tips and tricks Archives | Cool Mom Picks

Birthday parties in the age of quarantine: We love these social distance birthday party ideas that make the day special no matter what

by Kate Etue | Party Ideas, Tips + Tricks

My son turned 10 this month, and I have to admit, it was a bit of a bummer birthday. He had a great attitude and enjoyed some chocolate cake, but with the current quarantine and social distancing guidelines, his party was cancelled and his friends weren’t able...

5 deschooling tips for new homeschooling parents, and how it will keep you from feeling like a total failure.

by Christina Refford | Tips + Tricks

I know a lot of parents have jumped right into homeschooling their kids (or, schooling-from-home might be more accurate) so that they won’t get too far behind in their studies. But with news that Virginia has canceled school for the rest of the academic year due...

Helping teens who are struggling with social distancing, isolation and loss | Spawned Episode 194

by Cool Mom Staff | Podcast

We know that the shelter-in-place orders and social distancing due to the Coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for all of us in one way or another, teens, in particular, are taking an extremely hard hit. We’re seeing with our own teens, and we’ve been...

5 of our favorite sweatpants and leggings. Because right now, we’re not wearing anything else.

by Kristen Chase | Fashion

Props to you if you’re stuck at home like us these days and are putting on more than leggings or sweatpants. If you’ve been catching our #StyleOver40 on Instagram, then you know that for us, that is not the case. We are currently living in our favorite...

10 simple writing exercises for kids that don’t even feel like schoolwork

by Kristen Chase | Tips + Tricks

As we all scramble to grapple with the new normal of our kids home from school, I’m thankful for the teachers in my life who have been doing this job for years. I can always count on them for great ideas, like these 10 writing exercises, from a friend and former...

The best homeschooling resources right now for newbies: ELA, science, math, and social studies home learning.

by Kate Etue | Tech CMP-Style, Tips + Tricks

With all the school closures right now, we know so many of you are looking for the best homeschooling resources. (Like, a lot of you!) We hear you! So first, I suggest you read my post on a homeschooling mom’s tips for teaching your kids at home during school...

A homeschool mom’s tips on homeschooling your kids during school closures. You can do this!

by Kate Etue | Thinking : Parent, Tips + Tricks

So, school’s been cancelled for the indefinite future and you’re about to become a homeschooling parent, maybe for the first time. Now that you’re stuck at home with the kids for the next two, four…ten weeks, what in the world are you going to...

The most reassuring, helpful, and detailed expert tips for talking to kids about Coronavirus and managing their concerns | Spawned Special Episode 193

by Liz Gumbinner | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Podcast, Tips + Tricks

As the COVID-19/Coronavirus outbreak has increased, and life as we know it seems to be changing by the second beyond our control, parents are really struggling. A lot. I knew right away we needed to have a conversation with Dr. Ken Ginsburg, pediatrician and...

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...

Think before you make your own hand sanitizer. (And we have a resource for finding some without the price gouging)

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

As COVID-19 / Coronavirus anxiety ramps up, the store shelves are picked fairly clean of hand sanitizer and so many of my friends are talking about making their own hand sanitizer. While we still caution against panic, hand sanitizer is a good thing to have on hand....