Yikes!!! I’ve been lax about keeping up with all of the exciting goings-on at Good Housekeeping. So here’s a jumbo, three-month update with everything from August to October. Happy fall, y’all!  (The image above was designed by the geniuses here at GHK for the story about how not to blow up at your kids, but I feel this way about keeping up with all these clips!) 

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

Best Jokes for Kids

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

Is Disney's Bedtime Hotline Free? What It Costs to Give Kids a Goodnight Message From Disney Characters

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

'The Haunting of Hill House' Season 2, 'The Haunting of Bly Manor': Everything We Know About the New Season

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

The Best Star Wars Gifts for Kids, Adults, Rebels, Jedi, Princesses, Bounty Hunters, Sith, and Everyone Else

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

The 10 Coolest Baby Girl Gifts to Buy in 2019, According to Parents and Good Housekeeping Institute Experts

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

If there's one benign scourge on parents, it's Pinkfong's "Baby Shark" song. It's beloved by toddlers, reviled by parents, and always stuck in someone's head. So, when I found out that Wowwee was making singing Baby Shark dolls, I wrote about it — and it's definitely the most viral piece I've ever written. When I retire, they're going to write "wrote the Baby Shark" piece on my plaque.

Singing Baby Shark Toys Are Here to Get That Song Stuck In Your Head Forever

Other pieces I wrote for December:

Gift guides: 15+ Adorable Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers, 20+ Gifts Your Toddler Wants to Unbox This Christmas

And the anti-gift guide: Attention Grandmas: It's Better for Kids to Have Fewer Toys (grandmas on Facebook HATED this story)

Entertainment: The Best Movies for Toddlers, When You Just Need to Take a Shower, 'Sesame Street' Just Introduced a New Character Who Is Experiencing Homelessness, The 20 Best Romantic Movies on Netflix Right Now, 15 Movies to Watch on New Year's Eve, Because Going Out Is Overrated, See What Anne Geddes's First Baby Models Are Up to Now

Parenting-style explainers: What Is Permissive Parenting? Experts Say This Parenting Style Fails Kids, What Is Attachment Parenting? Parents and Children Share a Close Bond

More celebrations: 12 New Year's Traditions to Start With Your Family, 12 Awesome Things to Do on New Year's Day to Get 2019 Started Right, Genius 1st Birthday Party Ideas to Celebrate Your First Year of Parenthood

Misc. parenting: These Will Be the Most Popular Baby Names in 2019, 17 Parenting Memes That Make Moms and Dads Say, "It Me",

I also assigned some parenting essay from freelance writers that I particularly enjoyed:

I Raised Four Sons as a Single Mom. Now That They're Grown, I'm Off to Europe.

My Mother Died Before My Baby Was Born, But My Daughter Will Still Know Her

My Child Has a Severe Allergy, But I Secretly Ate Her Forbidden Food Anyway

Just before heading into the big, December gift-giving season, I got to do a trio of kids-room interior design stories, and, man, kids today are lucky! I'd love to have any number of these rooms for myself. See the design trends for boys' rooms, girls' rooms, and nurseries below. (I tried to cover a range of aesthetics, but I just love all the geometric black-and-white rooms!

Other stories:

Gift guides started: See gifts for 1-year-olds, book lovers, grandparents, and teachers.Also, if you ever wanted a toy Dyson vacuum that looks just like the real thing, such a thing exists. 

Entertainment: 15+ Best Christmas Movies for Kids on Netflix; 16 Best Family Thanksgiving Movies on Netflix, Hulu, and More; 24 Kids' Movies Coming Out in 2019 That Are Worth a Trip to the Theater; We Scoured Infinity and Beyond for these 'Toy Story 4' Details; 

Parenting Explainers: What Is Authoritative Parenting?, What is Attachment Parenting?

Miscellaneous Parenting: These Are BabyCenter's Most Popular Baby Names of 2018 for Boys and Girls, Rookie Moms and Dads: These 15 Parenting Books Will Turn You Pro 

Plus, a fun essay I didn't write, but got to assign and work on:

My Baby Completely Robbed Me of My Looks

As we head into November's midterms, I'm excited to share this piece:

These 10 Moms Running for Office Need You to Vote on November 6

I've been so inspired by all of the amazing women running for office this cycle — especially some of the groundbreaking mom candidates, who have done things like changed FEC regulations to allow campaign funds to be used for childcare costs or showed breastfeeding in campaign ads. I talked to 10 candidates, from both sides of the aisle, about why this election matters to mothers, and what it was like on the campaign trail with young kids.

Other than that, the holiday coverage is in full swing, so I got to do these pieces: 

Halloween

QUIZ: Could You Eat Your Way Through All of Disney's Halloween Treats?

