So maybe lifting a pen and sticking on a stamp doesn't seem like hard work, but when you're chasing after three kids, putting on deodorant is a big deal let alone handwriting a note card. If there was ever a card worth the effort, it's t…
If the big wall o' children's Valentine's cards at your local big box store fills you with dread, don't despair. You've heard of DIY, but have you heard of DIYBWALHFTWD? This acronym came to us from Three Wheels Design owner Vicki Shield…
I've made the leap into actually printing my photos, mostly due to pretty strong nudges from the grandparents who keep asking me for a darn hard copy of everything. So that means I've now got some pretty nice prints lying around, without…
One month after Christmas, and I still have no idea where half of these toys are going. I definitely need The Toy Store by Oeuf , a brand new super three-level toy storage system that offers a nice modern alternative to plastic storage b…
I keep looking for cute Valentines Day cards for my daughter to give out to her beloved friends and family, but the truth is, I haven't found anything that makes you go "awwwww...." as much as the handmade Valentines Day cards she could …
Kids and dogs go together like red and Valentines Day, which is why I think the story book Mo Smells Red is such a cute gift for your little sweetheart . Not only will preschoolers love hearing about the adventures of Mo, a real life res…
According to today's most excellent release from the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the CPSC has done the only common sense thing it could have done, and granted a one year stay of testing and certification requirements until Febru…
I learned early on that family vacations tend to be something you do for your children. [Ahem, fill in theme park of choice here.] Not so Club Med . In recent years the company has converted nearly all of their properties from places tha…
So you want a canvas or two for baby's room, and you're trying to figure out something bright and colorful, with animals, that doesn't look like the circus threw up on your walls. Leave it to Tiny Decor to find just the right mix of mod …
If you had asked me about Nick Jr's Yo Gabba Gabba! a few months ago--unlike editor Liz who's their biggest fan on the planet--I would've told you, I don't get it. However I am now writing enthusiastically about the Yo Gabba Gabba! sound…
Growing up, no Valentine's Day was complete without a bagful of Be Mine and Hug Me heart candies. Sure they were cute, but let's be honest: they tasted like chewable antacids. Conversation Heart Rattles from Yellow Label Kids are a much …
I guess you could say that I'm the token eco-skeptic among the Cool Mom Picks writers. Before you start throwing rotten tomatoes at me, consider what this means: If it's green and crunchy and I rave about it, then it really is spectacula…
I have to say that the keepsake gifts for new baby boys are pretty slim pickin's. I mean, nothing says "Welcome Boy" like a big plush monogrammed baby blanket, right? So, when I spotted the Baby's First Spoon at Lisa Leonard Designs , I …
Besides unconditional love, the only thing that I want for Valentine's Day is something chocolate and decadent . Like, say, these heart-shaped brownies from Kitchen Witch . I've already gushed about Casey's ready-to-bake line of cookies,…
I'm not crazy about barrettes with so much going on that it's like the hair clip enters the room before your kid does. You can keep your big crazy "corker" bows and humongo fake gardenias with rhinestone centers. Just leave me the simple…
After reading the headline to this review, you may be wondering, When did Cool Mom Picks become Cool Grandmom Picks? I hear you. When I first heard that Neil Sedaka had put out a new CD of reworked hits for kids, I thought, There is no w…
Enough with those baby name books filled with what seem to be a lot of arbitrary meanings. I'm sorry, Madison does not mean "Son of Maud" - it means "I fell in love with Daryl Hannah in Splash when I was a kid too." So as far as baby nam…
Every woman needs to one one perfect, crisp button-up shirt . And by perfect I mean it fits at the shoulders, the collar isn't better suited to the Ringling Bros. wardrobe department, and your chest isn't busting the buttons every time y…
Sometimes you just see something and there's absolutely no reason for you to buy it except for the fact that it's so freaking cute you just can't pass it up. (Good thing I don't find Coach bags so freaking cute, right?) The handmade leat…
Today is the official start of the Year of the Ox ( Niu in Chinese), and if you're into Chinese Zodiac, you'll know that good things are predicted to come. Especially if you've got your own little Ox on the way. We love the idea of celeb…
Those of us with food allergies in the family know the scary importance of reading food labels. So does Jackie, a New England graphic artist turned mom of a son with celiac disease. She turned her years of obsessive label reading into a …
My daughters draw the cutest things: Stick-figure women in triangle dresses, bulgy-eyed cats and larger-than-life flowers. Nothing could improve on what they dream up which is why I love artist Carla Sonheim's new coloring book simply ca…
Insulated lunch totes are bulky (and often of dubious origin; some vinyl ones contain lead). Paper lunch bags often rip (and aren't all that eco-friendly). What's a gotta-be-cool tween to do? Reach for 3 R's lunch sac perhaps? Made of wa…
When we first discovered Itsabelly (wayyy back before all the newspapers, magazines and tv news programs I might add), they were a mere baby concierge service , helping panicked expecting parents to get their lives in order before the ne…
