Kate Etue, Author at Cool Mom Picks

5 smart and easy tips for your first backyard campout with the kids.

We’ve still got a lot of summer left for camping out with the kids! If you love the idea, but you’re not sure you’re ready to head out into the wilderness with the family just yet, a backyard campout is a great place to start. If it goes wrong...

We tried making Amazon returns at Kohl’s (yes, Kohl’s) and here’s how it works.

by Kate Etue | Helpful Services, Tips + Tricks

Returning items purchased from Amazon has never been all that hard, so when I heard you can now make Amazon returns at Kohl’s I was kind of thinking, Why? But then I realized, getting to the post office or repackaging a return if you don’t have supplies on...

What to say to a grieving parent, and what to never say: Tips from moms who have been there.

by Kate Etue | Doing Good, Tips + Tricks

Did you know July is National Bereaved Parents Month? Truly, it’s an awful kind of a thing to have to recognize, but I’m so glad for it. For parents who have gone through this horrible tragedy, a dedicated time that more people can recognize their pain and...

The best 2019-20 school year planners for every type of parent | Back to School Guide 2019

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, School Gear, Storage + Organization

If you’re going to plan for back to school, it makes sense to look for the best 2019-20 school year planner to help you…plan. So next up in our 2019 Back to School Shopping Guide, we’ve put together our favorites, no matter what kind of planning you...

11 favorite school supply organization hacks and tips | Back to School Guide 2019

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, School Gear, Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

While we’re talking fun school supplies, we have to discuss a few smart school supply organization hacks, tips and tricks Because while we love sharing the coolest backpacks of 2019 and other gear throughout our Back to School Shopping Guide, what do we do with...

Our favorite space themed toys and kids’ gifts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids, Kid Fashion, Toys + Playthings

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing on July 20th, and our kids are so excited about it. Considering it’s an event that happened way before they were born, I love their enthusiasm. In fact, my son just checked out a bunch of moon...

These 8 cool new kids’ activity books are screen-free boredom busters for every interest

by Kate Etue | Kids

We’re already hearing, “I’m bored,” from the kids this summer, which is where we turn to all the cool kids’ activity books available. Having a stash around our house for them to choose from is one trick that’s helped around our...

Kindness Crate combines crafting and compassion for kids

by Kate Etue | DIY, Doing Good

This summer, I’m looking for fun new ways to engage my kids’ creativity, despite their best efforts to convince me that more Overwatch is the answer. So when I heard Kindness Crate subscription service, my interest was piqued from the name alone. Every other month,...

7 crazy lawn sprinklers that will get your kids outside all summer long.

by Kate Etue | Party Ideas, Toys + Playthings

We have found some of the OMG, craziest, fun lawn sprinklers for kids this summer, because come on, don’t you need more silly, crazy fun in your life? We know we do. With one initial investment (ranging from small to oof in the options we’ve found), your...

What is Juneteenth? 4 great children’s books that explain this important holiday.

by Kate Etue | Books for Kids

If you want to learn more about Juneteenth, or just want to be sure its history and relevance has a place on your bookshelves, we have found some terrific children’s books about Juneteenth to help. After all, I know a lot of us (embarrassingly) still don’t...

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).