I have this dream. In this dream, my house is always organized, dog hair is contained on the actual dog, cushions are kept on the couch, and I frequently host elegant cocktail parties attended just by adults who speak about current event…
There are plenty of products out there that claim to make life easier for parents when really, it just seems like they take money out of our pockets and fill up the landfills. That's so clearly not the case with Wisey , a company that is…
I may not be a fan of matchy-matchy outfits, but coordinated stationery ensembles are the sort of matching that I can appreciate, as long as they're done well. No pastel teddy bears or scary clowns, please. Brella Baby has hit the mark w…
I'm the person who walks by a candle shop or perfume store and starts sneezing uncontrollably. So just imagine how well I do trying to find a nice subtle holiday scent that doesn't make me run for a box of tissues. Leave it to our favori…
There's no question that today's kids are computer-savvy; my daughter can Google the answer to her burning questions before I can even find my reading glasses. But just because they can surf the web doesn't mean that it's a good idea to …
I am so excited that Lesser Evil , the cool little indie snack food company that is rocking my carb-craving world lately, has come out with a crate of Christmas Coal . And by coal I mean chunks of gourmet cocoa kettle corn. And by rockin…
There are definitely some folks on my holiday list who deserve better than the lopsided bells and gingerbread amputees that pass for holiday cookies around my kitchen. In other words, everyone but Grandma. The holiday cookies from Better…
I love receiving a birthday card in the mail, but when it's my time to send them out, I usually resort to a hastily typed email. Forgive me, but taking three kids anywhere near a rack of greeting cards is just asking for a headache. I ha…
I'm always the one in the drug store on December 5th shopping for an advent calendar --and wondering why the selection stinks. This year, I vowed to start earlier (albeit by just a few days) and wanted to share three options that I think…
It's not that I don't go "awwww" just a little bit over the beautiful hand-cut ceramic dove ornament with a customizable message from Paloma's Nest--it's that mentally I'm sometimes still about nine or ten and imagine all the hilarious w…
Since I've got a house full of kids, it's a safe bet that my holiday cards are going to feature photos of those kids. But I still want those cards to reflect my taste--which means no cards with ice-skating penguins or dancing candy canes…
Out of consideration for my post-baby figure, I rarely bake any more. It's just one of the sacrifices I make in the name of vanity. But at holiday time, my no-bake resolution goes out the window (and takes my willpower right along with i…
Recently I wanted to make cookies for my girls but I was too tired to start from scratch. I grabbed a thing of that refrigerated cookie dough that I remember eating raw in my college days and figured it would be fine in a pinch. Oh man, …
I can't stop staring at this bamboo mobile by Petit Collage, available at Branch Home , and I'm just looking at a picture. In real life, those laser-cut bamboo birds each have a different pattern cut into their middles, so as they twirl …
Every year, our families bug us about our holiday cards because we only send pictures of the kids. I guess my husband and I never figured that anyone would actually want to see our mugs too. Besides, it's pretty hard getting a candid fam…
These days you can spread " good will on earth " while being kind to it as well. But let's be honest, not all eco-friendly cards are created equal. The Winter Berry Holiday Cards we spotted from the new line of eco-friendly cards availab…
I suppose they could've come up with a different name for Better World Books , but when you're really making a better world for everyone through a love of books, well, the name fits. Perfectly. Next time you shop for books, consider the …
BabyBjorn did a really brilliant thing when they launched their fantastic, comfy new BabySitter Balance bouncy seat - they created an adult-size version and let the product review editors all sit in it. What they didn't do is figure out …
All three of my kids totally dig toy animals. Even the baby happily bangs the horse and cow and pig against the roof of our wooden play barn. It's pretty easy to see that a bunch of new animal figurines would make fantastic stocking stuf…
Let's face it, Freecycle is filled with scary people (uh, no, I don't want your used Kleenex) and the prices on eBay can be out of control. I've all but given up on great places to find gently used kids' clothes online, and if I don't ha…
The weather is finally turning cold here in Colorado, which means that it's time to begin our annual battle over the thermostat. My husband turns it up, I turn it down, and round and round we go until April. I think I might have finally …
Call me ecologically bankrupt, but I'm willing to pay for convenience . Disposable dipes and wipes are a mainstay around here, as was jarred baby food--until I tried the Beaba Babycook . (Update: Now the Beaba Babycook Pro, shown below.)…
Here at CMP, we see a lot of fabulous products created by entrepreneurs. But we don't always get a chance to delve deeper into the stories behind those products. So we've been waiting eagerly for the brand new product discovery site, The…
I love to choose sentimental, personal gifts that say something more than "I dropped $50 on you." (Hello, gift cards.) Problem is, sentimental, personal gifts can border on cheesy if you aren't choosy. The design-your-own photo frames fr…