KJ Dell’Antonia on how to be a happier parent in a pandemic. Is it even possible? | Spawned Ep 202
This much is clear about parents right now: We’re stressed. We’re tired. We’re anxious. We’re sad. We’re coping in any way we can, all while taking care of our kids’ feelings too. So the big question is, is it selfish to want to...
6 tuition-free classes that help your teens learn online this summer — without you standing over their shoulders.
Over the last few months, we’ve shared some informative posts to help the newbies among us succeed more with homeschooling — or more accurately, helping us to guide our kids through the at-home learning they’re getting from their schools. So much has...
These are the 5 fun card games for kids that our family is loving right now. Ready to change things up?
We’ve all had a lot of (ahem) together time recently, and we’re honestly starting to get a bit bored the same board games. There’s only so many rounds of Apples to Apples I can play before it’s not so funny anymore. So lately, we’ve...
Mother’s Day and grandmas: Beautifully simple ideas to help you to feel close when you’re apart
While many of us will wake up on Mother’s Day to breakfast in bed, a few handmade cards and crafts, or hopefully at minimum some well wishes and a day of semi-relaxation, we are also thinking about all the grandmas on Mother’s Day. There are so many we are...
What Liz is reading around the web this week: What’s cool, interesting, reassuring, or just makes you smile.
I don’t need to share any Coronavirus charts or “the world is sucking right now” articles, that’s for sure. Instead, here are the articles, stories, essays, and videos I’ve been bookmarking, passing along to friends, or just saving for...
10 books to help kids and teens cope with anxiety during Covid 19. Because it may be getting harder, not easier.
Anxiety had already been a concern for many of our kids before the Covid pandemic hit, and as we all know, the current situation isn’t helping. All of us are having to navigate an entirely new way of life right now, and it can be particularly hard on kids. Their...
8 creative ways to thank our teachers during a very different Teacher Appreciation Week
If there is any year we should all be making sure we send an extra thank you to our favorite teachers, it’s this one. They’re reimagining their entire spring curriculum so that kids can continue to learn from home, they’re getting up to speed on...
Cute animal face masks for kids make time outside feel more like Halloween than Quarantine
This past weekend, during a (responsibly socially distant) walk around my neighborhood, I saw a little kid wearing an adorable animal face mask just like the ones I just discovered from Cubcoats. (In fact, it may have been from Cubcoats but I wasn’t close enough...
How to explain social distancing to young kids: This free downloadable Princess in Black comic book helps
My three-year-old son still thinks the Novel Coronavirus is something he can defeat with a solid dropkick. (Oh, how I wish that were true, buddy!) But as cute as he is, his confusion about COVID-19 and quarantine best practices has created some real problems. And I...Father’s Day is Coming!
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 did.
And we still love what we do every single day.
We're so glad you're here.
Our Podcast. (It’s won awards and everything!)
Follow us on Instagram
Covid Support + Quarantine Help for Families
* Our complete Covid-19 and quarantine archives
* Expert tips for talking to your kids. Very reassuring!
* Helping teens who are struggling
* Quarantine birthday party ideas
* Fun ways to celebrate your graduate
* Board games to play over Zoom or Facetime
* Pantry-stocking tips from someone who's trained her whole life for this
* Meal planning tips during quarantine to stretch your budget and your time
* The best ways to clean and disinfect your phones and gadgets
* 10 books to help our kids + teens cope with anxiety
* Safety tips for ordering take-out and delivery
* 15 awesome podcasts to keep kids engaged
* Simple ways to connect with our own moms and grandmas when we're apart
Doing Good: We’re Supporting…
“Who else is giving up on screen time limits right now?”
“I over-ordered sour cream! What can I do with it all?’
Work with us!
