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Parenthood

Easy Weekend Checklist for Working Parents

The illustrated The Easy Weekend Checklist for Working Parents is so true. Except for the "easy" part, of course.

How extreme is too extreme when it comes to kids' sports?

Spend five minutes at any playground and you're guaranteed to see kids perched atop the monkey bars or leaping over the side of the twisty slide. Well, if you're at the playground with my son, anyw...

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10 observations from a month of paternity leave (baby #2)

I recently shared 50 observations from paternity leave. Now that we have had our second child there are many new things to report. 1. Our second child (Boden) creates the same issues as the first ...

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Michelle Obama's most powerful speech

First Lady Michelle Obama gave a commencement speech at Tuskegee University in Alabama last Saturday. It’s a powerful 25-minute speech packed with food for thought that’s received mixed praise and ...

21 Surprising Statistics That Reveal How Much Stuff We Actually Own

Since reading Marie Kondo's, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, we've been on a tear chucking and donating the things in our homes that don't bring us joy. That stupid ride on airplane with the...

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We love this iPhone audio message feature

If you haven't yet discovered the joys of the iOS 8 audio message feature, here's how to use it. And why it's so perfect for parents. I use this with my kid and my partner. It's a fun way for al...

Why travel with babies too young to remember it? Because you'll remember.

Three seasoned international travelers open up about the often overlooked benefits of traveling to unfamiliar places with young children. Perhaps the most compelling point? You're going to be sleep...

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The measles: A desire to break out during an outbreak

I know millions upon millions of people are putting pen to paper (or, sorry, fingertip to keyboard?) about the whole measles outbreak situation, and in an effort to dust off my soapbox and pretend ...

Green Graffiti- How one teacher is feeding his students, mind and body

Stephen Ritz, a teacher in the disadvantaged South Bronx school district began landscaping and beautifying abandoned lots with his high school students in hope of amplifying their sense of communit...

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What’s the trouble with kids swearing?

Every parent wrestles with beliefs about things like swearing. The answer won’t be the same for any two parents, but this is what I've learned after raising 5 kids.

Experts on raising powerful girls

From physical risks to problem solving, experts share insight on how to raise daughters who are strong, resilient and powerful. “Raising a powerful girl means living with one. She must be able to s...

Graduates! Listen Up. Kid President has something to tell you

In less than 4 minutes, Kid President, bestowed upon me a new life mantra: "Be your own Beyoncé." And I'm not even graduating. Get your own dose of inspiration right here: Kid President delivers...

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5 new links to share with your curious kids

Share awesome, fun links with your kids on an Internet Field Trip curated for Parent Co. by Today Box. Today Box curates fun and educational facts, videos, photos, and jokes for curious kids, paren...

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How to rock a kid birthday party when you’re not Martha

I do not host elaborate parties. Martha, I am not. Still, every May, I manage to plan and—with my husband—pull off a kick-ass, old-school, at-home birthday party (or two) for my boys.

Four ways to tell if an educational app will actually help your child learn

With over 80,000 "educational" apps available in the Apple App store alone, it's not hard to believe that they are not all created equal. In fact, a good portion of them don't offer much learning a...

Buddy Backpacker, the 5 year old thru hiker 

5 year old Christian Thomas (aka Buddy Backpacker), is the youngest person to hike the entire Appalacian Trail. Accompanied by his mother, Andrea Rego and stepdad Dion Pagonis, he climbed over rock...

A beautiful story about a dad sharing his lifelong love of live music with his kid 

Over on Medium, Ethan Kaplan wrote a short essay about bringing his 7-year old son to his first concert. It begins with a meditation on what makes attending concerts and live music so special: If i...

Parenthood woman laying in bed with breakfast looking at a tablet

8 real moms dish on their ultimate Mother's Day

Not surprisingly, we know a lot of (awesome) moms. We asked a few of them what they consider the ultimate Mother's Day. You might think, given the opportunity to fantasize about anything under the ...

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Color inside the lines, grownups

Coloring for Grown-Ups "hilariously combines the mindless fun of children's coloring books with the mind-numbing realities of modern adult life."

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The Unexpected History of Mother's Day

A quick look at the strange history of Mother's Day, from ancient times to today's $20 billion commercial bonanza.

Norman Ollestad on raising a third generation surfer

Norman Ollestad, author of the best selling memoir, Crazy for the Storm, writes about being raised a surfer, and igniting the passion in his son. He was watching me stand in anguished contemplation...

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Athletes prefer that parents stay quiet during their games

Today on Motherlode KJ Dell'Antonia gives a shout out to coach Mike Matheny's new book, The Matheny Manifesto for the benefit of "every parent who will be sitting on the sidelines of any sport this...

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Baby Blank: a story of adoption / not adoption

My son and I have very different origin stories, very different story stories. My parents are strangers. Real ones. I was adopted in 1982.

The Atlantic asks kids "What's Your Favorite Slang Word?"

This is the first episode in a new series from The Atlantic, where we ask tweens for their thoughts on everything from middle-school jargon to what it's like growing up in the digital age. We inter...