When my kids were young, the challenge for me wasn't trying to get them to be more creative. They had access to all my art supplies and were constantly creating all kinds of art creations. My issue was where to store and display, say, a …
The concepts of freedom from slavery, plagues, and a 40-year exodus through the desert, may be just a tad advanced for most little kids celebrating Passover next week . But the idea of pitching in and helping others in something I hope i…
The world of custom cards and invitations has really exploded. I've written about tons of great companies on Cool Mom Picks alone, so it's really exciting when one still makes me go "Oooh!" Mango Ink cards are beautifully designed and pr…
As a former buyer of books for a chain of toy stores, it's pretty much redundant for me to tell you that my children have amassed quite the library. But when you're five (or, say, twenty-nine-and-a-half years older than five), you can so…
There were many moments over the past three months that I thought it would never happen but, at long last, spring is here. (Once again: SPRING IS HERE!) My girls and I celebrated yesterday with a trip to the small farmer's market in our …
You know that whole "kill three birds with one stone" thing? Well, Zo-li , the small company offering safe, green solutions to parenting problems, has conveniently solved three of my biggest problems with one Fedex shipment. First of all…
One of the most amazing aspects of being speakers and attendees at the recent Mom 2.0 summit, a conference from the collaborative team of Kirtsy and The Tasteful Life , was the joy of attending the launch of the unbelievable Mom 2.0: Def…
I'm definitely a bit of a lip balm addict, with various tubes and containers stuffed into my coat pockets, purses, and drawers. So when I heard about the biodegradable eco-tube lip balm from Organic Essence , I had to give it a whirl. In…
I needed a little laugh this week. Just a wee chuckle. And so I clicked over to mom Kiki Parry's shop, Alternate Greetings , to see which witty bon mots have been popping up on her always pleasing handmade greeting cards. That's when I s…
March may be in like a lion but I'm counting on that whole lamb thing working out. Especially since I just got a look at the brand new spring/summer line from Ses Petites Mains , one of my absolute favorite mom-designed indie clothing la…
I love the way my kids smell after their bath; all of their products -- shampoo, soap, lotion -- have light, fresh scents. Bath lines for grownups can be cloying in comparison, but baby bath products don't work on my super dry skin. Than…
If you've been in the cool kids boutiques, on the design blogs, or heck, on our site lately, you'd know that banners are a hot new nursery trend. And the freethinking coolies at Blik agree. We've covered these hip, do-it-awesome-yourself…
I still use the soft cooler that I bought 10 years ago to lug around bottles and baby food for things like fruit, yogurt and juice pouches. But there is no doubt that if I were buying one now I would look no further than the Cooler Bags …
If Willie Wonka owned a skating rink, his disco ball would be a Candelier , and the Oompa Loompas would do synchronized skating in Gobstopper suits on a frozen chocolate lake, and... What's a Candelier? I'm glad you asked. First our favo…
With three kids and one exercise-loving husband, I do a lot of laundry. Quaint concepts like separating whites, de-tangling socks and pre-treating stains have long flown out the window in the interest of saving time and just-finishing-th…
Announcing the birth of. .. um... well...forget it. Back in 2008 I was so busy sitting on an ice pack and juggling two kids that I never sent announcements. It just seemed like either a lot of trouble or a lot of money, and I didn't dig …
I have a cow when my little deers jump on the couch, but I'd be lion if I didn't confess to fawning over the crazy creatures at WildLifePrints , a fun new shop on Etsy. (Ha sorry, couldn't resist.) Award-winning photographer Jeff Friesen…
I'm a strong, empowered woman, and I hate asking for help, but...sometimes, I need help. Like when the yogurt is pushed all the way back in the case at the store and there's a baby strapped to my chest. Or when I'm trying to wade through…
Is it strange to be excited that an online correspondence site has just introduced children's invitations? Because I am. Downright giddy, in fact. I've professed my love of Paperless Post before and now that there's a whole new set of de…
YesKidzCan! is about co-founders Lisa Novick and Julie Chapman's dream of making it easier for even busy families to participate in giving back to their communities. Which is great. So when I had the opportunity to chat with them last we…
When I hear the word wallpaper , it conjures up really bad images of this odd looking flower pattern that completely covered my bathroom wall growing up. It a nutshell - it scares me. But thanks to advances in technology and design, wall…
My son had a stuffed elephant named Tussle that went with him everywhere. In fact, he never knew it, but there were actually two Tussles in constant rotation, just in case one went missing. Tussle has long since moved to the "big happy f…
One of the stand-outs to me at this year's overwhelming Toy Fair show weren't actually toys at all, but the lovely handmade wall art from CMP fave Cate and Levi. Like their original, one-of-a-kind stuffed animals, the critters are pieced…
Biff? Yes, Buffy? Look at these darling shoes, wouldn't they be super for Skip? Okay, that's probably not a conversation that will go on in your house, but it's hard to suppress your inner prep when you see the madras uppers of the new M…