children surrounded by lots of blinking ads and downloadable PDFs of dubious quality, we have an alternative: A selection of nicely designed,…
Each year on Veteran's Day, we love finding new organizations that support the families of military service men and women. And wow, I am so thrilled to learn about United Through Reading and their 40 Million Stories campaign . This non-p…
This year, I've been on a mission to track down more culturally and historically accurate Thanksgiving coloring pages for my own kids and for our readers. Because most of us know by now that, however uncomfortable it may be, the story of…
The images and stories of the Western Wildfires -- the Hill and Woolsey Fires in the LA area, and the Camp Fire in Northern California that has entirely decimated the town of Paradise -- have been nothing short of horrifying. With upward…
This is a sponsored message from GameStop If your family has video games, gaming systems, or pop culture tees and gifts (hey there, Fortnite fans!) on their holiday wish lists you're going to want to check out this weekend's huge GameSto…
It’s been over a week since I saw the brand new movie Boy Erased and I can’t get it out of my head. As an avid human-rights supporter and the mom of two activist teenagers, I spend a lot of time trying to be less angry these days than I …
Parents. We're not like other people who can just drop everything and fly out to a swing state to canvas, or host raucous fundraising cocktail nights, or even attend a GOTV concert on a whim. But there's a lot we can do -- with our famil…
I'm reluctant to even tell any of you about Garden Place, because it is one of the most delightful things about living in Brooklyn -- and I don't want it suddenly flooded with Manhattan people who swoop in and steal all the candy! (J/K a…
If you've been following the newly minted royal couple on their post-nuptial adventures (waving hands, here), you might have caught mom-to-be Meghan Markle in this little black dress and-trench maternity outfit . I'll admit that I've bee…
Kristen and I are both old school bloggers, going back to 2006 when our kids were tiny. Back then, we were a small, passionate community of writers who shared our lives, our joys, our many challenges and even some painful losses. Many of…
My kids have spent hours in front of the mirror perfecting scars and simpler character makeup based off of YouTube face paint tutorials, but these Halloween themed face paint tutorials should put their growing skills to the test. From yo…
