
Monogramming for the Non-Yacht Owning Set
I’ve always had this weird aversion to monogrammed items, as if they should only be owned by people named Winston or Finston or anyone the third.

Why Just Drive the Dumptruck When You Can Own the Company?
When you ask a kid what he wants to be when he grows up, you usually get those great juxtapositions: a gymnast and a veterinarian. A firefighter and a circus clown. The way I see it, as long as I don’t hear ballerina and metal groupie, my daughter can dream away.

Works Like a Diaper Bag, Feels Like a Purse
I admit that at first, I fell victim to the ugly pricy diaper bag. Then I transitioned to the large purse, which has worked well for me since my daughter reached toddlerdom. However, with #2 arriving in a few months and the threat of leaky bottles looming, it’s time to go back to the world of bags made to handle spills and messes.

Cop A Feel, Save A Life
Today marks the beginning of breast cancer awareness month. While seeking out some cool but under-the-radar organizations affiliated with the cause, one of the first we fell in love with isFeel Your Boobies. And that was just on the name alone.

Rub a Dub Dub, No Toys in My Tub
There’s nothing like anticipating that glorious, uninterrupted, naptime shower only to have to spend an extra ten minutes emptying out all the darn bath toys that are scattered around the bottom of the tub. And the net thing? Please. That holds one rubber duck and my scrub brush, if that.

Handwashing Fun (You Heard Me)
With all the lovely fall and winter illnesses headed our way, plus the whole potty training thing looming, I figure it’s time to get the hand washing thing down. Except in my daughter’s mind, you’d think that "washing up" was another expression for "getting a shot."

Maybe Pooh Needs a New Home
I won’t go into exactly how many stuffed animals I have lying around my house, but I will say that I recently sent a few into on an extended trip to "toy vacation land" in order to make room on my daughter’s bed for, well, my daughter.

The Fashionable Binkie
I’m a little weird when it comes to my baby’s pacifier. While of course I’ll pop in the closest one at hand at bedtime (or during meltdowns), it makes me a little wonky to give her say, the purple one when she’s wearing green and orange. Her dad thinks I’m nuts. But my feeling is, as long as we have one that matches the outfit, why not use it?

Your Business is Our Business
If you read Cool Mom Picks for all of about 10 seconds, you’ll realize we’re huge supporters of the community of mom-trepreneurs. We know how hard it can be to get a business off a ground, particularly while chasing small children around, and so part of our mission is to help get the word out about cool stuff that moms are making and selling.

THE Fall Handbag
Recently a friend asked me for advice on THE handbag for this coming season. I’m the wrong person to ask. Not because I don’t know what the magazines say is THE handbag for fall. But because there are so many fantastic bags that haven’t been deemed THE bag by a fashion editor who, by the way, gets her $6500 THE bag for free.