One issue brought to light by my family's recent interstate move is the matter of a child's age at the start of the school year. In New York, where they have a December 31 cut-off, my October daughter would have been starting Kindergarten this year. Now that we are in Texas, where one has to be 5 by September 1, she won't start Kindergarten until next year. I have to admit, I'm not entirely crestfallen about the whole thing. Many parents these days intentionally hold their children back to gain advantage in a process known as 'redshirting'. More

I've always admired the dedication and skill of quilters and simultaneously felt intimidated by their craft. Now that I'm becoming an aunt, I've realized that a baby-sized quilt is the perfect introduction to all that sewing, ironing, and basting. I'm deciding between these five patterns. More

Wow. Furniture for kids gets cooler and cooler over the years. I want that changing table and I don't even have children.

• Portland, OR: Netto Collection Changing Table - $750
• Lakewood, CO: Guidecraft Kitchen Helper - $80
• Chicago, IL: Vintage Children's Chairs - $30
• Berkeley, CA: Pacific Rim Toddler Bed - $250
• New York, NY: Children's Armoire - $650
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Name: "The Quiet Contemplator" (2.5)
Location: St. Louis, MO

When creating my daughter's "big girl room" I wanted to take the whimsy of the forest and combine it with an artistic point of view. More

We are taking our first big family vacation this fall (off-season prices rock!) and already I am hearing choruses of "how many more days until we go to the beach?" Whether it's a vacation, school break, holiday, or some other special occasion, help your kids keep up with the countdown and visualize the time left with one of these creative calendars. More

Gio Aqua Wallpaper
• $90/roll
• DwellStudio

DwellStudio has translated some of their popular designs for kids into wallpaper. Gio Aqua, shown here, is one of their older patterns and still one of my favorites.

Name: Joshua (2)
Location: Brick, NJ

My two-year-old, Joshua, is just smitten with Elmo. Just the sight of the furry little monster causes him to light up like Fourth of July fireworks. In fact, "Elmo" beat out both "Mama" and "Dada" as one of his first words. So when it came time to plan his second birthday party, we knew we just had to have an Elmo theme. More

The woman at the pool was my parental doppelgänger; we both had four-year-old singletons and two-year-old twins. Our accommodations were managed by the same company and shared grounds, only I was staying at the family-friendly water park lodge and she was staying at the luxury resort down the road. More

Think you can't have more than one or two kids in one room? Perhaps not when they're older, but this family has got it covered with three children in one room. Plus, it's more stylish than most. More