My kids are always coming up with some crazy games from our board game graveyard, and anything else they can find in my craft cabinet. So I figure, why not let them put their creativity into action by letting them invent their own board …
My son has been totally into making pop-ups this week. Little paper springs, rainbows and jack-in-the-boxes are all over our kitchen table as I type this. (And a million tiny scraps of paper are still on the kitchen floor.) And now, your…
I am completely geeking out on the idea that you can buy Monopoly money refills. Seriously, why did no one ever tell me before that this was possible? For one, the extra $16,550 in Monopoly money means we can play major high stakes knowi…
When the late-afternoon crankies hit all three of my kids, my quick-thinking remedy has always been to put on some fun, danceable music to give us just enough of a mood boost to make it to dinnertime. And with a new kid-friendly disco CD…
My 4-year-old-any-second-now daughter is at the age where she's learned there's more to the world than just home, store, and school. She's asking about the places she can visit after a plane ride or two, and while most of them involve th…
Here in Atlanta where I live, the weather has been nice since the beginning of March, which means my kids have already exhausted Hide n' Seek, Freeze Tag, and two entire boxes of sidewalk chalk. So when I saw this book when I was at the …
Remember the Alamo? Not a problem--I can help because I'm still dreaming about it. I was lucky enough to hitch onto a press trip to San Antonio, Texas recently, as Cool Mom Picks aims to cover more fun and interesting travel options and …
Besides brownstones and indie coffee shops, Brooklyn is also known for being home to oodles and oodles of families. (As our Ed-in-Chief Liz can attest.) So it makes perfect sense that the first ever Child Grows in Brooklyn Baby Expo woul…
When you think of foreign travel, Canada probably doesn't spring to mind. After all, we've got hockey, maple syrup, and a Francophile or two here in the United States, right? Well, yes. But as I discovered on a recent trip to Vancouver a…
Having just lived through 80 minutes watching a Shakespearean classic turned into a story involving garden gnomes, I am not exactly itching to head out to see the next 3D "blockbuster" Hollywood has lined up for my kids. But if I can get…
When I first became a mother of two, my own mom introduced me to the concept of collaborative board games. Think less "I did it!" and more "We did it!" In other words, less "I hate you, I'm never playing with you any more ever again!" an…
Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr Day or, as many kids will tell you, a day off from schooooooool! And while sleeping in is definitely a benefit, there are loads of kid-friendly, educational activities going on…
Maybe you're visiting relatives in New York and need an excuse to get out of the teeny tiny apartment. Or maybe you already live there and need to spice up your family holidays. Either way, we've got the scoop on some hot deals that just…
Kids need a little ink too. (No, not tattoos. We may be hip and fashion-forward, but we're not crazy.) I'm talking about the kind of ink that creates together time, yields beautiful artwork, and teaches an interesting lesson . The all-in…
As a native New Yorker, I admit I'm totally biased when I say that this is one of the most magical places for a family to be over the holidays. Because I get so many emails each year from readers and out-of-town friends asking me about m…
My kids once had a gymnastics teacher who was training to be a Cirque du Soleil acrobat. He would take a ribbon that was hanging from the ceiling and spin himself up it as if gravity had no effect on him. It was freakishly amazing, a des…
I hardly know a mom who doesn't have a soft spot for the Madeline books of her childhood. Me included. It just seemed so romantic to live in Paris and walk to school every day wearing a yellow hat that looked like a boat. Well save yours…
Looking back to my baby's first music class, I see a woman in sweats, no make-up and a silly grin on her face. I was just so happy to be, finally, out of the house! New to my neighborhood, I was also convinced I was going to meet all my …
We are an unapologetic game-playing household for sure, whether it's the kind on the teevee or the kind in the box with pieces that end up under our couch. As far as the video kind, we're always looking for options we can either play wit…
We're board game freaks around my place, and now that I have kids old enough to play, we usually have game night at least once a week. That is, if we have all the pieces to them these days. Well hallelujah for a new event that's letting …
My kids are already super kind, generous little people, but that doesn't mean a little more conscious kindness isn't in order. That's where the folks at Boom Boom! come in. Their line of pay-it-forward cards (which we've already fallen i…
Calling all Yo Gabba Gabba fans! I know from the gazillion times my son has been entranced by the show that it's always full of surprises (ie Erykah Badu appearing out of nowhere). Well the live show that's launched yesterday promises to…
I have struggled with how to explain September 11th to my children ever since they were old enough to understand that something big and terrible happened that day nine years ago. I still struggle, but now that this has also become a Nati…
Right now, I'm looking at the wilted, brown leaves of my dying container garden and ruing the white-hot Atlanta sun. I'm pretty sure we spent $30 on supplies that produced four very small tomatoes and one hideous cucumber. But the joy on…