If you have a Thomas the Tank Engine fan at your house and you have not yet received a copy of the Smith-Thompson RR Gifts catalog, then run, don’t walk - to their website at RRgifts.com. Their website is very functional but not really enough to inspire the sort of JOY that their catalog brings [...]

Welcome to our newest addition - Must Have Monday’s. Find out what we use in our homes and our lives.
Every Monday we’ll tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers.

As a dedicated “vinegar, baking soda [...]

I recently had the opportunity to test out two toys for kids - Fun Slide Carpet Skates and Carpet Bocce. Notice a pattern? They both involve the carpet, plus they are both indoor toys.
It’s that time of year again that many people are looking for a cool new gift to give. Seems like I struggle [...]

What’s Wrong, Little Pookie?, the new board book by the great Sandra Boynton, chronicles the familiar situation we parents find ourselves in trying to determine why our charges, who don’t quite have vocabulary or ability to tell us, are upset. It’s another hit out of the park for her.
Pookie, the Pig, is crying and Pookie’s [...]

I was amazed when I saw the newest flavor of pop tarts Kellogg’s had created. Their newest holiday treat is Gingerbread Pop-Tarts available only for a limited time (probably through the holidays). I’m hoping it is a once time performance.
Pop-Tarts have come a long way since they were first introduced. I can recall when we [...]

The Daring Book for Girls is the manual for everything that girls need to know—and that doesn’t mean sewing buttonholes! Whether it’s female heroes in history, secret note-passing skills, science projects, friendship bracelets, double dutch, cats cradle, the perfect cartwheel or the eternal mystery of what boys are thinking, this book has it all. But it’s not just a guide to giggling at sleepovers—although that’s included, of course! Whether readers consider themselves tomboys, girly-girls, or a little bit of both, this book is every girl’s invitation to adventure.

Recently, we spent several days vacationing in New Orleans, a first visit for myself to the city. I admit to not having high expectations since their recent disaster, but was surprised at the renovation work that has been done in the tourist areas. Unfortunately, when you travel a few streets over the scene looks like [...]

You may have seen us list the items we can’t live without before. Now you’ll see our favorite “Must Have’s” every Monday, so check back and find out exactly what we use in our homes and lives. Each of our reviewers has different tastes so you never know what you might find here.

I don’t take [...]

If you like smart, dark fiction, race out and get “The Interloper” by Antoine Wilson immediately. A man struggles to deal with his wife’s sorrow after her brother is brutally murdered.
The book tells the story of his imaginative attempt to seek revenge upon the jailed killer, a quixotic attempt to restore his wife’s happiness which [...]

It isn’t a secret with my family and friends that I do not cook. I wish I had inherited the skills and desire of my grandmother, mother and aunt, but I didn’t. It’s just not my cup of tea.
My husband actually prefers it that I don’t cook. After we got married I made a meatloaf [...]