Halloweeeeeeeen!
And wow, do we have the posts for you!
Can you tell which of these crazy beauty trends are real? | Spawned ep 91
Skin purifying vaga-cials? Eyebrow merkins? Scalp Botox? Nose hair extensions? Ready to laugh, friends? This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we combed the internet for the wackiest, wildest, most bizarre beauty trends -- and then we made a few up too. Take a...
Getting kids to do homework without even having to ask. | Spawned ep 90
Wouldn't we all love our kids to be those self-starters who sit down dutifully each day after school to tackle homework, proofread, make corrections, and hey, maybe do some extra-credit -- all without being asked? Well, yeah. But we're realists And not every kid is...
The flag is getting more respect than women right now, and we’re calling it out.
When we're feeling angry, feeling distraught, feeling completely gutted -- as we have been for the past week following the news about Harvey Weinstein and so many (too many) related stories -- it's always helpful to talk out our feelings. So Kristen and I got on the...
How to play more with your kids without going insane | Spawned ep 88
This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we’re talking about indoor play. Because as the weather is getting cooler, our kids still need to stay active and keep the fun going. Yet...there's only so much we can handle, if we're going to be honest. So we invited,...
THERE WILL BE BLOOD: The great (and hilarious) period discussion | Spawned ep 87
This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, a brutally honest, very funny, no-holds (or anatomical references) -barred discussion about girls, periods, and yep. Vaginas. Because you can't talk about periods without talking vaginas. And the more we say the word, the...
Free printable posters to empower our children with favorite quotes from strong women.
We're all such fans of the wonderful work of maker, designer and crafter Ursula Rosien of KRAFT&MINT design. So when we connected to discuss creating a series of free printable inspirational posters just for our kids, a whole lot of lightbulbs went off. With so...
Our ultimate last-minute Halloween help guide: Hundreds of fun costumes, delicious treats, free printables and crafts, pumpkin ideas and more!
We truly love Halloween, which is one of the reasons we start looking for the coolest costumes, spookiest decorations, and most delicious recipes around, oh...July. But we're all busy parents! So if, like us, you still need some last minute Halloween help for...
15 of my cold and flu season must-haves, all in one handy place. Including the most important one of all.
The kids are back in school, which means cold and flu season is upon us. (Yay.) (Not really.) You probably already know to grab some cold meds, clean out your humidifier, and stock up on tissues. But what you might not know is that our sponsor Kmart Pharmacy has...
23 of the hottest pop-culture costumes for babies this year. Look for them all!
Halloween is a great time to be a parent! You probably remember picking your baby's first costume or maybe you're picking that costume right now. If you're the parent that thinks outside the box you have to check out these 2017 pop-culture baby costumes. Yes, some...
Moms of big families share 7 brilliant, time-saving laundry hacks.
Over the years, we've figured out plenty of tricks to make the whole laundry process a lot easier. Because oof, who wants to spend more time than we have to doing laundry? It presents a particular challenge for those of us with bigger families; Kristen has six...
From tattooed bikers to superheroes, these photo-real Halloween costume tees for kids are genius!
This Halloween, sure. You might want to put together the spookiest decorations, the coolest jack-o-lanterns, and the most creative costumes for your kids...but sometimes, that's just not realistic. No shame in that, we get it! And that's where these clever...
Can you tell which of these crazy beauty trends are real? | Spawned ep 91
Skin purifying vaga-cials? Eyebrow merkins? Scalp Botox? Nose hair extensions? Ready to laugh, friends? This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we combed the internet for the wackiest, wildest, most bizarre beauty trends -- and then we made a few up too. Take a...
Free printable posters to empower our children with favorite quotes from strong women.
We're all such fans of the wonderful work of maker, designer and crafter Ursula Rosien of KRAFT&MINT design. So when we connected to discuss creating a series of free printable inspirational posters just for our kids, a whole lot of lightbulbs went off. With so...
Our ultimate last-minute Halloween help guide: Hundreds of fun costumes, delicious treats, free printables and crafts, pumpkin ideas and more!
We truly love Halloween, which is one of the reasons we start looking for the coolest costumes, spookiest decorations, and most delicious recipes around, oh...July. But we're all busy parents! So if, like us, you still need some last minute Halloween help for...
Can you tell which of these crazy beauty trends are real? | Spawned ep 91
Skin purifying vaga-cials? Eyebrow merkins? Scalp Botox? Nose hair extensions? Ready to laugh, friends? This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we combed the internet for the wackiest, wildest, most bizarre beauty trends -- and then we made a few up too. Take a...
The Halloween socks your kids will beg to wear all year.
While we love putting together Halloween costumes for babies, no want wants a fussy baby stuck in an uncomfortable costume that looked cute on Pinterest. We're all for Halloween costumes and accessories that babies can wear again. So when we spotted those cute PALS...
8 awesome ways to decorate a teal pumpkin for Halloween.
The teal-colored pumpkins on stoops throughout your neighborhood are more than just pretty — they have a special meaning. Thanks to the Teal Pumpkin Project, a blue jack-o-lantern signals that a house offers non-edible treats that accommodate trick-or-treaters with...
See Target’s new line of adaptive clothing for kids with special needs. It’s beautiful.
When Target released new clothing styles made just for kids with sensory issues, we all burst out with a collective "woo-hoo," because this is so meaningful to so many kids and parents. And we're "woo-hoo"ing again now, because today is the day that, as promised,...
