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A lot of people ask when the right time to talk to your children about their feelings is. Denise Daniels, founder and CEO of Moodsters believes it's never too early. As a leader in child development, Denise has collaborated with a Yale University psychologist to create a ...read more

It's the most wonderful time of the year: holiday-pajamas season! You better believe that my little ones have been rocking festively coordinated bedtime ensembles since Thanksgiving night, and we're just getting started around here! I have more matching family sets than I'd care ...read more

Can we talk about my favorite way to customize Christmas presents, stocking-stuffers, home décor, holiday tablescapes, and seasonal treats? It’s easy. It’s affordable. And it totally makes my craft-weary self feel like a DIY diva! Avery Design & Print Online program boasts ...read more

The holidays are hectic for everyone. There are presents to be purchased, cookies to be baked, and extended family and friends to entertain. And while it’s all very merry, joyful, and jolly, the bulk of the hard work and headache tends to fall on moms—what else is new? Mom, TV ...read more

Yesterday was the first of December, and so, of course, we broke out the advent calendar and put on one of many pairs of festive jammies. And while holiday time has now officially kicked off, it actually started much earlier for me. You see, my seasonal celebrations begin with ...read more

My kids love free-style coloring with crayons, but my four-year-old son was especially excited when I told him he could finally use markers. (Of course, they have to be washable!) He was over-the-moon pumped when I showed him these amazing fuzzy posters from Rose Art. The ...read more

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, we are feeling extra thankful. Thankful for our friends and family (all over the world), the roof over our heads, and the many blessings with which we find ourselves. Thanksgiving is always a time when families gather together, eat good food, ...read more

My little guy is all about kicking off the holiday season. But as his leaf-loving, pumpkin-spice sipping, autumn adoring mama, I refuse to skip straight to trimming the tree and rocking our ugly sweaters. We're savoring our bedtime rituals and I want to share our favorite ...read more

Imma just come right out with it... My kids think farting is hilarious. We call it "tooting," around these parts, so it definitely ups the kiddie-cuteness factor, but, let's be honest, there's nothing all that adorable about beeping the horn, booty belching, butt sneezing, ...read more

I attended back-to-school night last week at my son’s preschool, and I was totally blown away when the teacher showed me his “This is Me” book. The last page said, “When I grow up I want to be a: BUILDER!” Underneath, the fill-in-the-blank question was a complex drawing of a ...read more

I don't know about you, but for me, making a family dinner doesn't consist of multiple meals for each person. I'm no short-order cook and everyone has to eat whatever it is I make. There are those days, of course, when I want to make something healthy but am too exhausted to ...read more

Shoving a thermometer in a squirming toddler's ear is no fun. For anyone. But it's especially (and also literally) painful when your little one has an ear infection. Poor little muffins. But taking a babe's temperature just got a little simpler (and a whole lot cuter) with the ...read more

If I had an extra hour in the morning, I would …. Sleep! Exercise! Mediate! Sleep some more! Start the crockpot! Blow-dry my hair! Watch Netflix! Try to sleep! Clean the house! Get a head start on work! WHO AM I KIDDING?!?! I WOULD DEFINITELY SLEEP! But that’s just me. This ...read more

(5:45 AM means "breakfast" bars, preferably educational TV, and blurry everything...) My kids wake up early… Like, before-the-sun early. It’s rough, and I can’t always say I’m at my brightest and most bushy-tailed. Yeah, no mommy awards for me before the crack of dawn, but I ...read more

We've been reading to both our little ones since before they were even born. We read to them in the womb and we still read to them: board books, picture books, and, now, chapter books. We make the silly voices, we read them the same book a thousand times, and we read to them ...read more

“Hey, Baby Sister… You see that camera over there? That’s how Mommy and Daddy spy on us at night.” Yes, my four-year-old son actually said this to my one-year-old daughter a few weeks ago. It was hilarious—and my husband and I just looked at each like, “Uh-oh. He’s on to us! “ ...read more

We're going "classic" with today's Toy Tuesday post... Not that we don't love screens and techie toys and all sorts of fancy gadgets and gizmos here at The Shopping Mama. But, sometimes, it's the good old-fashioned fun finds that keep us coming back for more and more, again ...read more

