My kids love animals. Like the kind of love that renders our cat somewhat helpless when they come at him with hugs and kisses on an hourly basis. If it were up to them, our house would be a veritable Noah's Ark, but since I'm just not op…
My oldest daughter is now six, which means that holy cow I can't believe I have a six-year-old !, and also, she's in need of actual active wear thanks to a slew of afterschool activities that require something a little more sweat-friendl…
For as long as my oldest daughter has refused to wear pajamas, I've been on a search for a cotton nightgown. And if you've got a little one like mine, then you know that they are pretty much impossible to find. So I was thrilled to disco…
I'm not going to lie to you: When I opened the Morph-O-Scopes Kit box my daughter received for her birthday one year, I was unimpressed. Some crayons. A shiny cup. And a bunch of coloring pages with a hole in the center, the images all s…
I'm going to go ahead and admit it right here: I'm in my early thirties, and I love books written for teens. I know I'm not alone because the YA genre, or Young Adult, is awesomely popular right now. So I'm thrilled to have found a websi…
I've learned that as my kids get older, they will have plenty of time to use their decked out backpacks with the 400 pockets and zippers. And I'll have lots of chances to clean them out. But for my little preschooler, I'm digging the new…
My job as a parent has always been playing defense, which is why I'm the one who slathers the family in SPF 50, sorts the recycling, and saves fifty cents on black beans with a coupon. My favorite strategy these days is reusing bags, and…
CMP loves to turn ABC into ROFL, and we are totally digging on these XYZ Blocks by Fred & Friends. They stack, tumble, and teach letters just as well as more traditional blocks, but they're beautiful, unusual, and entertaining, too. E is…
D anielle asked us on Twitter for the best birthday gift ideas for a 5 year old boy, since her son is about to hit the big number five. She says he likes "things that go" but already has 400 cars. He also likes art projects and writing n…
I admit, I feel just a little bit cool when my little girls walk into a store or a friend's house, hear the radio, and immediately say, Hey! It's Bob Dylan ! So when I learned that one of his old tunes had been made into a brand new chil…
Packing kid lunches is one of my least favorite things; rummaging for useable plastic food containers and matching them to lids that have migrated between several shelves (yes, plural. In my house, it's an Issue) is a misery. And I'm abo…
Pregnancy. Nursing. Postpartum. Pregnant again. Getting my first crow's foot. Freaking out. My skin's undergone more changes in the last five years than the cast of Saturday Night Live. I wanted a skincare product that was natural and sa…
The simple bow is clearly the new design icon of 2010. (Wait, is it even possible that owls have gone by the wayside?) I'm seeing it on accessories, on stationery, even kids clothes . A British stylist I worked with recently was obsessed…
Sure, we've all had elasticized slippers for our babies, but when was the last time your baby went out in hand-made, hand-beaded leather stay-on moccasins made by First Nations women in Canada? Not recently, I'm willing to bet. These lit…
If you're not yet familiar with BabyLegs *gasp* then just picture adorable legwarmers in about a zillion fun patterns for the baby and toddler set. They're such a perfect alternative to tights and leggings in the colder months, and so gr…
Let me give you 3 reasons why An Awesome Book by artist Dallas Clayton is indeed an awesome book: 1. For every book sold, The Awesome World Foundation will donate one book to schools, hospitals, camps, and shelters. 2. The artwork and st…
Today I was so desperate for a new project to pull the tiny whiners off my knees that I gave them a huge cardboard box and some Sharpies. They ended up just stomping on the bubble wrap inside, much to my headache's eternal sadness. But i…
Leave it to Grandma to buy my girls two dresses so adorable, they no longer have eyes for any other in the closet. Not the expensive ones, not the cheap ones, not anything but their new "grandma twirly dresses" which they both want to we…
My kids are in that nightlight phase right now. (They're also in a Silly Bandz phase, a make me a sandwich and then I won't eat it phase, and a fighting about who gets to drink out of which princess cup phase. But that's besides the poin…
There's nothing like finally taking that summer vacation and then getting stuck in the hotel while the skies rain down on your plans. To save us from extreme hotel ennui, I make sure we take along a few easy-to-pack games to help us pass…
Me, oh, I'm just sitting here coveting some sweet new Vans with cartoon characters on them. Okay, so they're not just any cartoon characters; I do have my standards you know. They're the totally rad-meets-wtf Yo Gabba Gabba Vans. They're…
What do you dress your baby in when you want something that's good for the planet, totally comfortable, and also totally cute? We've found quite a few of them over the years and I'm so happy to add Urban Munchkin to the list. [don't miss…
After she watches Lion King, my kid spends most of the day running around in her pink underoos and roaring. She's being Simba, of course. But it's not really a costume she can wear out in public when she's feeling fierce. These t-shirts …
I spent a lot of time in airports last month, and one thing became as clear as an airplane-sized glass of Sprite: Europeans are just uniquely cool. I think they must be born with it. The scarves , the sunglasses, the bags -- and definite…