In recent years, a peculiar character has found his way into homes, mesmerizing young children and adding yet another facet to the “magic” of Christmas. The Elf, the character in question, has been seen getting into mischief and sometimes letting curiosity get the best of him. Love him or hate him, The Elf on the Shelf is back this holiday season.
Five Charitable Elf on the Shelf Ideas Read More »
As longtime Chuggington fans, we’re no strangers to Brewster, KoKo and Wilson’s adventures. In fact, we’ve hosted a few of our own trainee-themed play dates and parties. I’ve always loved Chuggington’s storylines and the trainees’ relevant lessons, which make for fun themes for the preschool set. Not surprisingly, the themes from Chuggington translate well into
Preschooler Birthday Party: Partying with Chuggington Read More »
Every Tuesday morning, his smile radiates the minute he sees his developmental therapist walk through the door. Each week, she brings an oversized bag filled with toys, which might as well be magical to my 1-year-old. As we continue to navigate Joshua’s ongoing medical issues and developmental delays, I learn more and more about his
Sensory Play Helps Toddler Development Read More »
With each Megazord tower, my son stacked a primary-colored Duplo brick on top of another with precision. Like a skilled mason, he took pride in his craft and carefully secured each brick, committing to make each tower taller than the last. But when it reached its summit and couldn’t withstand the weight and pressure of
Why Redshirting Kindergarten Made Sense for Us Read More »
We sat at my kitchen table on a sunny Spring morning. A pair of child developmental professionals contracted by the state sat before me as my 16-month-old zeroed in on their stack of papers with the hopes of crumpling each one by hand. Instead, I offered him a banana, hoping to diffuse the impending toddler
Two Steps Forward & Two Steps Back Read More »
Raising my family in the Northeast, but with strong ties back home to Virginia Beach (almost 400 miles away), we typically find ourselves making a long road trip several times a year. At this point, I like to fancy our family veteran road trippers, including our 5- and 1-year-old. It’s taken a lot of trial
Tips for Road Trips with Small Children Read More »
As Phineas and Ferb famously sing: There’s 104 days of summer vacation And school comes along just to end it So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it… And though we won’t be building a rocket or fighting a mummy, we have 80+ days to fill with fun.
What’s on Your Summer Bucket List? Read More »
In the realm of party planning, 1st birthdays can be an overwhelming occasion. For some, the thought of having a party for a baby who won’t remember anything seems pointless. For others, celebrating that one-year milestone is just another happy reason to gather family and friends and make a day of it. Whether it’s big
Planning Baby’s Candy Land 1st Birthday Read More »
As we endure April showers—and for some, an extended winter—we’ve been getting creative with playtime, quite literally. Boy or girl, baby or big kid, rain or shine, playtime is inherent—especially after a long winter. Beyond the TV and touchscreens, here are some helpful ways to have fun on those rainy days: 1. Be creative Rainy
Time to Play: Entertaining the Kids on Rainy Days Read More »
Childproofing is no easy feat for any parent. Not only is it imperative for household safety, but it also helps to maintain sanity as well. Despite all of my concerted efforts to babyproof our home, somehow in the last few weeks I have fished out rogue Christmas tree needles, scrap paper, and tiny Legos from
Time to Play: Babyproofing the Play Area Read More »
I never knew the type of person I’d be during a time of crisis. It turns out, though, I’m an equal mix of crazy and calm—or so I’m told. Over the past year, my family has had a slew of medical misfortunes. From my husband’s anaphylaxis episode to the baby’s epilepsy diagnosis and subsequent episodes,
Time to Play: Playtime During Our Time of Crisis Read More »
Now that the dust has settled after the holidays, like many families we’re left wondering: what are we going to do with all of these toys? Having been urban dwellers for so long with little to no storage space, organization has long been a trivial task for me. And just as soon as we’ve gotten
Time to Play: Making Sense with Playroom Organization Read More »
Even though I’ve been with my husband for well over 16 years, we’re still novices at creating our own holiday family traditions. We’ve spent many holidays driving from the NYC area back to our hometown, Va. Beach, doing the family juggle, often sacrificing our time with friends to savor time with our family. Now that we have our own brood, living away from our hometown and navigating the holidays has been an adventure to say the least. When we started our family five short years ago in our beloved Hoboken, NJ, we called NYC our backyard. We’d traipse the city streets during the holiday season, navigating the foot traffic without hesitation. We’d take in the lights, sights and sounds on every corner. City life during the holidays was our gift to our firstborn, and now, even as suburbanites, immersing our kids in the grandeur of the city is an absolute must.
The Good, the Bad and the Sleepy: Creating Family Holiday Traditions Read More »
On the heels of Thanksgiving, a time when we underscore the importance of gratitude and giving thanks, it was my kids who reminded me to be extra grateful this year. Our little family had quite the extraordinary year: the birth of the baby in January, my husband’s anaphylaxis episode in February, the baby suffering a
Teaching Kids Gratitude and Charity in the Face of Adversity Read More »
As retailers start—or in some cases, continue—to roll out holiday displays full of the latest wares, big ticket toys surely can’t be missed. In fact, whenever we go to pick up our week’s worth of milk at CostCo, the highlight for my five-year old is, of course, cruising down the kids’ aisle. Truck sets and princess value packs aside, like many others, my kid is always drawn to the oversized-plastic kitchen playset on display.
Time to Play: Beyond Pink and Blue: Kitchens are for Kids, too Read More »
Five short years ago, technology and babies didn’t really converge. Before my first born, I distinctly remember registering for one of the first models of a video monitor. An audio monitor was high tech, but a monitor that would emit black and white videos of baby from several feet away seemed so far fetched. At that time, sweet lullabies came from crib mobiles or plush characters that complemented the nursery. Music playing devices that hooked up to ipods and were geared to babies were still a novelty, with two, maybe three options on the market. And the iphone? Yeah, that too, was a baby in 2007, making its debut in June.
Face Time with High Tech Baby Read More »
