At least the inanimate people around here are getting some sleep at night now

by Cool Mom Team | Baby

At two, my youngest daughter is already into dolls in a way that her big sister never was. She pushes them in strollers, shares her dessert with them, and gives them rides on the bulldog–much to the bulldog’s dismay. She tucks her dolls into bed with her...

A paint-your-own kit with an adorable twist

by Cool Mom Team | DIY

With two craft-loving girls, I have enough kids’ art supplies in my home to start a small store. That said, I have never seen anything like the adorable set of paint-your-own nesting dolls from Kookle and know my kids would go ga-ga over this kit. Like...

Even ye olde fashioned dolls are going organic

by Mir | Kids

Someone gave my son an old-fashioned yo-yo. (As soon as I figure out who it was, I’m going to hurt them. Or at least ask them to spackle the new dents in my walls.) But a yo-yo doll has nothing to do with yo-yos — it’s actually a classic...

The Mother of all Easter Mothers

by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings

The last thing we ever thought we’d be featuring on these pages is a a Virgin Mary softie, or an eco-friendly one at that, created by hand from eco-fi felt made completely from recycled water bottles. But the way we see it, some pewter statue of dubious origin...

Schlemiel! Schlemazel!

by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings

The picture that comes to mind when I hear “doll” and “completely recycled materials” together in one sentence has never quite looked like the spectacular looking Binky Buddies recycled dolls from Hasenpfeffer Incorporated. Using a variety of...

Yo! Crochet, Crochet

by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings

The Yo! Gabba Gabba infatuation has reached a fevered pitch in my household, as my 19 month-old can now say “DJ Lance Rock” better than she can say Grandma. Which is no slight to Grandma. In fact, Grandma was cool enough to devote the better part of the...

Rosy cheeks and everything

by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings

I wrestle with the idea of what to get my two-month old daughter for Christmas, because well, she’s two-months and what the heck does she care about what’s sitting under the tree for her, right? But then I have to wonder if it’ll come back to bite me...

Step into my Laborastory! (Cue evil laugh)

by Mir | Uncategorized

My kids are always playing “laboratory,” where they collaborate on a grand experiment–real or imagined–resulting in one or both of them shrieking, “It’s aliiiiiiiive!” Never let it be said that we lack imagination around...

Deglingos: French for Toss the Teddy Bear

by Cool Mom Team | Toys + Playthings

I often find myself gravitating towards European stuffed animals. There’s something quirky and inventive about many of them relative to our own teddies with their ubiquitous neck ribbons. Plus there’s that matter of the stringent EU safety standards that...