Magazine

Mom looking through a dusty plastic bin of 90s stuffed animals

The Brutal Truth About If Your Old Beanie Babies Are Worth Money

My mom hauled a dust-caked Rubbermaid tub down from her attic last Thanksgiving, slapped the lid with a triumphant thud, and announced she was handing over my children's college tuition. We were standing in the garage, dodging wasps, while she...

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A partially unwrapped chocolate peanut nougat candy bar next to a toddler silicone bib.

Dear Me: The Truth About Giving A Baby Ruth Candy Bar To A Toddler

October 31st, 11:30 PM. The kid is finally asleep. You're sitting on the living room floor surrounded by a mountain of plastic pumpkin loot. You unwrap a baby ruth candy bar. You look at it. You think about how your...

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A plush baby fuggler toy with human teeth sitting on a table.

The terrifying truth about the viral baby fuggler TikTok trend

It was exactly 6:13 in the morning and I was wearing yesterday's yoga pants with an unidentified yogurt stain on the knee when my seven-year-old, Maya, shoved her sticky iPad approximately half an inch from my face. I hadn't even...

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A messy baby sitting in a high chair holding a squishy cooked orange carrot stick.

The Great Baby Carrot Freakout And How We Actually Survived It

I was standing in my kitchen at exactly 2:14 PM on a Tuesday. I know the exact time because that's the precise moment my soul usually leaves my body every afternoon. I was wearing my husband Dave's gray college sweatpants...

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Mom cutting roasted carrots on a wooden cutting board for her baby's lunch.

The Brutal Truth About Feeding Baby Carrots To Your Little Ones

I was standing at the kitchen counter hacking these little orange bullets lengthwise with a dull paring knife while my oldest, bless his heart, screamed at my shins because he wanted a snack right that very second. It was four...

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Stressed mom holding a rubbery seafood tentacle near a high chair

Why The Whole Infant Octopus Trend Almost Broke My Mama Sanity

I was standing at my kitchen island at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday, poking a slick, purple tentacle with a pair of tongs, questioning every life choice that had led me to this moment. My oldest son, Liam, was fourteen...

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Toddler hands grabbing a wooden baby jesus in a manger

Keeping the Baby Jesus Out of Your Toddler's Mouth

I was in the kitchen aggressively scraping burnt porridge out of a pan when the silence hit. Any parent of two-year-old twins knows that silence is never golden; it's highly suspicious and usually expensive. I dropped the pan, sprinted into...

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Old stuffed bear sitting on a nursery shelf away from a crib

The vintage toy bin disaster and why 90s plushies stay away

It was a Tuesday afternoon when my mother-in-law hauled a massive plastic tote up from her basement. The lid snapped off to reveal a sea of crushed velvet, holographic tags, and that unmistakable scent of damp cardboard. She was holding...

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