THE GRAY ISSUE Fall is here and with it comes the gray days... but hopefully not the blues. With that in mind we have come up with a few style ideas--from chic shoes and dresse to awesome wall stickers and wallpaper--to dress girls & boys and their rooms. Fall also means indulging your sweet tooth, with gooey, sugary treats. Hot cocoa? Check. Warm apple cider? Check. And so we step into the kitchen to make the most delicious doughnut recipe you will ever find. In the second installment of our new column, Beauty Bar, we highlight the best beauty products for the whole family. This month we focus on the Mane Event, where we feature organic products to manage frizzy and unruly hair. Looking for a new ride? Check out The Drive and our review of the Acura MDX, a crossover SUV that fuses comfort with fun. Finally, in Getaway we review five cruise ships that promise to keep the whole family entertained. LIKE US, FOLLOW US & WIN Don't forget to sign up for our email newsletter, delivered directly to your Inbox. And to win great prizes every month, Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter. Tweet

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smooth sailing

Time to test the waters with the kids? Here are five destinations and cruises that promise to keep the whole gang entertained.

MEDITERRANEAN
The Ship: Norwegian Epic, 4100 passengers - www.ncl.com
Ports of Call: Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Naples, Palma de Majorca
If dressing up and getting stuck at a table with strangers is not your idea of fun, then NCL’s Freestyle Cruising concept was designed for you, with plenty of cabin options (Family Staterooms accommodate four) and restaurants with no assigned tables or set dining times. Onboard, families can bowl, make pizza or hit the spa (“ice cream manicures” for kids) together. Meanwhile, supervised age-specific activities (treasure hunts, crafts, storytelling) give adults some well-deserved alone time. Offshore excursions, like hiking Mount Vesuvius in Naples or a bike tour of Palma in Spain, will appeal to older kids.
PS: Nickelodeon-themed events include getting “Slimed” (what kid doesn’t want to get green goo dumped on his head?), Dora dance parties and breakfast with SpongeBob.

GALAPAGOS
The Ship: National Geographic Endeavour, 96 passengers - www.expeditions.com
Ports of Call: North Seymour, Rabida, Fernandina, Isabela, Santiago, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal.
Lindblad specializes in active expeditions and in the Galapagos that means snorkeling, hiking and kayaking almost daily. Featuring outside-facing cabins only, this ship is outfitted for true exploration: Zodiacs, a glass-bottom boat, underwater cameras and video microscopes with HD screens that get everyone up close to sea turtles, pod of orcas, marine iguanas. When not learning the art of knot tying or stargazing, kids can sketch whales in their journals, learn to photograph fur seals along the cliffs or make beaded necklaces crafted from the islands’ recycled paper waste.
PS: Families will like the separate sitting areas and large windows in cabins 117 and 129. They’re the quickest to go, so book early.

BAHAMAS
The Ship: Disney Dream, 2500 passengers - disneycruise.disney.go.com
Ports of Call: Port Canaveral, Nassau, Castaway Cay
Yes, that is the sound of kids playing Marco Polo in the pool. But if you look closely, you’ll also spot smiling parents dinning and basking in the sun without their offspring. Teens are happily left to play at tech’ed up kids’ clubs outfitted with plenty of bean bags, Wii stations and computers while little ones get to dress-up and sing-along with Mickey. In Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, parents relax in adults-only beaches and kids snorkel with stingrays, play ping-pong or cool off in a floating platform.
PS: Disney is the only cruise line that welcomes kids as young as 3 months old.

MEXICO
The Ship: Safari Quest, 22 passengers - americansafaricruises.com
Ports of Call: La Paz, Isla Partida, Bahia Agua Verde, Isla Coyote, Isla San Francisco
Rope swinging off the yacht's stern? Check. Burro trail rides along a craggy Baja Peninsula peak? Check. Swimming with sea lions? Check. Children of all ages are welcome on select “Kids in Nature” sailings where expedition leaders tailor activities to their interests. Known as the aquarium of the world, the 8-day Sea of Cortez sailing gets families snorkeling with sea lions, hiking among the world’s tallest cactus and paddling alongside pods of dolphins. The comfy yacht is outfitted with creature comforts (think flat screen TVs and heated bathroom floors) and the chef prepares yummy dishes using local fish and produce.
PS: “Kids in Nature” cruises sail in Mexico March 3 and 24, 2012 with special savings for guests 12 and under.

ALASKA
The Ship: Celebrity Century, 1814 passengers - www.celebritycruises.com
Ports of Call: Vancouver, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan,
Century is one of the smallest vessels from this plush mid-priced cruise where well-heeled families take advantage of interlocking staterooms, naturalist-led lecture series and tableside cooking. Expect the usual activities at the kids’ clubs—karaoke, sports, movie nights. On land, kids get a real taste of local flavor and history with opportunities to meet Native totem carvers and learn about the life of sled dogs at a musher’s camp.
PS: Pools are off-limits to babies and kids not fully toilet trained.

{ Acura MDX }

It defeats snow, mud and crud without breaking a sweat. And it fits seven passengers. What else could you ask for from a car. How about outstanding performance and impressive handling? Acura's flagship crossover SUV, the MDX, has it all in spades.

The Elite, which the Tippy Toes family of four (plus visiting grandma) got to test drive, was fitted with all the bells and whistles: heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, Adaptive Cruise Control, Bluetooth, Blind Spot Information and Collision Mitigation Braking system. Even though the third row seats were in use, we still had plenty of cargo room for suitcases, groceries, soccer ball, tennis raquets and everything else.

Surprisingly (perhaps for a Y-chromosome), my husband thought there were way too many lights and switches in the cabin--"It looks like a space ship in here." Me? I loved pressing each and every one of them to see what they did. Navigation with voice recognition? Check. Multi-view rear camera? Check. Sun detection and humidity control? Check. I bet many marriages would be saved in an MDX thanks to the tri-zone AC, which gets your corner of the car at the temperature you love.

We drove the car around town for a week but really got to experience all the premium features during a road trip to Galliano Island. Never once did we hear the are-we-there-yet? chants thanks to Acura's awesome 410-watt ELS surround-sound 15GB hard-drive audio system. The 9-inch DVD entertainment screen comes with wireless headsets, a real plus when you've had just about as many Spongebob Squarepants episodes as you can handle. Premium leather seats, the aforementioned surround sound, and wood and brushed silver accents from dash to door are all very upmarket, making the MDX an experience much like flying Business Class. When you climb back into the luxe cabin after a pit stop in the middle of the night, say, the pretty ambient lighting slowly lowers, like theatre lights after the doors close. I sat there for almost a minute waiting for applause until I remembered to put the key in and turn the ignition.

The MDX moves along nicely with smooth, consistent power thanks to the 3.7-litre V6 and its 300 horses. Though we did not love it, the design is crisp, with lots of sharp curves and edges. Quiet, smooth and fun, the MDX is light on its feet and has decent fuel economy. All in all, we give it two thumbs up for comfort and performance.