An Amazing Gift for Any Kid: Values
It's important for me that my kids grow up understanding the concepts of charity and benevolence, and that the holiday season isn't only about what's under the tree. Not everyone can spend Christmas volunteering at soup kitchen or collecting Toys for Tots, but...
The Anti-Bling Pacifier
With all the scary news lately (toxins and plastics and pthalates, oh my) I'm starting to look at everything that goes into my baby's mouth in a whole new way. Starting with her pacifier.Well hooray for Zoë B organic, a shop stocked with all kinds of organic...
Solid as a Clock
Thanks to frequent military moves and furnished rentals, my daughter's baby room decor was an eclectic mix of favorite items and gifts. Which is a nice way of saying that it had no style whatsoever.But now that's we're settled in one place, I'm excited to...
Stroking the Kid’s Ego With the Printed Word
In African folklore the aardvark is much admired for its diligence. This is a completely appropriate characteristic for the Aardvark Adventure Stories namesake, because this can-do online shop has some of the best, most on-top-of-it customer service that I've...
No Designer Fabric is Too Good for My Kid’s Poopy Butt
Lately, I've got a new baby gift plan. Along with something the mama's requested from her big baby superstore registry, I like to surprise her with something handmade and gorgeous and still essential. The beautiful baby accessories from Baby Dry Goods fit that bill in...
Merry Christmas to All and To All, Free Legally Dowloaded Music
With all my gift budget tapped, I tried to save some cashola by searching the (extremely picked through) Christmas music offerings at the library. Bad call. Instead I'm turning to Magnatune, the brainchild of John Buckman and "the first real internet-era...
Paying it Forward (and Jewelry Too)
As the year draws to a close, we hope you're looking for a few well-deserving organizations to which to bequeath a few tax-deductible dollars. Not that there's any lack of such dot-orgs in the world, but we thought we'd add a really cool one to the list: Trickle...
My Blanket is Smarter Than Yours
Calculating the formula for the seasonally correct baby blanket is almost as complicated as the quadratic equation. Do you get a winter baby a heavy blanket that can only be used for a few months, or do you give her something that she can use later, even though the...
Good Vibrations
With my son working on teeth numbers 7 and 8, I'm desperate to find anything that will keep him chewing on something other than me. You think I'm kidding. But with all the research on the effects of some plastics out there, it's tough to do better than a frozen...
It’s a Bird. It’s a Train…
We've got our first ever two-child plane trip coming up and I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a little nervous. I figure if I can pack enough fun stuff to keep the two year-old entertained, maybe I can actually suck down a cocktail and relax. On my must-pack list:...