• Monthly Archive:: February 2012

    My daughter’s very first “big girl” dinner plate has finally met its maker. After countless washings and many meals, the barnyard animals lovingly laminated on the divided sections are practically peeling off. A bit of a dining hazard…unless you want a side of toxic plastic with those mashed potatoes. These days I know I’m not alone when keeping an eye out for kids’ products that don’t have a zillion potential dangers lurking in their construction. And when it comes to mealtime, I’m especially mindful of safety first. It’s why the new Re-Play line of kids’ dishware and cutlery calls out to moms like me. Made from recycled milk jugs, this line is as environmentally-friendly as it gets. At first grasp, I could tell these products [&hellip

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    Nearly every Monday morning, my day begins with a pop. Opening up a new container of O.J.  for my family’s breakfast involves fussing with that pesky juice tab–and some careful manipulation. If I don’t watch out, I’m liable to splash juice all over the kitchen counter, not to mention me! What exactly are these pull tabs good for, anyway? I finally got my answer when I saw the new Juice Tab Jewelry line from ALEX at Toy Fair earlier this month. These otherwise impractical do-dads have been fashioned into the latest crafting accessory for girls ages 6+. You’ll recognize the telltale tween icons in the button holes–from peace signs and hearts, to flowers and stars–and they couldn’t be any easier to put together. Just pull [&hellip

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    As I empty out the remnants of snack foods from last week’s winter break, my bag tells the tale of our between-meals diet. Mini boxes of raisins, discarded cracker wrappings and crushed Goldfish dot the interior like a modern day version of abstract art. (While I strive to make mostly healthy choices for my family, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to a stray gummy bear squashed in there.) Because we spent our February break in and out of the airport, portable was the name of the game and let’s just say that after three days of Triscuits, my girls craved a little something different. Since we’ve returned home, I’ve had the good fortune to come across two snack-worthy treats for traveling diners–especially those [&hellip

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    Life as a mom is hardly a Bob Dylan song. The days of being completely carefree and going wherever the wind may take me are on hold…at least for now. Instead, my routine follows its own predictable rhythm of bus stops, preschool drop-offs, homework, dinner and the three B’s: bath, book and bed. Even with a schedule that hums like a well-oiled machine, there’s always those little snags that slow us down: a pair of shoes whose dread wears out, a backpack whose zipper that goes unstuck and kids’ hair. You heard me right on that last one. Yup, combing and styling my girls’ finer-than-fine hair is a never-ending battle. On the one hand, I have a 7-year-old who can’t quite grasp the concept of [&hellip

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    After an unseasonably mild day in the middle of February, my thoughts naturally turn to summer vacation. Each year, our family takes a week-long getaway by trading in the daily Long Island rat-race for a leisurely paced sojourn somewhere in New England. Last summer it was Gloucester, Mass. and the year before that, coastal Rhode Island (we tend to favor towns by the sea, if you hadn’t already guessed). As I peruse the myriad of family-friendly destinations up north, I find myself drawn to Martha’s Vineyard again and again. I love the idea of a place where my day is dictated by what beach I’ll swim in and what flavor of homemade ice cream I’ll be sampling later on. Thoughts of a great escape couldn’t [&hellip

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    Helping kids develop an ear for music is one of the great joys of parenting. Ever since my girls could utter their first words, we’ve been introducing them to the different sounds and singers whose music delights our listening ears. My 7-year-old knew her Billy Joel from her Frank Sinatra even as a preschooler, while my 3-year-old is just beginning to identify a saxophone vs. a trumpet. We’re not surprised then that Symphony in B., a new musical toy that we saw at Toy Fair last week, has taken center stage. Following a shape sorter concept, mini maestros can place any combination of up to six miniature musical instruments (from a total of 13) in their corresponding slots, select the type of music they’d like [&hellip

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    Blame it on the leftover Valentine’s Day candy lurking around our house, but we couldn’t help but notice the colorful confectioneries staring us down at Toy Fair this week. Everywhere we turned, there were sugary snack-inspired playthings that made our mouths water and our smiles widen. While we expected to see sweet treats in the crafts and pretend food categories, we never thought candy would make its ways into building toys. But what a sight for sore eyes it was! Like a kid in a candy store, we couldn’t get enough of Candy Construction, a 92-piece building set for ages 4-8. Plastic pieces in the likeness of chocolate bars, starlight mints, peppermint sticks and other classic dime-store candies make for vibrant houses, buildings and more. [&hellip

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    The lucky mom that I am, I am treated to a musical serenade by my 3-year-old every afternoon. She pounds…er, plays on her kitty keyboard like there’s no tomorrow. It’s quite possible you have seen the offending musical instrument that I’m talking about: an orange-hued Cheshire cat that grins from ear to ear with a row of piano key teeth. My preschooler can’t get enough of this thing, and our ears (and forever-hiding family cat) are proof of her “music-making.” As much as I jest and sometimes cringe each time I hear her striking up the band, I secretly delight in her unabashed merriment in playing and singing along off-key. Her 7-year-old sister also partaking in the joy? Not so much… Maybe it’s because she [&hellip

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    These days, we’re hard-pressed to find a family with kids under the age of 5 who don’t own some toy made by Melissa & Doug. Be it a wooden puzzle, a pretend pizza-making kit or a craft set, many of the mom friends we know with young kids are familiar with the brand name and are more than impressed with the quality of their selection. One of our favorite lines under the Melissa & Doug umbrella is the backyard-focused Sunny Patch, a fresh-faced collection of gardening toys, sand/beach gear and rainy-day accessories. Now, we can really get the outdoor party started with the latest extension to the Sunny Patch line: Pool Party, featuring nearly 30 different toys and activities to keep kids entertained while in [&hellip

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    I was bitten by the acting bug at a tender age and, like most girls from my generation, Annie was one of my first starring roles. At the sixth grade middle school talent show, I belted out “Tomorrow,” decked in the signature red and white dress and of course, the curly red wing–straight from the J.C. Penney catalog. You can only imagine how thrilled my mom was when I reprised my role the following school year in a medley of show tunes, including selections from “Annie.” The dress and wig were dusted off and put to good use yet again. And while I’ve since grown up, I’m happily passing on my (and my husband’s) love of musical theatre to our 7-year-old who has  just started [&hellip

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