apps Archives | Cool Mom Picks

8 reasons why every family should have a virtual pet

It’s pretty amazing what you can do virtually these days, which has definitely made these last few months much easier for families. From online classrooms to card games, to lots of other fun things in between, there are no shortage of cool ways for kids to...

5 creative ways we’ve been using Houseparty to stay connected to our own friends and family during quarantine

by Cool Mom Staff | Tech CMP-Style

With about six weeks into this COVID-19 quarantine, we’re all desperately longing for the connection of faraway friends and family. And while texting, phone calls, even writing letters (yes, remember those?) are a great salve to what we’re all feeling,...

Yippee is the safe, ad-free streaming service you don’t have to watch over your kids’ shoulders | Sponsored Message

by Cool Mom Staff | Entertainment + Media, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Yippee Let’s be honest, we’re all spending a lot more time in front of screens these days, and that goes for our kids too. Which is fine. We just all want to make sure they’re safe when they’re scrolling the web...

7 gym alternatives to help keep you sane and fit during the quarantine.

by Caroline Siegrist | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing

My local YMCA is shut down for the foreseeable future, which means I’ve been on the hunt for handy gym alternatives I can try at home. While a simple walk (or run) outside works perfectly fine, if you’re missing the extra zing you got at your gym or...

How the new HomeHawk by Panasonic makes home monitoring simpler, easier, and way less expensive | Sponsored message

by Cool Mom Staff | Living, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Panasonic HomeHawk If you don’t yet have a smart home monitoring system, it can seem overwhelming to get started. Systems can be expensive, and complicated, with professional home-wiring to schedule, and installation to figure...

Reading Eggs has helped millions of kids worldwide learn to read. Try it for 4 weeks free. | Sponsored message

by Cool Mom Staff | Kids, Tech CMP-Style

This is a sponsored message from Reading Eggs If there’s one desire all parents have in common, we want to make sure our kids are doing well in school, learning the skills they need for success, and working to the best of their ability. And there’s...

How to get teens into therapy? This online platform puts it right on their phones.

by Kristen Chase | Helpful Services

As someone who was trained as a creative arts therapist, and has been in therapy myself for many years, I fully understand the value of counseling. Particularly during those extremely difficult teen years. I also know how challenging it can be to get a teen into...

These expert tips could help save you money on your next vacation | Spawned Ep 163

by Cool Mom Staff | Family Travel, Podcast

With summer travel season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to hit the road, or, if you’re working ahead, get your holiday travel all planned and booked. There are definitely tricks that can help you save money, from booking your flights on specific...

15 great kinds of videos to watch with your kids besides toy unboxing

by Cool Mom Staff | Entertainment + Media, Tech CMP-Style

Video is the new TV for this generation of kids, if you hadn’t quite noticed. (Ha.) When we say to our kids, “let’s watch a show!’ their inclination is to turn their favorite video app or video platform on their little screens, and click play....

7 really smart decluttering habits to start now, so you don’t have to KonMari your house later

by Kate Etue | Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

After reading Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I immediately started purging my closets and folding my clothes differently. I’ve also binged on her new Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and am currently in the process of piling...

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, 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).