It's been just over a week since the earth shook just off the coast of Japan, and the devastation and loss has rocked us all. However I've been heartened to see how families and companies are so quickly finding ways to help raise money f…
Lovely, Love My Family by the Roots is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head in a good way. My girls discovered it after watching it on Yo, Gabba Gabba! oh, maybe 6,000 times and it's been a favorite around here ever since. So …
We were first introduced to the Children's Heart Foundation when we donated the proceeds from last year's color-your-own Valentine's Day card contest to their worthy efforts. So this year, we figured it was timely to remember their fanta…
Oh the red, plastic upside down flower-pot-ish hats, and the throbbing techno beat -- Man did I love Devo back in the day. Frontman Mark Mothersbaugh has always been a visionary and an artist (maybe your kids know him from Yo Gabba Gabba…
See that gorgeous iPhone case over there? It's printed from original art and signed by the artist. Impressed yet? You will be. The artist's name is Anwar, and he's from Kuwait. He's also a child cancer patient. All of the lovely goods fr…
No matter how you choose to spend Martin Luther King Jr Day--either at a local event commemorating his contributions to society, by participating in a volunteer event on this Day of Service , or simply using it as an opportunity to start…
As you probably know by now, there's a bill in Congress to ensure that toys and clothing are free of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Which is good. Unfortunately, while the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act is well-meaning, th…
As we come to the end of an amazing year at Cool Mom Picks, we all have so much to be thankful for--our families, our friends, the fact that we get to do what we love. And of course, the support of the coolest readers on the planet witho…
Just around this time last year, my husband was returning home from his deployment in Afghanistan and he mentioned how he and his fellow troops really did appreciate the goodies and treats folks sent their way. With that in mind, I could…
Before I was a Mom, what seems like a lifetime ago (oh, a whole four years back), I worked for the Audubon Society . It was thrilling to be involved in a community that was so passionate about conservation and protecting the wildlife we …
We've been thrilled to have the American Cancer Society as a long-time sponsor on Cool Mom Picks; it's always nice when the people who support us are the ones we want to support right back. And now their MoreBirthdays.com website has tak…
This post and the first ever Small Business Saturday , November 27, is sponsored by American Express. You can "like" the Small Business Saturday Facebook Page to help generate a $1 donation to Girls Inc., and help spread the word about s…
We have a lot of art on our walls these days. Most are originals. In watercolors. With titles like, "Barney with a glass of orange juice." Of course art by professionals is more than welcome, too, and so my husband and I are always on th…
I've never doubted the power of music to unite people--though it does bring to mind those big events like Woodstock or Live Aid. But it's the effort of one dad and some very cool bands with loads of heart that now deserve to get people b…
When an enormous fire roared across San Bruno, California, on September 9, it destroyed homes and uprooted hundreds of people. Scary--unbelievably scary. But it couldn't have been more terrifying for anyone than the children and families…
Check your tricycles, high chairs, play mats , and more, mamas - Fisher-Price has just this morning issued a recall of nearly 10 million toys and baby gear for all sorts of safety issues. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commissi…
My kids are already super kind, generous little people, but that doesn't mean a little more conscious kindness isn't in order. That's where the folks at Boom Boom! come in. Their line of pay-it-forward cards (which we've already fallen i…
When I was a kid, we carried our Halloween treats in pillow cases because we were greedy little goblins who didn't mind having candy-corn stuck in our hair later on. But again, my kids get to have all the fun with none of the hideous pol…
I have struggled with how to explain September 11th to my children ever since they were old enough to understand that something big and terrible happened that day nine years ago. I still struggle, but now that this has also become a Nati…
Happy Labor Day, mamas! On this day, we really wanted to give a big hooray to the hardest laboring folks of all: Moms. (No pun intended.) Of course Labor Day really is about, well, labor. Or unions, to be more specific. And while there's…
It's official: Today, President Obama officially proclaimed August 26 Women's Equality Day , 90 years after we were given the right to vote. While we've currently got three women on the Supreme Court, 17 in the Senate, and a whole bunch …
It's hard not to want to incorporate EcoJot products into your back to school shopping, which is why they nearly always end up in our back to school shopping guides . Their notebooks are 100% recycled , the designs are adorable, and they…
Thanks to a certain animated show, my daughter now ties her stuffed animals to chairs and then attempts to save them using only teamwork and a pom-pom hat. It's not my cup of tea, but I do like the idea of encouraging kids to help animal…
I was a teen when Live Aid rocked the world, and saw how powerful musicians can be when they come together for a cause. Now, many years later, another group of musicians has come together, this time on a fabulous children's CD to benefit…