12 acts of kindness you can do with your kids over the holiday break, to make the season about more than presents.
On the first day after Christmas, Santa will be back at the North Pole, the toys will all be unwrapped, and you’ll have at least a week to entertain your sweet, energetic children while they are home from school. If there’s ever a time to let the kids...
The best list of last-minute holiday gift ideas that let you skip the $$$ shipping
I totally get the last-minute holiday gift problem. Believe me! I mean, we may have started amassing ideas for our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide in, like…February, but hey, we’re busy moms. And we’re busy shopping for you sometimes at the expense of our...
Creative holiday gift wrap and printable gift tags: A roundup of our favorite ideas
If you’re like me, you’re already kind of dreading the annual, late night “OMG we have to wrap every one of these gifts after the kids get in bed” conversation on the 24th. Or, if you’re like half the people in my Instagram feed,...
Last-minute holiday shipping deadlines for all the big stores this season
We’re scrambling to track down the last-minute holiday shipping deadlines too right now! After all, most of us busy parents are doing more and more of our shopping for the holidays online — usually late at night, after the kids are in bed, right? I’m...
50 cool but still practical stocking stuffers, for people who just can’t with the plastic crap.
The truth is, I’ve looked at a lot of lists of practical stocking stuffers around the web and… I never like them much. Because no, chocolate bars are not “practical” gifts, as much as I like getting them. And no, deodorant is not a cool gift,...
How to make the most of the holiday (and not lose your mind) | Spawned Ep 135
We know that the holidays can be a busy, stressful time for lots of families, which is why we thought it might be helpful to discuss ways we try to make the most out of the holidays (and not lose our minds) with our own families on our latest Spawned podcast. In this...
3 terrific books for children who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah
We’ve covered so many holiday books for kids over the years, and one thing we’ve realizes is missing: a good selection of books for children who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. While my teens may be jealous of friends who celebrate both of the big...
3 wooden high chairs so gorgeous you’ll actually want them at your holiday table
With the holidays coming up, I’ve been on the hunt for beautiful high chairs that will actually look nice at the dining room table — unlike the sweet potato-crusted plastic monstrosity I’m currently using. Let’s just say it won’t be...
These funky handmade holiday dresses are perfect for girls who say no to frills and flounce
Before you deck the halls, deck your girls out in the handmade, one-of-a-kind holiday dresses and skirts from one of our longtime favorite indie makers, Courtney Courtney. They’re much more comfy than a red faux-taffeta dress with scratchy white lace, we...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, easier, more organized, 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).
But we did.
And we still love what we do every single day.
We're so glad you're here.
Valentine’s Day Ideas
Work with us!
OUT TECH YOUR KIDS: Join our new private Facebook community
RECIPE RESCUE: The best crowdsourced cooking + food advice for parents
Doing Good
