back to school Archives | Cool Mom Picks

The Covid pandemic is screwing working moms. Big time. | Spawned Ep 213

After reading (and raging over) the Five Thirty Eight article, How the Pandemic Could Force a Generation of Mothers Out of the Workforce, we knew we had to have a candid discussion about it with Katherine Goldstein, the award-winning journalist, working mom expert,...

Here’s one way to stress less, especially with back to school

by Cool Mom Staff | Tech CMP-Style

Considering our own stress levels are pretty much through the roof right now, we know we’re probably not alone. Trying to juggle all the challenges we’re facing is no easy task, but even some of the smaller things, like just heading out the door, has...

Making the most of your time when time has no meaning | Spawned Ep 212

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast, Tips + Tricks

These days, it’s like we blink and it’s dinner time and we think, “what the heck happened to this day?” As we looked around our feeds to see what else parents are discussing — you know, beyond school, school and school — turns out...

Should you send your kids back to school? Find guidance from these 14 considerations parents are talking about | Spawned ep 211

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast

This week on the Spawned Parenting podcast we knew there was only one topic we could possibly cover: Sending our kids back to school. It seems to be all any parent is talking about, online, offline, in community groups, and over Zoom cocktails. To cut to the chic:...

This brilliant mask self-portrait art project is one every teacher needs to assign before school starts.

by Kate Etue | DIY

This back to school season will be different from any we’ve seen, because no one knows what the heck fall will look like regarding COVID. Let alone next week. What we do know however, is that kids will be (and should be!) wearing masks in public, whether...

Should you think about homeschooling this fall due to COVID-19? Spawned Episode 209

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast

Over the last couple of weeks, many schools have been releasing their plans for fall, and not surprisingly, it’s all the parents in our social media feed are talking about. We recently featured a post about things to consider if you’re thinking about...

Free printables for kindergarten: Sight word help, 12 ways | Back to School Guide

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, DIY

Finding all of these free sight word printables for kindergarten instantly brings me back to those sweet early days of school, sniff. Now that I have a middle schoolers and a brand new high schooler (OMG) I remember how scary it could be to send your kid off to...

The new bag collection from JuJuBe x Harry Potter is magical

by Kate Etue | Baby, Fashion, Kid Fashion, School Gear

If you’d rather be heading back to Hogwarts than your actual school this fall, then you’ll want to see these magical new bags, totes diaper bags, and accessories from JuJuBe + Harry Potter. We’re excited to be one of the first to give you a look at...

7 time-saving hacks that are back-to-school lifesavers for parents | Back to School Guide 2019

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, DIY, School Gear, Tips + Tricks

You know, our 2019 Back to School Guide may feature the coolest new gear, but it’s also got lots of helpful tips for you, parents! Like the best school year planners to keep you organized. And today, time-saving hacks that we all could use. After all, back to...

Back-to-school trend alert! 5 tie-dye sneakers we love for kids.

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, Kid Fashion

I feel like I’ve seen a lot of the same-old sneaker trends recently — florals and metallics are back. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. But this year, when we all started to see lots of tie-dye sneakers for our older kids, we got kind of...

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).