Exceptional chocolates from Black-owned chocolate companies. For Valentine’s Day and beyond!
I may have just written about 20 of the most delicious Valentine’s food gifts that go beyond a box of chocolates, but that doesn’t mean I don’t also want my own box of beautiful and delicious chocolates for Valentine’s Day. But not just any box of...
11 excellent new children’s books for Black History Month – and the rest of the year too
February may be Black History Month, which is a great opportunity to share some of our favorite new books about Black history for kids. But honestly, we are always looking for smart, educational, and enlightening children’s books about and by Black Americans for...
We’re here for this new Ida B. Wells doll from Barbie, the latest in their Inspiring Women Series
I’ve been really encouraged by Barbie’s new Inspiring Women Series, which celebrates women trailblazers throughout history. And I was especially excited to see that they’ve chosen Ida B. Wells as their next historic figure to expose to a new...
Barbie’s Inspiring Women collection of dolls make the best gifts. (And not just for girls)
I want to be cynical, because you know, Barbie, but something moves me about the new Barbie Inspiring Women set of collector’s dolls that I stumbled on last night as I browsed the Target site. To think that in my childhood, Barbie was…well, Barbie, and now...
Why it’s important for kids to read diverse books, with author Meena Harris | Spawned Ep 251
With the recent news of the York Central School District book ban (only just a few hours from where Kristen lives, by the way), we thought it was important to re-share this amazing episode with the delightful, brilliant Meena Harris. She’s an activist,...
Elected leaders need to do more than just “recognize” Juneteenth. Tell them to act on these 5 issues.
Today marks the very first Juneteenth since the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution to make Juneteenth a national holiday this week and it was quickly signed into law by President Biden on Thursday. It’s amazing! So many of us grew up never having heard of...
What was the Tulsa Race Massacre? Resources to help teach kids (and adults) of all ages
May 30, 1921, marks one of the darkest days in America’s history. And yet the Tulsa Race Massacre isn’t an event I ever learned in school — and unfortunately most kids today don’t either. The Burning of Black Wall Street can be a hard day to...
Rene Syler on speaking up and speaking out about racism and racial injustice | Spawned Ep 236
No sooner did we all feel the relief of the George Floyd verdict last week, that even more Black Americans were needlessly shot and killed by police officers. It’s upsetting, it’s infuriating, it’s terrifying. And we all need speak up and work toward...
Terrific music to diversify your kids’ playlists, after 3 children’s music nominees back out of the Grammy awards
When three of the five nominees for this year’s Children’s Grammy awards declined to accept their nomination due to a lack of diversity in the nominations, the tight-knit world of kids’ music rallied around the artists in support. Cool Mom Picks...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
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).
We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.
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