inspirational Archives | Cool Mom Picks

12 inspirational books for graduation gifts, beyond Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

While there are so many graduation gift ideas that we could give to this year’s accomplished graduates, from preschool to high school, we love the idea of giving sweet, inspirational books for graduation gifts. Especially when they deliver messages about empowerment,...

3 inspirational art prints to celebrate Mary Oliver’s wild and precious life

by Caroline Siegrist | Art + Decor

I was so sad to find out that one of my favorite poets, the bestselling and Pulitzer prize winning Mary Oliver, passed away earlier today. Her poetry collections were some of my all-time favorites: Wild Geese helped me slow down and appreciate the natural world; Dog...

Here are all the real life sheroes you’ll find in the Barbie Role Models collection

by Lexi Petronis | Toys + Playthings

Barbie has been busy lately. She’s gotten a new variety of body shapes (with dad-bod and man-bun Ken by her side), she’s taken on our heroines from A Wrinkle in Time and Wonder Woman, she’s figured out that yes, women can code. Today, however, in...

Take on 2018 with these 8 pieces of empowering, mood-boosting jewelry

by Kate Etue | Fashion

When I saw Etsy editors recommending mood-boosting jewelry for this time of year, I was in. Let’s just say, I’ve felt like Cinderella lately . . . pre-fairy-Godmother. I’m constantly cleaning up after my kids because it’s too cold for them to...

The 125 Collection: Candles that illuminate how dope you are

by Georgette Gilmore | Holiday Picks, Living

Inspirational? Check. Sassy? Check. Funny AF? You bet. The 125 Collection candles cover all the bases. I’m so happy to discover these 100% natural, premium scented soy candles that were created by two entrepreneurial women in Harlem, NYC. (On 125th Street, get...

Go forth and reinvent! 10 terrific resources for women ready for a career change or entrepreneurship.

by Liz Gumbinner | Tips + Tricks

We know a little something about reinvention after motherhood and women entrepreneurs. Hey, Kristen did an entire TedX talk about it! And I’ve made a few career switches myself — finally landing on this sweet gig that Kristen and I created for ourselves....

An excellent list of MLK books, videos and resources to help kids understand the reason for the holiday.

by Liz Gumbinner | Books for Kids, Doing Good

Over the years, we’ve put together so many fantastic ways to help honor the important, impactful work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., especially to help families be able to discuss how we might all carry on his legacy. We hope you’ll check out these books,...

This new book for girls has us shouting, WOW!

by Georgette Gilmore | Books for Kids

WOWsdom! The Girl’s Guide to the Positive and the Possible is a new interactive book I found recently on Kickstarter that has one very important mission: to help raise our female leaders of tomorrow. And they’ve set out to do just that by sharing the intimate...

Self-care tips to help you survive the election: Spawned Episode 56

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast

If you’re like us, these last few weeks of the election have been pretty stressful. Between listening to the rhetoric ourselves and trying to shield our kids (or speak to them about it in a way that makes sense), we’re feeling overwhelmed. So, we decided...

Could you use a little box of joy these days?

by Liz Gumbinner | Art + Decor

Our friend Marisa Cummings, the accomplished illustrator and force behind Creative Thursday, has launched an adorable box of happiness and inspiration, as she calls it. Or, more succinctly, a Box of Joy. They’ve been so popular that there are only a limited...

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).

We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.