Mother's Day is one of my favorite holidays and not just because my boys spoil me silly with kisses. It hits at the best time of year when the weather turns warm, the flowers bloom and the farmer's market begins showing signs of bounty. …
Okay so who isn't at least somewhat fascinated by celebrity baby names--especially those from the rock stars we know and love. Sometimes I wonder if they have any regrets. (True Story: a friend of mine named her baby a name she wasn't co…
7Long ago, before everything had a battery, lights, and played annoying music of some kind, kids actually had to power their own toys. And as much as I have an appreciation for power toys in my arsenal of parenting tricks, I just love a …
We think that books make the most perfect gifts any time of year, and Mother's Day is no exception. So for those literary mamas in your life, here are are suggestions of a few terrific Mother's Day gifts. Bonus: There's less lead time on…
Alphabet art is everywhere, as Cool Mom Picks readers surely know. We've covered dozens of interpretations of the alphabet from all kinds of artists, but there's always room for another. Especially when it's this cool. Boo and You is a b…
Anyone who's familiar with the uber popular blog The Bloggess , by Jenny Lawson, won't be surprised in the least that her new memoir Let's Pretend this Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir ) is spit-bourbon-out-your-nose funny. You won't…
In our household, dealing with kids' flus and colds is a sticky process. I mean this literally: we are usually well-doused in prescribed medicine before any of it actually ends up inside the child. It's not necessarily that the kids don'…
I'm a bit of a journal and notepad hoarder, because as a writer, I believe you can never have too many, in too many places. Still, you don't have to be a writer to know the joys of a pretty notepad, and these ones I just found are decide…
As a mom, I am on a constant schedule of life. If I lose track of time, I am in deep deep trouble. So of course clocks are an important accessories in my house. (No, I have not yet given them all up in favor of smart phone clocks.) These…
It's hard, hugging Grandma from a thousand miles away, but here's a way to remind her how very far those heartstrings stretch. And just in time for Mother's Day -- if you hurry! With the Personalized Heart Strings Map Pillow from Felix S…
When designing a kid's bedroom, it's always important to find functional yet fun pieces to fill their space. Kids are attracted to color and texture; my son's own favorite chair was the most colorful yet ugly thing that you've have ever …
You should see my car--or actually, you shouldn't. It's filled to the brim with my daughter's preschool artwork, which gets hastily shoved onto the passenger seat during the always-harried pickup time. It's a mountain of artwork, really,…
I still remember what it was like picking out the perfect mobile for my children's nurseries. I wanted something modern and chic but that still felt whimsical and child-like. I also wanted something unique and original that every other n…
Run, don't walk, to get your hands on this sharp set of bookends. From Boneshaker to World War Z, you've finally got a place to keep your favorite books about how to survive the coming zombiepocalypse. Not into zombies? That's okay, too.…
We've been fans of Minted going way back to when we first discovered their gorgeous stationery and support of the indie designers who create them. We can't tell you the number of notes we get from readers (okay, a lot) thanking us for in…
Though I love the convenience of sending e-cards to those near and dear, there is still something special about getting an honest-to-goodness "real" card in the mailbox, especially on holidays like Mother's Day. Unfortunately, I'm never,…
I'd prefer one dozen versions of the " where do babies come from " talk with my kids before I'd sign up for even one "and this is how money works" discussions. I can cheerfully rattle off twenty-seven slang terms for body parts, but ask …
Trish Herr takes homeschooling to an entirely new level. Instead of white boards, we are talking white peaks. Her children carry backpacks with more than just pens and pencils--think emergency supplies, whistles, and trail mix. In this v…
I had never given much thought about the old canister vacuum I used for years and years: It was a fair little vacuum with a dust-belching bag that I never remembered to replace, and a "retracting cord" feature had stopped retracting year…
This year, I thought one of the more inspired picks in our Baby Shower Gift guide was the Keurig coffee maker. I figure for those moms who thrive on caffeine (or will, once they start to accept their new sleep patterns, or lack thereof),…
When a child loses the first tooth, it's one of the greatest "becoming a big kid" moments we parents get to witness. I love how special that very first one is. So when things get wiggly, it's fun to get prepared with something like a coo…
How much allowance is too much? When can kids start playing video games? Will it kill them to eat dessert first? All important parenting questions, but the first few months (and really, for the first few years) you won't care about much …
One of the things that I love best about Cool Mom Picks is its suppport of entrepreneurs, and mom entrepreneurs especially. (Also the fact that they don't call them "mompreneurs" but that's subjective.) So of course I'm excited to introd…
Bunnies seem to be the latest trend in plush toys. And not just because Easter is coming up. Every-time I'm at the store with my kids, my daughter begs for a new stuffed bunny. If only they were all as cute as this handmade one. Let me i…