Getting my four year old to voluntarily brush his teeth twice a day is almost as difficult as convincing him that bed time is not open for negotiation. Suffice to say, he is a stubborn kid—and when he doesn’t want to do something… well, sometimes, he wins. Okay, a lot of times ...read more

I generally try to wait until the official first day of fall to kick off our family's annual autumnal activities. But my husband just started a new job and will be working nonstop for the next few weeks (womp-womp). Alas, it looks like he'll miss out on a lot of the yearly fall ...read more

Every child loves to celebrate his or her birthday. It's most likely a favorite day of the year! As parents, caregivers, friends, and family, we love seeing their little faces light up at the sheer joy and excitement of it all. Any way to foster their happiness ranks at the top ...read more

My kids are totally into science and nature. I wanted to find to bring science and nature to life in our home - literally. I stumbled upon Ladybug Land a few months ago for a birthday gift for one of my daughter's friends. My daughter was intrigued by the whole idea of ...read more

We have a new bedtime routine in our house... and it involves a game! That's right, we're playin' our way to snoozeville—and, yes, it means my son actually asks to go to go up to bed every night. (Hashtag Winning--in more ways than one!) Busy Town is part puzzle, part game, ...read more

My parents actually got my son his first car on his third birthday. Incidentally, they also got him his own [backyard play] house and a personal [baby] pool for "his" backyard. (Yeah, this kid livin' the American dream!) (And to think, they refused to get ME a pink Barbie Power ...read more

In case you've been living under a rock these last few weeks, allow me to inform you: it's still National Ice Cream Month. We've been celebrating since the first of July with peachy-keen homemade ice-cream recipes and adorably easy DIY projects. (We also have a ridiculously ...read more

I've always loved Nordstrom. It's my favorite store, and also my first place of employment. The summer between my sophomore and junior years of college, I worked in the BP section—and spent my entire earnings on trendy clothes and shoes. (Because, employee discount!) It was back ...read more

Summer is flying by. Wasn't it just June? Didn't we celebrate July Fourth, like, a minute ago?... How have we already hit the middle of the month? In the blink of an eye, it will be September and we'll be sending our littles off to school instead of camp, jumping in carpools ...read more

As a photographer, my kids see me take a lot of photos - for work and fun. I like to capture the little moments, especially when we're doing fun things together as a family. Summer brings lots of awesome things: vacations, day trips and activities. I got my little photographer ...read more

Looking for a great last-minute gift for a graduate? It may not be at the top of your list, but we know one thing every grad needs and wants, but might not even know he needs and wants: a lunch bag. BUILT has been around for years. The insulated, neoprene bags take your lunch ...read more

I remember when the beach was a relaxing place to be. When all you had to bring was your tanning oil (tsk-tsk), your towel, your thermos of cold wine, and a stack of magazines and chick lit. Those were the glory days. Alas, now, going to the beach looks very different. When ...read more

I have to hide my laptop from my one-year-old daughter… Goodness forbid she spots the shiny silver MacBook across the room, and it’s all over. “Elmo! Elmo! Elmo! Bah-ney! Elmo!,” she’ll demand-scream in a half panicked frenzy… YouTube, what have you done to my sweet child?! Of ...read more

When it comes to toys (and pretty much everything), my fourteen month old really wants to exert her independence. She wants to take control and feel empowered. If it was up to my stubborn little lady, she'd be able to master her brother’s Lego sets and use all of his “big boy” ...read more

Baby girls and ballerinas... The two go hand-in-hand. Pretty pink tutus and ruffly ribbons and beautiful bows. When I first had my little lady, I couldn't help but picture her wearing an itty-bitty leotard and tights—even as a helpless, needy newborn! I dressed her floppy body in ...read more

It's the new year which means the new American Girl is now here! American Girl has debuted their 2016 Girl of the Year and she's gorgeous! Welcome Lea Clark! Lea is a curious 10-year-old girl with an adventurous spirit. An avid photographer and animal lover, she opens a world ...read more

We love to read in our house. We read to both of our children in the womb and continue to read to them as they've grown over the years. From board books to chapter books and educational books, we love them all. Story Surprise is an innovative and fun monthly children's book ...read more