holidays

With all the negative news stories we're inundated with these days, our world could use a little--okay, a lot--more kindness. And the best way to spread kindness is to inspire it in our kiddos. Because if we teach our kids about kindness, we are helping form a future that ...read more

November is my birthday month. And my birthday just so happens to fall around Thanksgiving each year... And sometimes it's even on Thanksgiving, so Turkey Day has always been one of my very favorite holidays. While I'm all in with every holiday, I can't ignore the merits of a day ...read more

I’m not a big believer in traditional New Year’s resolutions. More often than not, in years past, I’ve set myself up for failure with unrealistic, unfocused, and grandiose goals. Lose weight, eat better, exercise more, indulge in “me time,” be more present with my children. Um, ...read more

I'll admit - I love staying in for New Year's Eve. After a month of holiday parties and family get-togethers, I have little interest in trying to find a babysitter, battling the crowds, shelling out big bucks for a prix fixe dinner and trying to keep my eyes open until 12:01. ...read more

T'is the season to be totally festive. I've always loved nail art and firmly believe that even adding a little bit of an accent completely ups your outfit. The problems with nail art is that it's expensive and/or time consuming. (My favorite nail place charges $68 for a designer ...read more

Normally, I don't like things in my wine. Thanks-but-no-thanks, sangria - you can keep you fruit out of my glass of vino. But somehow the combination of wine and warmth and spices and citrus in this mulled wine makes it just perfect for cold winter nights this time of year. ...read more

It's that time of year where we are feeling festive and fun-loving. To celebrate the holidays, we are going to play Oprah and give away some of our favorite things. Join us as we host ten days of holiday giveaways. Each day we will feature a new product from our beautiful gift ...read more

One of our favorite family traditions is going to Angevine Farm in Connecticut to chop down our tree. We drive up to this family-owned farm months in advance to tag a tree as our own, then the weekend after Thanksgiving, we head back to the farm to saw it down and bring the ...read more

If you're like me and are STILL dragging your feet on ordering your holiday cards, it's not too late! There is still time to order and some great deals to be had. We've rounded up some of the best deals, discounts and coupon code just for you. No more excuses! Here are ...read more

Still have some fresh cranberries left over from last week's cranberry gin martini or one of these fresh cranberry recipes? Then dust off those copper Moscow Mule cups and mix up a batch of this holiday version - the Cranberry Moscow Mule. I had pinned this recipe a year or so ...read more

Do you buy new holiday pajamas for the kids every year? I never grew up with the tradition but I love that it ensures your kids aren't wearing ratty old PJs and actually look cute in those holiday morning photos - ha! If you're still shopping for some cute options to deck the ...read more

Time for holiday fun. For me it meant a trip to the Union Square Market to shop small and style plaid for the holidays. Plaid is so festive--in such a classic way. This cape will be your signature piece for the season. Talbots has this one and a black and white check cape too. ...read more

Fresh cookies in the oven. Hot cider in my mug. An evergreen decorated with lights. One of my favorite parts of the holidays are the smells. You can use this easy stovetop potpourri recipe any time that you want to make your house smell amazing. Holiday Stovetop Potpourri ...read more

Thanksgiving may be over, but fresh cranberries are still in season. Relatively inexpensive, these ruby gems are a delicious and festive addition to the holiday season. Plus, they are healthy too - cranberries are low in calories and low on the glycemic index,loaded with ...read more

SAVE $15 ON YOUR MERRY MAMA T-SHIRT! Time to get your Merry On! With our exclusive Merry Mama T-shirt! You know I used to work in fashion...so many years at Ralph Lauren. Well after the success of the Mom Boss t-shirt I went back into the workshop and came up with this! USE CODE ...read more

We all know how hard it can be to find ways to keep kids entertained when the family all gathers together for a holiday. Am I right? Whether we're talking about Thanksgiving, Christmas or even spending New Year's Eve in, the key to keeping kids happy is keeping them good and ...read more

