8 must-read summer reading books for tweens and teens who want to stay woke
Lately, as my kids are getting older and the world has gotten (ahem) a little crazier, my 10- and 12-year-old have been questioning what’s going on. I chat with them about my own observations and beliefs…and ask them about theirs. But one thing that helps...
5 sleepaway camp postcard sets that are cool enough for cynical kids.
Since old fashioned pen to paper is usually the required form of communication at camps, cool sleepaway camp postcards make it easy! They keep writing short and sweet, don’t require envelopes, and if you give your kid a set all stamped and ready to go, the odds...
Paint it forward: How to turn rocks into random acts of kindness
Kids like rocks. Kids like painting. Kids like giving gifts. So it’s pretty brilliant for Creativity for Kids/Faber-Castell to come out with the brand new Hide & Seek Rock Painting Kit which brings all three together. Admittedly on first glance I was like,...
14 cool, creative summer camp care package ideas for your happy campers
If your kids are headed to sleepaway camp — or already there — you’re probably already planning out a great summer care package, filled with items your kids will love, to help ease the anxiety, keep them busy during quiet hours, help them make...
Unicorn Vans in big kid sizes! Join us in freaking out.
My girls have been eying those unicorn Vans forever (because who isn’t obsessed with unicorns right now?) but they’ve only been available in baby sizes. Until now. That’s right, they’re available in big kid sizes, and you know I’m...
The life-changing magic of tidying up, now as a manga graphic novel. For real.
I’d be willing to bet money that you’ve probably heard about Marie Kondo’s uber best-selling book The life-changing magic of tidying up, aka The Konmari Method. But now, the author has launched a new version of her book to make it even more appealing...
Every kid doesn’t deserve a trophy. But they might deserve a merit badge.
Your kid may not be in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or the National Honor Society. But I still love this new take on old school merit badges by The Honor Society. It’s simply a collection of badges that encourage kids to do good, be good, and live good lives that...
6 essential sleepaway camp packing tips to keep you organized and sane (if not a little sad)
If your kid is going to sleepaway camp this summer — especially if it’s for the first time — your family is probably dealing with a lot of organizational kerfuffles right about now. Not the least of which is packing. Even though your camp will send...
So smart! A new board game subscription box to keep family game night fresh.
My kids’ playroom has a bookshelf with piles of board games taller than me. So yeah, you could say we’re fairly avid tabletop gamers at our house. But, even so, we’re still always on the lookout for fun new games. If they’re really affordable,...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).
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