Liz Gumbinner, Author at Cool Mom Picks

18 meaningful Mother’s Day gift ideas for the far-away mom or grandma you really miss.

While I think any and all Mother’s Day gifts are meaningful, this year is different. If you normally see your mom on Mother’s Day, like I do, this year is going to be extra hard if we’re not able to have those huts, that time together, those...

The perfect pandemic era Mother’s Day cards, from hilarious to oof…my heart.

by Liz Gumbinner | Mother's Day Gifts

Leave it to Em & Friends, the site formerly known as Emily McDowell and Friends, to create the perfect pandemic-era Mother’s Day cards. From funny to encouraging, insightful to empathetic, they’re got to be one here that suits someone you know. As soon...

Here’s a fantastic deal on a Trade Coffee subscription gift. Just in time for Mother’s Day!

by Liz Gumbinner | Food + Recipes, Kitchen + Dining, Mother's Day Gifts

For years, we’ve been recommending cool subscription gifts that make great gifts, and that includes Trade Coffee. So we’re happy to partner with them on a fantastic deal — right in time for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. too. Right now,...

Judith Warner on “that article” about adolescents getting through the pandemic | Spawned Ep 234

by Liz Gumbinner | Books for Adults, Podcast

Last week, my entire social network (online and off) buzzed loudly about author Judith Warner’s New York Times article about adolescents and the pandemic, Stop Calling It a Lost Year. Parents had very strong opinions! Especially those who didn’t actually...

5 free online courses that look fun to take with your mom for Mother’s Day

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media, Mother's Day Gifts

So far, we’ve loved what’s happening with The We Time Project that we introduced last month: In order to help you connect more with far away friends and family around shared experiences, we’ve been offering our readers 30 days worth of unlimited...

10 super cute summer backpacks that help you say buh-bye to a long winter

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion

Oh hi, it’s me, your handbag-obsessed friend in NYC, now looking for cute backpacks for summer. As I virtually window shop my way across the internet I’m seeing lots of cute, colorful backpacks that are on trend for 2021 and my “add to cart”...

11 fantastic gifts for stepmothers on Mother’s Day. Because we love them too. | Mother’s Day Gift Guide

by Liz Gumbinner | Mother's Day Gifts

We certainly couldn’t forget to include cool gifts for stepmothers in our Mother’s Day Gift Guide this year. After all, for a lot of us, Mother’s Day is a chance to give thanks to all the nurturing women in our lives who have helped make us who we...

How to raise addiction-resistant children: Jessica Lahey | Spawned Ep 233

by Liz Gumbinner | Books for Adults, Podcast

For years, Jessica Lahey has been one of our favorite parenting columnists and authors. So we were honored she joined us to offer her wise advice on talking with our kids about drug use, abuse, and addiction, all of which you can find in her essential new book, The...

Oversized handbags for spring and summer: Go big or go home! (Or, “go big and also stay home” works too.)

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion

Oversized handbags are trending and well, hallelujah, the world has finally caught up with New York City! See, we don’t have cars (or trunks or gloves compartments) in which to stash our daily lives, so we just carry our entire lives with with us at all times in...

80+ creative Easter egg decorating ideas: Your ultimate egg decorating resource!

by Liz Gumbinner | DIY

For more than a decade now, so many of our writers have searched the web to compile the most creative Easter egg decorating ideas, from simple to wow, from traditional to modern, from designs for toddlers to designs for teens — and everything in between. And so,...

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.