10 Halloween Movies and Shows on Netflix That Won't Terrify Kids

And then, I didn't write this, but I'm proud to have assigned it. A husband-and-wife team wrote it, and they don't 100% agree.
Parents: Maybe Don't Buy Your Kid That Black Panther Costume This Halloween

Christmas

20 Easy Christmas Traditions to Start With Your Family

15 Ornaments That Celebrate Baby’s First Christmas

15 Classic Christmas Card Ideas to Send This Year

15 Best Christmas Movies for Kids on Netflix

20 Christmas Books for Kids That Aren't "The Night Before Christmas"

20 Books to Give Your Mom This Christmas

25 Gifts Your Toddler Wants to Unbox This Christmas

20 Adorable Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers

The Best Baby Gifts to Stack Under the Tree This Holiday

Etc.

Flu Symptoms in Kids Come Suddenly, But You Can Act Fast If You Know What to Look For

20 Best Baby Books for the Ultimate Nursery Library

How Caroll Spinney Amassed a Large Net Worth and So Much More From 'Sesame Street'

The Best Lullaby Music For Toddlers That'll Have Them Sleeping Like Teenagers

10 Adorable Mommy & Me Shoes for You and Your Kid

And then one more thing that I wrote before I started this gig finally got published. I love the mission of this organization:
Girls with Impact: Setting Up Teens for Success

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.

Part of the reason I've been so behind in posting my clips is that I've started a new, full-time job as a writer and editor at Working Mother magazine. Already, I've had some interesting assignments, including...

...showing how Mad Men's Matthew Weiner is a champion of working mothers. 

...finding the companies with the most extreme maternity leaves. 

...asking a host of HuffPost Live about naming her daughter after herself. 

...finding the most enviable programs for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.

...looking into the gender wage gap for Equal Pay Day.

...decoding the Supreme Court's ruling on pregnancy discrimination.

...highlighting why mompreneurs are important to the business community and shouldn't be ignored.

...soliciting advice from an expert on what women need to do for a personal finance tune-up.

...asking a professional organizer how to de-clutter for spring cleaning. 

...talking with a participant in Habitat for Humanity's Women Build Week about how the organization benefits working moms.

...offering advice to kids—and parents—separating for sleep-away camp for the first time and taking care of pets for first-time owners.

...rounding up the best spring work/life accessories, confidence-boosting books, Earth Day board games, Cinco de Mayo books, Memorial Day cookout must-haves, and gifts for elementary school grads and high school grads.

Summer Fun

For June's cover story, I examined all of the ways to enjoy Westchester County in the summer. This includes biking, archery, going to a driving range, exercising outdoors, kayaking, joining adult-centered leagues for childhood games like kickballl and frisbee, charity walks and swims, aqua zumba, mega yoga, troubleshooting sunburns and mosquito bites, eating seasonal food, sampling ethnic barbecue, drinking fresh fruit-infused cocktails, eating ice-cream floats, going on picnics, finding cold-brewed coffee, taking one-off bartending classes, geoaching, finding the best arts events, playing in an all-inclusive orchestra, visiting a new arts venue, volunteering at local farms, gardening, finding free events, taking day trips, shopping sidewalk sales, wearing stylish sunglasses and flip-flops, and visiting the Summertime Hall of Fame. Phew!

Click through to read the story, or download the PDF above.

Grand Central Terminal may be in New York City, but it really is our domain. City residents never pay much mind to the beautiful Beaux-Arts building unless they have to take a trip to the northern suburbs. We Westchester commuters scuff our shoes daily on the terminal’s Tennessee marble floors.

Still, we don’t always take the time to appreciate the smart design, the impressive engineering, the meticulous planning that goes into keeping the transportation hub humming. Often, because we’re running for a train. But, before we pop our earbuds in and sit on a comfy Metro-North seat, we should take a moment to soak it all in. After all, it’s one of the greatest buildings in New York—at least according to New York magazine, which gathered a panel of experts in early 2011 to name the best New York City buildings of all time. “Grand Central creates a new type,” Barry Bergdoll, chief curator in the department of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art, told the magazine. “It’s really an indoor urban room that’s absolutely stunning.”

If that wasn’t enough, within its walls there are retail stores brimming with worthy last-minute gifts, gourmet goodies at every turn, a cocktail lounge that looks like it was transported from the piazzas of Florence, and even a tennis court. Here, we present our commuter’s guide to getting the most out of Grand Central. At the very least, it’ll give you another reason to feel superior to those Long Islanders, who have to come into the City via the hellish subterranean maze that is the current Penn Station.


To read the rest of the article, either click through or download the PDF above.

Visit These Sights Before Tourists Descend

The Rink at Rockefeller Center
Ice-skating before winter officially arrives may seem silly, but there is a benefit to heading out early: This iconic rink offers lower prices until November 3, and the ice—which accommodates only 150 people at a time—is slightly less crowded. Thus, you’ll have a wider berth while attempting your best shoot-the-duck spin. 30 Rockefeller Plaza between 49th and 50th Sts (therinkatrockcenter.com). Times vary; visit website for details. Through Nov 3: $10–$14, seniors and children under 11 $8–$8.50; skate rental $8. Nov 4–17 $15.50–$19, seniors and children under 11 $9.50–$10.50. Nov 18–Jan 6: $15.50–$21, seniors and children under11 $9.50–$12.50; skate rental $10.

Click through to read the rest of the article at Time Out New York. 

Photograph: Courtesy the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park