I’m one of those “don’t-even-talk-to-me-about-the-December-holidays-until-we-get-through-Thanksgiving” people. I love me my presents and my eggnog and my stocking stuffers and my tree-trimming trinkets, but I don’t like skipping ahead and glossing over fall’s grand finale. ...read more

The holidays are almost here! Time to gather the kids for some festive seasonal reads. There's nothing quite better than curling up with your little ones at bedtime with a new holiday book pick. Kids love the excitement of this time of year. Not to mention, moms like it, too! ...read more

Christmas has come and gone, but we're celebrating the holidays right on through the new year around here! My whole family is on vacation and I'm willing to bet that we aren't the only ones...And I'm also pretty sure we aren't alone in having little ones that need to be ...read more

Think back for a moment about the past year...How many hours of happiness has your precious pet brought you? Countless hours right? There's nothing quite like the contentment that comes from curling up with your fur baby for some snuggles. Isn't it time you said thank you to your ...read more

When I became a mom for the first time, nothing delighted me more than gazing at the precious I had helped create. And while I reveled in my role as a new mom, that doesn't mean I stopped being me. That's an important thing to remember when you're shopping for a new mom. The new ...read more

One thing that my mom really focused on when we were growing up is that the holidays aren't about giving, they're about receiving. From a very early age I just loved shopping for and making gifts for my loved ones...even more than I liked tearing into my own presents on Christmas ...read more

Every year my mom, sister and I gather in one of our kitchens for our annual holiday baking fest. We usually make several different kinds of cookies to get us through our Christmas celebrations. And this year was no exception. Well, there was something different about this year. ...read more

Still looking for a last-minute gift idea? This homemade DIY body scrub is one of my favorites to give (and to receive!). It's easy to make, inexpensive and can be personalized for your gift recipient. Here's what you need to whip up a batch this afternoon and cross those last ...read more

The holiday countdown is on! And I’m ready to get crackin’ on all things festive, fun, holly, and jolly. My favorite way to celebrate the season: breaking bread with friends and family. To kick off the most wonderful time of the year, Momtrends hosted an incredible event with a ...read more

My name is Lauren and I have a problem. I am addicted to buying my children Christmas outfits... Christmas outfits that will probably get worn once this year before being thrown into our ever-growing abyss of retired kids’ clothes. (But I’ll always have that Instagram memory!) ...read more

'Tis the season for holiday parties and since we are all about sharing this special time with the kiddos, we are hosting a Handmade Holiday Party. Instilling in children that every gift doesn't have to be bought at the store is an important life lesson that will turn them into ...read more

If you've decided to take a pass on shopping today, never fear, there's still plenty of holiday fun to be had! In our house, the day after Thanksgiving always kicks off the holiday season. We put on some festive tunes, whip up a batch of hot cocoa, set out some Christmas cookies ...read more

As more than 30 million Americans hit the roads (and don't forget about the nearly 30 million in the air), parents across the land are dealing with short attention spans and the occasional meltdown. We opted for the late-night drive routine to get to our Thanksgiving ...read more

Ever feel like life would be easier if you just had another pair of hands or a few more hours in the day - especially during the holidays? We may have found the next best thing - QuadJobs. Now that the holidays are upon us, our lists of errands to run, gifts to buy, and things ...read more

'Tis the season for festive get-togethers, holiday parties, winter performances and holiday suits for boys. All this means my three boys have had to trade in their uniform of shorts, tees and flip flops for things a bit more formal. Holiday Suits for Boys I could be wrong since ...read more

Are you ready for the holidays? Are you doing any entertaining? Here's some tabletop inspiration for you. We've used gold as a theme color and added some additional touches. For my recent holiday party I went for a metallic theme. It is classic and modern and I want to share ...read more

Once considered impersonal, today gift cards are perceived by millions of consumers as practical, convenient and the perfect holiday gift. In fact, gift cards continue to top holiday wish lists for the eighth year in a row with expected spending on these plastic presents to ...read more

The holiday cooking season has officially struck our house. While I love to cook, during this time of year the cooking gets a lot more sweet with baking cookies on the top of our list. One of our other favorite sweet traditions is to make a gingerbread house. Normally I opt ...read more