• Monthly Archive:: December 2011

    With the new year lurking right around the corner, we’re seeking comfort from the cold, dark winter that’s now upon us. Now that the post-holiday blues have set it, we feel like we want to hide out until spring…..OK, so life’s not really all the bad, but some days, don’t you just want to crawl back under the covers and stay there indefinitely? No matter if you’re a frazzled mom or a stressed-out kid, let’s face it: Life can get a little…well, ugly. This year, we’re cuddling up to Softy, one of the year’s newest Uglydolls. He knows what it’s like to have a bad-hair day–or, in Softy’s case–a bad-hand day (he’s only got 6 fingers). Even if this guy can’t give you a high-five, [&hellip

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    Happy (almost) 2012! If you’ll be welcoming a new arrival into your family this year, chances are you may be registering for baby bedding. And if this isn’t your first child, you may already be familiar with the potential health risks associated with crib bumpers. They may look pretty, but are deemed unsafe by the American Academy of Pediatrics with regards to SIDS prevention . That being said, any bedding set that can pull off the look of a complete bedding ensemble–minus the actual bumpers–gets a nod in our book. Skip Hop’s Complete Sheet Collection is just that product, offering a bold printed sheet whose design extends to the mattress sides and features a contrasting pattern on top. Finished with linen piping, the 100-percent cotton, [&hellip

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    It’s official: With just 2 more shopping days left until Christmas, we’ve finally entered the holiday home stretch. Have you finished all your shopping–or even started your gift-wrapping? If you’re like me and the kids are home from school, you’ll need to get creative, but also get your holiday preparations done. To keep your kids occupied as you put the finishing touches on Christmas, let them personalize their wrapping paper with this Keepsake Footprint Paper craft from Pottery Barn Kids. To get this party started, plan to factor in a little extra time for set-up, or enlist the help of an older sibling to assist younger tots. You can use store-bought brown paper (found at your local craft store or wherever packing supplies are sold), [&hellip

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    Right about now, I’m feeling like the holidays are catching up to me. I’m all shopped out, have more wrapping ahead of me and still need to go out and pick up last-minute essentials like extra tape and batteries. Speaking of which, I could use a little recharging myself…can you relate? If the holidays have left you a bit frazzled and you realize you still need to make it to New Year’s without losing your spirit, it’s time to indulge yourself. No, I don’t mean to spring for that new pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing all season. I’m talking about something to invigorate your senses and start your day off right. Maclaren’s beginning collection is exactly what this weary mom desires. It’s a new [&hellip

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    My 3-year-old has pretty good taste in music, if I do say so myself. Having introduced her to everything from ABC to ZZ Top–and oh yes, all those cool kiddie rockers thrown in for good measure–she knows her “Smokey Sings” from “She’s Got Legs.” And my 7-year-old is no musical slouch either, even though her play list  is lately to Katy Perry and the soundtrack to “Peter Pan” these days. (An odd combination, and yet it’s diverse.) No matter my girls’ tastes, the one thing that unites them is their interest in music. As we parents have been told from the get-go, expose kids to a passion early on, and watch them take to it like moths to a flame. That’s the idea behind the [&hellip

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    I must confess: I am a weather geek. Nothing gives me quite a thrill as the words “five-day forecast.” Just ask my husband. He says I refer to rain as “precip” (do I really?), and that I smile when I hear the weather man say, “High pressure will dominate.” Naturally, when we had children, I hope to spread my love of all things weather and eventually cultivate my own little storm chasers. What better way than with a kid-friendly weather station? If you’re looking for a last-minute holiday gift for a kid who’s more at home outdoors than in, we predict you’ll love the Storm Chaser Portable Weather Pod. Part of the Backyard Safari Outfitters collection, this handy gadget goes wherever the wind takes you [&hellip

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    Ah, the wonderful scents of the season are upon us! The gingerbread cookies baking in the oven, the freshly cut Christmas tree’s boughs of pine…and that god-awful smell coming from the guest bathroom (just kidding). If your home is about to be descended upon by a barrage of family and friends this holiday season, you’ll want to freshen up the facilities with a festive scent. Poo~Pourri Santa bathroom freshener is an amusing and surprisingly effective way to keep your powder room smelling more like powder than anything else. A pleasing combination of citrus and evergreen, this spray puts the kibosh any unpleasant odors with a simple spritz. If you’ll be Christmasing at someone else’s home this year, consider the Santa Poo~Pourri Toilet Paper Giftset as [&hellip

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    Christmas movies have become my favorite quotables these days, and “It’s a Wonderful Life” happens to be at the top of that list. I can’t decide what I like best–the scene where a young George offers to get Mary the moon (“Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down”…”I’ll take it. Then what?”) or when a more mature George begs for his old life back (“Get me back, I don’t care what happens to me. Get me back to my wife and kids!”). The intense emotion and powerful drama of these moments is easy to get swept up away in. It not only makes for good television watching, but it puts the season in perspective. Maybe we just [&hellip

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    Baby, it’s cold outside…In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be taking in the sights and sounds of the season–and that means dressing for the weather. A huge fan of layers, I always seem to outfit my kids as though they are headed to the tundra instead of suburbia. But regardless of whether you’ll be strolling city streets or hiking through the hills, if you’ve got a little one in tow, that extra layer of warmth will come in handy. This winter, we’ve got our eye on Maclaren’s buggy blankets. These ultra plush, generously sized throws are a love letter to the cityscapes in which they are detailed. From London to Sydney, New York to Paris, each reversible blanket features a detailed map of four [&hellip

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    My 3-year-old’s new favorite fruit is the clementine. She can’t get enough of them, and I can’t say I blame her. They are sweet, incredibly juicy and easy to peel and eat. From a mom’s perspective, I like that they’re portable and pack easily when we’re on the go, and don’t result in sticky, orange fingers. In fact, theirs is a rather invigorating, citrusy scent that I much enjoy this time of year. Because I tend to buy clementines in bulk, I am forever experimenting with different brands and currently can’t resist Cuties Clementines. Bursting with flavor and packed with vitamin C, they are the perfect addition to lunch, snacktime or anytime hunger strikes. If you happen to have a resident cutie who also loves [&hellip

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