Does Your Daughter Want to Wear Eyeliner?

A good friend of mine recently confided that her middle school daughter wants to start wearing eyeliner. I’m happy for her that her daughter asked her permission (rather than sneaking it behind her back and secretly applying it on the bus ride to school). Shortly after our conversation, several other parents told me similar stories. [...]

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Hey Mom, You Look Like..

Today was one of those days.  I started out in a cranky, irritable mood.  Low tolerance for sibling bickering.  Annoyed by aggressive drivers.  Hyper critical of tv pundits. Then, when I dropped off the kids at their tennis lesson, I decided to zip over to Starbucks instead of watching their practice (as I normally would).  [...]

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Stylish Teens and Gossip Girl

Parents often warn other parents to be prepared for those dreaded teen years: “Just write off about five years of their lives.” “During those years, they think you know nothing.  Then, in college, miraculously, you’re once again brilliant and they ask you how to do everything from folding laundry to paying rent.” “Oh, they’ll tell [...]

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A Boy's Way to Present a Book Talk

My son’s grade school teacher told the students to use technology to present their book talks this quarter. Here’s what he came up with: http://blip.tv/play/AYGE3w6MkGQ It’s for a book called “Simon Bloom – The Gravity Keeper” by Michael Reisman. He was so excited about the video that he said, “Mom, the trouble is…I think it [...]

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Kindle 2 and the Kindle iPhone App

My obsession with books has been tested with the introduction of the second generation of Amazon’s Kindle. If you’re interested in learning more about this (potentially game changing) device, watch the video below to hear some of my thoughts about it. [video removed] My intention was to publish a review of Amazon’s new Kindle 2, [...]

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Real Moms on What They Play

Do your kids play video games? If so, have you heard about the site called What They Play? If you haven’t yet discovered WTP, check it out now.  It’s a fantastic site dedicated to helping parents better understand the games their kids play.  My co-host and I talked about it on our podcast, Parents and [...]

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2008 Top Picks – Video Games for Tweens

UPDATE: For this year’s (2009) selections, click here. ___________________________________ My family loves video games.  My obsession began back in the 80s with Mario and Donkey Kong (and yes, I even played Pong).  It continues today with my iPhone applications, particularly Wurdle and Tetris.  My entire family now shares my fondness for technology, gadgets and video [...]

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Creative Food, Good Conversation and Family

I love good presentation.  I especially appreciate food which is aesthetically pleasing. Recently we had the pleasure of dining in a fabulous restaurant…with our kids. Gasp!  I know, many people believe kids simply have no place in certain five star restaurants, but we believed they were ready. I’m happy to say that they made us [...]

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Creative Food, Good Conversation and Family

Tonight we had the pleasure of dining in a fabulous restaurant…with our kids. Gasp! I know, many people believe kids simply have no place in certain five star restaurants, but we believed they were ready. I’m happy to say that they made us proud. We enjoyed good conversation, told stories and shared perspectives on life [...]

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Kids and Chores

Do your kids do chores? Yesterday, that question was the hottest topic in the lunch with my cooking club. The consensus? Our kids should do chores. Not only does it help us around the house, it also helps prepare them for life. In this article, Annys Shin explains how to get your kids to pitch [...]

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