My oldest daughter is now firmly planted in PG-movie territory which means I really have to pay attention to what she is seeing, reading and listening to -- hopefully without having to actually watch, read and listen to it all myself. Th…
There are few things that scream New England more than the ubiquitous lobster, but since I'm afraid a lobster may actually scream, I have never brought one home to cook for dinner. If you're like me, go a different route and bring home t…
I may not know my Syrah from my Pinot Noir, but there are still times I'd love a glass of wine at a late-day beach picnic or at that Little League game that goes into extra innings. But dragging along a glass wine bottle (let alone wrest…
With a little one who hates loud noises and falls asleep before 9, seeing big Fourth of July fireworks has become one of those "maybe next year" dreams we tell his older siblings. So we were happy to learn about PBS' A Capitol Fourth whi…
Magic Beans may sound like something a frat guy tried to slip me back in college, but it's actually the name of a super stocked Boston area baby gear and toy store. The mom/pop team of Eli & Sheri Gurock have done a great job streamlinin…
Each morning, it takes a vat of coffee to get me going and ready to face another day in charge of three young lives. So yes, I was eager to try out a shower gel with the word "energy" in it. This Works: Energy Bank Bath and Shower Gel wo…
When the kids ask to fingerpaint , I conjure up visions of them covered in gelatinous, who-knows-what goo which doesn't make me too eager to indulge them in their favorite medium. But, when they come calling with puppy-dog eyes and promi…
Fried chicken fingers and pink boneless spareribs are not real Chinese food , I tell the kids whenever we order take-out, and now I have the latest Handstand Kids' Chinese Cookbook to back me up. The latest from Handstand Kids' Italian C…
Summer's here, and I'm getting ready to bare some skin. Along with sit ups, a quickie pedicure and hedge clippers (you know what I mean), I've added The Spoiled Mama Orange and Chamomile Sugar Scrub to my bag of tricks. In those fleeting…
When my son was younger, he'd shuffle around the house balancing a stack of his favorite books in his overloaded arms. I was thrilled to have raised a mini bibliophile, but after seeing countless board books tumbling onto his little toes…
From hour-long swim lessons to screaming leaps over our backyard sprinkler, my daughters will spend much of the summer in their bathing suits. That's why we're turning to the swimwear from Girls4Sport which boasts a line of swimsuits mad…
When I find myself packing our bags for a beach side vacation , I always look for ways to cut back on the number of space-hogging things we're taking. With the SandSac they can bring their sand pail and shovel without taking up too much …
Whenever I bake with the brood, I am reminded that juggling three kids, a recipe and a big container of flour can end up being not a whole lot of fun. But when I had the chance to try out Zebra Mix's Decorate & Dazzle All Natural Cupcake…
When I saw that NPR had put out a collection of radio stories called NPR Driveway Moments for Dads , I wanted to kiss the radio in gratitude for helping me in my quest for a perfect Father's Day gift . Not only is my husband an enormous …
While we're not generally fans of the "my heart belongs to daddy" school of baby tees, I think we can safely agree that on Father's Day, wrapping your daddy's girl or boy in a soft comfy shirt that proclaims their love for the Big Guy wi…
The fact that Billy Jonas' Knock Knock song has taught my kids a bunch of jokes that are actually funny is alone worth the price of his new CD, Happy Accidents . But on top of that, Happy Accidents has loads of smart, humor-full and funk…
Last spring, I recommended my family's two favorite children's scooters , the Mini Micro Kickboard and the Skoooch, based on extensive testing by three scooter-fanatic kids. During this past year, these children continued to grow as they…
It's already been ten years that Putumayo's eclectic playground series has been introducing families like mine to kid-friendly music from around the globe -- from New Orleans, Brazil and even a multi-cultural Sesame Street. And now the n…
I personally think that most teachers deserve a sports car and a month in Hawaii as an end-of-year gift, but know that many would just like to hear a heartfelt thank you as the kids scramble out the door for the last time. You might also…
I've sung karaoke in a bar once, and my face still reddens at the memory of attempting Hollaback Girl in front of a room full of strangers. My kids share none of my shyness though and since I refuse to drag them to the nearest late-night…
I've read a few reviews that liken Ben Rudnick & Friends' new CD, A Frog Named Sam , to a kid-friendly Grateful Dead or Phish album which I guess could be a real plus for a lot of people. For me, though, who spent one blurry weekend at a…
"Recycled art" sounds like something my kids create with egg cartons and paper towel rolls, but in the case of Dolan Geiman's Panel Paintings , it means something much cooler. Using recycled wood panels, non-toxic, water-based textile in…
One of the first things I did when I started working again was hire a house cleaner, so when I needed to test Better Life's natural cleaning products , I called in the pros to try them out. Of course my request was initially met with ske…
If ever a CD was made to be played in a W Hotel guest room that requests a crib, Chill Baby, by Californian musician and producer Cordovan, is it. It's cool as the name suggests, mixing mellow electronica with both original and familiar …
