Cubby Archive: Mar 2021

13 Products Parents Wish They’d Bought Sooner

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. It’s no big secret that parenthood is full of many surprises, and the products that end up being lifesavers is definitely one of them. If we were talking about movies here, we’d call these products the sleeper hits.

Liz Callahan Schnabolk

Mar 31, 2021

My Must-Haves from Target’s Spring Collection

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Spring was heralded by the first few 60-degree days in a row and we were ready. For many, the new season began with the refrain, “Mom, can we open the bubbles and sidewalk chalk, pleaseeee?” For my part, I knew spring had finally arrived when I saw the new Target collection.

Danielle Halibey

Mar 31, 2021

My Daughter and I Tested the Top Face Masks for Kids — Here’s the Best One

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. The face mask market is a booming industry that will not likely be slowing down any time soon. What seemed like such an odd thing to put on a year ago is now as routine as putting on our shoes.

Ashley Poskin

Mar 31, 2021

10 Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes for Busy Weeknights

Busy weeknights seem like the norm these days, which means fast and easy dinners are more important than ever. Pasta is always a good option since it boils up quickly, but not all pasta recipes fit the bill (we’re looking at you, seven-layer lasagna). These 10 recipes are as speedy as it gets. Keep them handy and you’ll have something delicious to turn to no matter how busy your night is.

Sheela Prakash

Mar 29, 2021

This Kitchen Went from Basic to Beautiful After This Family Gave It A Pink Makeover

Name: Vanessa Béland, husband Félix & baby daughterLocation: Saint-Hubert, QuébecSize: 1100 square feet + basementYears lived in: 4 yearsVanessa and Félix have been cultivating their first home together over the past four years. Taking the renovation process room by room, they have transformed the space into a warm — and very pink! — home that reflects their bright and fun-loving personalities.

Lauren Kolyn

Mar 29, 2021

9 Weird Yet Clever Cleaning Tools We Found on Amazon

Cleaning isn’t typically thought of as “fun” or “interesting” (or if it is, I applaud you). While the chore itself can be boring, there are plenty of clever, fun, and just plain weird cleaning tools out there that can jazz things up. We’re talking about products that are for those small annoying tasks that aren’t completely terrible, but could be made better — you just don’t think about them as much.

Nicole Lund

Mar 29, 2021

Bringing Religion Home: 5 Families Share Their Stories of Faith in the Pandemic

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. When I was growing up, my mother had a saying: The Devil works overtime on Sunday mornings. She meant that every minute I spent arguing with her about clothes, every harsh word spoken as she herded our family out of the house to get to church on time, was a kind of warfare: Satan trying to keep us from worship.

Elizabeth Passarella

Mar 24, 2021

Our Top 15 Picks for a Fun (Yet Simple!) Easter Basket

Because, really, what is the Easter basket without a chocolate bunny?

Thao Thai

Mar 24, 2021

The Ingenious Solution to Staying in Touch with Relatives Right Now

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. The pandemic has been challenging for everyone, and without a doubt the most difficult part has been the separation from friends and family.FaceTime and Zoom have served their purpose, but aren’t a replacement for shared meals, group game nights, and giant bear hugs.

Laura Hennigan

Mar 24, 2021

Two Words I Use to Teach My Child Self-Awareness

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Our family is obsessed with thanking one another. We exchange gratitude for the practical acts (picking up the groceries; sharing the last slice of pizza; tidying up the toys) as well as the big moments (for being brave at school; for forgiving me when I snapped at you).

Thao Thai

Mar 24, 2021

TikTok Gave My Daughter a New Passion During Quarantine

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. A year ago this month, our life turned upside down, and among other losses, my elementary-aged daughter’s beloved bharatanatyam classes pivoted online.

Pooja Makhijani

Mar 24, 2021

Ask Maxwell: Great, Lighthearted April Fools Pranks for Kids?

COVID has gotten us all beaten down, so I’m eager to lighten the mood. April Fool’s Day is coming up. What are some funny ideas for enjoying the day with my twin boys? SharleneDear Sharlene,There is nothing more delightful than watching a child’s face light up when they come across a really funny — and harmless — prank, especially when played upon an adult.

Maxwell Ryan

Mar 17, 2021

Our Favorite Chocolate-Toffee Passover Treat Also Incorporates an Easter Surprise

When you develop sweets and treats for a living, as I do, the people in your life tend to expect abundant, exceptionally yummy baked goods on the regular. Generally, I have no problem with this; I am completely on board with making delicious things for the ones I love! But every spring, because our families celebrate two different holidays, my treat-making gets just the tiniest bit harried. Enter my baking savior: matzo bark.

Jessie Sheehan

Mar 17, 2021

Before and After: This Itty-Bitty Kids’ Closet Feels Like a Magical Space

Closet space is premium in many homes, which means that the space has to work hard to meet everyone’s needs. Great closets can fit everything in that needs to be stashed, but also are easy to rifle through and pleasant to look at. It’s a tall order.Morgan Gomez knew that this closet in her home — used for her young daughter’s clothes and toys — was not cutting it. “The setup left a lot of unused space,” Morgan says.

