There you are, planning a nice simple kid's birthday party, and bam! Suddenly your best laid plans to keep everything simple go haywire and you've reached wedding planning levels of crazy. Gearing up for my 4-year-old's birthday party th…
I swear I am not Alarmist Mom. I did not plug every outlet when my kids were toddlers and my jeans were the only pacifier sterilizer I owned. But one thing I knew is that I didn't want my kids sucking on keys, knowing that real keys may …
Now that my oldest is eight and reading full-on chapter books, it's hard to find a kids' book that will captivate her, her first-grade sister, and younger cousins who come to visit too. But that's just what author Lola M. Schaefer manage…
Back when we started this site in 2006 (and we have the archives to prove it), messages for kids were all about irony, irreverence and sass. Over the years, it's been thrilling to see the trend turn towards positivity, encouragement and …
This week on Brika, I was so happy to discover the beautiful work of stationer Kristen Ley of Thimblepress. There's so much to love in her shop, but what really caught my eye was this great DIY kit for your next baby shower. The DIY It's…
Move over, princess shoes. We've found the cutest sparkle sneakers that have a date with the monkey bars. For years we've loved shoes by See Kai Run for their combination of durability, fit, and looks. The new Adalynn sneaker with Mary J…
Soooo maybe your eyes need a little help like mine. Blame it on lack of sleep or parenting--way easier on the ego than blaming it on age. I found a really nice little eyecare system from Bliss that's been a pleasure to use. I've been a l…
Here are 5 of our favorite tech picks from this week just in case you missed them. 1. Want to get your personal information off those sites like Spokeo? We can help. 2. We're completely obsessed with this awesome gadget. 3. You don't eve…
If you're like us and visit Gilt every day (fine, three times a day), to find chic new items for your wardrobe, home, or kids, you'll be excited to hear about a new feature they just launched to make your shopping experience even nicer. …
Kids don't need much to dream. But they do need a few basic, important things to succeed: education, food, exercise and clothing. So we're happy to support a company that aims to give one million pairs of shoes to underprivileged childre…
With my youngest almost three years old , I'm almost out of the stroller world. I admit it: that bums me out. Because I loooove strollers. Especially the strollers from Mountain Buggy. I've fallen hard for their newest one, because it's …
Getting ready for baby #3 has required many a trip down to the basement to dig up all the gear we used with babies #1 and #2. Our old car seats were the size of woolly mammoths, though, ugh! Fortunately I've discovered two incredible new…
Hoodies are wardrobe staples in our household. My husband, a hoodie addict with over 20 in his closet, has gotten my boys into sporting them too. For the most part, my guys wear boring old navy or black hoodies (yawn), with the occasiona…
We love making dinnertime more fun while keeping the kitchen clean. Voila! A washable tablecloth that also serves as gigantic piece of paper for your table of pint-sized artists. This Doodle tablecloth by Stitch in the UK is a fun way to…
Heaven knows we've featured plenty of tees and artwork featuring empowering messages for kids. Now we're adding socks to the lineup. I really like the premise behind the Notes to Self Socks founded by mom Laura Schmidt. They offer simple…
featured partner With back to school officially here and the cooler climes headed our way, we're excited to be one of the first to share the video of the Ralph Lauren Kids fall fashion show which launched today. Can you say adorable? Now…
Now that we've covered awesome school lunch resources and simple lunch ideas--it's time to tackle dinner recipes for the kids. Here are six fairly fast dinner recipes sure to fit into your back-to-school routine, no matter how hectic. Th…
Having a monster in his room is something my son has worried about since he was old enough to speak. But, I think he'd be more relaxed about welcoming one into his bedroom if it were super helpful, kind of silly looking, and kept his toy…
featured partner If you're looking for a list of the Best Toys for Kids , we've found a great one featuring tons of the smaller brands we love, curated by the indie retailers who actually sell them and interact with parents and other cus…
We've been huge supporters of the amazing charity Baby Buggy since we discovered them in 2011, and we're always ready to help spread the word about the wonderful services they provide. They've got a huge challenge ahead of them this fall…
I love the song Brave by Sara Bareilles. Seriously, how often do our daughters hear music on the radio that encourages them to be bold and smart and to speak their minds? Same goes with girls' clothes and their messages. If you're still …
We have a saying in our family: sticky is icky. It applies to gooey hands and chunks of granola bar in the car, but it also applies to labels. I hate scraping sticky sticker residue off anything. Ever. Which is why these labels are so co…
Whether or not your preschooler actually sleeps during naptime, their teachers will attempt to make such a thing happen. (My kids? Never.) If you have sewing skills, there's something really sweet about making your own napmat for little …
After a summer of wild and crazy hair (hey, that's what summer's for, right?) it's been a little tough getting my girls back in the groove of sleek ponytails and neat hairbands for schools. To say nothing of those brushes that could use …
