Tis the season of baby showers, christenings and any other gift-giving occasion to welcome a new arrival. If you’ve been invited to a bris, baptism or first birthday bash and are coming up empty-handed on your quest for the perfect present , consider the latest trend in gift-giving: subscriptions. We’re not talking Highlights magazine here, but rather a boxed mail-order delivery. Googaro features an assortment of carefully selected baby gifts (think: your own personal baby store shopper) that are eco-friendly and BPA-free. The selections include toys, books, snacks and other items, and are tailored to specific age ranges: 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-2 years and 2-3 years. Subscriptions are available on a monthly basis at $35 a pop, or you can place a one-time order. [&hellip
Reading with Walnuts Archive
I truly don’t know a greater love than the one that exists between my 5-year-old and our cat. The two are practically inseparable and have fostered a bond that began when my daughter was just a baby. My mother reminds me that I too treasured my childhood kitty and how I cried every time we left for vacation, worrying that she’d be lonely (I still shed a tear before leaving Peanut, and hide my red eyes behind dark sunglasses before we head out of town.) Because their friendship is more than heartwarming–it transcends the bounds of human/animal duos–I am relishing a new picture book about a young girl who unsuspectingly befriends a furry friend while pet-sitting. A Year With Marmalade follows a year in the [&hellip
When I was about 10 or 11, my best friend Allison invited me to spend the night at her parents’ summer home in Westhampton Beach. Because I’d never been away from home without my family before, I was more scared than excited. My parents, in sharp contrast, saw this as an opportunity: an invitation to “summer” in the Hamptons? Who wouldn’t jump at the chance! After a bit of coaxing and a not-so-gentle nudge, my bag was packed and the next thing I knew, we were cruising the Montauk Highway in Allison’s dad’s car. By the time we reached Dune Road, I was hooked on life out east. After a day of boating around the tranquil bay, followed by frolicking in the rough surf, we [&hellip
Let’s face it: they’ve had it. I’m talking about the crayons in your kid’s desk. After months and months of grubby little hands completing classwork, decorating book covers and instilling creativity in any capacity, these dutiful classroom staples have done their due diligence–and then some. And if you think you’re exhausted, just get a load of their cracked disposition. In one of the most inventive picture books of the year, The Day the Crayons Quit, these crayons finally declare “enough!” and share their feelings with a boy named Duncan, their resident artist. Told through a collection of hilarious missives, each color explains why life hasn’t actually been fair lately and makes compelling arguments for their individual cases. From the over-worked red who “even works holidays” [&hellip
When I was a kid and Father’s Day rolled around, I often saved up enough money to buy my dad one of two things: either Old Spice after shave or Aqua Velva. And, if he was really lucky, I could spring for a gift set, which included soap on a rope. That would be a banner year for my dad. Never tiring of these gifts that epitomized what fatherhood meant to me, my father always accepted these tokens with gratitude. In fact, I think he even came to count on them, especially when he was running low on after shave. With Dad’s Day practically here once again, it’s time to treat our favorite fathers with something special. If you haven’t already gone out and buy [&hellip
My 5-year-old had her kindergarten screening yesterday, and walked out with the biggest smile on her face. “I can’t wait to learn!,” she told me later. It’s moments like these that make you want to stop time, and bottle that infectious enthusiasm. To help my daughter get off to great start, even before September comes, we’ve been playing lots of simple learning games–using magnetic letters to spell out fun words, talking about the bugs and birds who’ve been making a home in our backyard–and I’m watching how they fuel her imagination. Just as important as these creative teaching moments are the opportunities to reinforce what she already knows and keep it fun. Just in time for back-to-school comes Priddy Books’ Schoolies, a line of educational [&hellip
I’m in the midst of planning a cooking birthday party for my daughter, so I definitely have food on the brain (more than usual). So when a copy of The Great Lollipop Caper landed on my desk, I admitted to being a little more than curious. After reading the book jacket and learning the gist of the plot (the evil Mr. Caper vows to teach the kids of the world to love capers as much as they love lollipops), I knew I’d found a story worth delving into. Let’s just say that my love of salt competes with sweets on any given day, making this one tale I could relate to. A cross between The Grinch and a tenacious troll, Mr. Caper pulls out all [&hellip
My car is in desperate need of a wash. After too many months of wet weather, muddy feet and the like, this mom taxi has taken quite a beating. Of course, the line at our local car wash has been five miles long lately. If only my imagination could transport to the pages of the latest picture book to cross my desk. Down at the Dino Wash Deluxe is the place to be, especially if you happen to live with anyone who knows his T-Tex from a triceratops. It’s also the center of a make-believe business where these prehistoric creatures come to have their regular scrub-down (where else can these guys fit when a bath tub is out of the question?). If I ever thought [&hellip
When my husband was invited to choose some used books from a colleague’s retired collection, he brought home a treasure trove of reading materials. Among his findings was a well-worn copy of a guide to seashells, one that had yellowed with age and whose pages were slowly losing their binding. While it was the thought that counted, we wound up recycling the book after a cursory look-through–and long before having a chance to consult it on beach excursions with our young daughters. Having practically grown up on the beach myself, I was always collecting the jewels of low tide, but my knowledge of seashell classification never went beyond periwinkles and mussels. This summer, however, we’re going to do things right, thanks to the just-published Seashells: [&hellip
What kid doesn’t doesn’t long to be big? When I was little, I envied my older sister who got to stay out late and wear Bonne Bell Lipsmackers (lips that smelled like 7-up…alright!). I remembered my dad telling me not to rush my life away, and thought he was a bit mad (today I can only look back and smile at my naivete and his sage advice). As my own daughters try to push the envelope–the older one begging for her own iPod and the younger one crying over the fact that I won’t let her wear one of those stick-on tattoos–I refuse their demands with my own version of “’cause I said so,” while I smile knowingly at their inherent need to spread their [&hellip