Kristen Chase, Author at Cool Mom Picks

Why it’s important for kids to read diverse books, with author Meena Harris | Spawned Ep 251

by Kristen Chase | Books for Kids, Doing Good, Podcast

With the recent news of the York Central School District book ban (only just a few hours from where Kristen lives, by the way), we thought it was important to re-share this amazing episode with the delightful, brilliant Meena Harris. She’s an activist,...

Raising resilient kids in a world gone sideways, with Dr. Madeline Levine | Spawned Episode 249

by Kristen Chase | Podcast

We’ve had a slew of amazing guests on our Spawned podcast recently, who have offered helpful advice on how to raise our kids. This week, we add another one to the list: Dr. Madeline Levine, a New York Times bestselling author, whose book Ready or Not: Preparing...

Mask mandates, the Delta variant, and back to school: Who will protect our children?

by Kristen Chase | Thinking : Parent

I thought this back to school year was going to be different than last year. I think everyone did. Last year, I took all of my kids out of school and placed them in a cyber school. A couple did well. A couple did not. But we all had the hope that with vaccines,...

A very clever back to school gift for young women and menstruators

by Kristen Chase | School Gear

My daughter came home this morning with a sweet little gift from her friend’s mom: an adorable locker kit full of essentials for young women and menstruators. So brilliant, right? I had actually thought about putting together a little bin with some snacks,...

Parents are broken. Here are 5 things a therapist says we can do right now to manage our stress.

by Kristen Chase | Tips + Tricks

Over the last 24 hours, this pandemic has caught up to me. I’d been doing pretty well, navigating cyber school with my kids last year along with work adjustments and managing my mental health through it all. But this back to school season has officially taken...

Your family’s hydration situation just got a whole lot easier.

by Kristen Chase | Kitchen + Dining

With school around the corner — which means sports and activities and all the things that keep us all very busy — the challenge of keeping our kids (and ourselves) hydrated is top of mind. Actually, if I’m being honest, it’s always at the top...

We need to talk about our alcohol use, parents: An honest review of Quit Like a Woman

by Kristen Chase | Books for Adults

This past December, I decided to stop drinking. While I’ve always had a complicated relationship with booze, I wouldn’t consider myself an alcoholic. I’ve been drunk a handful of times in my life, and for the most part, just have a couple of glasses...

How to wear a crop top in your 40s? However the heck you want!

by Kristen Chase | Fashion

After an emotional conversation with my 12-year old daughter about body image, I decided I needed to set the example of “heck yeah, you can wear anything!” by taking on my nemesis: the crop top. I shared it on Instagram, and so many people (including The...

The coolest pool floats, from yachts and butterflies, to rainbow clouds for two (for all that safe social un-distancing we’ll be doing!)

by Kristen Chase | Toys + Playthings

When I saw the FUNBOY pool floats my pool envy grew three sizes, because, a flamingo? Flaming lips? A rainbow unicorn? I need to have these in my life right now. And not just because they’re freaking cool. They actually give back in an amazing way too. These...

Connecting with your teens and tweens: A simple, free way you’ll both enjoy!

by Kristen Chase | Entertainment + Media

A couple of weeks ago, I was chatting with my friend, who also happens to be a therapist, about how hard it’s been to find ways to connect with my tweens and teens. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why, because if you’re like me, you’ve seen...

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).

We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.