About Denise Cripps

CEO, CFO, President, Vice President and Social Chair of the Cripps Family Board, Denise enjoys the challenge of keeping her writing career on track while managing a mostly-sane family of five, including a dog and a rat. Denise likes her books promptly returned, her vegetables organic, and her wine in alphabetical order on the rack. Other interests include fun with family and friends, reading and writing, traveling far and wide, listening to NPR as many hours a day as possible, movies and music, cooking and nutrition, moving (dancing, yoga, hiking, exercising), and petting chickens.

Decorating with ABCs & 123s

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Denise Cripps

It’s August, and even if you don’t have school-aged children yet, there’s still something Pavlovian about the back-to-school season. The stores are full of supplies and memories of our own schooldays come flooding back (although my back-to-school list never included a flash drive like my kids lists do!). But even if you’re not in the market for school supplies just yet, you can still take advantage of this season for decoration inspiration. And because it’s never too early to introduce readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic to your baby, toddler or preschooler, consider accenting your nursery or big-kid’s bedroom with letter and/or … Continue reading →

Bunk Beds: A Childhood Dream Come True

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Denise Cripps

Ahhh, bunk beds … pure Americana, right? The mere thought of them creates nostalgia for our our own childhood when we either had bunk beds or desperately wanted them. Maybe a friend had a set and you lived for those sleep-over invitations. Or maybe you wanted to be the first camper to your cabin each summer to ensure first pick of the top bunks. Yup, there’s just some kind of magical allure…. For adults, it’s fun to see the evolution of the bunk bed over the decades, transforming from the most basic models we remember into the almost unbelievably sophisticated, … Continue reading →

Ten 2012 Baby Product Recalls You May Have Missed

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Denise Cripps

Hopefully every parent and childcare provider is aware of the most massive recall of any baby item in the history of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Starting in 2009, an estimated 10 million drop-side cribs were recalled from the US market, daycare facilities, and home nurseries. And the CPSC was not fooling around — they wanted every drop-side crib in the country completely destroyed. In fact, “crushed” was the word they so eloquently chose to describe the method of disposal they encouraged. Subsequently, a law was passed making it illegal to resell — or even give away — a secondhand drop-side … Continue reading →

Build Your Whole Nursery Around One Fabulous Piece

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Denise Cripps

If you’re like many new parents, the idea of buying a complete nursery set like these – where the six pieces of bedding plus everything from the throw pillows, rug, and curtains to the wall art, lampshade, and nightlight are so over-the-top matchy-matchy it’s a visual assault on your eyeballs – just isn’t the look you’re going for. However, other parents will find a theme they love and enjoy the ease and convenience of selecting all the pieces they’ll use in one fell swoop — and there are scads of adorable ones to choose from. Maybe for you though, something … Continue reading →

” …Who’s the Fairest of Them All?”

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Denise Cripps

Snow White’s evil step-mother may have needed to ask her mirror this question, but you certainly don’t. Hands-down, the fairest of them all is your baby – no matter how big and grown-up that baby becomes. But if you provide a mirror for you and your infant to gaze into together – from the very earliest months – you’ll be enchanted by the magic that will happen right before your very eyes. “Whoooo’s the Baby in the Mir-ror?” A popular place to create a diaper changing station is atop a combo dresser – also called a drawer changer, changing chest, … Continue reading →

Don’t Let Your Baby’s Crib Mattress be an Afterthought

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Denise Cripps

If you had a nickel for every minute you spent obsessing over the tiniest details of your nursery, you’d probably be rich by the time your new baby spent her first night in the crib you so agonizingly selected. But, as important as your theme or décor may seem, something you rarely think about – and probably perceive as wildly unexciting – is actually one of the most important items to think very carefully about: the mattress upon which your little prince or princess is going to dream away up to 18 hours of every day. That makes buying the … Continue reading →