
Gwendolyn Brooks’s new children’s book offers a joyous lesson in empathy
Once in awhile, a children's book comes along that's equal parts timely and and classic, and that's just how I'd describe the We are Shining, penned by the late poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, Gwendolyn Brooks. It's filled with exquisite but accessible words...

The cast of Hamilton gets bigger and cuddlier
Of our entire 2016 holiday gift guide, by far one of the most popular gift ideas were the genius handmade Hamilton dolls by Christina of Etsy's Bobeena Shop. What can we say, you all have good taste in artists -- and game-changing Broadway musicals. Now she's out with...

Getting kids excited about science: A chat with NPR Wow in the World hosts Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas | Spawned ep 76
Well, if Spawned with Kristen and Liz haaaaas to be beaten by someone in the Kids + Family podcast category, we're happy it's the new NPR podcast Wow in the World, a weekly science show "for kids and their grownups." Especially because it's hosted by two of our...

How to get started with yoga when you feel like the last person to try it: 6 easy tips to help
If you've never tried yoga, I get it. I was there once too. From the outside, it either looks like a torturous exercise regimen for slender, flexible folks in really expensive stretch pants...or, a hippie-dippy religion that will demand veganism and colon cleansing....

The danger of fidget spinners: Miniature death traps! Or…not.
THE DANGER OF FIDGET SPINNERS is appearing all over our newsfeeds and splashing across subject lines flooding our inboxes. Hm, why are we not shocked? It was inevitable that the number of articles about the fidget spinner craze (hey, our kids are fans too), would be...

8 tips to start now to help your kids avoid the summer slide. It’s coming.
Summer break will be here in just a minute, but there are some things you can start planning now to help make sure your kids don't hit the summer slide on their reading and math skills over the break. Research shows that most kids lose about two months' of learning...

The quick-fix, natural bug bite remedy that really works. Really!
With the weather getting warming and my kids spending the afternoons playing outside, we're starting to see a lot more bug bites on their tender, sensitive skin. Mean ones. The kind that turn bright red, itch like crazy, and keep them up at night. Ugh! But, I've found...

8 surprising rules about flying with children that every parent should know
If you've watched the news recently, you've probably heard a disconcerting story or two about air travel passengers -- which can be all the more troubling when the story involves parents flying with young children who were subject to rules that no one knew, or worse,...

GapKids’ newest clothes collection: When activewear meets the Avengers.
Kids' activewear is kind of a funny phrase, if you think about it, since kids are such constant blurs of motion -- it's like every piece of clothing turns into activewear, purposefully or not. Which is what makes the new GapKids and Marvel collection even more super...

We tried the FLEX disposable tampon alternative, and here’s how it worked for us. In full detail (sorry). | Damn You, Social Media Ads
I'm coming up on my 25thish anniversary of my first visit from Aunt Flo. And over that those 2.5 decades, I've had the same exact routine every month: tampons and pads. I wasn't necessarily looking to spice things up in that department, but when I saw the ads on...