organization Archives | Cool Mom Picks

Creating a homeschool schedule: 8 different ideas to help you figure out what will work best for you.

Hi! Total homeschooling newbie here, and now here I am, trying to create a homeschool schedule — or some semblance of one — to help keep us sane. Um, it’s not easy. For background, I am the parent who thought I could wing it with newborn nap...

Beyond canned foods and toilet paper: A family guide to unexpected items to stock up on in case of a quarantine

by Liz Gumbinner | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

Let’s be honest: We don’t each need 600 rolls of toilet paper on hand right now. Not that that’s stopping some people! But after a really stressful week of a COVID-19 scare involving a quarantined relative in D.C., it did put the situation in stark...

How do you know when it’s time to move? And how do you make it easier when you’re ready? | Spawned 189

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast

We never thought that a book about moving would be so enjoyable. Just thought thought of moving gives lots of us cold sweats! And yet, Ali Wenzke, who’s been called the Marie Kondo of Moving has authored the extremely helpful, calming, and yes, enjoyable book,...

7 of the best free printable 2020 calendars to suit any taste. And yes, we said free!

by Kate Etue | DIY, Storage + Organization

2020 is already underway., and normally we’d have shared our annual list of our favorite printable calendars with you for the year. But with some of our kids back in school late this year, combined with and some of the recent stories on the news, we may be a...

The top 10 Cool Mom Picks posts of 2019

by Cool Mom Staff | Editors Best of the Year

We’re so thrilled to be entering our 14th year publishing Cool Mom Picks. We know! We can’t believe it either. Every year, we share our top 10 most visited posts on Cool Mom Picks. While our gift guides are often quite popular, these represent posts from...

Decluttering solutions: Hang these 8 things to free up floor space!

by Liz Gumbinner | Living, Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

As a small-space apartment dweller, I’m always thinking about ways to declutter. Not that I always achieve it, but I try! A lot of the trick, as I’ve learned, is about getting stuff off the floor that we just assume goes…on the floor. So we all know...

7 time-saving hacks that are back-to-school lifesavers for parents | Back to School Guide 2019

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, DIY, School Gear, Tips + Tricks

You know, our 2019 Back to School Guide may feature the coolest new gear, but it’s also got lots of helpful tips for you, parents! Like the best school year planners to keep you organized. And today, time-saving hacks that we all could use. After all, back to...

The best 2019-20 school year planners for every type of parent | Back to School Guide 2019

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, School Gear, Storage + Organization

If you’re going to plan for back to school, it makes sense to look for the best 2019-20 school year planner to help you…plan. So next up in our 2019 Back to School Shopping Guide, we’ve put together our favorites, no matter what kind of planning you...

11 favorite school supply organization hacks and tips | Back to School Guide 2019

by Kate Etue | Back to School Shopping, School Gear, Storage + Organization, Tips + Tricks

While we’re talking fun school supplies, we have to discuss a few smart school supply organization hacks, tips and tricks Because while we love sharing the coolest backpacks of 2019 and other gear throughout our Back to School Shopping Guide, what do we do with...

Tidying up while keeping the kids safe: Expert tips and tricks that work | Spawned Ep 158

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast

We all would love a tidy home that’s Marie Kondo approved, but let’s be honest, kids definitely complicate that endeavor. With all the stuff they accumulate, and then, keeping them safe on top of it all, well, it’s overwhelming to say the least....

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).