• Monthly Archive:: September 2013

    “Everyone is always good at something.” It was a mantra I heard throughout my childhood, from my teachers, to my own mother…and one that I find myself echoing today with my own kids. When my 9-year-old laments that she is small for her age, I remind her that bigger isn’t always better. “Just listen how loudly you can sing,” I tell her as she belts out a number from her theater class. Because each of us is unique, we have qualities and traits that we may sometimes frown upon or even take for granted without fully realizing the beauty in their purpose. That’s the theme behind a new children’s book, Clumsy Duck, in which the title character’s self-imposed name fails to capture his true talents. [&hellip

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    Remember when you were a kid and you could get your hands on a box of Cracker Jacks? I didn’t exactly caring for their taste, but it was the prize that I coveted. Well, I may be older now, but I haven’t outgrown my love of sweet treats and special surprises. And since the weekend is upon us, it’s the perfect time to surprise a friend or loved one. If you’re headed to a dinner party or maybe just paying a visit to a friend, you’ll want to bring them something that goes beyond a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers. For the perfect hostess with the mostess gift, we are loving the new line of candles from bella j. These aren’t your [&hellip

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    Have your kids started drawing up their holiday wish lists yet? I know, I know…it’s not even Halloween! And yet the Frontgate holiday preview catalog arrived in the mail today and we’ve already seen a TV commercial for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular about a zillion times. Because it’s harder to come up with gift ideas as my daughters get older, I’ve been making mental notes of “this is so cool’ conversations that I overhear from my 9-year-old. The tween years can be a challenge in so many ways, and gift-giving is no exception. Because my older daughter appears to have outgrown Calico Critters (sigh…), I wonder what type of playset can boost her imagination and keep her playing long enough to stay away from [&hellip

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    How do you know you’ve just entered the home where a baby lives? The unmistakable smell of dirty diapers. That truly never occurred to me until the day my kids were fully potty-trained, and that all-too-familiar scent had finally left the air. Even the finest air fresheners could never rid that lingering odor, and diaper pails that claimed to trap that poop smell did a semi-decent job…until it was time to empty them. Well, we may have found a diaper disposal system that makes good on its word. tommee tippee 360 o sealer takes the stop, drop and close drill one step further; after you deposit the dirty diaper in the top, simply turn the dial to seal the deal, so to speak. (If your [&hellip

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    The weekend is upon us, and that means I’ll have more time to read uninterrupted…as if! With a break from the frenetic routine of getting kids off to school, shuttling them to activities, tackling homework, dinner, bath and bed, I make a point of squeezing in some reading before heading off to Dreamland. Because I’m already a full-time bespectacled gal, I don’t need to seek out a pair of reading glasses. But since plenty of friends have been donning a pair during book group, I know that stylish specs are just as important as a fetching pair of shoes (or so I’ve been told). If you’re someone who likes to make more environmentally-friendly purchases, then we’ve found the glasses line for you. Eynack‘s line of [&hellip

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    Yesterday’s weather was perfect: sunny and in the 60s, with just a hint of fall in the air. After a rather buggy summer, my 5-year-old was happy to finally be back outside where she could play undisturbed by those pesky critters. So we took out her trike and she happily pedaled back and forth, and even giving her stuffed panda Bamboo a ride. As I watched her attempt to maneuver herself through various twists and turns on her path, I realized that the days of ride-ons were pretty much behind us now. Even though she is almost too big to fit inside her convertible coupe, she still likes to cruise around the backyard, her knees bumping against the dashboard much to her (odd) delight. Well, [&hellip

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    Who doesn’t remember the first Beatles song they ever heard? For me, it was “Octopus’s Garden.” While I don’t recall exactly how old I was, it was pre-MTV music videos and the visuals in my head stimulated my imagination much like a picture book might. For my daughters, both girls learned “Yellow Submarine” in their preschool days. A perfect singalong, this tune’s repetitious verse and rhythm is perfectly paced for the untrained listening ear whose just getting the hang of following instructions and paying attention. So naturally, we weren’t surprised when Caspar Babypants decided to pay tribute to these living legends with his own musical love letter. Baby Beatles marks the seventh album for this alt-rocker-turned-kid-rock-musician whose own experience as a Beatles worshipper dates back [&hellip

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    From what I’ve been hearing from my mom friends, it won’t be long before my 9-year-old is begging for a sleepover party. We’ve managed to successfully avoid this topic, and frankly, I’m just not ready for all the drama that comes along with it. While I don’t miss those long-ago 3 a.m. feedings, I sometimes can’t help long for the sight of that sweet little soul, so peaceful as she lay fast asleep in her crib back in the day. When the weather had turned chilly, Iwrapped her up in her comfy blankie and she was set for the night…until, of course,  she kicked off her covers and cried out for someone to come and comfort her. Because I didn’t trust myself to swaddle my [&hellip

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    I continue to be amazed by design innovation in baby products. Not unlike the technology advances in smartphones, tablets and other devices, the look becomes sleeker, the products credit-card thin. Following in these footsteps is the latest in high chair design, Mima moon chair (distributed by Muak Baby) is getting lots of early buzz. We got wind of the product that everyone will be talking about at next month’s ABC Expo, and think it will quickly join the ranks of  must-have baby gear. It’s one of those items that you can begin using right away: first as a newborn lounger (with a support pillow), next as a high chair for 6 months and up and then as a booster seat (simply by removing the upper [&hellip

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    My 5-year-old was so happy to have art class on her first day of kindergarten. She spends quite a bit of time drawing detailed pictures, and I can never seem to find her without a crayon or marker in hand. While I’ve yet to take her to an art museum, I suspect we’ll be spending quite some time navigating the halls of MOMA and the Guggenheim…someday. Until then, we’re relishing Arlo’s ARTrageous Adventure!, a story of what happens when a young boy spends the day in art museum and it turns out to be a rather lively show. His grandmother attempts to school him on the seriousness of art, but he soon learns that looks (and life) is not always what it seems. As readers [&hellip

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