Target, Walmart, & Costco Among Growing List of Stores Closed on Thanksgiving

by Karly WoodNovember 3, 2022

Target, Walmart, Costco, and Home Depot are among the retail giants closing on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. The turkey. The stuffing. The warm, welcoming love of your family as you surround each other and give thanks for everything you have. Oh, and the shopping too. Wait. Isn’t this supposed to be a holiday about thankfulness, and not about where you can get a new mattress for 60% off or the latest TV for one-third off the price that it normally is? If you’ve noticed that a growing number of stores are starting their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving Thursday, you’re not alone. And plenty of people (shoppers and employees) don’t like it.

In response to this, some retailers are staying closed on Thanksgiving Day. Yep, that’s right. Those amazingly awesome deals are going to have to wait until Friday — giving employees a full day off. So instead of heading out to the mall, you may just need to stay home with your family.

photo: Heidi Finn via Unsplash

Which stores are waiting until Black Friday to open? There’s a growing list of stores that have full Thanksgiving closings, including:

Ace Hardware
Barnes & Noble
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Best Buy
BJ’s Wholesale
Costco
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Footlocker
Home Goods
Homesense
IKEA
Kohl’s
Macy’s
Marshall’s
Nordstrom
Nordstrom Rack
Petco
REI (with be closed both Thanksgiving and Black Friday)
Sam’s Club
Staples
Simon Property Group (U.S.’s biggest mall group)
Target
The Container Store
TJ Maxx
Walmart

Check with your favorite retailers before heading out to shop them on Thanksgiving Thursday.

Cardi B Welcomes Second Child & Is Now a Boy Mom!

by Karly WoodSeptember 7, 2021

Kulture is a big sister! Cardi B and husband Offset have announced the arrival of their second child, a son, on Sept. 4.

Baby boy joins the couple’s three-year-old daughter, Kulture, and Offset’s three children, Jordan, Kody and Kalea from previous relationships.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cardi B (@iamcardib)

Cardi B shared the news that she was expecting back in June at the BET Awards, but welcoming her second child was more on the quiet side. She shared via Instagram with a few sweet emojis.

No word yet on the new addition’s name!

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

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Disneyland Will Open to Non-California Residents This June

by Karly WoodMay 27, 2021

Great news Disney fans! Disneyland Resort has announced it will start welcoming out of state guests beginning Jun. 15.

The happy announcement comes after a year-long closure, followed by a quiet reopening that only allows for 25% capacity, and California-only residents. As a whole, the state of California will largely move to a full re-opening on Jun. 15, which makes way for the tourist economy to open fully for the summer season.

photo: Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort

Guests can already head to Disneyland.com to start making reservations for anytime after Jun. 15. Additionally, you will now see options to purchase tickets as far out as 120 days, as opposed to the previous 60 day time period.

There is still much to be learned in the coming days about whether or not the parks will open beyond the 25% capacity, but COVID protocols like mask wearing will likely remain in effect. One thing is certain: this is some magical news!

––Karly Wood

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TikTok’s New Features Help Your Family Combat Cyberbullying

by Sarah ShebekMay 25, 2021

If you have a tween or teen in your house, chances are they’re on TikTok. The popular video sharing platform had about 100 million active users as of last August, posting dance challenges, animal antics and more. Unfortunately it’s also a popular target for cyberbullying, but the company has recently announced new features to combat unkind interactions.

This past week, TikTok announced the ability to delete multiple comments at once, as well as block multiple accounts in bulk. Keep reading to see how the new features will work.

To delete several comments or block multiple accounts at once, go to the video you’ve created and long press on a comment or tap the pencil icon in the upper left corner to select a menu of options. The feature is rolling out gradually over the next few months to all content creators. The company also recently announced the option to filter all comments, so only approved comments will display with the video.

Beyond these features, TikTok recently partnered with the Cyberbullying Research Center to create a guide on bullying prevention. It lists how to identify bullying behavior, how teens can control their account to safeguard against unkindness and resources for standing up to bullying safely.

The platform continues to work to help users feel empowered with their experience on TikTok and make it a fun and welcoming experience for all. So the next time your teen pulls out their phone to post a video, make sure they’re aware of these new features. Safety first, trends second!

