Tips + Tricks Archives | Cool Mom Picks

Our kids are sharing memes about WWIII. Here’s how to talk to kids about the fear of war.

by Liz Gumbinner | Thinking : Parent, Tips + Tricks

In light of this week’s rapid increase in tension between the US, Iran, and Iraq, my social feeds are packed with parents sharing similar sentiments as Asha Dornfest did on Twitter: My children and their friends are sharing WW3 memes to cope with their fear and...

8 thoughtful tips if you’re hosting kids with special needs for the holidays

by Kate Etue | Thinking : Parent, Tips + Tricks

Nothing gets me emotional quite like the Folger’s coffee holiday commercial, with the sentimental mother-son reunion at 5:30 AM over a cup of coffee. (I’m not joking, I cry every time.) But that’s not quite most people’s reality when we travel...

Yes, real Christmas trees are better for the environment than artificial trees. Here are the facts.

by Liz Gumbinner | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Thinking : Parent, Tips + Tricks

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of well-meaning posts from people around my social networks, with comments like, “well I want to protect the environment….that’s why we’re getting a fake Christmas tree this year.” Suddenly I was like crap,...

Our own best tips, secrets, and tricks to save you money on your holiday shopping | Spawned 179

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast, Tips + Tricks

We love sharing tips for saving money when it comes to holiday shopping. Maybe because we love saving money ourselves? So this week on the Spawned Parenting Podcast with Kristen and Liz we are hooking you up, big time. We’re rerunning a favorite show that...

5 smart laundry tips for families that actually work. Because we use them ourselves.

by Cool Mom Staff | Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

No matter how many kids you have in your house, it somehow always means lots of laundry, and over the years, we’ve figured tried lots of laundry tips to help make the process a whole lot easier. Of course, it doesn’t matter what size your family is, you...

Holiday craziness and stress: Let’s sloooooow things down a little, please? | Spawned ep 174

by Cool Mom Staff | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Holiday Picks, Podcast, Tips + Tricks

If you feel like the holiday season came sooner this year — along with the holiday ads, the holiday sales, the Mariah Carey videos, and the holiday pressure, it’s not in your head. There are lots of reasons we’re feeling it more this year, and social...

4 smart, simple tips to help kids make good media choices with their screen time.

by Cool Mom Staff | Tech CMP-Style, Tips + Tricks

We write a lot about the importance of raising good digital citizens. The way we see it, the internet isn’t going away, and the older your kids get, the harder it is to start teaching them good behavior. So we start young, so that as kids get older,...

Reader Q+A: What is a thoughtful gift for a friend who’s had a miscarriage?

by Kate Etue | Tips + Tricks

Recently, we received a question on Facebook that hit me in the gut: Q: What is a really thoughtful gift to give someone who’s suffered a miscarriage? This is so tough. And since October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, it’s a topic I...

Can we please stop freaking out about kids and social media? : How to raise responsible digital kids | Spawned Ep 170

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast, Tech CMP-Style, Tips + Tricks

After seeing so many discussions in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook community filled with parents who seem panicked — or at least very concerned — about kids and texting and social media, we thought it would be helpful to devote this week’s episode...

Decluttering solutions: Hang these 8 things to free up floor space!

by Liz Gumbinner | Living, Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

As a small-space apartment dweller, I’m always thinking about ways to declutter. Not that I always achieve it, but I try! A lot of the trick, as I’ve learned, is about getting stuff off the floor that we just assume goes…on the floor. So we all know...

15 things to pack for your next trip to Disney World that make the difference between enjoyment and survival.

by Kate Etue | Family Travel, Tips + Tricks

My family recently returned from our fourth trip to Disney World (thanks to a very generous grandmother), and I’ve finally figured out those BTDT pro-tips for a successful Disney vacation. For me, it starts with packing the right items. And, knowing what to...

Adoptive parents: These are the forms you need to ensure your adopted child’s US immigration status is safe.

by Kate Etue | Tips + Tricks

As an adoptive parent, the recent ICE raids have left me more than a little uneasy. Across almost all the adoption boards I’m on, in any social media channel, I’m seeing parents ask what documents they need to ensure their child’s adoption status is...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.

Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)

We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).