tips and tricks Archives | Cool Mom Picks

Raising smart problem solvers: 4 tips to help parents teach kids | Life Skills Series

In the first post of our Life Skills Series, we shared tips to help you raise critical thinkers. And next up, we’re talking about how to teach your kids problem-solving skills. As adults, we know how important they are in our everyday lives, but it’s hard...

8 things to think about if you’re considering homeschool because of COVID-19 this fall, from a homeschool mom

by Kate Etue | Tips + Tricks

With school districts all over the country releasing their preliminary plans for school this fall, I’m hearing so many parents trying to determine whether or not their kids are going back. The requirement between states and districts varies greatly, with some...

Raising critical thinkers: 6 expert tips for parents | Life Skills Series

by Cool Mom Staff | Tips + Tricks

If one thing has become abundantly clear over the past few years, our kids are growing up seeing all kinds of problems we face in the world, and they’re increasingly asking us what they can do, or how they can be part of the solution. That’s pretty...

3 excellent educational videos about Juneteenth for kids. Watch and learn.

by Kate Etue | Entertainment + Media, Tips + Tricks

I’m trying to do a better job of raising anti-racist kids, and I believe that starts with learning more about the history of the Black experience in America. An essential part of that education is the understanding of Juneteenth, a holiday that I was certainly...

You believe that Black Lives Matter. You are non-Black. You don’t know what to say or do. So start here.

by Liz Gumbinner | Doing Good, Tips + Tricks

We have spent more time listening than talking this difficult weekend. But I woke up this morning knowing I want to make it perfectly 100% clear where Kristen and I stand: Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. This was originally posted on...

KJ Dell’Antonia on how to be a happier parent in a pandemic. Is it even possible? | Spawned Ep 202

by Cool Mom Staff | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Podcast

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...

We’ve got 5 eco-friendly paper towel alternatives to help you make the switch at the perfect time.

by Caroline Siegrist | Kitchen + Dining, Tips + Tricks

I’ve been meaning to wean our family off paper towels for years, and this quarantine is finally giving the push that I need. Thanks, empty paper towel shelves at Kroger! So I’ve been chatting with eco-conscious friends and colleagues about favorite paper...

#SaveThePostOffice: 7 thoughtful things you can mail to friends and family during quarantine

by Kristen Chase | Tips + Tricks

Even before the Coronavirus pandemic, the United States Postal Service (USPS) was getting hit pretty hard. And now, well, it’s worse than ever, with no bailout in sight. As you might have seen on social media with the #SaveThePostOffice hashtag, people are...

8 board games you can play over FaceTime or Zoom for remote fun with friends

by Kate Etue | Toys + Playthings

We love our game nights with friends, and cancelling those has been a sad part of the quarantine for us. But we’ve found 6 great games you can play over FaceTime or Zoom. It helps make that distance feel not so far at all, and gives you more opportunities to...

50+ creative ideas for Easter Basket gifts you can grab right at the drugstore

by Christina Refford | Toys + Playthings

With Easter around the corner, I’m thinking about how I’m going to fill three Easter baskets and dozens of plastic eggs safely and finding Easter gifts from the drugstore is a smart way to do it. First off, we love ordering Easter gifts from Etsy that...

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).