—Sarah Shebek

Image courtesy of TikTok

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RITZ’s Sweet New Video Spot Celebrates Foster Families

by Sarah ShebekMay 7, 2021

It takes all kinds of parents to make a family, and foster parents play an essential role for kids who most need love and protection. That’s why this year for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, RITZ has launched a new campaign called “Foster Welcome” to celebrate foster moms and dads and all the work they do to create welcoming families.

As part of the campaign, RITZ has released a new video highlighting the emotional experience of bringing a new foster child into your home, created in collaboration with The Martin Agency and the National Foster Parent Association. Grab some tissues because we’ve got it ready for you to watch now.

“Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are the perfect occasions to celebrate all the foster parents who might not get the recognition they deserve during this time of year,” says Santiago Gomez Bernal, Associate Marketing Director at RITZ. “Through our collaborative with the National Foster Parent Association, we’ve learned there is much more to be done to help and support the incredible work these parents do every day. We hope to elevate their inspiring stories and raise awareness around how meaningful it is to be a foster mom or dad, from large families to single parents to same sex parents, they are truly the ultimate welcomers, and we are honored to share their stories.”

You can visit TasteofWelcome.com to learn how to donate to the National Foster Parent Association, find volunteer opportunities and discover if becoming a foster parent might be in your future. For a bit of fun on Instagram, search #FosterWelcome into the sticker search bar and find stickers that RITZ has created for foster parents sharing family photos. It’s the perfect way to help celebrate families of all kinds.

––Sarah Shebek

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Here’s How To Get Shipt’s Same-Day Service for Free

by Erica LoopApril 22, 2021

Now you can get an even bigger benefit from creating a baby registry at buybuy BABY. Not only can you register for everything you’ll need as a new parent, but you can also score a free annual membership for Shipt’s same-day delivery service.

New parents have enough to do—without worrying about toting their new tot all over town to pick up groceries, diapers, and everything else a growing family needs. Shipt eliminates the need to add these errands to your oh-so-busy day.

photo: Courtesy of Shipt

The one-year membership is a $99 value and is a limited-time offer, courtesy of Shipt and Bed Bath & Beyond. To qualify for the free membership customers need to sign up with Bed Bath & Beyond or buybuy BABY and wait for their friends and fam to purchase at least $75 of merch.

After your nearest and dearest buys a minimum of $75, you’ll get an email with a special code for your free Shipt membership. Rina Hurst, Chief Business Officer at Shipt, said in a press release, “We’ve heard time and time again from our customers about how Shipt simplifies their lives while they’re planning for milestone events.”

Hurst continued, “With this new perk for Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY registrants, it’s easy to take advantage of the convenience of same-day delivery when preparing for a wedding or welcoming a new little one—so you can spend time on the moments that matter most.”

To start your buybuy BABY registry, visit the brand’s website here!

—Erica Loop

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Have Breakfast with Chrissy Teigen with This New Cereal

by Karly WoodApril 13, 2021

Can you ever try enough cereal? The pantry staple is great for everything, from snacking to last minute dinners and General Mills just dropped plenty of new options to keep you cereal game going strong.

In addition to launching limited edition Ghostbusters Afterlife cereal, the brand is also welcoming three new flavors that are part of the permanent lineup! Keep scrolling to see all the details.

Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Your fave Cinnamon Toast Crunch just got a makeover! The new Dluce de Leche flavor ensures you have a bite of caramel in every bite, and makes sure that "cinnamilk" at the bottom is sweeter than ever. You can find this new cereal starting Apr. 12. for $3.99+.

Apple Cinnamon Chex

Launched in partnership with Chrissy Teigen and her Cravings line, Apple Cinnamon Chex is great for families. The subtle flavor works great for Chex recipes and when you buy three boxes, you'll get $5 off any purchase on cravingsbychrissyteigen.com. The permanent addition to the Chex cereal lineup includes Chrissy’s Apple Pie-inspired recipes and will be available at the end of April for $3.79+.

Cheerios Oat Crunch, Almond

If you're an OG Cheerio lover you'll want to get your hands on the new Cheerios Oat Crunch, Almond. It's made with Multi Grain Cheerios, whole grain oats and real almond slices, nine vitamins and minerals. It's available now for $4.79+.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of General Mills

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PAW Patrol Is Coming to Your Living Room with a Live Event

by Erica LoopApril 2, 2021

Calling all PAW Patrol fans! Nickelodeon recently announced a brand-new interactive streaming experience for the PAW Patrol-loving preschool set—and it includes a 45-minute stage show and a shared viewing room.

