by Christina Refford | Kitchen + Dining
We’ve been eating out waaaay too much lately because of a kitchen renovation, and though my kids have finally grown sick of chicken fingers, they are also sick of those restaurant-supplied paper activity mats that hold their attention for about five minutes...
by Christina Refford | Uncategorized
As my milk-allergic daughter will tell you, the Thanksgiving table can hold one big heaping of “no” for kids with food allergies. No, you can’t have that. Or that. Or that. And nowhere is this more apparent than when desserts are brought out. So...
by Christina Refford | Art + Decor
Every year, I make my Mother-in-Law a calendar with photos of the kids and she ooos and ahhhs over it as any good grandmother would. But, after doing this for the past ten years, I am feeling a little ho-hum about the whole thing and wonder if the calendar has become...
by Christina Refford | Entertainment + Media
In my last review of a Caspar Babypants CD, I mentioned that Weird Al Yankovic had called him “one of the few children’s recording artists I can listen to without wanting to stab myself in the eyes,” which is my single favorite endorsement ever. But...
by Christina Refford | Cards + Stationery
Three cute kids? Check. Three cute kids who will sit still for holiday photo? Who will not blink, grimace, scratch, look away, hunch, scowl or stick out their tongue for said photo? Yeah, not a check. Good thing I’ve found a way to preserve their...
by Christina Refford | Uncategorized
This Veteran’s Day, we’d like to not only remember the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country, but also that little boy over there who is riding his bike with grape jelly on his shirt. And there is his sister, hula-hooping in...
by Christina Refford | Uncategorized
As December nears, my house is ready to to become a big, kid-friendly fun house of colored blinky lights and tinsel. With three kids, I know what to expect and have given in to All Things Christmas. Except I’ve just seen the most beautifully refined and...
by Christina Refford | DIY
You know what’s scary? Realizing you’ve invited a bunch of little butterflies and superheroes to invade your home for a pre-trick-or-treating soiree, and then realizing your house is not ready. Ahem. Since making a last-minute dash to a...
by Christina Refford | Doing Good
I’ve never doubted the power of music to unite people–though it does bring to mind those big events like Woodstock or Live Aid. But it’s the effort of one dad and some very cool bands with loads of heart that now deserve to get people behind an...
by Christina Refford | Entertainment + Media
The list of children’s books I’ve loved to read to my kids is l-o-n-g though I’ve always had a particular fondness for the books of author and illustrator Mo Willems. Unless you live under a rock, or a pile of newborn diapers, you are probably...