Janelle Randazza

If there was a gifted school program for destruction, our son would graduate at the top of his class. Breaking things is his superpower so, when I was approached to test the durability of the legendary Fiestaware dinnerware set, it was clear that I had a secret weapon in our seven-year-old Tasmanian devil. It’s both impressive and astonishing how quickly he can destroy “durable” objects with aplomb. When I told him I was testing plates, he was eager to help.
I was not surprised when, within f...

If you’ve been feeling like holiday shopping keeps getting earlier and earlier, you’re not alone. It has been. And this year it’s for good reason. With online shopping the preferred way to buy for many this year, and with predictions that toys will sell out early, the sooner you get your holiday shopping done the better.
Amazon recently released its annual Toys We L...

The talk: Many of us had it. Many more of us dread the inevitable time when we’ll have to give it. While we’ve all been conditioned to think of teaching kids about sex as one big “talk” to plan for (and get over and done with in one sitting) experts agree that the idea of “the talk” is outdated.
“Our focus should not be on having one discussion once kids have reached puberty. It’s about making sex and sexuality something that kids should always be learning about,” says Deborah Roffman, human sexuality educator, author, and consultant based at The Park School of Baltimore.

Advent calendars today are way more fun than the stale chocolate-filled ones we had growing up. With unboxing such a popular trend with kids, Advent calendars have become an anticipation-filled event to rival Christmas, and the 2021 selection is knocking it out of the park. Whether the kids on your gift list prefer Star Wars or sparkles, we've found Advent calendars that are sure to fit their taste and make every day leading up to Christmas surprising and fun.

I hate to cook for my family. My kid survives on a steady rotation of tacos, pizza, pasta, and quesadillas, and it’s pretty much all my fault.
While I do believe in encouraging kids to try new things, I work full time, volunteer at my son’s school, and I’m also the primary extra-curricular chauffeur and homework helper in our family. I only have so much determination to push my child outside of his culinary comfort zone when he basically looks at meals as an inconvenience that comes between scooter rides and Minecraft.
When my editor asked that we try Yumble, a Shark Tank-winning meal...

Janelle Randazza is the parenting writer at USA Today's Reviewed. She's a toy nerd and usability geek. She relishes using Reviewed's science-based approach to determine the absolute best products for kids and families.

If you only think of QVC as a pit-stop on your late night channel surfing, you're missing out. This shopping network is actually a place where innovators sell their wares and often find their earliest audience.

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If you find cinnamon rolls too fussy and sourdough too time consuming, this doesn’t mean you need to be an outcast in the home-baking trend. Try brownies! This second round of stay-at-home orders is just the time to turn yourself into a brownie-making pro.
We tapped Top Chef brownie-making champ, Montreal caterer and chef Jo Notkin of Zoe Ford Montreal, who famously won a challenge by creating what judge Janet Zuccarini dubbed the best brownie she had ever eaten.
“I do think brownies are a gr...

I don't know if my present anxiety levels are at an all-time high because I'm terrified of the possibility of catching COVID-19 or if I'm just overwhelmed by the thought of being quarantined for two weeks or more with a preternaturally curious and questioning 6-year-old (who seems to have an impossibly protracted "WHY" phase going on right now).
Since the World Heal...

There's no doubt it's been hard to drum up excitement in 2020. But Advent calendars are a great way to celebrate the anticipation of the holiday season.

Advent calendars have come a long way since the holiday-themed supermarket chocolates we had as kids. The Advent calendars of 2020 are knocking it out of the park, with pop culture-inspired toys, new twists on class...

Chess is the OG of board games. People have been playing it for nearly 1,500 years and while its popularity has remained constant for centuries, it’s certainly experiencing a surge right now with the unparalleled popularity of the Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit. If you haven’t seen the series yet, it’s only a matter of time. With over 62 million househo...

If you haven’t yet delved into the world of bitters, you may not be doing your cocktails the justice they deserve. Once all but forgotten and banished to the back of the bar, bitters are inspiring a craft movement of their own and adding a whole new level of complexity to cocktail-making.

The right choice of bitters can mean the difference between a “so-so” cocktail a...

We are living in anxiety-inducing times. In a year marked by a pandemic and social isolation, even the most laid-back of us are probably finding ourselves wanting to breathe deep into a paper bag. Throw all the added stressors of being a teenager to the mix—but take out their normal coping mechanisms like hanging out with friends and engaging in extra curricular activ...

The holidays are approaching! It’s time to get your cocktail on. And with bars experiencing their second round of shutdowns nationwide, it might be a good idea to keep the at-home cocktails coming. Enter: cocktail kits. Whether you are craving professionally crafted cocktails in the comfort and safety of your home, or you just want to impress your friends during your ...

This year’s holiday toy season is going to look unlike any other. But while there won’t be long lines at the doors or elbow jabs to snatch the hot toy of 2020, there are still toys that are expected to sell out.

We spoke with some of the toy world’s top trend forecasters for insight into the toys that made them go “wow,” as well as predictions of which ones will be fl...