Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, neither, or both, there's no better gift for kids than the gift of reading. If you don't need a fourth copy of the Velveteen Rabbit to make you cry on your toddler's footy pajamas, try one of th…
Manners books for children may sound a little old-fashioned, but thank goodness they aren't. I've come to realize that children of a certain age love learning rules and getting to understand social construct; my own five year-old thinks …
It's awfully daunting, standing in the hustle and bustle of a huge bookstore during the holidays and trying to find one book among millions for the bibliophile or budding reader in your life. Luckily, there's a fabulous new service to he…
Every Hanukkah, in addition to the loooong lists of requested items (i.e. toys) we always make sure to include several books as gifts . And guess what--long after my son is bored with the video game he received, he's still reading and re…
There are some women out there who seem to overachieve the pants off of the rest of us. Environmentalist, author, producer and mother of two Laurie David is one of those ladies. Her latest project is The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Conn…
The list of children's books I've loved to read to my kids is l-o-n-g though I've always had a particular fondness for the books of author and illustrator Mo Willems. Unless you live under a rock, or a pile of newborn diapers, you are pr…
The mission of past CMP pick, Out of Print Clothing is to spread the joy of reading. Through fashion. Hey, two of our favorite things? And, now, they have expanded their collection to include t-shirts for kids. Find shirts featuring cove…
Having small children underfoot can make even the simplest task complicated and/or maddening. But did you ever think that having a gorilla around could help bring much-needed balance and tranquility to your life? Okay. Fair enough. Me ne…
I'm not going to bore you with facts and figures about childhood obesity in America, because we've all heard it before. What I will tell you is that there is little my kids enjoy more than receiving their own mail, and in particular, mag…
I have all sorts of tricks for when I worry too much, because I do worry -- too much and too often. Worrying happens to be a family trait. Unfortunately, that means I have a pint-sized worrier in my own house, and he can't self-medicate …
It all began with a bet: somewhere in Norway, Ola bet Jorgen that he could collect one million hand-drawn giraffes in one year. And you know what? He did. The proof is at OneMillionGiraffes.com . And now you can buy a 32-page hardcover b…
I am crazy about multitasking, and that includes at kid bedtime; when we read a book together, my child and I reconnect, plus I get to lie down, plus I get to work a little Mom Psychology 101. All that is made a little more golden when w…
I still crack up when people find a blog post of mine about sleep and babies, and ask me for advice. Me? Me who still, five years later, can't get my kids into a normal bedtime routine? Me, who still has to sleep with a three year-old's …
I'm going to go ahead and admit it right here: I'm in my early thirties, and I love books written for teens. I know I'm not alone because the YA genre, or Young Adult, is awesomely popular right now. So I'm thrilled to have found a websi…
I admit, I feel just a little bit cool when my little girls walk into a store or a friend's house, hear the radio, and immediately say, Hey! It's Bob Dylan ! So when I learned that one of his old tunes had been made into a brand new chil…
Let me give you 3 reasons why An Awesome Book by artist Dallas Clayton is indeed an awesome book: 1. For every book sold, The Awesome World Foundation will donate one book to schools, hospitals, camps, and shelters. 2. The artwork and st…
I don't know about your family, but around here, there is no faster path to a terrible day than not everyone getting adequate shut-eye the night before. And if just one of us is cranky, everyone ends up cranky. Bad news. Of course, a gre…
I've often joked that I'm devoid of the crafty gene, but that's not completely true. I actually do enjoy crafting; it's just that I don't often have the time or the individual instruction I need to get me over those challenging humps. We…
If there was such a thing as Martha Anonymous, TV Host Lisa Quinn's introduction would go something like this, Hi, My name's Lisa and it's been 5 years since my last cranberry wreath ." Sick of trying to live up to the standards of being…
I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a paranoid parent. But after reading The Paranoid Parents Guide , by clever Denver mom Christie Barnes, I realized how much time I waste worrying. And more importantly, worrying about the wrong things. Does th…
When I look around my house I find strange groupings of stuff everywhere. A bin of outgrown Crocs. A shoebox packed with old family pictures. Some coffee table books that never quite made it to the coffee table. Little did I know that th…
Betsy Brown Braun's You're Not the Boss of Me promises to brat-proof your 4- to 12-year old, and so my natural aversion to parenting manuals was overcome by curiosity as to whether such a thing was actually possible. I quickly fell deepl…
We're heading into our second year of middle school , here, and it's been... interesting. It's definitely a whole different ballgame than elementary school, particularly for girls, who tend to morph into social piranhas pretty early. Is …
They say you don't get something for nothing but today, that's not quite the case. Because Borders Books has got a special deal going right now when you download one of the Borders eReader apps , which are also free. Downloads are for bo…