Megan Baker

Mar 17, 2021

The Three-Ingredient Meal My Kids Beg For

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Whenever I ask my kids if they have any dinner requests before I make our weekly menu, at least one of them will shout for “pesto pasta!” It’s one of those family recipes that has become a household staple, the kind of dish that I imagine they’ll always remember from their childhood.

Shifrah Combiths

Mar 17, 2021

Whatever Happened to Chores?

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. One night before the pandemic, I picked up my middle-schooler at a friend’s house and saw an amazing sight: the friend’s brother was folding napkins and setting the table.Kids can do things! I thought. It was a moment of revelation.

Lisa Lombardi

Mar 17, 2021

I Had to Quarantine from My Kids Many Times. Here’s How My Partner and I Make It Work.

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. I believe it is very important to begin this story by stating that while emotionally difficult, being able to isolate safely from one’s family is an enormous privilege. I am exiting my third extensive quarantine from my children and husband following medical procedures that put me at risk of exposure.

Jessica Goldman Foung

Mar 17, 2021

The Single Best Item We Bought for School at Home

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. With a year that has caused more emotional whiplash than I will ever be able to fully unpack, we have been sailing through this uncharted home-online-hybrid-school territory with humor, tears, exhaustion, and, thankfully, a few very helpful purchases.

Laura Hennigan

Mar 17, 2021

How This Illustrator Achieves a Colorful, Maximalist Home Without Looking Cluttered

Name: Hannah Broadway and Felix HayesLocation: Eastville, BristolSize: 1600-ish square feetYears Lived In: Owned for 10 years (ish)“We are lucky that we share a similar aesthetic. I guess having been together for over 20 years can do that,” says illustrator and designer Hannah Broadway. She and her actor husband Felix live in this colorful home in Bristol with their daughter Ursula and cats Ron and Kitsune.

Viv Yapp

Mar 16, 2021

5 Lazy Family Dinners that Come Together Incredibly Quickly

There have been many points when I felt totally tired of cooking this year. But now, with the weather warming up and plenty of outdoor memories to make, I’m feeling the cooking fatigue more than ever. And since I can’t totally quit cooking for the week, I’m opting for the next best thing: stacking my meal plan with the easiest and most comforting recipes I know.This week’s dinners require minimal effort (and minimal cleanup!

Kelli Foster

Mar 16, 2021

The Unbelievably Delicious Pizza Roll Upgrade for Kids and Kids-at-Heart

Have you ever had a pizza roll? It’s everything you love about a piping-hot slice, rolled up into a pinwheel and devoured in one or two bites. They’re often made for kids or as a snack, but we love them so much we wanted a dinner-worthy version — which is where these warm and gooey caprese rolls come into play.

Sheela Prakash

Mar 16, 2021

10 Little Ways to Use Up Leftover Easter Eggs

Leftovers are the best part of any holiday celebration. For Easter, that means lots and lots of hard-boiled eggs (and ham or lamb). Coming up with easy, delicious ways to eat leftover hard-boiled eggs feels as much a part of the tradition as dyeing the eggs beforehand — or, at least, that’s how it goes most years. This year, for some, eggs are in short supply.

Kelli Foster

Mar 16, 2021

One Mom Shows You How to Prep for a Week of Freezer Meals

One of the smartest strategies for serving homemade meals all week long is already in your kitchen: It’s using your freezer. The trick is to stock your freezer with make-ahead meals that taste just as good upon reheating as they did the day they were made. The meals all freeze wonderfully, so take your pick between eating them all this week or popping one (or all of them) into the freezer for future dinners.

Patty Catalano

Mar 16, 2021

Clever Tips for Celebrating Passover at Home This Year

Holidays are defined by their foods. When someone says they’re roasting a turkey, you’ll think instantly of Thanksgiving. Similarly, candy follows Halloween, and chocolate goes with Valentine’s Day. For those of us who were born into the traditions of Jewish holidays, knowing when we eat fried potato latkes and when we eat apples with honey and when we eat matzo comes just as naturally.

Jess Thomson

Mar 11, 2021

This Family of 5 Maximizes Genius Storage Solutions in Their 200-Square-Foot Airstream

Name: Melanie and David Raver, three young girls ages 10, 6, and 5. And one furry black German Shepherd! Location: We live everywhere! Size: 200 square feetType of Home: 1973 Airstream ArgosyYears lived in: 3.5 months, ownedCurrently traveling from the California coast to the East Coast, Melanie and David and their three daughters have been a lot of places in their 200-square-foot 1973 Airstream Argosy. Exclaims Melanie, “We are having a BLAST making each new place we stop at our home!

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Mar 11, 2021

Ask Maxwell: What’s Your Biggest Parenting Tip?

