I was using this website to keep track of all my clips, but considering the last time I did an update on that was October 2019 — and, who could blame me, considering *gestures at everything all around* — I think it' safe to say that it wan't happening. But then I found Authory, which will automatically find and post all my articles. I'm saved! I'll still use this for updates and news, but check out my Authory page if you want to stay up-to-date on my most recent stories.
I spoke with Newsday about little touches you can add to wrapped gifts to make them extra special. (It's pegged to Christmas, but the tips work just as well for birthday gifts!) And bonus: You don't really need to be good at crafts to do these.
Easy holiday gift-wrapping tips from style experts
Sometimes when you're doing an interview, either conducting one or giving one, you can tell that you can skip the chit-chat and just go straight to being real. That's how it was being interviewed by Danusia Malina-Derben on the School for Mothers podcast. I loved having this conversation — especially because she told me up front that she wanted to start by talking about Star Wars. Give a listen!
PARENTING
How to Keep Your Cool Around Your Kids When You're Ready to Blow
The Best Empty Nest Advice for Parents Whose Kids Are Leaving the Coop
Why Do Children Have Imaginary Friends, and How Far Do You Have to Play Along?
Gossip Is the Best Toddler Parenting Hack (if You Do It Within Earshot)
What Is TikTok? A Full Guide for Parents
Justin Baldoni, Star of 'Jane the Virgin,' on Raising His Kids Free of Gender Stereotypes
Tamron Hall Reveals Her Toughest Parenting Moment, and It's so Relatable
What Are Standard Babysitting Rates? It Depends on Your Location, Family, and Priorities
30 Fun Things to Do at a Sleepover to Keep Them Busy All Night Long
These Will Be the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020
The Most Popular Baby Girl Names for 2020 Will Be Inspired by Nature
The Most Popular Baby Boy Names for 2020 Are Inspired by Travel
ENTERTAINMENT
20+ Best Kids' Movies 2020 Has in Store for Families
Here Is Every Confirmed Original Movie Coming to the Disney+ Streaming Service
A Full List of Every New Disney Show Available on the Disney+ Streaming Service
A Full List of Every Disney Live-Action Remake Coming Soon
A Complete List of Every Upcoming Superhero Movie, Including Ones From Marvel and DC
How to Watch All 23 Marvel Movies in the Correct Order
10 'Game of Thrones' Locations You Can Actually Visit in Real Life
20 Best End-of-the-World Movies for When You're in the Mood for an Existential Panic
Blippi's National Tour Won't Include the Guy Who Plays Blippi, and Parents Are Pissed
Build-a-Bear's 'Frozen II' Bears Will Melt Any Frozen Heart
Everything You Need to Know About LEGOLAND New York, LEGO's Biggest Theme Park Yet
Mattel Makes History by Launching a Gender-Inclusive Line of Dolls
HOLIDAY
65 Kids' Halloween Costume Ideas for Easy, Creative, and Unique Trick-or-Treating
20 Unique Toddler Halloween Costumes That Are Too Stinkin' Cute
What Is Trunk-or-Treat? Halloween Tailgating Is Genius When You Really Think About It
40 Trunk-or-Treat Ideas for the Spookiest Car Ever
40 Best Halloween Movies on Netflix That Will Give You the Chills
20 Coolest Halloween Gender Reveal Ideas That Celebrate Your Little Pumpkin
10 'The Purge' Costumes for People Who Are Dead Serious About Looking Scary
20 Cute Baby Thanksgiving Outfits for Their First Turkey Day
60 Christmas Crafts to Bring a Handmade Holiday to Every Room in the House
The Best Types of Christmas Trees for People Who Want the Real-Tree Smell in Their House
20 Christmas Gift Tags for the Perfect Finishing Touch
How to Tell Your Kids About Santa Without Breaking Their Hearts
20 Baby's First Christmas Ornaments That Celebrate Your Growing Famil
30+ Best Christmas Books for Readers of All Ages That Aren't "The Night Before Christmas"
20 Classic Christmas Cards to Delight Your Friends and Relatives
16 Creative Christmas Card Photo Ideas for Your Best Holiday Greeting Ever
GIFT GUIDES
20+ Magical Unicorn Gifts for People Who Love Rainbows, Glitter, and Sparkles
20 Toy Advent Calendars for Kids to Get Them Excited About the Run-Up to Christmas
These Cool Advent Calendars Make the Countdown to Christmas Extra Exciting
Chocolate Advent Calendars for People Who Want a Sugar-Filled Christmas Countdown
The Best Advent Calendars for Men Who Love Beer, Comics, Meat, and More
Stocking Stuffers for Teens That They'll *Actually* Want
Target Says These Toys Will Be the Most Wished-for Christmas Gifts
Walmart Says These Will Be the Hottest Holiday Toys for 2019
20+ Best Baby Gifts to Delight Brand-New Parents
10 of the Coolest Baby Boy Gifts to Buy in 2019, According to Parents
10 Fun Gender-Neutral Gifts for Babies Whose Parents Want to Be Surprised
SHOPPING/STORES
15 of the Coolest Kids’ Clothing Stores to Shop Online
The Best Baby Stores Online for Parents to Bookmark Right Now
Hasbro Promises to Remove Nearly All Plastic From Its Packaging By 2022
Disney Stores Are Setting up Shop Inside 25 Target Locations, and We Want to Live in Them
Walmart's Car Seat Recycling Program Means Savings for Parents — Here's How to Get Some Money Back
STORIES I EDITED FROM OTHER WRITERS
Do Girls Really Prefer Pink? There's No Hard-Wired Reason for Girls to Choose Pink Over Blue
13 Things Nobody Tells You About Postpartum Recovery (But Really Should)
Who Are My Kids Talking to Online? Internet Safety Facts for Parenting in a Digital Age
How to Spot and Treat Anxiety in Kids, According to Child Psychologists
Child Therapists Explain How to Stop Your Kids' After-School Meltdowns for Good
The Sunday Scaries Are Tough, but Here's How to Beat Them
The Best Ways to Handle Teen Anger, According to Psychologists
Long-Distance Relationship Tips for Couples Who Are Separated by Miles
Are There Foods That Induce Labor? Why Overdue Moms Can Skip the Eggplant Pizza
Do Kids Actually Need Playdates?
