When my kids were really young, they loved to tell me long, adorably nonsensical stories about just about anything that crossed their minds. Now that they're a bit older, I miss their elaborate tales. These days, it's easy for tech-savvy…
This past week on a trip with a few families, I was so glad we had a few little art projects for rainy days or just quiet (forced) downtime. If you're not familiar with Todd Oldham's awesome craft collection, Kid Made Modern, it's a wond…
Last year for the first time, I discovered the genius that is Circus Smirkus, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that my kids have been counting the days for an entire year until we could return. Well, we did. And you can too, now that …
With three kids and an ever-growing number of nieces and nephews, it seems like I'm on the lookout for a "wow" birthday gift every month, and a monthly gift subscription is always a great idea. In the past, we've lauded the genius of Kiw…
When I first read about Kiwi Co's monlhly craft box suscriptions for kids (here, in fact), I couldn't wait to gift one to my niece. She clapped in delight each time her box arrived because she knew it'd be packed with fun, engaging, and …
When my husband decided that he wanted to take a family ski vacation, I was a little hesitant. With four kids who have never seen more than a few inches of snow, we were less than prepared with cold weather kids' gear. And the thought of…
One of the biggest resolutions we're seeing this year is a commitment to spend more quality time with family. The reality is that even for a homeschooling mom like me, our lives are so busy and interests so varied, we have just as much d…
I love living in Boston, but every once in a while something so great comes along that it gives me serious New York envy. The Moomah NYC creative arts cafe is one of those things. But for those of us not within taxi distance of their org…
While bananas are not normally something you find associated with Hanukkah, this year we have good reason for you to reconsider- Bananagrams have gone Hebrew. This awesome modern word game already exists in English and in Spanish so we'r…
Growing up on the East Coast, our family beach vacations were always limited to the Jersey Shore (no, not that one), where the beaches were crowded and the water was pretty cold, even in the dead of summer. It wasn't until I was living i…
My boys love woodworking. It certainly helps having a super handy husband and grandpa to keep them busy and tinkering away in the garage. But I have to admit, seeing them wielding heavy tools does frighten me some. A while back, I search…
Back before I had kids, I was actually pretty crafty. But add four bundles of joy and I'm struggling to think of something to make for dinner, let alone what to do with empty egg cartons. Well, thanks to this new book from one of our fav…
If you're not familiar with TableTopics , it's such a fabulous little secret weapon to have around the house for those holiday weekends in which the throngs of relatives descend upon you. I mean, uh, honor you with their presence. Each b…
If you've seen our posts about our favorite subscription box gifts for moms ,, book subscription boxes for kids of all ages , and cool subscription gifts made for men and dads , you'll recognize that monthly subscriptions are all the rag…
If you're a NYC mom or mom-to-be, you'll want to clear your calendar one day this weekend for the New Parents Expo at Pier 92, hosted by our friends at New York Family Magazine. You'll find more than 100 exhibitors featuring the best bra…
We played lots of board games in my house growing up, and with a 4 year age difference, there were few my sister and I could both make it through without quitting. (We in fact have never completed a game of Monopoly to this day.) One of …
Today is a tough day for a lot of us, especially those of us in the New York and DC areas who lived through the horror of 9/11 ten years ago. But we do love how it's been turned into something positive as a National Day of Service. We th…
On a recent trip to Prague, I fell in love with the town's infamous toy shops. Somehow, I managed to squeeze into my bag a set of 6" marionettes for my kids, along with a small puppet theater. Who would know it would turn out to be the b…
As far as licensed characters go, I am admittedly partial to Julius, the cartoon monkey from Paul Frank. My kids are partial to him too, but they call him Paul. So how could we resist a chance to get up close with him at a traveling part…
This weekend, I had the pleasure of taking my kids and some friends to one of the greatest circuses I'd ever been to. The one thing that made it different than any other--the performers were all kids. Before you roll your eyes and imagin…
I am an earnest, but distracted gardener. I have a garden box in my yard, one withholding lemon tree, and an egg carton (maybe) sprouting herbs on my windowsill. I've also grown a fungus or two, but it's always been accidental and I neve…
The 1937 book, Mr. Popper's Penguins , figured into my early years. Chances are that you (and your kids) know and love the book, too--it's a classic. So when I learned it was going to turned into the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins starring …
Recently, I was honored to attend a celeb-packed preview party for an amazing new initiative from the American Cancer Society. But it wasn't the glitterati that left the strongest impression (as gorgeous as Hilary Swank and Kelly Rutherf…
My son has been totally into making pop-ups this week. Little paper springs, rainbows and jack-in-the-boxes are all over our kitchen table as I type this. (And a million tiny scraps of paper are still on the kitchen floor.) And now, your…