I don’t have tons of memories of my early childhood, but I do recall a visit to the Museum of Natural History in New York City, complete with a cool box of rocks from the gift shop—a purple quartz sticks out in my mind. November is a great time to explore the many museums in the Hudson Valley. To get you started, check out  “6 Hudson Valley Museums Your Kid Will Love.”

My little guy is fascinated with remote controls, mom and dad’s cell phones, computer screens, and stereo knobs. Only the last of these existed when I was 11 months old. In “How to be an iParent”, we take a look at some of the latest gadgets and technologies to try to keep you a step ahead of the kids. (Good luck with that.)

One of the tasks my partner Stephanie enjoyed most when Mack came off the breast was pureeing fresh vegetables for him in the fancy steamer/blender combo my mom splurged on. Regular contributor Shannon Gallagher takes a look at the benefits of homemade infant grub in “The Best Baby Food is in Your Hands”.

On the topic of regular contributors, Hudson Valley Parent’s resident iron man and Child Behavior columnist Paul Schwartz gives parents ideas on how to deal with a child’s anger feelings in “Defusing Childhood Aggression”. Thanks, Paul.

This issue features another of our popular guides, the K-12 education guide. As a supplement, Bridget Schultz, editorial associate extraordinaire, put together a homework and study guide for our readers. Go to “Homeworker Helper,” where you’ll also find advice from many of our Facebook friends. 

You can get more help with Meet the Teacher, a new book featured in “What’s New” on. We’re giving away a few copies, too. In fact, we’re giving away just about everything reviewed there this month, including a super cute peacoat courtesy of Appaman clothing. All you need to do is sign up for our weekly newsletter. I know, it’s a no-brainer. (Those already getting our email exclusive are eligible as well.)

Finally, take the stress down a notch or two this year with “5 Secrets to a Stress-Free Holiday Season”. In this month of Thanksgiving, thank you to all our loyal readers, contributors, and advertisers, from everyone at Hudson Valley Parent.