I bombed Goody Bags 101 at my youngest daughter's party. The Play-Doh bits ended up all over my couch, the babies ate the crayons, and the cheap imitation slinkies broke faster than you can say choking hazard. The one thing I did get rig…
Nothing says "welcome baby" like a personalized gift. But aside from all the economically unfeasible keepsakes out there, I've only found a few options that 1) I can afford and 2) won't end up shoved in the back of a closet somewhere. So…
I'm pretty sure that even if I weren't Chinese, I'd still have a penchant towards Asian-inspired kids clothing. Given the chance, I could probably dress my daughter in gorgeous lotus fabrics and mandarin collar dresses all year long. But…
Mostly we're fans of handmade plush around here, but we also understand that not everyone wants to spend $85 on a penguin hand-knit from recycled sweaters then hand-stuffed with locally harvested cotton (even if it is totally awesome and…
When I left home , my mother sent my own baby book along with me. She had taken great pains to record minute details for me, including our family tree and every newborn gift I received, but it was her personal commentary - the notes scra…
My daughter adores cartoon characters , as she is biologically programmed to, but I don't necessarily like cartoon characters all over her clothes. (God love Diego for teaching my kid what an ocelot is but I don't feel the need to recipr…
Pity the average supermarket shopper; w e have to push around banged-up, one-wheel- jiggling, sticky-handled metal shopping carts when we do our food shopping. If our carts looked more like the toy shopping cart from Plan Toys, I may enj…
My three year-old has entered that phase I'm lovingly describing as Her Jerk Phase. As in, the movie The Jerk . Remember that scene where Steve Martin says "The ashtray, the paddle thing and the remote control. And these matches. That's …
While I'm definitely way pickier when it comes to buying rattles for my upcoming third baby, I admit that at times, the eco-friendly choices in their various shades of brown almost make me miss the bright colors of some of our retired pl…
One of the best pieces of advice I got at my baby shower was to save the gift bags. Sure enough, I reused almost all of them--except that one that already looked reused enough. I'll withhold names to protect the regifter. Mom Jennifer Pa…
If it wasn't obvious enough from the piles of crowns and high heels in our toy box, my daughter is tiara deep into a fairy tale princess obsession. Why would I be surprised when she asked me for a wand for her birthday? Being the support…
Turtle Papers is one of those shops that we're always checking back with because every new item they make, from stationery to wall decor to kids tees, is pretty much something we're coveting. The latest: The I'm Fearless lap tee for the …
Of all the splurges one can make when it comes to decorating the nursery, the one I always fantasized about was fabulous organic bedding. It's a purchase you can feel good about ( good for the environment! good for baby!) plus there's li…
The excitement of hearing my son's first few words was quickly dashed when no one but us could actually understand what the heck he was saying. But now that he's sporting his Translation Tee from Temporary Language , everyone knows that …
The smell brings me right back to childhood, but the first time I found my daughter with a wad of Play-Doh in her mouth, I wondered, "what the heck is in this stuff?" An all-natural alternative is the unscented eco-dough , made by a fami…
I'll admit that I'm late to the Robeez party, but now that I'm here, I'm a devoted fan. And as far as I'm concerned, I've arrived just in time since their designs seem to be getting cuter by the season. This summer, I'm coveting their sa…
With my kids loving their play kitchen (hello, best investment ever!) I'm getting a little tired of the heavy spaghetti and meatball dinners. How about a little summer fare, like this adorable BBQ Grill set found at Nico & Zoe ? Almost i…
My sister's lament is that there aren't enough boys' clothes for her son that are cute without being cutesy - cutesy including things like pastel colors, puppy motifs, and embroidered sayings like, Mommy's Lil' Slugger . I can't wait to …
In our digital age, receiving an actual real live handwritten greeting card goes a really long way. So imagine how it feels to get a handwritten greeting shirt instead. Meet Greeteez , a new company which is apparently in the business of…
Brothers and sisters? They fight. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes even when they're grown-ups. (ahem) So when you find a book that makes you want to not fight, you better cuddle up and read it out loud to those darling children of yours. One …
It's hard not to be smitten with sundresses for little girls - they're so sweet, so springy, so totally age appropriate. I could, however, live without the Laura Ingalls fabrics. So when a friend bestowed my youngest daughter with a tota…
My daughter is destined to be the artist of the family, no doubt about it. If she's awake, she's got a crayon in her hand. This is great news when we take her out to restaurants because she's easily occupied. But it's bad news when I for…
Believe it or not, moms are already starting to ask us about back to school shopping . (Seriously, chill moms! We're not even up to camp ideas!) Backpacks of course are on top of the list, and we've got our eyes open for options besides …
We've found a whole lot of companies that transform your children's art into everything from custom lamps to chic jewelry to delicate handbags. It's so cool to us that those favorite scribbles and stick figures can have a life beyond the…