I love when a movie becomes more than just an "entertaining" experience for the kids. After they've seen a movie, I like to ask questions to help them think about the story, the characters, motivations, favorite moment, scariest happening, what made them laugh most and why... kind of like media literacy for the pre-school set.

But yesterday, I found an offshoot occurrence from a movie that I didn't expect (which can sometimes be the best!). Having seen "Night at… Read More

Occasionally, to help during overloaded weeks, we'll grab one of those "mega-pizzas" from a warehouse store... the fresh, doughy ones in the deli refrigerated case that look like they'll feed 40 but cost seven bucks. We usually opt for straight cheese that we add such fixins to as turkey pepperoni, sliced black olives, strips of jarred roasted red bell peppers, and mushrooms.

I'm sure some families tear through the whole pizza (I grew up in a family of six,… Read More

Kobe sliders -- the miniature burgers that feature high-end beef -- are quite the rage at certain upscale restaurants. But I decided I wanted to try a more down-home take. And the kids were delighted in the delicious outcome.

To make them, I minced one-half of a medium sweet onion, and added that with three tablespoons of thick teriyaki sauce to a pound of lean ground turkey. After mixing those ingredients together, I formed 20 mini-patties and sauteed those… Read More

With the new Nancy Drew movie hitting theaters June 15 with Emma Roberts playing the classically-tailored teen sleuth, I found myself drawn to the utterly charming "The Classic Nancy Drew Cookbook," by Carolyn Keene. Though the book was initially released in 1973, it was published again in 2005 in a nifty spiral-book format.

The recipes have a retro-yet-hip feel, and are simple enough for youngsters to follow (with adult supervision, depending on the kid's age), and easy-to-find ingredients. Line… Read More

I'm into traditions because -- growing up -- I found them to be grounding, nurturing, and oftentimes, well, fun.

Last year on Mother's Day, the kids and I invited my wife into the backyard and surprised her by showing off different plants: a few kinds of tomatoes, some Japanese eggplant, cucumbers, purple sage, and watermelon in a square patch we dubbed the "Urban Garden." Then, Rocco got really muddy and ChiChi napped under the shade of the lemon tree… Read More

Having just-turned-two, our daughter seems to already be pining for a big-girl bed... no doubt seeing the big-boy bed in her brother's room and wondering why he doesn't have a crib. In assessing the nursery we so exuberantly decorated in a "vintage fashion" theme, I was drawn to our choices in painting the furniture. We used a brick-red shade of milk paint and, not only has it held up exceptionally well, I remembered how much we liked it -- particularly… Read More