10 outrageously creepy Halloween pumpkins for when your kids are out of the nightmare stage
When you have young kids, you tend to find inspiration in cute Sharpie Pumpkins or maybe painted pumpkins -- perhaps with a little pastel paint and some glitter glue? But when your kids get older, it's all about having the creepiest pumpkins -- the more guts, the more...
Web coolness: One dad’s incredible Halloween costumes, candy-booze pairings, and the coolest new superhero.
Here are the coolest things we've been seeing around the web this week. Hope you like them too. We're blown away by these incredible homemade Halloween costumes by Brooklyn dad and illustrator Tad Hills. TimeOut NY put together a great photo series of Brooklyn kids...
In defense of parents: A response to the child-free haters of the world.
If you ask me, anonymous avatars on the internet don't need more license to shame parents and our children. But alas, a recent Lifehacker article by Patrick Allan explicitly asked non-parents to name their grievances against those people who deigned to bear kids. So...
Getting kids to do homework without even having to ask. | Spawned ep 90
Wouldn't we all love our kids to be those self-starters who sit down dutifully each day after school to tackle homework, proofread, make corrections, and hey, maybe do some extra-credit -- all without being asked? Well, yeah. But we're realists And not every kid is...
Beyond Wonder Woman: 14 empowering girl Halloween costumes inspired by real life heroes
I'm really excited to share these 13 empowering girl Halloween costumes based on some of our favorite real-life heroes. Not that there's anything wrong with comic superheros and imaginary self-rescuing princesses, but there's something special about honoring a real...
From Lisa Frank to Mother of Dragons: 13 cool, easy last-minute Halloween costumes for moms
I've spent most of this month trying to tame my kids' all-out obsession about their Halloween costumes. They've swung the gamut from obscure Harry Potter characters to obscure Studio Ghibli characters to morph suits. I can't keep up, much less take the time to think...
Beyond Waldo: 6 gorgeously artful look-and-find books for kids
I'm lucky to have a job that allows me to the opportunity to preview countless kids' books each year. But admittedly, it often feels like a neverending stream of the same-old. However recently, I've noticed a trend of well-designed, beautifully executed look-and-find...
How to throw a Stranger Things themed party! 20 of the coolest ideas this side of The Upside Down.
If you're planning to throw a Stranger Things themed party for an upcoming birthday, for Halloween, or even a viewing party to celebrate the launch of the second season premiering October 27 -- counting the hours! -- we've got you covered! Check out these cool...
13 super easy, very fun, no-sew DIY Halloween costume ideas for babies and toddlers.
My six-month-old baby can't eat candy yet, but I'm not above exploiting his cuteness to satisfy my own sweet tooth when we go trick-or-treating. (Kidding. Sort of.) So I'm all for adorable, easy, no-sew Halloween costume ideas for babies that are simple enough for a...
5 Black beauty secrets I learned from my own gorgeous mother…who I thought was Diana Ross.
When I was little, I just knew my mom was one of The Supremes. Actually, she wasn’t just one of them, she actually was THE Supreme, Miss Diana Ross. I figured this out using my excellent 5-year-old powers of deduction, of course. My mom’s name is similar to Diana Ross...
How to wear 90s style today without looking like a Friends throwback.
With crushed velvet, baby doll dresses, and black nail polish trending this fall, it hit me: 90s style is back. And I'm all in. So let's turn up some Pearl Jam and scribble Mrs. Jordan Catalano on our Trapper Keeepers while we figure out how to grab those items that...
We tried the top-rated pillow on Amazon to see if it was all that. And whoa, it is.
I get a lot of email pitches here at Cool Mom Picks with all sorts of compelling subject lines, but when I saw Try the Top Rated Pillow on Amazon, this extremely tired mom couldn't help but click that one open. To be honest, I don't tend to put a lot of weight into...
12 spectacular sugar skull craft ideas for Día de los Muertos, from painted planters to papier maché.
With Día de Los Muertos coming up on November 1 and the Pixar film Coco premiering November 22 -- my kids are so excited to see it! -- I've been seeking out some fun sugar skull crafts for the family to work on together. It's such a nice way to honor this beautiful...
8 fun, spooky DIY Halloween door decorating ideas that are so easy to do.
I'm not one to go all out and decorate my entire house for Halloween, but I do love turning my front door into a showpiece and DIY Halloween door decorations are a simple way to let all those trick-or-treaters know that yep, you're home -- and yep, you're the house...
The 2017 National Book Award finalists that YA lovers will want to get their hands on now.
The 2017 National Book Awards have just been announced, in time for those crisp autumn nights cuddling up with a good book. And while you should check out all the finalists in the fiction and nonfiction categories, we're sharing the Young People's Literature...
A dedicated Boy Scout troop leader on why allowing girls into the organization won’t ruin life as we know it. | Thinking: Parent
Boy Scouts of America made a huge announcement yesterday: starting next year, girls will be able to enroll in their Cub Scouting program, and by 2019 be qualified to earn the coveted Eagle Scout rank. And of course, there is much debate, outrage, celebration, and...
Inspiration and encouragement in the most unlikely of places: Your underwear.
We've seen plenty of inspirational art and motivational mugs, but never have we even seen... panties. Well, until now, thanks to Innertruth Panties, a line of embroidered underwear with inspirational messages. On the inside. Admittedly, I giggled, but then, really,...