Keeping the wedding dress, bouquet, or invitation is expected, but now The New York Times is calling out a new trend: keeping something unexpected. Some out-of-the-wedding-book mementos require planning, but I'd say the best ones are spontaneous, like the couple who kept a Spider-Man water squirter that was a prize from a box of Froot Loops guests opened to use as confetti in a makeshift, Read more

Incredible things come out of the mouths of babes, but it's hard to keep track of all the tidbits your tot says — especially if you are mother to many. Some people write the anecdotes down, and others just commit them to memory by repeating them to anyone who will listen, but I've come up with a few easy ways to keep a record of these utterances. Frame it! Take your favorite picture of your Read more

First (real) kisses can be moments of bliss or awkward exchanges, but we remember them. In fact, Sheril Kirshenbaum, author of The Science of Kissing says people remember their first romantic kiss "more vividly than their first sexual encounter." My first kiss was on a dare down a dirt road with some unsavory nickname that I can't remember now. The boy in question had told my friend I was "so Read more

We purchase family vehicles for safety, size, and price, and then put the pedal to the metal and coast through life. Moms forget that cars are much like homes where children grow up. They carry our babies home from the hospital. Despite excitement and anxiety, our kids get out of them for their first day of school. Classmates hop in, and we know our children have found friends. It's a rare Read more

In about a month, our family of four will become a party of five. My kids are really excited about their impending sibling who has made his or herself known by jolting my belly in their presence. But, before baby number three makes its debut, I wanted to do something special with each of my kiddos. Prior to my son's birth, I took my daughter on a long weekend trip to LA. Though she was very Read more