PAW Patrol Live! At Home is exactly what the name sounds like. Instead of going to a a theater, stadium, or other mega-venue to watch your fam’s fave Nick friends, you can watch this PAW-tastic production 100 percent from home.

photo courtesy of Nickelodeon

Amy Hyland, Executive Vice President, Nickelodeon Strategy, Business Development and Operations, said in a press release, “As we look forward to a return to normalcy and welcoming families back to our live events, we continue to invest in innovative ways to grow our Nickelodeon Experiences business during these unprecedented times. With PAW Patrol Live! At Home we’ve produced a one-of-a-kind co-viewing event that allows us to recreate the communal theater experience and give families a way to connect with not only fan favorite Nick characters, but their loved ones as well.”

Nick’s new PAW Patrol Live! At Home experience will include a pre-show with digital games, an e-shop, printable activity sheets and a Pup Pup Boogie dance-along video. The pre-show options are available immediately after your ticket purchase.

The show itself will stream Apr. 24 and 25 at either 7:00 a.m. PT/10:00 a.m. ET, 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET or 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET in English and in Spanish. Click here to purchase tickets in advance.

Parents can purchase a single ticket for access on one device or a group ticket that comes with one single ticket and three additional access codes to share with friends and family. Single and group pass ticket holders can also log on to re-watch the experience through May 2.

—Erica Loop

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It’s a Boy for Shawn Johnson East & Andrew East

by Erica LoopMarch 27, 2021

Shawn Johnson East and hubby Andrew East are having a boy! The couple recently announced their baby’s sex with a completely creative family reveal.

The happy couple celebrated their baby boy joy with a blue paint splattered party. Of course, the Easts didn’t expect their guests to get in on the mess. Instead, the new mom and dad (for the second time) took center stage and let their guests pelt them with a watery spray of blue paint.

That’s right, the Easts were water-gunned, Picasso-style with baby boy blue paint by their nearest and dearest. The former Olympian and her husband shared the reveal on their YouTube channel, The East Family.

If you’re wondering how the duo feels about their baby boy news, the Easts told PEOPLE, “We are so excited to be welcoming a boy to our growing family and for Drew to have a little baby brother.” The couple added, “It will be a whole new experience and we’re so excited to start this next chapter!”

The soon-to-be parents of two have a daughter, Drew Hazel East, together. Shawn, Andrew and Drew will greet the newest member of their family sometime this summer!

—Erica Loop

Photos courtesy of Jessica Steddom

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These Are the 2021 Best Cars, SUVs & Minivans for Families

by Erica LoopMarch 19, 2021

Are you ready to shop for a new car? Before you buy, check out U.S. News & World Reports’ 2021 Best Cars for Families!

U.S. News & World Reports reviewed nearly 90 cars, SUVs and minivans from the 2021 model year to choose the best of the best for fams. Winners were chosen based on safety and reliability ratings, professional auto reviews, seating and cargo volume and family-friendly features.

Photo: Toyota

The big winner in the 2021 model year was Toyota, with four awards total. Honda was a close second, with three top honors. Overall, the winners for each category were:

2021 Best SUVs for Families

Toyota RAV4: Best Compact SUV for Families
Chevrolet Suburban: Best Large SUV for Families
Honda Passport: Best 2-Row SUV for Families
Kia Telluride: Best 3-Row SUV for Families
Toyota Highlander Hybrid: Best Hybrid or Electric SUV for Families

2021 Best Cars for Families

Honda Accord: Best Midsize Car for Families
Toyota Avalon: Best Large Car for Families
Toyota Avalon Hybrid: Best Hybrid or Electric Car for Families

2021 Best Minivan for Families

Honda Odyssey: Best Minivan for Families

Of the awards, Jamie Page Deaton, executive editor of U.S. News Best Cars, said in a press release, “Families come in many forms, and with nine different categories to choose from, there’s a Best Cars for Families award winner that will work for any family.” Deaton continued, “The award winners have the space, safety and features to satisfy any family, from new parents to parents with new drivers to households that may be welcoming grandparents.”

Get more info on the winners and the full list of finalists at U.S. News & World Reports here.

—Erica Loop

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