When I told friend that there was a designated STEAM room at my son's school, she gave me a quizzical look. "No, not a sauna," I replied. "A lab for Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematic." "Oh," she said. "So everything BUT reading." Ha, touché. STEM/STEAM learning ...read more
It’s been a long summer for this four-year-old girl. Her summer enrichment program wrapped on the first of August; so, while her brother is still off living that big-kid camp life every day from 9 AM to 4 PM, she’s stuck at home stifled by the relentlessly monotonous schedule of ...read more
When it comes to baby gear, I tend to keep it simple. After all, infants don't really need that much. Okay, that's a loaded statement, and it comes with some complex caveats. But, in reality, a newborn's basic requirements are rather rudimentary. Anything too high-tech seems ...read more
Do you have holiday fatigue? It's hard sprinkling about all the holiday magic we've been working so hard on for our families. We get it. Trust us. We totally get it. Well, mamas it's time to take a break and let us give you another hot holiday toy idea! No research required. ...read more
My kids are early risers—to put it mildly. They're usually up before the clock strikes 6 (ugh) giggling and yelling and competing for my undivided attention. Yes, it can be exhausting and exasperating. But it's real life. Moreover, it's #momlife, and it's hard to stay mad at ...read more
We are so smitten with the newest American Girl doll. Meet Gabriela McBride, 2017 girl of the year! Gabriela is passionate about the the arts, and really finds her voice when she discovers poetry. Gabby has a stutter, and thanks to poetry, she learns to face her fears, overcome ...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
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
My son is a Florida baby through and through. He always has been. His daddy might be from Minnesota, but he got his Mama’s warm temp preferences, so heading outside in the winter isn’t exactly his favorite thing to do. Don’t get me wrong...He isn’t the kind of kid who wants to ...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
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
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
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
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
One thing I absolutely love about summer is the flexibility to do things during the week that you may not normally be able to do during the school year. There's also this rule about being able to stay up later than usual and that means playing with toys that glow in the dark. ...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
During the summer, my kiddos and I always head back East to Georgia or North Carolina to visit family. Being on the road with children is a different kind of family bonding, that's for sure. Shoving everyone in a small space—whether it be a car, plane or train—for an extended ...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
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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIQkQvw4RAI I’m going to be honest here… I love my kids, but sometimes I don’t feel like playing with the same ole toy or game over and over and over again. It can get a bit tedious, repetitive, and, um, exhausting... Especially at 5 AM. (It's ...read more
School may have just gotten out, but are you already worried about the brain drain that can come with those looooong days of summer? Luckily, you can keep your kids entertained and educationally challenged with these fun, brain-stimulating building toys - many of which build on ...read more
Summer… If you’re a kid, it’s all about freedom, fun, and play. (At least, it should be!) Just in time for the season of sun, sand, and surf, Amazon.com has launched its first-ever Summer Toy List. It’s an interactive shopping experience that’s meant to help kids and parents ...read more
"Give a kid a cardboard box, and you've got yourself a happy camper." I used to think this was a silly thing people just said. Then I had kids of my own, and I realized that this is one of the single unifying common truths of parenting. It never ceases to amaze me how ...read more
