Nothing says the season of joy is here like spending time in the kitchen with family. Last week I took on a Classic Christmas Sugar Cookie playdate. While the girls amused themselves with coloring, I whipped up my grandmother's sugar cookie recipe. It's the perfect way to ...read more
'Tis the season to be cooking and cleaning and wrapping and baking and coming and going and stressing. The holidays are hectic. And if your calendar looks anything like mine, you have school concerts and Cub Scouts caroling and cookie swaps and preschool playdates this week ...read more
The holidays are a time when lots of families reconnect and celebrate seasonal traditions. For families with a loved one in the hospital, however, it can be an especially difficult time, often compounded by extra responsibility, exhaustion, and isolation. If you know a family ...read more
I grew up with a fake Christmas tree. We'd lug it up from the basement--branch by dilapidated branch--every year after Thanksgiving. It wasn't until my husband and I moved into our own house in the 'burbs that we decided to get ourselves a real, live tree. Three years ago, we ...read more
A record-breaking 112.5 million people – more than a third of all Americans - are expected to travel this holiday season, including 102 million who will take their trips by car. Nothing ruins a long-awaited vacation faster than getting sick or being in medical distress. We ...read more
Tis the season to be spending. It can be hard to get a handle on finances when you're feeling festive and frivolous--take it from a reformed over-shopper. But it's so important to rein in your budget and make a plan to keep more money in your wallet (and the bank!). Here a few ...read more
Tis the season for toys and trinkets and gadgets and games galore. The kids have made their (lengthy!) wish lists, but they're not the only ones meticulously dotting their i's and crossing their t's. No, Santa is hard at work, too--so we're pitching in to help by sharing nine of ...read more
Grandparents are special people. They love and nurture and babysit and bake and lend and help in any and every way they can. We may be grown up, but we'll always be their babies--so they happy do for us and ask for little in return (well, you know, besides a crew of grandkids.) ...read more
All Mom wants this holiday season is a silent night--and maybe a big cup of cheer (read: coffee/wine). The merry month of December is almost upon us, and Mama's wants and whims often go on the back burner. There are little ones to shop for, parties to host, crafts to make, and ...read more
I love fashion as much as the next Momtrends gal, but there's one not-so-stylish piece of apparel that I have a great affinity for: the ugly Christmas sweater. There's something so freeing about donning a crazy, over-the-top, bedazzled, clashing, obnoxiously awesome and totally ...read more
Tis the season to curl up and cuddle with your cuties and enjoy some seriously deserved down time. The holidays are hectic, and y'all deserve a quiet break, a sweet snuggle, and some holly-jolly magical family moments. This weekend will inevitably be stressful leading up to the ...read more
Tis the season to curl up on the couch with a holiday movie or two. Invite the girls over (or gather your kiddos), pour some wine (or hot chocolate), and nibble on Santa's cookie stash. (We won't tell.) In the spirit of the season, we've rounded up our favorite chick flicks to ...read more
My little guy has an important Kindergarten assignment due next week. He has to sing a song, write a story, create a poster, or make a video (slash I need to edit a video) about his favorite holiday or winter tradition. Of course, my jolly mini man didn't even have to think ...read more
Decorating a gingerbread house is one of my children's favorite holiday traditions. I, on the other hand, have never been a huge fan. First, there's all the sugar and candy and frosting and dye. Then there's the fact that the traditional kits are nearly impossible to complete. ...read more
Tis the season to be shopping and spending and stuffing and gifting…. Alas, Mama (AKA Mrs. Claus) doesn’t have the time to run here, there, and everywhere on a crazy Christmas quest to find all the perfect pint-size presents for her crew of impish elves. Indeed, this lady ...read more
The holiday entertaining season is officially in full swing. Parties, fundraisers, and shindigs abound! I'm hosting an intimate holiday dinner at my home this weekend, and trying not to sweat the details. Good food, great wine, and fabulous company: that's the recipe for a ...read more
I love holiday cooking and crafting and baking and decorating... But one thing I absolutely abhor: holiday gift wrapping! It can be painstaking work making all those presents and packages look pretty and perfect. And, if I'm being totally honest, this mama is not naturally ...read more
The hustle, bustle and holly-jolly manic merriment of the season has officially begun. The grownups (and kids!) are overbooked, overtired, and over-sugared. Time to take a deep cleansing breath, slow down, and be more mindful in your everyday eating and daily activities. Here ...read more
My family just got our first real Christmas tree. Now that we're in our own humble home, we wanted to start a new holiday tradition and ditch the faux fir for a pretty pine-scented piece of nature. It was so fun going to the Christmas tree farm and picking out "the one." We've ...read more
December is here! Time to whip out your warmest winter-weather gear: your down coat, those fuzzy earmuffs, and all the fleece and wool and cashmere accessories you and your crew have accrued throughout the years. When we bought the kids their heavy jackets last year, I sized up ...read more
Thanksgiving is just two days away. The holidays are officially here, and I'm ready to mix, mingle, and celebrate with my friends and family. Of course, no one is as excited for the festivities as my two little people. Every day they ask me how many days are left before ...read more
Christmas Eve has always been a bit chaotic for my family. Super-fun and exciting, but crazy, hectic, and crowded nevertheless. We celebrate at my parents' home, and they tend to go big. Lots of food, tons of people, late hours, and amped up volume. It's a blast, but it's the ...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
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
