7 outstanding high school or college graduate gift books: On stepping into the arena, dreaming with eyes wide open, and professional troublemaking (in the best possible way)
When my daughter graduated from high school five years ago, the headmaster gifted each graduating senior a book with a personal message inside. Her class received Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. The following year, my niece’s...
5 messages about your relationship that high school graduates need to know, before they leave home
With my almost 17-year old graduating from high school this summer (WHAT?), I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the things she needs to know before she leaves. Suddenly, I’ve got an urgency to make sure she remembers how to boil an egg or hang...
Taking the stress out of the college application process | Spawned Ep 237
It’s kind of crazy to think we started this site writing about cool swaddles and baby carriers, and now we’re thinking about…college applications. (Insert sobbing emoji x 100000.) And yes, it’s stressful. So we turned to one of the most...
Rene Syler on speaking up and speaking out about racism and racial injustice | Spawned Ep 236
No sooner did we all feel the relief of the George Floyd verdict last week, that even more Black Americans were needlessly shot and killed by police officers. It’s upsetting, it’s infuriating, it’s terrifying. And we all need speak up and work toward...
3 cool ways to turn memories into art for Mother’s Day
As moms ourselves, we can say that photos gifts for Mother’s Day are one of our favorite gift ideas, especially these days when so many of the pics of our kids (and with our kids) are sitting on our phones or hard drives. That’s why we’re so excited...
Empowering tweens and teens with books, with author Helena Dahlgren | Spawned Episode 235
By now, you know that we’re pretty big book fans here at Cool Mom Picks, so we always jump at the chance to talk about them, and to their authors. This time, we’re so thrilled to chat with an author of books for older kids like ours, and ones that have...
Why parents need a laugh right now (and a little something to help with that).
So, how about 2021, parents? It’s been a pretty rough year (which we know, understatement of the century), and well, let’s just say, we could use a laugh. We could also use a few other things too (cough hugging friends cough), but for now, a good hearty...
Can you really be a feminist dad? Jordan Shapiro on fatherhood, masculinity, and gender roles in parenting. | Spawned 232
While we love all of our Spawned guests, there are some interviews that truly reshape our views on parenting. That’s just how we feel about this chat with global education expert Jordan Shapiro. He changed our views on kids and technology thanks to his...
“Just embrace the Janet Jackson rule” and other tips for supporting women in the workplace.| Spawned Episode 231
What is the “Janet Jackson rule” exactly? Let’s just say it could really help you succeed in your career (and has nothing to do with wardrobe malfunctions that were entirely the fault of a guy but that’s another story). If you’re a...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.
Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)
We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).
We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.
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