Grasshopper New Media Presents...

I found a link to a story in the Wall Street Journal this morning that should convince every parent out there that anything is possible for parents with a will and determination to make the world better for their children.
Ma Chen has a daughter with autism. But she doesn’t live in the US, she […]

During a recent visit to New York I found myself in FAO Schwarz , the most famous toy store in the United States. (Remember that scene in the movie “Big” where Tom Hanks visits a toy store? That’s it!). Of course, I had been there many times before in my single days working in the […]

Imagine spending hours scouring the internet for the very best deals for Christmas presents. Imagine painstakingly researching the reviews of 30 or so toys and finally placing an order. Imagine delighting in your finds and rejoicing that you’ve finished shopping within your budget. Imagine spending the remainder of the day walking on […]

Thanksgiving acts as a catapult which throws my family into the holiday season with reckless abandon. Suddenly, life is much busier, to do lists are much longer, and time is much more limited.
Last winter there was some interesting and helpful conversations here at GNMParents about preparing for the holidays. Instead of you spending […]

When our firstborn was a toddler and we were still adjusting to the financial impact of parenthood, my husband and I figured that the best way to decide which toddler activities to invest in was to list the various options, the benefits of each and then make an informed choice.
So away […]

The day after Thanksgiving was a tradition in our house growing up. Each year on “Black Friday” (I wrote a post last year about the significance of this term) my mother would drop my sister and I off “downtown” to do our annual winter clothes shopping. I suppose when we were younger, she accompanied us […]

How’s it goin’? Got a sugar hangover? Yeah, we hear ya. Maybe a Hot Stuff winner will perk up your “spirits” (one last Halloween pun!) - Ok, grab your socks and hose and pull - the winner of last week’s Hot Stuff poll is: Older Kids and Halloween from Chicago Moms ! Congratulations! And thanks […]

Not too long ago, my sister called and asked me to measure The Poo’s waist. My girl is lucky enough to have a very talented auntie, who makes her Halloween costumes from scratch every year.
Last year she was a sassy girl-pirate, and this year she will parade about the neighborhood as Angelina Ballerina.
So.
I needed a […]

“Tell me something, just how long have you had those shoes????”
I looked down at my old, worn-out sneakers. “Um…fifteen years. Since high school. Why?”
My friend Monica stared at me, wide-eyed. “You tell me you haven’t bought any shoes in fifteen years?”
I laughed and said, “Of course not. It’s just that I’ve had these shoes for […]

I found myself enraged, for a few moments, at a comment made by my friend Tan yesterday. Not at her, rather at the folks behind the fact she tossed my way. Silly actually, after I thought about it a bit, it was to be expected.
Tan said, “The prices at the farmer’s market on Sunday at […]