I love enjoying a glass of wine with a good meal or cozying up with a good book and relaxing with a glass after the kids are in bed. Uncork a new bottle and pamper the wine loving Mamas this Mother's Day with our fabulous wine finds in our Mother's Day Wine Lovers Shopping Guide. ...read more
It's that time of year again... time to BOO! I love the tradition of anonymously booing (or ghosting, as some people call it!) neighbors and community friends with tricks, treats and goodies. The kids wake up every morning and check the front stoop to see if someone has left ...read more
Hooray for back-to-school season! Some of you are gearing up to send a little to school for the very first time, some are changing schools and some are moving on up. We are enjoying our last official weeks of summer as we prepare for the first days of school. Of course, we have ...read more
We still have nearly two weeks before we head back to school, but the excitement of gathering the gear, school supplies and latest trends has hit us full force. My soon-to-be third grader is all about coordination and personalization. When she discovered that Stuck On You, not ...read more
These days, Mama has no time for herself… and by Mama, I mean moi. Me, myself, and I. Yours Truly. This girl. (Insert hand-raising emoji.) I’m starved for quality me-time—not to mention a facial and a manicure. And as for some fun lighthearted trend-hunting and shopping? Um, ...read more
Trying to spice up your nightly dinner menu? I've been getting spices and recipes delivered monthly to me through an awesome subscription box company called Raw Spice Bar. It's so easy to get in the habit of making the same go-to recipes over and over. I'll be honest, my menu ...read more
Working out is not my strong suit. I've never been an avid exerciser, and though I try to get a little cardio for the sake of my health, body, mind and mental sanity, I prefer to do it solo--on a treadmill or the elliptical--safe from the silent judgment of fellow overzealous ...read more
We've updated our original MLK, Jr. children's book roundup with the latest and greatest kid-lit picks. Sit down with the kids today, and read one of these books, and open up a chapter on a meaningful and, hopefully, ongoing conversation about one of the most important and most ...read more
Washing baby bottles is such a time suck. When you have an infant, all you want to do—when you have a spare moment to breathe—is sleep and rest and stare at your bundles of sweetness. Not to mention fold the laundry, make a non-frozen dinner (for once), pee in private, and ...read more
Winter can be dreary and dull, and let's face it kinda depressing. We're fighting the winter blues by stocking our bathrooms with some new winter beauty must-haves to help our routine be on-point this season. The cold weather can take a toll on everything from your skin, hair, ...read more
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
Holiday pajamas are my jam... Obviously. But there's another piece of comfy-cozy Christmas clothing that I'm slightly obsessed with—and that's the ugly sweater. In the past few years, this hideously festive holiday tradition has become downright trendy. The sillier, the wackier, ...read more
Five days till Christmas! Five days till Hanukkah! Five days left to browse, buy, and wrap all those games and gadgets and stocking stuffers and trinkets and knick-knacks and toys for your favorite good boys, nice girls, and itty-bitty babes. I thought I was way ahead of the ...read more
The holidays are upon us and we know many of you are gearing up to travel. Whether your travels take you near or far, we have some fave new products that will have you traveling in comfort and style, all while making it less painful for you, Mama. We are all about making holiday ...read more
Whew! We're almost half way through December! The kids have been counting down the days until Christmas for what feels like 100 days already. We've been stringing lights, drinking hot cocoa, and wrapping presents like crazy around here. To help with the gift wrapping, we're ...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
My son hasn’t quite reached the understanding that his beloved “lemonade stand” is both a seasonal side-business and a more summer-appropriate activity. He insists on setting it up indoors year-round—which means, I’m pretty much 99% of his income October through May. “Another ...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
I remember when I was pregnant with my first. I didn’t realize how important, tricky, and consequential some seemingly minor decisions could be. For example, I just “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” picked a reputable bottle brand from the plethora of options on the shelf, registered ...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
It’s no secret that I love a new holiday book. Give me a good Rudolph read and some hot cocoa and I’ll happily curl up with my kids for some fireside snuggles. Adding to our holiday book collection is one of the great joys of the season for my family of budding bookworms. ...read more
We have officially kicked off the holiday season with the launch of our annual gift guide. It is packed with gorgeous gift ideas for everyone on your list. Not only will it make your holidays shopping much easier, but we know you'll find unique gifts that are sure to "wow" the ...read more
Before I had kids, my siblings and I established a fun "adult" family tradition: board games on Christmas Eve! After all the guests left and all the food was put away, we'd open up the wine and pull out a few grownup classics: Apples to Apples followed by Cards Against Humanity ...read more
I see a big hole in the holiday fashion market. There are plenty of Christmas outfits for children and loads of Halloween options, but a very small slew of Thanksgiving-themed attire. Sure, you can find one or two styles for your wild little turkeys, but the pickings can be super ...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. Nope, it’s still November, little guy—otherwise known as the month of ...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
When my nephew was born, my brother’s world was rocked, but so was mine! Looking into his tiny face I could see all the possibilities his life could hold. He was born into a family who adored him from the very beginning. Given so much love, I know his future will be filled with ...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
October is a breath of fresh air... Crisp, cool, invigorating air. Chilly snuggle-up-in-pajamas air. Really, though, I love everything the month ushers in—pumpkin-spice lattés, colorful foliage, chunky sweaters, and picturesque seasonal scenes... And Halloween, of course! As ...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
Trick or Treat! Does anyone ever really pick trick? Well, we decided to change things up a bit by bringing you lots of tips and tricks to make this Halloween as sweet as can be. Check out the latest Halloween trends and don't forget to enter our Halloween Giveaway! One of the ...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
I'm always on the hunt for snacks that are healthy, taste good, and that everyone in the family will enjoy. On a recent shopping trip, I discovered Annie Chun's Seaweed Crisps. These were intriguing! As I stood in the aisle of my local grocery store with my toddler in the cart ...read more
For my son's birthday, my husband and I decided, after much debate, that the best—and only—gift we’d get was his very own bicycle. His first set of two wheels—well four to train with. And sine we wanted him to feel confident and cool, only the best would do—so, of course, it had ...read more
(source) It's a cruel, cruel joke when you're coffee machine's glass carafe shatters at 6 AM on National Coffee Day. (Insert all the angry, non-caffeinated expletives.) Yes, this actually happened to me this morning, and I had to go without my early doctor-recommended* dosage ...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
There’s nothing cuter than a real-life baby with a sweet baby doll. My precious little P has suddenly started expressing interest in “babies.” The second she spots a human that’s her smaller than her (and sometimes even bigger!), she giggles and points and says “Mama! Mama! ...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
Penelope’s first word after “mama” and “dada” was, no joke, “SNACK.” Fast forward 10 months and it’s still pretty much her favorite thing to say. Better yet, is the way she actually drags out the vowel sound with her high-pitched nasally little tone, “snnnaaaaaaaaack,” whilst ...read more
My big guy has been in Pre-K for four whole days now. That’s 10 hours total of school time under his belt thus far this academic year. (Yes, preschool is a whopping two and a half hours around here, but, hey, it’s five days a week—so I’ll take it!) Grant really likes to play, ...read more
Grandparents are incredibly special—and my children's grandmas and grandpas are especially incredible. We see my parents every day. They help take care of my kids daily, spoil them wholeheartedly, and love them unconditionally. They change diapers, buy presents, make meals, ...read more
My son is super tentative at the playground. He lets other kids pass him when he hesitates at the top of the slide and starts screaming if my husband pushes him just a hair too high on the swings. He generally skips the tall ladders and desperately clenches the ropes at the ...read more
