Planning a Mother-Daughter Spa Night can be one of the most special times that you share with your daughter. Here are some tried and true tips to make your night truly sweet:

· Talk it Up - Talking about your special night with your daughter and watching her excitement grow is as much fun as the event itself. Plan your special night when there is little chance that your plans will change or that you will be interrupted. Carve out at least a solid hour in the evening.

· Get the Goodies –Purchase some simple, inexpensive props during your next trip to the store such as scented candles, bubble bath, scented lotions and some glittery nail polish. Let her choose all the scents and colors. She’ll not only be thrilled to be consulted on these big decisions, but she will be itching to get into the tub.

· Mom, NO Multi-tasking! – This time is just for you and your daughter – an uninterrupted slice of solitude where girls can just be girls. This means: no answering the phone, no checking email, no tucking laundry into the dryer, no tidying up the bathroom. Get all those tasks done beforehand so you can concentrate only on your daughter. (more…)

The future is shaped by the toys our children play with today. Whether we realize it or not, our children are expressing themselves–their interests, fears and talents–through play. As parents, our job is to watch and listen and encourage them.

Here are three case studies of our children’s toys and how their play is already impacting the future:

· Four-year-old Emma dons her junior doctor scrubs and her play stethoscope. She gently assures her doll that her shot won’t hurt and that she is being very brave, just as Amanda’s own mother has assured her. Instead of feeling afraid, Amanda is now in control as the doctor. Discovering that she has the ability to make her dolls (and someday other children) feel safe and protected, Amanda begins her interest in science and the human body. (more…)

You’ve seen it on ABC’s Good Morning America, you’ve heard that Rosie O’Donnell from The View loves it, you’ve seen it in fashion magazines - Mothers and daughters are showing their pride in each other like never before by hitting the town in matching and coordinating outfits. Why is this trend so hot right now? Here’s why:

· Mothers are ‘younger’ and daughters are ‘older’. Moms still read the same fashion magazines as they did before they attained Mom status. Today’s Moms are often health conscious and fit; they look and feel young and refuse to abide by outdated societal fashion guides to ‘dress their age’. Bombarded with mass-marketing fashion magazines and the fashion attention their TV icons receive, young girls are starting to attain a fashion consciousness at an earlier and earlier age. This brings mothers and daughters closer together on the spectrum of fashion trends more than ever before. The boundaries between the generations have shifted and overlapped, rendering everyone virtually the same age in ‘fashion’ years. (more…)

Forget about the stresses of mountainous holiday baking, visiting in-laws, and frenetic gift shopping, pregnant women at the holidays have much more to bemoan about – what to wear to the holiday parties! Whether you’re in your first trimester and barely bulging, or you’re due any minute and bursting at the seam, you can still look spectacular at holiday office parties, formal dinners and family gatherings. Being pregnant at holiday time is a magnificent reason to celebrate and the guidelines below will help you to choose the most flattering holiday dress for your pregnancy stage and body type: (more…)

Mothers and daughters have been baking together for eons…but it’s never been this fun! Follow these easy tips for delicious holiday memories:

Talk it Up – Early that morning or for a few days beforehand, talk it up with your daughter. Tell her how much fun baking together will be, how much you are looking forward to your special time together. By baking time, her little fingers will be itching to get into the dough.

Mom: Chill Out - The most important preparation is for Mom to RELAX. Carve out time for baking where you are not multi-tasking. That means no phone, no eye on the news, no doing dishes, no laundry. This time should be all for her. (more…)

“Will someone play Barbies with me?” Our four-year-old daughter, Brooke, gives us her sweetest smile, knowing that her father and I, snugly nestled on the couch reading, will be helpless to resist her plea. I sigh, unfold my legs and peel myself from the warm blanket to follow her upstairs to Barbie Central.

“Not you, Mommy. I want Daddy.”

My breath catches in my throat, my heart skips a beat, time freezes in a shock of surprise. Was I actually stabbed in the heart or did I actually hear these words from my daughter’s lips? She wants Daddy? Has something happened to the space/time continuum? Has chaos finally reigned supreme over the universe? And so I stand there staring, open-mouthed, unable to comprehend that for the first time, I am not the parent of preference. I still stand there, motionless and glassy-eyed, as my husband sets down his paper, takes our daughter’s hand and leads her up the stairs. (more…)

Like many parents, I’m a busy mom, time and money strapped and continuously being pulled in a hundred directions at once. With meals to prepare, homework to review, playdates to plan, sports activities to chauffeur, it is all too easy to plow through the day focused on completing task after task. Especially at this time of year, it is a challenge to find the time and energy to create those special bonding moments with your daughter. Here is a quick list of 3 easy (and clever) low-cost ways to bond with her right now while still getting stuff done:

· Mother and Daughter Spa Night – She needs to get clean anyway, right? Pick a special night and take a few extra minutes to make bath time an event rather than a chore. Light some scented candles in the bathroom and dim the lights (my daughter likes strawberry scented). Fill the tub extra high and generously scoop in bubble bath. Who doesn’t feel like a princess immersed in a tub brimming over with bubbles? Most of all, relax and don’t rush. My daughter, Brooke, tells me all sorts of things about her day during spa night that we never seem to find time to talk about during the day. Afterward, we don robes and paint each other’s toenails and fingernails with glittery nail polish. (more…)