Over-scheduled kids: 7 questions to ask your child to help prioritize activities and bring more sanity to the family

by Kate Etue | Tips + Tricks

Raise your hands if you may have an over-scheduled child. It’s not a judgment or a criticism. I get it — it happens. Our kids have lots of interests, their clubs or sports or lessons require big commitments, or maybe we just really need the kids scheduled...

Say my name, say my name.

by Kate Etue | Art + Decor

How hard was it to pick the perfect name for your baby? Ugh. My husband and I discussed (and debated) for months over the merits of different names, and name meaning always came into play. In fact, we even threw out some good contenders just because we didn’t...

A list of excellent articles + analyses to help parents discuss “This is America” with our kids.

by Kate Etue | Uncategorized

On Saturday night, I saw messages from friends, including our own editors and contributors, pop up on my computer. They all were versions of, “Whoa. WATCH THIS,” with a link to the new Childish Gambino video, “This is America.” After watching...

4 very cool first-words books for toddlers that are anything but basic

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids

My tweens (gah!) grew up reading Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever, and I have to admit — it’s hard to argue with that title. It’s a classic! But a some new and very cool first-words books have caught my eye recently, and I just have to...

These silly swim masks are going to be the talk of the pool this summer.

by Kate Etue | Toys + Playthings

Fun water toys are really having their moment, aren’t they? From crazy pool floats to OMG unicorn yard sprinklers, we’re not the only ones obsessed. So when we saw these silly swim masks, we knew we had to share with you all! Because it’s twice as...

Screen-Free Fun is the remedy for “I’m bored.”

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids

This week is National Screen-Free week, our kids’ favorite week of the year. Ha! We love hearing from our readers about the different ways you manage screen time at home, including some of the tricks you’ve picked up from Cool Mom Tech. Lots of you have...

4 must-read books about the environment to read with your kids on Earth Day, and any other day

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids

Today is Earth Day, and my kids love the Earth Day challenge to turn off all electricity for one hour. So we’re planning to turn off the lights, cuddle up by our battery-powered lanterns — or the fireplace, if this cold weather doesn’t move on! For...

It’s back! All the details on how to save big with Target’s car seat trade-in program.

by Kate Etue | Baby

If your toddler’s car seat is anything like mine, it’s full of crushed Cheerios and covered in juice box stains. And my dust buster can only do so much to remedy the situation. So I’ll be taking advantage of Target’s car seat trade-in program,...

The Ordinary review: Is this skincare line good considering it’s so cheap? We tried it to see. | Damn You, Social Media Ads

by Kate Etue | Beauty + Cosmetics

If you’ve been looking for a trusted The Ordinary review, you’ve come to the right place! Because I was wondering myself how good this stuff could be when it’s this cheap. Last month, I turned forty. Because the Internet knows everything, it’s...

Why Little Guides to Great Lives is the next cool biography series to buy your kids

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids

I’m nearly finished reading Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls to my kids at bedtime, and they’ve become so fascinated by these biographies that I’ve been trying to find even more more for them to read when we’re done. So when I received a copy...