The post suggests restaurants in cities from Chicago to New York, London to Los Angeles.  

Our favorite pick from Gwenyth's list is Alice's Tea Cup, a restaurant that will have your little princess sipping tea, but not out of a plastic set!

Check out all of the restaurants here and be sure to make a reservation so that you aren't stuck waiting out in the cold!

Williams Sonoma has several incredible recipes on their website that make pancake production easy.

The first and most easy of all is their Flappin' Jack pancake mix (we tested it and it's delicious). In tandem with their Garden Creatures Pancake Molds, the kids can help to stir the mix while you pour it into butterfly shaped molds that will have them decorating the wings with butter and maple syrup!

Sweeten the deal with their Chocolate Chocolate Chip Puffed Pancake recipe.
   

The adults will love a mature version of puffed pancakes, Cherry Jam-Filled Pancakes!

For other great recipes that the kids can get involved with, check out their Cooking with Kids page filled with great ideas, tools and recipes that will teach them to get busy in the kitchen!

We've been told that KEEN Footwear is the go-to for fashionable and functional winter boots for the whole family.  KEEN believes in encouraging everyone to create, play, and care!

Find big comfort for little feet with the Shay from KEEN. The knit top on this bootie has all the softness of a sock, while the flexible outsole lets them stay mobile.

The Kaley for kids is winter cheer waiting to burst out of the closet. With faux shearling lining and colorful leather uppers this boot is girly, cozy and tough all in one.

The KEEN kids Winterport II is ready for snow days. With a waterproof breathable membrane and 200 grams of KEEN winter weather is an invite to get outside in the Winterport II.

Goldstar.com offers amazing deals on family friendly shows and events.  They even have reduced rates on the popular Radio City Christmas Spectacular!  Tickets can be purchased for as little as $27.

Other featured events include magic shows, sporting events and plays for children.  It only takes a few minutes to sign up and save.  Currently event tickets are available for Boston, Chicago, DC Metro, Las Vegas, New York, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle.

While the little ones are out of school for the holidays it's the perfect time to make memories in your city!

Elizabeth S. of Queens, NY wrote us with a great cold season tip. 

Boogie Wipes (that's really what they're called) were developed by moms tired of chasing runny noses. Boogie Wipes are the latest innovation in a moist wipe product. Made with natural saline, they offer quick, gentle and effective relief for little noses suffering from the common cold and allergies. Hypoallergenic, alcohol free and infused with moisturizing vitamin E, aloe and chamomile, they gently dissolve mucus. Soft and gentle but resistant to tearing, wipes smell fresh and clean and are gentle enough for all ages.

Elizabeth keeps these handy in her diaper bag, car and at home for emergency boogie situations!

Thanks for the tip!!

Little Sarah got more than Billy! Bobby got the action figure Sam really wanted!

Sound familiar? Chaos can set in fast and often unexpectedly during the holidays.  The best thing you can do is plan ahead and prepare for any episodes.  First, if you have an infant be sure to pack and plan when traveling as we discussed in an earlier post about traveling with the kids during the holidays.

While we're trying to relax by the fire, catch up with family and sip some egg nog, we are essentially entertaining ourselves, but what about the children?  Toddler and school-aged children need entertainment too. The excitement of unwrapping presents doesn't last too long.  In fact, on many occasions this is where it can all go haywire.  If your child doesn't get what they wanted or if they want what someone else received,  the holiday fun gets put on hold.  We have to stop and remind ourselves that this is the perfect time to teach our children a valuable lesson in understanding gift giving, thankfulness, handling their emotions and also learning why we give gifts during the holidays.  Kicking back with some fruit cake doesn't always present itself, but there are ways to have the kids focus less on what they're getting and more on giving.

By preparing to entertain your children with coloring books (we have free coloring pages on our site), cookie decorating, making a snow man, a whole family snow ball fight, caroling, board games or card games, you will keep the kids happy and remind your family what spending time together is all about.

One great way to get your children involved is to have them prepare a "show" for the family.  This "show" could be reciting a poem, magic tricks, doing a dance to their favorite song or learning the words to a holiday jingle.

This gets the kids involved in the day, gives them something to practice while you're baking and cooking or preparing for travel, and will warm the hearts of your family.

Wherever you spend the holidays and however you celebrate try to remember what the season it all about, and teach your little ones early on so they never lose sight of the meaning of giving!  Keep them as entertained as you would like to be, and while you're entertaining be sure that they lend a hand be it by giving a mini-recital or passing around cookies to guests.

