I am a Photoshop spaz, so I love finding programs that let me do cool things with my photos with little to no mental anguish. It's not just a great tool as a blogger, it's cool when I'm uploading them into e-invitations or videos or keep…
The new fall kids' shoes from CMP fave Livie and Luca are starting to slowly appear on the website and I am absolutely loving the new mushroom-adorned Woodland Boot which is a fun, Hobbit-esque update to the London Boots we were digging …
We love Oliver Chin, author of the Tales from the Chinese Zodiac Series. In his latest book, Baltazar and the Flying Pirates , Chin teams up with illustrator (and blogger!) Justin Roth in this, um, high-flying tale of adventure and fortu…
At the end of last summer, I scored my daughter a pair of Zutano canvas shoes on sale. They got her through early fall, through a couple of warm-weather winter vacations, and surprisingly, right through this summer. I guess it pays to bu…
As a child, I'd spend three long days driving to visit my grandmother each summer and, out of boredom, would pretend my bare hands and feet were puppets. Pretty pathetic, but times were tough and it was too hot in our hatchback to go the…
We're so excited to bring you the first of our new weekly Etsy round-ups. Tune in every Wednesday for more delicious handmade goodness. Everyone knows that when you go back to school , it is IMPERATIVE to have the coolest stuff. (Althoug…
I love giving gifts; what kills me is the wrapping. All that wrapping paper getting tossed in the trash -- or worse, those reusable but ugly gift bags. Solution: LivingEthos reusable cloth gift bags . Made of 100% cotton, these bags are …
With my daughter starting kindergarten, I've been thinking a lot about kids thinking lately. And more specifically: how to make thinking cool to my kid. Part of the problem? Pop culture surrounds kids with celebrations of the body, not t…
Oh how I love the ability to stock up on next year's summer clothes for my kids at insane discounts. Like a 70% off kind of discount. Especially when they're as beautiful as the lovely selection of girls' clothes from London children's b…
I was clicking around etsy this past weekend and discovered this adorable handmade girls' pencil case that I love for so many reasons. The illustration is beyond precious of course, but the I Heart Books slogan is really the kicker. It c…
While we try to support our local mom and pops as much as possible, I'm delighted to hear that the behemoth that is Toys R Us has just put out their 15th annual guide to toys for differently-abled kids to help support the special needs c…
So Woodstock and I both celebrated our 40th birthdays this year, the one big difference is that mine isn't being commemorated with ridiculously cool apparel, like this Woodstock kids tee made by Rowdy Sprout. While the summer may be gall…
If your kids are like my kids, then it doesn't matter what the toys were intended for, they all still end up in their mouths. Hence my appreciation for the new sets of pretending and teething toys from Little Alouette . Hand carved from …
After inheriting yet another useless stuffed animal courtesy of my in-laws, I have officially put the kibosh on any and all such toys. With one exception, of course. The King. If you're an Elvis lover, his spirit and likeness can now liv…
I pack school lunches for my kids every day. I don't mind actually making the lunches; it's the packaging that gets me, all those little plastic bags bound for the trash, stored in a garish character tie-in lunchbox. That part is depress…
With the kids heading back to school , the birthday party circuit will be starting up again. If your kid is old enough to read, you may understand my temptation to give other kids books rather than more toys. The problem is that while th…
Yes, I know that the dresses from Pink Chicken are not the least expensive in all the land, but I'll tell you why I love them beyond nearly anything else in my girls' wardrobe: They're well made , the styles are adorable and I can toss t…
I have a giant soft spot in my heart for Threadless , already--my kids and I all wear the community-centered shop's artist designed shirts--but now there's one more reason to love them. Threadless Kids has recently teamed up with Babycen…
I make no apologies about dissuading people from giving stuffed animals as baby gifts because the damn things just seem to spawn and multiply overnight. But I could easily make an exception when it comes to the gorgeous plush baby rattle…
So okay, we've been fawning over Dante Beatrix way too much lately. First it was their fabulous eco-backpacks made out of 100% recycled bottles which now come in little kid sizes. Then it was their adorable wheelie bags for kids. Next up…
The only thing more impressive to us than an adorable handmade stuffed animal is one with an awesome do-gooding backstory. Like the one behind Kathy Chereck's "critters" at the shop Ashley Petite . When Kathy Chereck lost her grandson, N…
We totally dug the Invisibelt when it first came out (seriously - half of our writers bought one and they all rave about it) because it lies flat and gets rid of that lumpy bumpy crazy stuff that goes on under your untucked shirt. And no…
Despite the fact that we have managed to stay fairly clear of the princess movies, princess dress-up clothes, and princess storybooks around my place, my girls are still enamored of the whole princess thing. I give up! But if I do give u…
These days, not everyone wants (or needs) to spend money on a brand new backpack or lunchbox for the kids each school year. So I like the idea of finding those fun little doodads that help liven up backpacks and make them feel new again.…