Real-life reviews from parents.
Explore our lists & add your tips.

Most of my daughter's friends like to get Sephora products. The most popular brands seem to be Summer Fridays, LANEIGE, and Sol de Janeiro, and they all make products that don't feel too grown-up.

My middle schooler has loved receiving upgraded school supplies from friends. A really nice pencil holder with lots of compartments, fun post-it tabs, mildliners, colorful pens and mechanical pencils, etc.

Spa/bath gifts like shower steamers, sheet masks, bath bombs, bubble bath.

Gift cards to Starbucks or boba places.

What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter? Quack quack quack.

What do you get when you drop a pumpkin? Squash.

What do you get when you cross an octopus with a turkey? Finally enough drumsticks for everyone at Thanksgiving!

Why did the police arrest the turkey? They suspected it of fowl play.

What did the shark say when it ate the clown fish? Tastes funny.

Why does a duck have feathers? To cover his butt quack

What did the triangle say to the circle? You're pointless.

Why should you never give Elsa a balloon? Because she’ll Let it Go.

Consistency is a key factor !

Give yourself plenty of time for the routine! I think starting an hour before we actually want the kids to be asleep has worked best for our family.

Involve them however you can, so they have some choice in the process. For us, it is often picking the story we read, or the number of books we read (within reason), as well as which kid goes first to brush teeth or take their bath.

Peanut butter. By itself, on a sandwich, with sliced fruits - it’s a delicious work horse in the protein department!

Deli turkey is a good protein food that we usually have in the fridge. My kids will just roll up a piece and eat it for a snack.

Yogurt. My little kids are picky about what they’ll eat at school for lunch, and won’t eat most foods with protein, leaving them hungry. Thankfully, I recently realized they'll eat yogurt, which has helped a lot.

Post-workout, my teen likes to make himself a glass of chocolate milk.

If there are six apples and you take away four, how many apples do you have? Four.

The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I? A hole.

What starts with E, ends with E, and has only 1 letter in it? Envelope.

Michael’s father has three sons. Two are named Snap and Crackle. What’s the third son called? Michael

Sturdy stair guards at the top and bottom of the staircase are a must once baby starts moving around!

I discovered that a heavyweight hairband looped around both door handles was just as effective (if not more!) at keeping my cabinet doors shut than those cabinet latches made specifically for baby proofing. Plus, they were way easier (and less annoying) for me to take on and off, making it more likely that I'd always keep it on. This only works on certain handles, though, like pull bars and knobs.

If you have thick runner-type rugs for hallways or entryways, they can also serves as great padding for edges on shorter bookshelves, tables and fireplaces. Just put the rug on top like a tablecloth, and let it hang over the edges. Certain rugs work especially well for this, like those faux-fur ones that are super soft and fluffy.

Corner guards have been pretty essential with all of my kids, especially once they begin moving around on their own. Unfortunately, I haven't found any that will stick super well (though some are better than others!), and have always had to reinforce with duct tape. Not pretty, but effective!

Breaking the wishbone is such a simple Thanksgiving tradition, but I did it growing up and my kids like it too. Pop the wishbone in the still-warm oven, and it should be dried out enough for a good "snap" by the end of the meal.

Set out a big jigsaw puzzle, and people can work on it as they please throughout the day. I love low-key family Thanksgiving activities like this that encourage people to sit together and chat, and it works well for a wide range of ages. Puzzles with a harvest or holiday theme are a fun choice.

With a white tablecloth or runner on your table, have everyone present for the Thanksgiving dinner write something they are thankful for in Sharpie or fabric marker and sign their name. Carefully launder the tablecloth, and you can bring it out again each year to repeat as an annual Thanksgiving activity and enjoy looking back on past years!

I like to get the kids involved in making dessert for Thanksgiving because it can usually be done ahead of time or earlier in the morning before there's too much going on in the kitchen.

How to grocery shop and make simple meals with the stove and oven - eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, cutting/peeling fruits and vegetables

How to do laundry!

How to change a tire and jump start a car.

How to properly take medications - reading labels, appropriate dosing and spacing, setting alarms for reminders, requesting refills as necessary.