As a Cookie editor, the pressure to come bringing the coolest gift to a baby shower or kid's birthday party can be paralyzing. Do I drop a load of cash on some cute outfit that the child will wear for a second? Or on a toy more beautifully crafted than most of what I have in my own home? Fortunately, Target's in-house company makes amazing wooden toys that even my adult friends covet (and don't bankrupt me). Unfortunately, the selection online is limited, but go to the store and look for the Play Wonder brand. My favorites are the bowling set ($19.99) and any of the kitchenware and play food combos (all about $14.99). I've bought plastic versions of the bowling game, but Play Wonder's superior version has a heft and color palette that speaks not only to its quality but the brand's sensitivity to persnickety adults. My grownup friends also love the cookie baking kit, less for its look (which is still great) and more for its ability to occupy the kids just long enough to get dinner on the table.

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My mom's meals always had a bay leaf or two. Growing up, I just accepted this as a given without much thought as to why. It wasn't until I started cooking on my own as an adult that I really understood the bay leaf's incredible culinary value. Now, it's a must in almost every dish I make, from short ribs braised in beer to my mom's chicken adobo.

I find that bay leaves add a slightly bitter yet fragrant complexity to dishes that are already packed with flavor. And, wherever there's a hint of sweet in a savory dish, I often use bay leaves as a counterpoint. (When I make short ribs braised in beer, for example, the bay leaf complements the sweet carmelized onions). Try out my mom's Filipino-style chicken adobo...

Whenever and wherever I travel, I pack my jump rope so I make sure to get some good cardio in (no, sightseeing doesn't count). Jumping rope is an excellent form of exercise in any setting (as I learned from Momover columnist, Dana Wood, in her piece "Jumping for Joy"), but it's especially ideal when on the road because the rope is light and soft enough to throw in your purse and you can break a solid sweat in the privacy of your room (rather than an unfamiliar - and sometimes sketchy - hotel gym). So, do like House of Pain says (in the aptly-titled "Jump Around"): "Jump up, jump up, and get down."

Try this jump rope from buyjumpropes.

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