Kate Etue, Author at Cool Mom Picks

9 creative, healing, self-care gift ideas that go beyond bath salts and chocolates

by Kate Etue | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Holiday Picks

Kristen and Liz have talked a lot about self-care and how important it is for parents on their Spawned parenting podcast. I know it’s a big issue for me, and for lots of us. Parenting culture seems to push and push us to do more and more, until...

Make a gratitude garland: a simple craft to help our kids be more thankful (and thoughtful) this holiday season

by Kate Etue | DIY

Being thankful and expressing gratitude always shifts our own mindset in a positive direction, especially over the holidays, so my family came up with a new tradition we’re excited about: a gratitude garland! I was inspired by my neighbor’s beautiful paper...

A special needs mom shares 4 great toys for kids with cognitive disabilities.

by Kate Etue | Toys + Playthings

With the holidays coming up, grandparents and friends are naturally asking for ideas for gifts for the kids, but when you are shopping for toys for kids with cognitive disabilities, it can make the gifting a little more challenging. For my daughter, play time is also...

17 wonderful (and affordable!) personalized holiday gifts you can still get in time for Christmas.

by Kate Etue | Holiday Picks

Personalized gifts have always been some of our favorites, but finding affordable personalized holiday gifts — well, we really love a challenge. So we’ve found more than a dozen for you all, to help you select something extra-thoughtful for anyone on your...

Nike nurses’ shoes honor everyday heroes working in medicine and healthcare.

by Kate Etue | Doing Good, Fashion

Sometimes the best way to appreciate the work someone does is simply to recognize it. Which is why all of us were so thrilled to come across the new Nike Zoom Pulse. People are calling them “Nike nurses’ shoes,” because it’s their first shoe...

This monthly earring club for kids will also come to your house and pierce their ears. Whoa.

by Kate Etue | Kid Fashion

I am so excited about the concept behind Rowan, an ear-piercing service and monthly earring club subscription for kids. Because it’s not just really fun, but truly useful. I’m a huge fan of subscription boxes in general to help build my kids’...

5 fun Frozen 2 crafts for kids, because we get it. They’re obsessed. Again.

by Kate Etue | DIY

Who’s got Frozen fever? We’ve only been hearing about Frozen 2, oh, since last year sometime. And I know that’s not just my own kids. With a November 22 launch date — and who knows whether you can even get tickets for opening weekend at this...

This magical Harry Potter Advent calendar is so cool! Grab one now or good luck finding one.

by Kate Etue | Holiday Picks

We love finding cool, creative advent calendars each year, and this year we’re geeking out over the new Infinity Harry Potter Advent Calendar Liz found over at Merchoid. Potterheads, don’t let this one disappear (through the forces of muggles, not magic)...

Reader Q+A: What is a thoughtful gift for a friend who’s had a miscarriage?

by Kate Etue | Tips + Tricks

Recently, we received a question on Facebook that hit me in the gut: Q: What is a really thoughtful gift to give someone who’s suffered a miscarriage? This is so tough. And since October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, it’s a topic I...

8 cute pumpkin decorating ideas for kids that are not scary at all

by Kate Etue | DIY

It’s time to decorate those pumpkins, parents! And it’s always fun to look around for some of the cute, creative pumpkin decorating ideas. Especially for those of us with little kids who aren’t quite into the super creepy pumpkin vomiting guts thing...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

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).