Today I'm highlighting Black Friday sales at some my favorite brands that give back, or that are good for the planet. Krochet Kids is an incredible organization that empowers and mentors at-risk women in Peru and Uganda, offering them sustainable work and business training. And their products (beanies, clothing, bags) are really cute. They are offering 20% off and free shipping. FashionABLE started working in Ethiopia five years ago, providing weaving jobs for women who coming out of the . . .

I’m trying to get my holiday cards out really early this year. We moved this spring and I haven’t been great about updating our address with family and friends, so I’m hoping that our holiday card can also serve as a “we’ve moved” reminder and give everyone our new address. I’m going with Minted again for our cards. I'm a big fan of Minted because their cards are sourced from a global community of independent graphic designers. Their cardstock is thick and includes a recycled option, and their . . .

I grew up with cranberry sauce out of a can. My grandmother, and then later my mother, would empty the gelatinous mold only a plate and then cut it into thick slices. This is all I knew cranberry sauce to be. When I was a young adult, I finally tried homemade cranberry sauce, and a lightbulb went on. Kind of like the lightbulb that went on when I realized that brussel sprouts could be roasted instead of boiled. This thing can be delicious. I thought I hated cranberry sauce, but no. I just hated . . .

Today I’m hosting a guest post from my friend Angela Tucker, who is an adult adoptee, writer, and activist. She’s currently crowdfunding a documentary on adoptee voices. You can check it out here. I am a female transracial adoptee with disabilities, happily committed in an interracial marriage. One might expect a minority ^5 (to the fifth degree) to have cemented and unflappable opinions on all topics relating to race, adoption and marriage. However the unique lens with which my world is . . .

This post was written by my husband Mark. Thanks Mark!! I had a great day with my boys at Knotts Berry Farm last week. Kristen and the girls had another obligation so it worked out to be a wonderful father/son day to play. Jafta is almost 11 and Kembe is 9, so I was ready to really enjoy the park. We've been to Knott's a few other times together as a family and it was a very welcomed treat to experience the Knott's Merry Farm holiday cheer. The day was a perfectway to begin the holiday . . .

I dislike the character assassinations that are inherent in partisan politics. It seems like people become so entrenched on their “sides” that the politicians serving the other side can do no right. It’s easy to demonize the people in the opposing party. . . to assume ill intent, or to dig for flaws in an effort to discount someone who doesn’t share our own views. However, there does come a time when a politician’s behavior is so objectively bad that it’s no longer about ideology difference . . . . .

A few years ago my sister-in-law hosted us for Thanksgiving, and she created a gratitude experience by making an interactive bulletin board. She had little slips of paper that everyone could write things they were thankful for. It was a really meaningful exercise and a great visual reminder of all of our blessings. It was also the perfect way to get the kids involved in thinking through what they are grateful for. I decided to try to recreate this experience, and start at the beginning of . . .

We had a lazy Sunday around here . . . one of those rare days when we had absolutely no commitments . . . no football games, no birthday parties, no where at all to be. So we spent the whole day at home with no agenda. An agenda-free day in our house can be a great thing, or it can go south quick. A lot of it revolves around how much fighting is going on between the kids. Today happened to be one of those days where everyone was cooperate and getting along. The kids were really into games . . .