20+
Pretty Christmas Living Room Décor Ideas for the Coziest Room in the House
20+ Christmas Mantel Ideas for a Holly, Jolly House
ESSAYS I EDTED FROM OTHER WRITERS
I Happily Changed My Last Name After I Got Married, but I Didn't Realize What I'd Lose
I Won't Let My Son Play 'Fortnite,' and This Is How His Friends Reacted
My Husband and I Plan Our Whole Lives Around My Chronic Paranoid Schizophrenia
Breast Cancer Made Me a Better Mom
I Wasn't Ready to Talk to My 3-Year-Old About Death. Then Nana's Cat Died.
Parents, Why Do We Belittle Each Other's Problems?
My Daughters are Ditching Their Big Dreams for Their Cell Phones
I know I still have to post about what's been going on since July (oops!), but in the meantime I wanted to show off the bouncy hair I wore to go on Yahoo Finance's morning program, YFiAMl. I talked about the chldren's content offered on new streaming platforms as part of their "Streaming Wars" series. It combines my two favorite things: parenting and being a couch potato. Take a look.
Reboots, Revivals Draw Parents and Kids to Streaming
Yahoo also did a good text recap of the segment:
'The kids are just an added bonus': How streaming giants are appealing to parents' nostalgia
Dark Crystal forever!
And here are some other stories I worked on in July.
Entertainment
Chrissy Teigen Says Her 'Bring the Funny' Co-Judge, Jeff Foxworthy, Is "The Unexpected Love of My Life"
Tori Roloff's Emotional Instagram Begs People to Stop Asking Pregnant Women If They're Having Twins
The 25 Best Gifts for Teen Boys, No Matter What They're Into
Amazon's Prime Day 2019 Toy Deals Will Let You Finish Your Holiday Shopping in July
These 'Stranger Things' Halloween Costume Ideas Bring You Closer to the Upside-Down
Baby Shark Halloween Costume Ideas for Your Whole Shark Family
These 'Coco' Halloween Costumes Definitely Say, 'Remember Me'
Where to Buy the Best 'Toy Story' Halloween Costumes — Yes, Even Forky!
The Best Ways to Avoid Ticks, According to Doctors
And then the stories that I assigned/edited, but wish I wrote:
I'm a Good Mom. Why Do I Also Have to Be a Happy One?
Say Yes to the Early-Morning Date With These Daytime Date Ideas
Scary Movies for Kids That Aren't Too Traumatizing
25 Halloween Songs for Kids to Dance to at Their Costume Party
Terrifying Halloween Movies on Netflix (and Some Not-So-Scary Ones for Kids)
Creative Back-to-School Hacks to Get Your Year off to a Running Start
'Baby Shark' Is Going on Tour and the Song List Alone Will Make You Say "I Feel Personally Attacked"
Build-a-Bear Brings Back "Pay-Your-Age Day" for 2019: Here's How to Score the Amazing Deal
15 Facts About Walmart You Didn't Already Know
Here's What Everything Costs at Disneyland's Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
And then the pieces that I didn't write (but wish I did). I assigned/edited these:
25 Dorm Room Essentials Every College Student Needs
Going Back to School Is Worth It for These Interesting Careers
Health/Safety
What Is Surrogacy? The Process, Types, and Costs, Explained by Experts
The 5 Best Toddler Swim Safety Tips, According to Swim Experts
Entertainment
Jennifer Lopez's Young Daughter Just Blew Us All Away With Her Amazing Singing Voice
All 21 Pixar Movies, Ranked From Best to Worst
Everything We Know About Netflix's 'Dark Crystal' Prequel Series, 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'
Etc.
The 10 Best Summer Jobs for Teens That Make Great Money
You Can Now Recycle Packaging From L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls
And as usual, I'll end with a piece I didn't write, but wish I did. (I did the assigning/editing.)
If 'Avengers: Endgame' Is Too Intense, Try These Kid-Appropriate Marvel Comics, Books, and Shows
Relationships
What Is Gaslighting, and How Can You Tell If It's Happening to You?
Summer Date Ideas That Make the Most of Warm Weather
10 Things Parents of Kids With Autism Spectrum Disorder Wish You Knew
Shopping
Here's How Walmart's New Baby Registry Actually Works
Rent the Runway Just Launched a New Rental Service for Kids' Special-Occasion Clothes
Etc
Dole Is Releasing a New Smoothie Bowl That Tastes Just Like Dole Whip
The Best Camping Activities for Families to Try This Season
And then I didn't write these, but I had the pleasure of assigning/editing them:
I Cried When I Found Out I Was Having Boys
I love this essay. Jackie Goldschneider gets really honest about gender disappointment, and how it's not about the baby — it's about letting go of her vision of motherhood.
Another really brutally honest reckoning with one aspect of motherhood.