2017 Gift Guide: Gifts for Kids

While making this list, we had our littles check it twice. The general consensus? These goodies are nice. Everything Happy Snap the Turtle Happy Blankie Mini Three words: Cutest. Blanket. Ever. $34 (plus $10 for customization), Everything Happy Even Better: If you buy a blanket, you get to donate one, too — and where it […]

100 Impact Stories: Family

Talking Smack: The North Shore Heroin Epidemic By Coco Keevan | April 2014 This award-winning piece touched on a dirty secret: heroin is back, and it doesn’t discriminate based on how much money you have, where you live or what you do. It’s an equal opportunity offender, and that was an eye-opener for our affluent […]

How to Care for a Freshly Cut Christmas Tree

Nothing kicks off the holidays like the cool, woodsy fragrance of a freshly cut Fraser fir tree! After picking out that perfect tree, follow the simple instructions below to keep your live evergreen looking its best and safe throughout the holiday season. Before you bring your tree indoors, treat it with Wilt-Pruf, a liquid product that […]

Teen Depression: What Parents Should Look For and 10 Ways to Help

A survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that the number of adolescents who experienced at least one major depressive episode increased 60 percent between 2010 and 2016. Experts say that it’s hard to pinpoint what’s behind the staggering increase. “We all wonder what exactly is happening, but I doubt that we […]

7 Drama-Free Strategies for Getting Kids to Do Chores

“No parent is full of more false hope than one with a new chore chart,” declared Simon Holland’s viral tweet that had parents everywhere laughing and nodding in agreement. For a household to function, there are chores that need to be done. But trying to get your kids to help you accomplish them can be […]

Could Your Child Have Dyslexia? 6 Things Parents Should Know

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and while many have heard of dyslexia, it is often not well understood. The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as “a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.” Dyslexia is the most common […]

What You Need to Know About Your Teen’s Brain on Marijuana

Opinions about marijuana are changing. Greater social acceptance is evidenced by the drug’s legalization in some states, calls for decriminalization by politicians in others, and even Kathy Bates’ new television series “Disjointed,” about the owner of a Los Angeles cannabis dispensary. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States by teens […]

10 Steps to Spooktacular Pumpkin Fun This Halloween

It’s the spookiest, kookiest, most fun time of the year for your little boos. But believe me — the fun is frighteningly fleeting. Princesses and pirates don’t keep much past the pre-teen years, and Oct. 31 blows by faster than the wind hits a jack-o’-lantern’s candle. So I say stretch the fun this month by […]