When the toy store ads appear in our Sunday newspaper, I'm mostly uninspired by all the blinky, noisy, plasticky stuff touted as The Next Big Thing. Would these really be the toys that Santa's elves carefully assemble in the North Pole? …
I was wondering if you could recommend a classic dollhouse for my two daughters' Christmas gift? Would love any suggestions you have. Thank you!! -Amy Ooh, dollhouses! One of our favorite things to look for, now that there are so many to…
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…
Before the 24-hour carols, the jammed parking lots, and those news stories about people fighting over the latest Elmo toy, there is Neighborhood Toy Store Day today, November 12. This is one that hits near and dear to our indie-loving he…
Here at CMP, we're total blockheads. We've brought you classic blocks, magnetic blocks, and amusingly subversive blocks. But this is the first time we're taking it old school, all the way back to the periodic table. Yes, friends, you're …
Please tell me I am not the only one with such nostalgia for some of our baby clothes, that I've saved them. The little peasant dress from Mexico, the smocked dress from a great-grandmother, the onesie with the swallow tattoos on the che…
With the 70s coming back hard everywhere from music to fashion (hello, Ella Moss) to Broadway revivals, I am not surprised at all to see the most fabulous pair of old school roller skates, front and center at Fred Flare. The colorblock r…
When my kids were younger, they adored lacing cards, though I can't say any of them had illustrations quite so adorable as the Lacing Cards from House 8810 . What I do remember is how quietly and intently they would sew their cards, and …
You know how much little babies love things that are black and white? Well, I'm kind of getting a kick out of imagining a baby freaking out on this awesome play mat. Seriously, they wouldn't know where to look first. Leave it to the MoMA…
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…
My son's car obsession knows no limits, which is why we've got tubs and tubs full of plastic race cars and trains packing our playroom shelves. But the play life of those tiny cars seem to be pretty short, which is not at all what I can …
My middle son loves graphic novels. They really get him excited about reading, and I'm certainly down with that. I want him to excitedly pick out a book from the library and read it on the ride home. So he about nearly flipped when we sa…
My oldest daughter, now 7, learned how to ride a bike in a matter of minutes thanks to a few months spent on a balance bike beforehand. However, when it comes to my littler kiddos, they tend to get more frustration than fun out of riding…
As much as my 5 month old would love for me to hold him 24/7, it's just not humanly possible. For the times I need to put him down, I think there's nothing better than a well-designed bouncy chair to keep baby upright while giving him a …
Sometimes it feels like we're in the middle of a plastic doll takeover. Those little dudes are everywhere (pretty sure most of them are in my living room) I am more convinced than ever that the last thing the world needs is another plast…
I have animal-crazy daughters, a wonderful characteristic I attribute in part to awesome grandparents that think to buy them "animal things" before buying them "princess things." So I was thrilled to see a nice partnership between Nation…
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 …
When we're running out the door on one of our million weekly errands, it's way too easy to just grab the iPad or a handheld electronic game to occupy the kids. But in my ongoing quest to "unplug" a little more often, I've discovered a ne…
Qu'est-ce que c'est? Why it's only the sweetest cardboard play structure I've ever laid eyes on. Okay, I've only laid eyes on it online, but still. I think my children need this thing, stat. The French Café from Little Play Spaces takes …
Need a gift for the superstar girl who has everything? She could be 8. Or heck, 38. Either way, I think she'll like this adorable necklace which it turns out, is a lot more than a necklace. The Super Star Stamp Necklace is an adorable, e…
Maybe it's because I am so lacking in the artistic/crafty gene, but I've always preferred arts-and-craft kits that call for a heavy dose of imagination. In other words, I could never get my final product to look anything like the picture…
As a homeschool mom, I've got plenty of creative ways to teach numbers and counting to my littler ones. But that doesn't mean there aren't more creative options out there, like this one from artist and mom CarrieSue Gustafson who I recen…
There's a box on top of my fridge overflowing with punk-rock ponies, witches on broomsticks, and smiley-faced dolphins, each one representing a special stage in my daughter's artistic development. They're amazing in two dimensions. Can y…
My handbag is sort of a Mom's Swiss Army Knife. Need a Band-Aid? Got it. Hungry? I've got some mints in here somewhere. But when we get stuck waiting somewhere and the kids are threatening to mutiny out of sheer boredom, it turns out tha…