I had no idea how much I've been taking the fact that there are not one, but two IKEAs within driving distance of me for granted. Poor, poor Heather, the creative talent behind Skinny laMinx , who was so despondent over the fact that non…
You know those special areas some people have in their entryways with hooks and nooks and spots for every last mitten, bat and cleat? Well, in my house, the catch-all we have is known as the floor. Yes, I have mudroom envy. But wait! It …
Yesterday my son had a playdate with a little Chinese girl, coincidentally the same day I downloaded Chinese for Munchkins to my iPhone. The amazed look on her face when I asked them if they had seen a hóu zi or a lóng (a monkey or a dra…
Sometimes I think I'm a 12 year-old trapped in the body of a...well nevermind. But I think that's why I such a huge fan of Paul Frank. His ubiquitous monkey, Julius, is one of the staples of the teen-hip market and now it's it's availabl…
Back when my son was born, saying that you wanted a green crib meant you were literally looking for a crib that was painted green. I'm really thrilled now that more and more companies are offering eco-friendly options that are stylish to…
Ah baby smell. The intoxicating fragrance of that soft hair, the delicate sweetness of their freshly washed onesie, and the putrid, offensive nasal assault of a fully-loaded diaper. Thank heavens for the new Beginning by Maclaren line of…
Doesn't it seem like all the hip hotels cater to the barely-legal, barely-dressed, reality-stars-in-the-making crowd? Well, it's nice to see one of the super cool hotel chains doing a little sumthin', sumthin' for the grown ups now. Spec…
My relationship with Molly Ringwald spans several decades (oh God, that's scary). From the minute she stepped into detention in The Breakfast Club to the birthday cake-eating moment on the dining room table with the cutest boy ever in Si…
I'm a huge fan of Robert Subuda and Matthew Reinhart's pop up children's books. My son's copies from the Encyclopedia Prehistorica series show the wear and tear of well-read books. So why am I not surprised that I am awestruck by their b…
When I had my son I received tons of hooded towels that looked like duckies and froggies as baby gifts. They scored high marks on cuteness (and thoughtfulness ) but fell way short when it came to absorbency. Dribs oversized hooded baby b…
Of course we want to make sure that each and every mom is treated like the goddess she is on Mother's Day, but it's also important to make sure that grandmas are not overlooked. After all, they had a little something to do with each of u…
It's hard to believe I had my son a decade ago. Back then, no matter what your personal style was, you were pretty much limited to duckies, boats or flowers when it came to baby bedding. But now companies like Olli and Lime are turning o…
Traditional family trees may be great for tracing your family's history back several generations, but this handmade custom family tree print from the Cozy Blue shop on Etsy is anything but your traditional family tree. Mainly because it …
Writing for CMP I'm exposed to a ton of the most unique, clever and eco-friendly products around, but I have to admit, this may be the one that combines those three elements the best for me so far. The Baby Egg Nest by The Baby Bunch get…
My nephew was hospitalized at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia when he was around two and I am forever grateful to the amazing staff who helped cure him -- and to all of the special facilities that help children. I guess that's wh…
The concepts of freedom from slavery, plagues, and a 40-year exodus through the desert, may be just a tad advanced for most little kids celebrating Passover next week . But the idea of pitching in and helping others in something I hope i…
The world of custom cards and invitations has really exploded. I've written about tons of great companies on Cool Mom Picks alone, so it's really exciting when one still makes me go "Oooh!" Mango Ink cards are beautifully designed and pr…
I grew up in the heyday of Mad Magazine and Wacky Packages and clearly my son has inherited both my twisted sense of humor and appreciation for fine parody. We both did a happy dance when we saw these new kids' Wacky Pack T-shirts from 1…
Most people imagine Mother Earth being all Birkenstocky and granola eating, but me? I think Mother Earth has got it going on. And if she wore earrings, she might very well be wearing the Real Light collection from Real Jewels , a company…
One thing we know about Psychobaby , is that when they come out with something new, it's going to be everything we adore--clever, quirky and, of course, cool. Currently we're now drooling over their new Custom Shop of personalized tees f…
I still use the soft cooler that I bought 10 years ago to lug around bottles and baby food for things like fruit, yogurt and juice pouches. But there is no doubt that if I were buying one now I would look no further than the Cooler Bags …
Faster than a speeding toddler. More powerful than loaded diaper. Able to leap from playdate to playdate in a single bound. It's Perfect Mom! Yep, that was going to be me. I was going to achieve the perfect work/life balance as a working…
I'm not very good at math, so I can't tell you precisely how many different forms and figures your child can create out of 25 wooden blocks, but I'm going to say it's approximately a gazillionthousand. The ShapeMaker wooden block set by …
My son had a stuffed elephant named Tussle that went with him everywhere. In fact, he never knew it, but there were actually two Tussles in constant rotation, just in case one went missing. Tussle has long since moved to the "big happy f…
