My kids can play "birthday" pretty much every day. We have a ridiculous number of play cake sets, and if they're not around, my girls are happy to crumple up a piece of paper, stick a Q-tip in it and belt out Happy Birthday anyway. So wh…
My daughter loves puppets. I mean, she really loves puppets. She carries them around and tells them stories and engages them in fisticuffs. (Put Bert on one hand and Ernie on the other and smash them together and you get the picture.) So…
My mom would like to get my 14 month old daughter a wooden nativity set for Christmas--something she can actually play with but something sturdy, cute, and made to last. - Cara It's funny you should ask this Cara, because I was just look…
We all know that babies usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to Christmas presents, mostly because they'd just as soon spend hours chewing on a big red bow than playing with a bunch of expensive toys. So this holiday, let…
Just six months ago, my daughters planted seeds from their organic growing kits, re-potted the shoots in Grandma's vegetable garden, and late this summer, they were eating their own little yellow teardrop tomatoes. You country folk make …
Recently I was introduced to the Plasma Car at a friend's house. I had to beg my four year-old to get off...and give me a try. And once I did, she had to beg me to get off. I'm not the only one. At the ABC Kids show in Las Vegas a few mo…
Ever since we got a Nintendo Wii, my kids have been hooked on bowling. Okay, try completely obsessed. But I figured instead of having them beg to play the virtual version every day, they could do the real thing right at home with the ret…
It's getting Autumnal all up in here! Fall is my favorite time of year because I love to wear jeans, sweaters and boots. I love chocolaty browns and ochre yellows and dark pumpkin colors. The latter two don't look very good on me, but I …
When I had my second baby, one thing that helped my daughter (then just barely two) was to be able to mimic the things I was doing so she could feel like she was "helping." I still have awesome pictures of her little dolls in diapers tha…
To say my son was obsessed with toy cars, trucks, trains and planes when he was younger would be a major understatement, and I have six overstuffed bins to prove it. However, there are a few toy vehicles he's collected over the years tha…
Want an awesome holiday gift for a two-year old? Something he'll love and cherish and want to play with every free second? And it's also got to be totally affordable? Here's the idea of the century - and don't laugh. Children's scissors …
Personally I'm a fan of the Deglingos dolls, though I understand the quirky hedgehogs and crazy-eyed lobsters aren't everyone's cup of stuffed animal tea. But the brand new Woodours bears from the same French company, Ebulobo, I'd imagin…
The first day of Autumn brings to mind leaves falling and stark naked trees and owls hooting at night. Crisp evenings and cold nights and noses with frozen snot-drips. (Maybe we won't talk about that last one.) We found this selection ad…
I have to admit getting a little flush of pride knowing my daughters are willing to pick up earthworms and tickle those pillbugs until they roll into tight little balls. At least for now. So I was happy to see that The Bug Book and Bottl…
Is there anything better than random acts of kindness? Well, maybe intentional acts of kindness. And if anyone is going to start a worldwide kindness revolution, my money is on the women behind Boom Boom! Cards . Essentially each of the …
If I had a million dollars, as that song goes, I think I would add this Mini Cooper ride-on toy to my kids' holiday gift list . While I haven't tried it out personally, my kids would zip around the living room in that hot little car in a…
When I was young, I loved playing house. Tea parties and market shopping were two of my favorite things. I had no idea I was practicing chores I would have to do the rest of my life. Aaaaanyway, felt food is always such a fantastic child…
Okay, reclaimed wool bunny with your little fair aisle ears, you are super cute. You and your little frog friend, and that's all I have to say about that. I wish you weren't quite so expensive, but (sigh) I do understand that you're fair…
I always thought that LEGOs were cute for making walls and towers, maybe the occasional weird angular horses or something. I honestly had no idea that now you could make, oh, say...the Guggenheim Museum . Right in time for the NY landmar…
There are some mass produced stuffed animals, like Ugly Dolls, that I really love, but there is something extra special about buying a handmade toy, like Oliver Rabbit from Rachelod on Esty. Rachel O'Donnell designed these soft, cotton s…
While most toy companies start basic and work outward from there, I think it's really interesting that CMP fave (and pretty much every kids boutique's fave), Blabla Kids , has evolved from their quirky and sometimes irreverent line of fa…
Give us a few cold rainy days and my kids will be climbing the walls and snarling at all my attempts to cheer them up. So I'm stashing away the downloadable Monster Mania ebook from Make and Takes to help me out with a few easy craft ide…
Hard as I try, my kids are not the most adventurous eaters on the planet. But when it comes to teething, my daughter will put almost anything in her mouth. Funny how that works. So I am totally cracking up at the squid teething toy made …
Of course every parent thinks every scribble their child does is a collectible masterpiece, but in the case of the Coloring Can Be Funny coloring book, I think it's kinda true. Talented, ?ber-hip artist, S. Britt, turned a bunch of his w…