I love being a mom of boys, but I envy my mom-of-girls friends one wee thing: Barrettes. Especially when I see ones as cute as the felt barettes from Redhaven . Redhaven's no-slip barrettes are handmade of 100% wool felt; each set of thr…
Automoblox have taken over more than a few toy chests in the last few years, and it's not surprising - these modular, creativity-inspiring toys cars and trucks inspire imaginations, while still delivering the joy of vrooming a car around…
For the past eight holidays, I've sent out standard flat photo cards featuring the kids, and I usually hear a few comments about how much the kids have grown. If I should send out Minted's new Minibook Holiday Cards , I expect my phone w…
I've bought enough chocolate for my milk-allergic daughter to know that milk isn't a necessary ingredient for super-delicious chocolate, especially when it's the extra-good-for-you darker varieties. And while Divvies is my first choice f…
Well kids, gather round and let me tell you about an animated short film about a desk lamp, that came out in 1986. Sound boring? No way. It was the first glimpse of what the future of CGI would look like, created by a (then) little-known…
Tween girls are often the hardest to shop for at the holidays - everything they covet seems to be a fortune (iPod Touch, I'm talking to you) and most of the inexpensive gifts are hopelessly disposable. But I think I just found a home run…
When I found out that How the Grinch Stole Christmas , one of my all time faaaaavorite Christmas movies was out on Blu-ray I couldn't wait to see it in glorious high def. Especially now that we're officially into Christmas season . As it…
Yo Gabba Gabba! adds a float to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York today? Suddenly we have renewed commitment to tune in. No offense, Underdog. Bonus points if Biz Markie makes an appearance. But we'll settle for Brobee doing Par…
I love Thanksgiving. Just love it. Despite the fact that the whole history behind it might be somewhat mythological. (Were the Native Americans really that underdressed in November? Hm.) Still, I adore what it's become, at least in our f…
Thanks so much to CBS 4 in Denver for the lovely coverage of our Holiday Gift Guide and their focus on our support of mom-run businesses and more affordable options for parents this year. Click over (while you can!) to see CMP VIP and De…
The nicest thing about our recent XBox 360 giveaway was seeing all the fabulous local children's charities that you wanted your second XBox donated to should you win. The lucky winner was reader Marcela W (Go Marcela!) along with her cha…
We fell in love with Paloma's Nest last year when we first featured this Austin artist's ceramic Christmas ornaments in our holiday gift guide . (Speaking of which - our 2009 guide should be out next week. Whoo!) We were so blown away by…
I send flowers several times a year and I've found florist shops and online flower delivery services to be very hit or miss in terms of the quality and freshness. When most of the "fresh" flowers you order are shipped in from abroad, how…
This time of year, the entire world descends on my fair city, or seems to, judging from the midtown traffic and my inability to get anywhere near the fitting rooms at H+M at lunchtime. So I'd be remiss if I didn't point out a couple of r…
I have a pretty wooden advent calendar/box with little doors that my boys use to count down the days until Christmas but I always have trouble finding cute items to put inside. Any ideas? -Kristin The advent calendar is the first thing m…
Loved my ginormous collapsible playpen / portable crib when the kids were little. Loved. Though I admit to doing a happy dance when I no longer had to lug that thing around to hotels and overnights at the grandparents. But because we're …
In our family, Christmas stockings have always been a really important aspect of our family tradition. Even on years we skip the tree for whatever reason, those stockings just make the house feel festive and fun. So I really love seeking…
Next week is Thanksgiving, and if you're like my family, that means lots of little kids around. The cousins are all getting to the age where they can entertain themselves (hallelujah!) which means we're stocking up on craft supplies and …
With my family spread out around the country, my husband, kids and I often spend the holidays alone, which means I don't have the greatest excuse to buy my children fancy holiday-best clothes. So instead, I tend to look for festive cloth…
If you're looking to knock off a half-dozen of teacher gifts or cousin gifts or classmate gifts in one fell swoop, I love the idea of the holiday ornament kit from CMP fave, Thomas Claire . This wonderful mom-run company will hook you up…
Steer clear of the fruitcake and stinky pine candles, mamas! If it's cool holiday gifts you're looking for, then we've got you covered with our brand spankin' new 2009 Holiday Gift Guide . We've scoured the web to help you solve every ho…
With all due respect to the latest pop star du jour, most modern renditions of my favorite classic holiday songs leave me wishing for stronger eggnog. But now that I've started playing the Putumayo Presents awesome new A Family Christmas…
I'm actually pretty practical when it comes to my girls' dressier shoes. I am willing to spend more than average, but I demand great design and excellent construction, and I don't want shoes that will either fall apart or feel out of sea…
I find The Nutcracker a bit hard to explain to fidgety kids, so before I fork over $50 a seat to take them to see it in person, I'm going to let them watch Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker to their heart's content. What makes this…