I don’t really have a question. Just curious, what are you reading lately ? 🙂MyselfOkay, this week I didn’t get a question in my email. So I’ve been wracking my head what to write about — (send me a hard question!) — when I began to think about two books I’ve just finished and how they deeply resonated with me as a parent. They also made me think back to what it was like to be a child of ten with my own parents.

Maxwell Ryan

Mar 10, 2021

One Simple Hack to Gamify Kids’ Chores

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. One of the most utterly soul-sucking requirements of being a parent for me is having to repeat myself over and over and over again.

Shifrah Combiths

Mar 10, 2021

Monica Chavez’s Family Home Has the Most Spectacular Bookshelves (and a Surprise Under the Stairs)

Name: Monica Chavez; partner, Ruben; and children, Esperanza (7 months), Mauricio (3 years), Abel (passed away in 2010)Location: Bay Area, CaliforniaMonica Chavez is a mother, blogger, and DIY expert whose Instagram account offers a steady, stunning stream of creative projects and inspiration. She lives in the Bay Area with her family, including a new baby who arrived during this strange year. “I’ve got a COVID baby!” she laughs. “She’s 7 months old.

Faith Durand

Mar 10, 2021

We Found an Indoor Trampoline Our Whole Family Can’t Get Enough Of (and It’s Under $100!)

At the start of winter, things at our house were getting a little dire on the physical activity front.Our preschooler had a lot of energy to burn through and nowhere warm to do it. On the other end of the spectrum, our middle schooler would rarely leave her room on virtual school days, and my husband and I couldn’t break away from the kids or working from home in blocks long enough to fit in a workout. By the end of the day we were too exhausted to do anything but collapse on the couch.

Shelley Mann Hite

Mar 10, 2021

The 20-Minute Instant Pot Chili Mac Recipe that Will Get You Through These Last Weeks of Winter

Chili mac is everything I want in a dinner bowl: creamy, cheesy, and infinitely cozy. Unfortunately, making it from scratch typically involves dirtying multiple pots and a decent amount of time — which is what makes this Instant Pot version so brilliant. With just eight ingredients and a 20-minute cook time, you can pull off this easy and delicious dinner anytime you’re craving comfort.

Meghan Splawn

Mar 9, 2021

Light Up Your Kids’ Workspaces with These Desk Lamps

What’s a work space without proper lighting? While you may have your desk tricked out with a sleek modern lamp, it’s worth considering the light your kids are working with, too, when it comes to their crafts and homework. Lighting can make a huge difference — not just with visibility — but in setting the proper atmosphere, whether you’d like it to be relaxing or studious.

Melissa Epifano

Mar 9, 2021

10 Easy St. Paddy’s Day Treats for Kids

St Patrick’s Day is a holiday that I tend to avoid celebrating with my family. I’m half Irish, but this minor holiday feels frivolous for my young kids who already have visits from the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa — do they really need to set leprechaun traps and search for gold coins?

Meghan Splawn

Mar 9, 2021

Four Kids, 675 Square Feet, and 18 Years in One Apartment

Jawaria Ansari has lived in this 675-square-foot Pittsburgh apartment for 18 years—a long time for any renter, but even more impressive when you consider how she’s been able to adapt the small space as her life has evolved. “I had just graduated from university, and moved from Florida to Pittsburgh for my post graduate studies.

Adrienne Breaux

Mar 3, 2021

The Best Thing We Added to Our Home All Year

Our boys are planners just like their parents. They love to know what’s going on, what to anticipate, what they can look forward to. This has been especially important in a year where all routine has been blown out of the water. They went from being in class to virtual school to a hybrid schedule, with the occasional holiday and snow day thrown in for good measure.

Nicholas Dekker

Mar 3, 2021

Cubby’s Essential Guide to Art Supplies: What to Buy and How to Organize an Art Station for Kids

Kids are creators — messy, wild, and sometimes destructive little creators who need a few basic art supplies to get their juices flowing. Setting up and stocking an art station for kids can be a bit overwhelming — especially if you yourself aren’t naturally drawn (pun intended!) to the joy of discovering the latest and greatest in art supplies.

Ashley Poskin

Mar 3, 2021

Packing Lunches Is The One Ritual I’ll Never Get Rid of — No Matter Where School Is

At the beginning of the pandemic, my children’s spring break turned into a two-week hiatus and then an experiment in distance learning with a timeline that kept getting extended. I found comfort in the extra time with my children and doing things together like puzzles and making pasta from scratch. Enjoying these moments anchored me in a sea of uncertainty. I also found relief in not having to do certain things anymore, like the morning stress shuffle.

Shifrah Combiths

Mar 3, 2021

The 10 Best Kid-Friendly Instant Pot Dinners, According to Parents

Feeding kids can be tricky. It’s tough to find the time, and can be even tougher to figure out what your kids will actually eat. Not to mention, every kid is different — some will happily eat bowls of broccoli, while others won’t go near a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs if there’s a single “chunk” in the sauce. We asked readers on Facebook to share their favorite kid-friendly Instant Pot meals with us.

Christine Byrne

Mar 2, 2021