Having grown up with little cuddly reading time with my parents (they were busy trying to keep 7 mouths fed), I firmly believe that one of the best things you can do as a parent is snuggle up and read to, with, or
alongside your kid(s). And if you’d like to enhance your kid’s reading collection, help them develop early literacy skills, and/or encourage their sense of identity (via receiving their own mail), consider the
Tessy & Tab Reading Club, a twice monthly preschooler magazine. Really more a booklet reader (ad-free and printed on sturdy paper that will withstand repeated reads), each issue focuses on a topic (e.g., visiting the dentist), and offers activity pages to encourage letter, number, and object recognition. Other resources are available on the
kids website, and via email for parents.
The folks at
Tessy & Tab were kind enough to offer some of my reviewers a trial subscription so we could report to you the experience from a handful of different kids of different ages. Here’s what our reviewers (ordered by child’s age) had to say:
Laurel loves cuddling up for story time, and we were grateful to receive several wonderful birthday books to infuse new life into her library. Jon Muth’s Zen Shorts
offers an elegantly illustrated introduction to Zen themes via the stories that new friend Stillwater the panda shares with three siblings. The reflective beauty of the stories will suit both kids and adults, and I love thinking of our wonderful friends (who hand delivered this book despite being on a crazed East Coast tour from the UK) every time Laurel climbs onto my lap for a read.
I have yet to meet a mama who doesn’t grumble about the overwhelming nature of household minutia. And if your to-do list is getting the best of you, consider the creative concierge services of 
Before the weather turns frigid, I wanted to write a post about tie dyeing, the central activity of Laurel’s recent Color Party. I obsessed about this topic more than I’d care to admit because I wanted the activity to be fun, safe, and hopefully minimal in the mess department for both kids and parents. I’m thrilled that the activity worked out favorably on each of these counts; here are the tips to get your own groovy color party going.
Fall means school's in, leaves are down, and it's time to crank the oven back on. Today, 
During the dazed and stressful early days of breastfeeding, sometimes you just need the quick facts; a concise means to bypass the overwhelming sea of nursing resources that your newly short-circuited attention span can’t handle anyway. For this purpose, check out 
by Boston native Andi Silverman. Friendly and non-judgmental, this compact (easily stowed in the diaper bag) book covers the mechanics (e.g., feeding and burping positions, troubleshooting, nursing on the go and at work), common questions, and tips for nurturing your body, brain, and relationships.
Want to win a copy of 
Laurel and I loved baby wearing, but we stalled out once she outgrew little pouches, bigger slings, and the 
What a difference a year makes. After learning about 
This just in from Jon (my unofficial health correspondent): in today’s New York Times, Elisabeth Rosenthal 
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to find the perfect outfit amidst a sea of ill fitting, outdated, or just plain uninspiring options (the latter of which tends to be the case for me, with the exception of dresses and fancy shoes). So when our friends at 
by Nina Garcia (of Project Runway and Elle magazine fame; published by 
I don’t know about you, but I have been sneezing up a storm amidst the changing of the seasonal guard. Luckily, today 
Truly, I'm not prone to histrionics, so take me at my word when I say that yesterday made me feel as if I was a priority to no one. Part of the problem is the overstretched, overwhelmed state that seems like the modern motherhood status quo; the other (related) part involves my rampant yes tendencies, even in the face of absurd requests. Read on to find out how I unraveled (and then, lest you think this is pure rant, I’ll provide a resource to consider if you feel similarly overwhelmed, overbooked, and overlooked):
Sometimes, parental epiphanies just can’t be gleaned from textbook knowledge. Today, 
We are long overdue in upgrading Laurel’s travel bedding (the poor girl still tolerates sleeping on a diagonal in the 
Mama loves a 
Whether it’s due to planetary or personal health concerns, the introduction of a pure little newborn, or a combination of these factors, I’ve seen a lot of families and friends go green when it comes to food and household products. So on the latter, I’m thinking that the amazing 
Jeans are a wardrobe workhorse so you deserve ones that fit properly and make you feel fabulous. Today,