Now, get practicing that show for grandma with the kiddies!

We sometimes forget that our grandparents have not only helped to raise
us, but raised our parents without all of the gadgets and
gizmos we have available to make our lives easier!  Our children are our parents second chance in many ways.  It's their turn to just give love and remember watching us grow up, make up for any 'mistakes' they might have made or special moments they may have missed.

We have had a lot of grandma's shopping our Goldberger Toy online store this month (which goes to show granny knows her way around a mouse when it comes to finding the perfect present for her grandchild).  We are truly amazed at how many grandparents are aware of the nature and safety of Goldberger Dolls.  Then again, we have been around for 100 years, so it's possible your grandmother had a Goldberger Doll when she was growing up!

This morning we received an e-mail from Grandma Mary M. who said this about our Sensitive Baby:

"What a wonderful doll! My grandchild at two really chews on his stuffed animals and I wanted one that he could and that could be washed and dried easily."

To get your grandchild a Sensitive Baby doll or another doll from our online store visit us today!  It's the last day for standard shipping with guaranteed delivery before Christmas!

That is until the Matthew C. of New York told us that the indications on the liners didn't quite 'line up' when preparing formula for his four month old Niamh. The liners are expandable, so when Matthew added water to one it just didn't make sense that the amount of fluid could accurately be marked.  He then measured the formula by pouring it out of the drop-in and into a measuring cup, confirming that the markings were off.

It is so extremely important to have the right amount of water and formula when preparing bottles because too little, and your baby can get dehydrated; too much, and they can suffer from water intoxication.

Our suggestion is to measure and mix your formula in a correctly marked, sterilized container before pouring it into a drop-in liner.  There are several brands of drop-ins, so be sure to test the accuracy of the liner markings before relying in them.

Have you had a similar experience or do you use these for convenience?  Let us know!

Then a tip from Jill O. from Middletown, NY came in about a great CD for babies, lullaby renditions of popular English alternative rock band Radiohead's hits. We thought Gwen missed one merchandising opportunity for the kiddie set (but we were wrong). 

If you're not familiar with Radiohead's music the Rockabye Baby Collection
includes renditions of hits from No Doubt, The Cure, The Beatles, Bob Marley
and U2.  

According to Amazon.com "Rockabye Baby! transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies. The delicate sounds of the glockenspiel, vibraphone, and other instruments will lull your little one into a sweet slumber. These versions of Radiohead are sophisticated enough for people of all ages, but sweet enough to introduce your child to rock’s smartest band. Their album Kid A imagines the scope and power of music created by a newborn child. What will your baby dream about while drifting off to these serene interpretations of Radiohead’s best-loved songs?"

Not a rocker?  Goldberger Toy has FREE Shana Banana Lullabies you can download right on the "Free Stuff" page on our website.  While you're there download FREE coloring pages and more.  There are just a few days left to guarantee delivery in time for the holidays, so be sure to shop our Holiday Catalogue before it's too late!

Do you have a tip, suggestion or comment? E-mail us so that we can be sure to share it!

We want to know who your favorite public moms are.  Each month we'll feature a Media Mommy for you to sound off on, covering everything from post pregnancy bounce backs to stupid stunts with the kids.

December's Media Mommy is a crowd favorite, Gwen Stefani.  Even if she can afford to hire an entourage of help, she has accomplished quite a bit in her 4o years.  Gwen and hottie hubby Gavin Rossdale have two sons, Kingston James McGregor and Zuma Nesta Rock. She seems to always be working on a new project, most recently reuniting and touring with No Doubt just months after giving birth to her second son.

Gwen gets into shape like no other mom we know, her rock solid abs are an inspiration to do a crunch or two.  Even with the help of personal trainers, she has to put in a load of hard work and sweat to get into shape.  Gwen's beauty goes beyond her hot bod, check out this stunning picture of her with baby Zuma.

What drives her?  According to several press releases, blogs and magazine articles, Gwen just can't get enough of fashion!  Which explains her popular yet pricey clothing and fragrance lines L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers.  Gwen admits to having made many of her outfits for early No Doubt shows.  Her style was unmatchable up until the release of her clothing line (now the public can buy her look right off  department store racks), but she didn't stop at dressing us.  Gwen created Harajuku Lovers Kids, a Gwen-inspired clothing line for baby's and children. 

She really does it all, from touring, to style, fashion to fitness, she's a Media Mommy who has a lot going on.

So what do YOU think?  Love her or hate her?  Let us know!