Liz Gumbinner, Author at Cool Mom Picks

25+ cool backpacks for teenagers in 2019 | Back to School Guide

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

Next up in our 2019 Back to School Shopping Guide, we’re sharing more than 2 dozen of our favorite cool backpack for teenagers in 2019. As kids head to middle school or high school, they need bigger, sturdier backpacks, better shoulder straps, laptop protection,...

27 very cool backpacks for grade school this year | Back to School Guide 2019

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

We’ve already shared our favorite backpacks for preschool and kindergarten, so next up in our 2019 Back to School Shopping Guide, we’re moving onto cool backpack for grade school! There are so many…honestly we had to stop ourselves from picking even...

#SpeaktoStrangers Challenge: 30 days to a kinder world.

by Liz Gumbinner | Random Coolness, Thinking : Parent

When I woke up this morning, I caught this thread on Twitter from Asha Rangappa and was instantly taken. Her premise: Spending just a moment engaging with a stranger in a kind way can create ripples that make the world, quite literally, a better, more enjoyable place....

10 hot wardrobe staples to grab now from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion

I feel like the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has come around at just the right time. While it may be still be sweltering out, there’s something about browsing fall’s hot trends that gets us pumped for sweater weather. (And uh, lower A/C bills.) Here...

20+ of the coolest backpacks for preschool and kindergarten this year | Back to School Guide 2019

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, School Gear

It feels like our annual Back to School Shopping Guide gets earlier every year and well, schools are sending kids back earlier every year! Yikes! We’ll be presenting all our favorite 2019 back to school gear, but since some of us need to get shopping sooner than...

This amazing DIY rocket craft is perfect for kids now obsessed with the moon landing.

by Liz Gumbinner | Art + Decor, DIY, Toys + Playthings

If your kids got as excited as ours did following all of the cool space-themed events this weekend, you can check out our roundup of our favorite space themed toys and kids’ gifts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. But if you’re...

Presenting our NEW Ultimate Birthday Gift Guide: The coolest gifts of the year for kids of all ages

by Liz Gumbinner | Baby, Gift Guides, Kids

We are so excited to announce our brand new Ultimate Birthday Gift Guide! Whoo! For years we’ve been combing the web, talking to kids and parents, and carefully curating the very coolest birthday gifts for kids each year by age. Well now it’s back, with a...

In support of our duly elected American Congresswomen

by Liz Gumbinner | Doing Good, Fashion, Kid Fashion

On a personal level, this week has been really rough for me. The news is just filled with horrific racism, bigotry, and xenophobia directed towards elected American Congresswomen of color. And too many leaders, including those who should know better, have been bending...

We’re cheering for Target’s new adaptive Halloween costume collection!

by Liz Gumbinner | Kid Fashion

Target has been pretty ahead of the mass retailer curve in terms of sensory-friendly and adaptive clothing for kids. And I’m so happy to see they’re adding new adaptive Halloween costumes this year, made for to help ensure that all kinds of kids get to...

Illustrators see the beauty and meaning of Halle Bailey as Ariel and we’re here for it.

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media

With the announcement of the inspired casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in the upcoming Little Mermaid live action reboot, certain people in certain corners of the internet lost their GD minds. I alternated between bemusement and more uh, intense feelings, about those...

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).