Marisa LaScala: Writer, Editor, and Good Addition to Your Bar Trivia Team

Some exciting things are in the pipeline at Parents. First up, I'm going to be taking over the children's media page, which is super excited to me, a mom who makes my kid watch DuckTales with me. I got to preview good things ahead by looking at this year's ALA Youth Media Award winners, but my debut in-book isn't for a while yet. I also have a feature I'm very excited about for May/Mother's Day, but it's not quite out the door yet. 

Until I can share that one, here an article I assigned to writer Leslie Casimir. It is so good, the story is so important, and this is probably the best thing I've gotten to work on at Parents so far.

As 2017 comes to a close, here's a look back at some of the stories I've written in the last stretch of the year.

Just wanted to pop in to urge everyone to check out the September issue of Parents magazine, which features a beautiful new redesign including a brand-new font! Just look at that lowercase "a!"

It's been an honor going through the redesign process for the front-of-book, and really rethinking what we want moms to experience when they open the magazine—finding that right mix of humor, service, and heart. Take a look at the September FOB and see what you think.

Before we launched our big redesign, I got to do a couple of super fun pieces for August that I'm particularly proud of, too.

Disney World is on of my favorite places on Earth, so I was extremely excited to be one of the first to visit Pandora: The World of Avatar in Disney's Animal Kingdom for Parents. I had some tips on traveling there with the kiddos. 

"1. Carve out some time to just explore the land. You may think that, with only two rides, it'll be easy to breeze through Pandora, but there's a lot to be seen just by walking around the paths. One Disney expert I spoke with suggested that you plan on spending 45 minutes there in addition to the time you'll spend waiting on line for the attractions. Look for interactive elements, like playable Na'vi drums and exotic plants that steam and squirt water at guests.

2. Pandora looks completely different in the daytime, when you can see all the details of the extra-terrestrial flora, and at night, when the bioluminescence of the land gives everything a blacklit glow. It's worth it to see it in both lights. Animal Kingdom is looking to beef up its other nighttime offerings, like adding the new Rivers of Light show (which was sadly rained out for my visit). If the kiddos can't stay up that late, though, you can get a good idea of the bioluminescence in the Na'vi River Journey.

3. Talk with the cast members. Everybody has a tale of how they ended up on Pandora—you can start by asking them if they were born on Pandora or Earth. The "Field Guides" walking around can give you even more background about the world's creatures, teach you some of the Na'vi language, and offer hints about what you may see, like how to tell the difference between a true Na'vi and a lab-created avatar. (Hint: Count the fingers.)"

I can't believe how fast this year is going. Here's a couple of the things I've been up to as I've been ignoring this site. All of them are from Parents magazine.

Still got my hands full with the little one, who is now so, so much bigger than she was when this photo was taken by Ulysees Photography. But I'm resurfacing for a second to say that I've got a new gig as the News Editor at Parents. (The baby now counts as research.) Keep an out for my byline there, or follow the just-for-fun pop-culture blog/podcast I contribute to at SportsAlcohol.com.

I haven't been keeping up with this site as much because I'm working on the best, most exciting long-lead project: motherhood!

Rest assured, I'm still writing up a storm. You can read my articles at Working Mother and Bustle. 

Or, you can read my just-for-fun pop-culture writing at SportsAlcohol.com (not about sports, not about alcohol). 

[Photo taken by Ulysses Photography. They take the best baby photos ever.]

I'm thrilled that the website of Working Mother has recently had a makeover—and that I have plenty of articles on the good-looking new site. In August, I...

...interviewed Jenae Heitkamp, co-founder of iBesties, a doll line that tries to make business and technology as cool as fashion and pop stardom. 

...spoke with Stacey Boyd, founder of Schoola, a site that accepts old kids' clothes, sells them online at a discount, and gives the profits to schools. 

...asked a fashion maven for easy ways to transition a summer work wardrobe into fall. 

...rounded up items that make it easier for returning mothers to breastfeed in the office. 

...got expert advice for how to shake up Date Night. 

Ahh, the August stretch of TV season—aka the dregs. Still, this month for Bustle, I...

...ranked all of the OK Go videos I could find to honor the anniversary of their album, Oh No, which gave us the famous treadmill video. 

...recommended that Saturday Night Live add more than on young, white, male cast member. They need someone who can do a decent Hillary!

...scoped out the competition for two of America's Top Model Cycle 22 contestants—Nyle DiMarco and Mame Adjei—plus the prizes they'll get if they win. 

...rooted for Project Runway underdog Amanda Perna, who almost made it on the show once before.

...hoped that Job or No Job's Jane Buckingham would give me career advice.

...dug up some more train based entertainment to kill time while waiting for the second half of the last season of Hell on Wheels. 

...discovered who the heck Michael Carbonaro is, and what make his prank show different. (Close-up magic!)

...looked into what's cooking for Below Deck's new chef.

...found out there's no one, real sugar baby behind Lifetime's Sugar Babies. 

...speculated about the possibility of more seasons of Becoming Us, Hollywood Cycle, Humans, Stitchers, and Proof, and gave advice on what to watch while we wait. (Phew!)

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty