One of my preschooler's very favorite books of last year was Beastly Babies by Ellen Jackson and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. An animal lover at heart, he couldn't get enough of its playful illustrations . So when we saw that Brendan W…
You've probably heard of Lululemon , but did you know that they have a special line for girls? Yep, the company ( formerly ivivia, now under the Lululemon brand name ) offers cool activewear for girls , including a new Lululemon backpack…
Leave it to my own cool mom to provide us with a most excellent Cool Grandmom Pick as we make the most of the final sweltering weeks of summer -- Frogglez Goggles . My kids refuse to go in the pool without goggles, and these are the firs…
I am definitely a fan of no-tie sneakers. I mean, even though my 9-year old son knows how to lace up his sneakers perfectly fine, he much prefers being able to slip his shoes on in the morning right before he runs out the door. And I'm a…
With four kids who can ride their bikes to school on pavement and sidewalks, but also love to do a little off-roading as well, it's been a little challenging trying to figure out what kind of bike to get them. Until I discovered Cleary B…
We're all for making those crazy school mornings as un-crazy as possible, which is why we're big fans of having our kids pack their own lunches the night before. Yes, even our little ones! It can be done, promise. Not only does having ki…
So once you've gotten the hand sanitizer, the tissue boxes, and everything else on that classroom shopping list , it's time to have a little fun with some colorful school supplies! We always recommend getting a little goodie or two for t…
We've seen tons of amazing portrait artists we've absolutely loved (and hired) over the years, but the collaboration between photographer Anna Angenend and illustrator Amy Snyder may just be my favorite yet. These artists create custom p…
I'm like a lot of parents, in that I know my kids should be wearing sun protection for their eyes, but I'm not inclined to drop a lot on kids' sunglasses. Then I started thinking, if I'm spending $15–20 on safe kids' sunscreen that gives…
Our neighbors have a trampoline in their backyard, and I'm pretty sure it's been there for the last 30 years. It has no net. No cover for the springs. It's kind of a parent's worst nightmare, but the kids beg to get on it every day. And …
We love a good birthday party around here. In fact, we've loved sharing our ideas for Minecraft , Star Wars , Minion , Finding Dory , and even storybook birthday parties for your kids. But some of the ideas we've seen on Pinterest (or ou…
While we admit we don't always love packing lunches every morning, we do love picking out cool new lunch boxes for our kids each year in time for back to school. And so, our Cool Mom Picks 2016 Back to School Guide continues with tons of…
With all the buzz about the brand new Harry Potter and the Cursed Book and JK Rowling's recent birthday this past weekend, our kids are starting to catch Harry Potter fever all over again. And whether or not they're ready to imagine him …
With the Summer Games set to begin on August 5, we are getting ourselves ready to do some Olympic-sized television viewing as we cheer on the amazing athletes from around the world. So if you're celebrating what is sure to be a spectacul…
We're continuing our 2016 Back to School Guide with our picks for cool backpacks for teens and bigger kids this year. This is the age kids get pretty picky about what they're wearing every day, because it really is a reflection of them. …
It seems like our annual Back to School Guide gets earlier each year, because hey - we're here for you, parents! Whether you're already scrambling to get those school shopping lists covered or you've got a good month left to track down t…
The coolest thing you'll encounter in the water this summer may be my daughter, who has transformed herself from a normal 13-year-old into a full-fledged mermaid. And, whoa, if you have a child who would love to swim like one of these cr…
With lots of kids heading back to school in early August, and September really not that far behind, it's not too soon to start thinking about back to school. Especially when they're some of the most adorable backpacks and lunch boxes you…
This election cycle has been pretty brutal, leaving a lot of us wondering how to talk to our kids about politics . Well, I just got a copy of Grover Cleveland, Again! by the celebrated documentarian Ken Burns and illustrator Gerald Kelle…
Even though Finding Dory has only been out for a few weeks, she already has a ton of fans who are likely going to want her be the star of their birthday party (well, after the birthday child of course). So we've gone fishing for some of …
During the summer I usually let my kids stay up late, but we ditch the screens and play board games together instead. So, each year I keep my eye on the Spiel des Jahres award-winning board games to find the best new board games that are…
We all know that there are some pretty amazing possibilities when it comes to LEGOs, from the skills they develop to the fantastical forms they can take. But the new LEGO Disney Castle is honestly pretty jaw-dropping. Disney fans, this i…
We're so glad we're raising girls in an era where feminism is front and center, and the number of strong, visible female role models is growing across every profession at the highest levels. So I was thrilled when I saw this adorable fem…
It's probably one of my kids' least favorite things to talk about these days: Summer reading. Which is odd, because they really do love to read. They just don't like someone else telling them what they have to read -- and when to read it…