If there's one thing our kids' rooms have in common, it's very packed bookshelves. Here are some of our favorite books, music and DVDs to help educate, inspire, and just keep kids cool. Kristen: Thanks to The Double Daring Book for Girls…
You don't need us to tell you about the latest Elmo toy or Hannah Montana guitar, so we work hard to point you towards toys and other playthings from small companies or independent artists that you might not know about yet. After a year …
Welcome to our annual year-end roundup of our favorite picks of the year! Trying to cull down our favorites is never easy, but this year, with more than a thousand posts to go through...well, let's just say we could have picked about twe…
If you're one of our beloved newsletter subscribers, you got a first peek at our Father's Day Gift Guide yesterday. And now we're excited that all our readers get a look at the awesome gifts, gadgets and goodies that we've personally sel…
Hearts, schmearts. Not every printed proclamation of love needs to involve pink or red or lacy frilly things. Me, I'm digging the screenprinted love poster from Jennifer Ramos of Made by Girl that simply says love. What more do you need?…
You didn't forget that the class party is on Friday and you're baking cupcakes and, by the way, your kid needs 24 cards to share with her friends. Of course you didn't; you were just waiting for us to tell you where to find the best prin…
So you tried and tried to resist the Valentines Day merchandising but suddenly you're jonesing for a wee bit of heart-embellished something-or-other for the baby come the 14th. Nothing huge; no $94 satin bolero jacket. Just maybe...somet…
Because, let's face it, actual conversation heart candies are adorable but taste about 3% better than chalk, I love the idea of conversation heart cookies for Valentines Day . A half dozen yummy, almost cakey, pink frosted cookies from C…
If the big wall o' children's Valentine's cards at your local big box store fills you with dread, don't despair. You've heard of DIY, but have you heard of DIYBWALHFTWD? This acronym came to us from Three Wheels Design owner Vicki Shield…
I keep looking for cute Valentines Day cards for my daughter to give out to her beloved friends and family, but the truth is, I haven't found anything that makes you go "awwwww...." as much as the handmade Valentines Day cards she could …
Growing up, no Valentine's Day was complete without a bagful of Be Mine and Hug Me heart candies. Sure they were cute, but let's be honest: they tasted like chewable antacids. Conversation Heart Rattles from Yellow Label Kids are a much …
Besides unconditional love, the only thing that I want for Valentine's Day is something chocolate and decadent . Like, say, these heart-shaped brownies from Kitchen Witch . I've already gushed about Casey's ready-to-bake line of cookies,…
We thought we'd close out 2008 with our carefully if somewhat painfully culled down list of favorites of our favorite items to shop for in the whole world-- kids' clothes , baby clothes , and kids' shoes . If only they didn't outgrow the…
While we love the gifts and gear for the wee ones in our lives, we're always on the lookout for services and support just for the hard-working parents out there. Here are some of our favorites that we discovered this year. Liz: This year…
Oh how we swoon over the pretty things in life . We're guessing you will too with these picks of our favorite things to make the nursery, kids room, or playroom as awesome as you want it to be. Liz: Artist Lindsay Brackeen's Tea With Whi…
It's the quintessential new baby gift: A blanket, a bib, a must-have bit of gear, a fifth of Jack for the mom. (We kid! We kid!) Kristen: Baby quilts meet 2008 in the most beautiful modern way with the myQuilt from MilkLush (at top). Liz…
This was a banner year for media, including great books for parents from some of our favorite bloggers, wonderful kids' books , and more cool music for kids than a new parent would have ever known was out there, had the remote control go…
Considering all the amazing babies' and kids' toys we've discovered this year at Cool Mom Picks, narrowing down our list of favorite toys and dolls is like picking amongst our children. That said... Liz: There's no cuter doll than the on…
We're very pleased once again to present our editors' top picks for 2008. It's a tough thing we must say - with literally hundreds to choose from (and trust us, we love them all) narrowing down is no small feat. But narrow we did. Each d…
Baby clothes Kristen : Maybe it's because my husband and I are both avid guitar players, or because it's one of the most amazing shirts I've ever seen. But either way, Damestarbaby's handsewn guitar tee has won my heart. Liz : The cozy s…
Birth announcements Kristen : I have to pick Bird and Banner's completely handmade custom invites and announcements. Their personal touch is the next best thing to making all 100 announcements yourself. Liz : For totally custom, designed…
Blankets Kristen : The blanket we have from Ellabalou is a favorite of both my children. In fact, I should probably grab a second one and make my life incredibly easier. Liz: Hooray for Martha of Blankets by Martha , who makes funky lovi…
Kids books Kristen : Thanks to Taro Gomi's Scribbles book , I've gotten many an uninterrupted shower and bathroom break. That's almost priceless. Liz : Joanne Dugan's 123-NYC counting book (at top) goes all the way up to 20 for a change.…
Bags Kristen and Liz : We agree! The gorgeous handcrafted faux leather bags from Crystalyn Kae are original, stylish, practical and way more appealing than some purse with big corporate logos all over it. Jewelry Kristen : I'm definitely…