All of my kids--yes, even the girls--love to play with toy cars, but there's only so much you can do with them, right? That's why I'm in love with this new line from Manhattan Toy that lets them unleash their creativity on all things fou…
The perfect stuffed animal I want snuggling up against my kids' face at night? Soft, cuddly, machine-washable, and made of safe, organic fabric . And it'd be nice if it didn't cost a small fortune, so I wouldn't mind my kids drooling on …
Summer break starts in two weeks down here in Atlanta (yes, two weeks!), so I'm already stocking up on cool kids' games and activities to keep my kids occupied. My go-to stop on the web: mom-owned Cattiwampus, where I always find a few k…
We've been having what feels like a particularly cold and wet spring in my neck of the woods. Which means we've been spending a lot of afternoons rushing home from school in the rain and then pulling our hair coming up with fun new indoo…
Welcome to our home full of teeny kids' chairs that are good for one thing. Or two if you count tripping over them. But these cool handmade chairs from CMP-fave Paloma's Nest are good for three, or more. Just when I thought we were done …
It was inevitable that with the proliferation of monthly boxes for moms , that someone would come along with a version for dads. And we're pleased to see it has nothing to do with "reminding" dads that they are incapable of cooking or ch…
Yes we're tired, but more than that, we're so excited! After endless hours scouring the web just for you, we're ready to present our biggest, best annual Cool Mom Picks Baby Shower Gift Guide yet, chock full of more than 150 of the coole…
Let's say you've got a die-hard city loving mama to shop for, and price is basically no object. We've found the most fun little baby gifts for urban babies used to things like taxis, park benches and black in the summer. The city baby gi…
Passover is creeping up on us before we know it (quick! Buy matzoh before it's all gone from the supermarket!) and while it's not really the giftiest of holidays, I'm loving this sweet handmade toy set that can get little ones through a …
It's St. Patrick's Day and that means it's time to put green food coloring in the pancakes, the mashed potatoes, and the toilet. What, your leprechauns don't tinkle in the potty as they hunt for gold? But if you'd like a pretty, sturdy, …
While I've been known to consume a whole flock of marshmallowy Peeps in one sitting, I'm not as eager to see what happens to my kids when they're all hopped up on the sugary treats. So this Easter, I think I'll tuck a different kind of P…
If you're a LEGO fan, a fine art photography fan, a kid, or just a cool adult (which, of course you are) you're going to flip over this exhibit. Nathan Sawaya , an inspiring LEGO sculptor, has put his talents together with those of photo…
It's hard to imagine a world without little plastic bricks, especially if you have a kid who's obsessed. But what if LEGO were made of wood? The cool part is that they actually exist. And they're compatible with the original bricks too. …
My baby-having days are over, but lucky me, I've got lots of friends who are still pumping them out (ha), which gives me an excellent excuse to shower their babies with all sorts of baby gifts , like these adorable ones from CMP-fave Oot…
I had such a great time discovering so many cool new picks at the NY International Gift Fair this weekend. But what was maybe more interesting, was letting my 7 year-old daughter tag along so I could see her own favorites from the show t…
Whether you are looking for a stunning first-birthday gift for a special child in your life, or your preschooler just loves to build, this beautifully designed set of colorful blocks is one toy they'll treasure. Especially when they are …
I still remember taking my girls to a friend's house for a playdate, and realizing that my youngest daughter, then about two, could lose herself for an hour or more with the little girl's dollhouse without making a peep. I knew from then…
Growing up, I used to love spotting my name on keychains, toothbrushes, shoelaces, and whatever else happened to be hanging on those spinning racks by store cash registers. Kids today--well, my weirdly named kids, at least--don't always …
Monkeys are fun, no doubt about it. I will even go out on a limb (see what I just did?) and say that watching monkeys leap from branch to branch is one of my favorite stops at the zoo. Which is why the kid inside me--along with my actual…
It only takes about 3/4" of snow to get my kids begging to go to the sledding hill in town. They used to bang a big plastic sled up and down the hills, arguing over whose turn it is to lug the awkward thing back to the top, but this wint…
One of my favorite pastimes with my kids has always been puzzles. I love the combination of relaxing and challenging. My son usually only lasts a quarter of the way through, but my daughter patiently works until the very last piece is pl…
One of the neat things about sending the kids off to preschool is seeing all the fun developmental toys they get to play with. It's also one of the mildly guilt-inducing things. Like, uh...was I supposed to be giving them all these fun d…
I caved. After years of avoiding the store and hiding the catalog, I finally gave in and bought two American Girl Dolls for my daughters for Christmas. But in doing so, I swore that I'd support Etsy artists and crafters by buying as much…
You have to love any DIY tutorial that includes among the instructions "print out Death Star from the Internet." And I especially love it when it combines two of our favorite things--LEGO and Star Wars. I love this tutorial for a DIY Sta…