I'm conspicuously absent from photos taken after the birth of each of my babies. I know a lot of you mamas knows what I'm talking about. But it wasn't even my complexion and weight that were making me camera-shy; it was my lady parts--my…
CMP fave indie handbag designer Crystalyn Kae has taken the plunge into tweed and I'm not complaining a bit. The fabric formerly known as stuffy gets a fabulous makeover with Crystalyn's innovative shapes, judicious use of hardware, and …
If there's one essential in any maternity wardrobe, I'd have to go with a wrap dress . It's generally flattering to all body shapes, regardless of which direction your belly and butt tends to spread, although if not done well, it can def…
Now at the tail end of my third pregnancy, I admit that I feel the total opposite of sexy. The gigunda belly coupled with the larger than life butt tucked into some pretty scary maternity underpants do not help the situation. But with a …
Exercise, eat right, and that baby weight will come off...eventually. That's the common wisdom anyway. But I'm impatient, so in addition to bike rides and bowls of broccoli, I went looking for a little extra help and found two interestin…
I have been standing by observing the current "big ring" craze and wishing to be someone I'm not. The fact of the matter is that I'm a dreadful klutz, and I have long eschewed wearing even a normal-sized ring with a raised stone because …
Cool Mom Picks takes no official position on the presidential candidates besides keeping our eyes out for the coolest tees of the season on both sides of the aisles. Apologies to the GOP readers amongst us, but I believe the winner goes …
I can only imagine that flying with the fam used to be a whole lot better than it is today. You could push a stroller right through that metal detector, bring all the juice from home that you desired, and once on board, the kids got to v…
We're excited to be partnering with Cookie Magazine this week to present some of our favorite picnic picks of the season. (Picknics?) Hit our site, then make sure to click over to Cookie to double your picnic pleasure, double your fun. A…
It seems like everywhere we look, there's a super cool new site popping up that hosts limited-time online sample sales of designer kids clothing. First it was Gilt Groupe , and now it's Haute Look . Essentially, Haute Look emails you abo…
While I've got way too many little pouches and cases to keep all my kid's items clean and safe, I tend to just toss my own things right into the depths of my diaper bag without even thinking twice. That's probably why I'm on my third pai…
I'm a huge proponent of BYOB -- you know, bringing your own bag. But stuffing big canvas shopping bags into my already tightly packed diaper tote unfortunately affects the frequency of me actually doing it. Sorry Earth. That's not the ca…
When there's a cause that's near and dear to my heart, I have no problems letting my child's chest be a billboard for raising awareness.The shirts from FiveHumans , like the Autism "Mind Speak" tee , helps get the word out about this dev…
In my quest to shed those last few extremely stubborn pregnancy pounds, I've pulled out the big guns and signed up for a triathlon. (Hold your applause - at least until I pull it off.) This means I'm out biking, running, and swimming jus…
I realize that it took nine months for my body to complete its baby-making journey, so I really ought to be patient and give it nine months to recover. Especially after a c-section. But patience has never been my strong suit and I want t…
By this pregnancy, number three, I'm pretty familiar with the plethora of maternity belly bands that allow we lucky pregnant women to continue wearing our regular shirts. Or, if you're me, make the bizarrely short maternity shirts actual…
I am very happy to get wind of Baggu bags , the reusable shopper that comes in colors so fabulous, it's all the evidence you need that this eco-bag thing is not a trend going away anytime soon. CMP is an rstyle affiliate The swanky nylon…
Swimsuit shopping has never been one of my favorite outings - not even in the days before I had to reconcile my hot mama ideals with my postpartum realities. The suits that look great on a hanger generally become total fashion don'ts on …
With my first two kids, I collected a pile of mediocre maternity clothes, not one of which I could wear from start to finish. Even my favorite pieces had to be retired after a couple of months - or when I hit the "sausage stuffed in casi…
Remember those clunky wooden shoes with the suede leather strap that were all the rage about 25 years ago? Yeah, I'm trying to forget about them too. They were our generation's Crocs, another trend I'm happy to avoid. I've found a much m…
Chic moms and non-moms alike are fans of the great tee shirt basics from LA's Michael Stars . That capsleeved scoop neck does such a nice job of containing my cups that runneth over, that I own one in nearly every color. (Seriously, look…
While I'm definitely a sucker for jewelry with lots of bells and whistles (okay, diamonds too), I was surprisingly taken with the simplicity of the concentric circles necklace by Lisa Leonard . The smooth sterling circles hung from a dai…
I have a thing for chunky, loud, way-too-full charm bracelets, ever since I inherited one from my super cool Great Aunt Bea. Along those lines, the baby-themed vintage-style charm bracelet from artist Crystal Rendon that we spotted at Th…
I was surprised to realize, after having written up Louise Hedley and her wonderful little girls' skirts last year, that she in fact was the designer behind one of my own favorite Spring skirts. Who knew? Not that I'd match my daughter a…