• Last updated 8/29/11 by Emilee Gettle

  When I was pregnant with my daughter my mom gave me a whole basket of handmade receiving blankets for my shower. Out of all my gifts they were one of my absolute favorites. She made some out of flannel and others out of lightweight cotton. I used them for nursing, laying on the grass, a shade from the sun, in the car, for changing, you name it! In fact my daughter, now a busy three year old, still sleeps with one as a light summer blanket. If you are expecting this is the perfect nesting project or, if you have a friend with a baby on the way, whip up a few for gifts... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

This accidental idea came to me when I went to Trader Joe’s to buy some flowers for a friend last Easter.  I already had the herb quiche in the car and stopped by the store on my way.  I kept looking for some spring flowers, but mostly there were expensive Easter lilies and orchids left in the flower section.  All of a sudden the herbs got my attention.  I thought for less than the price of the lilies I could buy at least 6 different herbs and a beautiful square basket to put them in.  She could use the herbs for a long time and reuse the basket too.  I was... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by AdinaL

Hiking to Minihaha Falls, near Lake Labun, Georgia. Why travel with a baby, many ask. Too young to remember the trip and necessitating a host of adjustments to an adult itinerary; the work required to take them along will outweigh the benefits. So, at least, goes the travel advice on many of the websites I consulted before embarking on our journey. Many of those sites went on to recommend waiting to travel internationally until children are older and can “benefit” from the trip. Some suggest leaving young children and babies with relatives and... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

In Texas it’s hard to keep a jack o’ lantern looking fresh for very long. About an hour after carving the flies arrive and the heat starts to melt the pumpkin into a slump. Within a couple of days it’s caving in on itself in a sort of gelatinous lump. Which is really scary, true. But gross. And it dawned on me – the pumpkin isn’t exactly a southern crop. In the name of keeping it local, and celebrating the harvests of our region, AND keeping the flies away, I came up with this little creation; the Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Jack O’Lantern. It is quick... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by Momsteader

In celebration of our NEW Mothering back to school issue…which has a very robust Strokes of Genius back to school zero waste lunch product review… I am giving away a Planet Box Complete kit with a stainless steel bento-style lunch box, a red carrying case, and a set of Under the Sea magnets. Leave a comment below to enter this giveaway. And PLEASE, if you have a minute, tell me what you put in your child’s lunch box. I hate to do the boring pb&j thing too often…hook me up with your secrets. Subscribe to the Mothering.com... read more

• Last updated 11/8/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Click on photo to take you to Tutorial This wabi-sabi needle book is so easy to make if you have some small pieces of felt in different colors.  You can even do some embroidery on it, using a solid button.  Click here for the tutorials on the Living Crafts blog. About Pardis Amirshahi Pardis Amirshahi is the editor of Living Crafts magazine and also writes for their popular blog. Although she always enjoyed sewing and other crafts, Pardis discovered the true joy of handwork when she became a mother. You can... read more

• Last updated 11/20/12 by Melanie Mayo

By Jamie Odeneal For this crazy brood, Thanksgiving means the "chaotic blessing" of each other's company. It's 10:30 a.m. on thanksgiving day, and my nephew Tanner is intently banging a broom around the upstairs of the beach house our parents have rented for the week. With his stream of incomprehensible toddler babble and his bed head, he's like a crazy janitor on a mission. When my sister Kate tries to put the broom away, he slams his fists against the closet door, wailing as if he's been critically wounded. Kate doesn't miss a beat and swoops in with his... read more

• Last updated 2/1/13 by Cynthia Mosher

Maggie Kozel with her husband and two daughters. A top pediatrician, she decided to leave the profession. Her new book explains why.   “You have to read this book,” my friend Rebecca urged, handing me back an advanced review copy I had loaned her. “Everyone needs to read this book. We need to get this book in front of every member of Congress. This is exactly what happened to me. This is why I left medicine.” Even though I’m an avid reader, I have stacks and stacks of unread review copies, sent to me by authors or by their nice PR folks. It was one of... read more

• Last updated 1/16/13 by Cynthia Mosher

This giveaway has ended. The randomly chosen winner is Melody Gartman, comment #1719. Congrats!!! You will be contacted by email. If you did not win you can still get some great deals from Charlie Banana with the following coupon codes. Good through July 1st only! FLASH SALE: Sized Pack of 6 Princess and Sized Pack of 6 Boy prints are both on sale for $88.88 for Small, Medium and Large sizes (One-Size is not included). Use code mjp123b for the ‘Boy’ print and mjp123p for the ‘Princess’ print.   Any order over $150.00 will receive a... read more

• Last updated 1/30/13 by Cynthia Mosher

The following is a guest post by Mothering’s Melissa Holik, dishing some behind-the-scenes how-tos for an article in our brand new March-April issue, “A Green Clean.” As Laura and I were prepping for the “Green Clean” photo shoot, we sat down—as we usually do for these shoots—and made a shopping list of all the products from the article and how they might look together: “Vinegar, that’s clear. Baking soda, white. We need some color. . . . OK . . . . flowers, maybe bright yellows and oranges? Gloves, can we can get some in green? Reusable dryer ball . .... read more