More coolness from recent weeks…
10 last-minute essentials to help you survive the Christmas holiday
As busy parent with Christmas right around the corner (ten days as of today, to be exact), I am thankful for places that make it easy to get all the last-minute stuff that I forgot to get but really, really need, in one handy place, like our sponsor CVS. Who you may...
More than 20 seriously cool snowflake patterns to make with your kids, or just to blow their minds.
Oh, bless you paper snowflakes! For all we need to make them are scissors, paper, and if you want to get fancy, some very cool snowflake patterns. It's the perfect holiday craft for those of you, like me, who are enthusiastic about doing crafts with the kids over the...
The Originals: Brand New Noise handmade recording gadgets make everyone smile
My kids were in a museum gift shop with friends this summer and of everything in the store, all four spent the entire time fighting over (I mean, taking turns with) what's best defined as a handmade voice or music recording gadget from a cool little Brooklyn company...
Squishable food stuffed animals: Cute enough to eat
I made a quick stop at my local toy shop the other week to grab holiday gifts for Liz's kids, and the second I saw the squishable food stuffed animals I was pretty sure I had found winners. Well, after listening to the shrieks and squeals when they pulled them out of...
Easy DIY ornaments for kids: 9 terrific ideas for turning those plain ornaments into something special
I have had such a great time this week looking for ideas for DIY ornaments for the kids. After all, one of my favorite parts about decorating for the holidays is seeing the Christmas tree ornaments my kids have made over the years and hey, we're always open to new...
Unique gifts for creative kids that I haven’t seen before? Reader Q&A
Hi Cool Mom Picks! Can you put together some unique holiday gift ideas for creative kids that go beyond the same craft kits I see everywhere? Thanks so much! Ooh, I love this question. We know that all kids have creativity in them, so Cool Mom Picks is always...
Crayon Crunch: Personalized books get kids with special needs in the story too.
We've mentioned before that only 3% of children's books feature characters of color, and there are even fewer that feature kids with special needs. This makes me really sad for the millions of kids out there who want to open up a book and see someone they can identify...
The perfect little affordable best friend gifts. Or really, anyone gifts.
I'm on the lookout for some cute small gifts to give out to some of the people I love, or even for my girls to give to their own BFFs. And then I came across the collection of awesome eco-friendly, recycled brown kraft paper journals from Journaling Jane on Etsy and I...
Santa baby. Literally.
There's really not much you can do to make a baby cuter at the holidays, because the tree, the lights, the adorable little red sweater and well, it's a party full of screaming ovaries. But add in the Santafier pacifier, and you might people spontaneously combusting...
Fun emoji gifts: For kids or kids at heart.
Based on what you'd see in pretty much every text message on my phone right now, it's clear that emojis aren't just for kids. Yes, I might have even used one in an email the other day. I know I'm not alone in the grown-up emoji-lover camp, which is why I had a...
The Only Child by Guojing: A beautiful new wordless book your child will love, whether they have siblings or not
Every once in a while, a children's picture book will capture me in a way that I just don't expect it to. The Only Child by Guojing is one that has got me right now. This beautiful story, told only through illustrations, includes a little child and snow and a...
Toys for adults: 9 super cool options that you’ll have to hide from the kids
This year, we notice just how much we've been writing up cool gift ideas and toys for kids and mentioning, but we'd like one too. It's like the fantastic innovations in toys plus our need as adults not to feel quite so adult is colliding, and we're all for it! That's...
4 fun paper jewelry kits for kids that make great holiday gifts
Paper jewelry kits are a pretty awesome gift, giving your crafty kids something wonderful they can make and wear -- even when you're sure you want one more little bead, button, or plastic charm strewn about your house. I adore paper jewelry kits as much as my kids...
Baby tights to protect those adorable legs this winter
The challenge of a winter babe is constantly having to layer up every time you leave home. But since vacating the house for actual adult human interaction at your local coffee shop is necessary, I'm all about cute layered basics for babies. One brand that has been...
Immerse your kids in Chinese culture without the super long plane ride
We love finding new ways to teach our kids about the big, diverse world that extends far beyond the boundaries of their neighborhood and town. And while nothing can replace actually going to the countries themselves, playsets like this one from Whole Wide World...
14 cool skateboarding gifts for your favorite shredder.
We've got a few passionate skateboarders in our lives so we've been super excited to have the opportunity to spend some time searching around for cool skateboarding gifts then sharing our faves. We are stoked (see how we did that?) to welcome them, because, wow -- we...
A perfect gift for hard-to-shop-for tween girls: DIY craft kits from The Make Arcade
Shopping for my tween niece can be hard. She's not a little girl any more, but she's not fully a teenager either. She wants cool stuff that's still sweet and cute. So, I'm excited to have discovered The Make Arcade on Etsy (thanks to Liz). These adorable but still...
The dedicated holiday gift help series, Part 2 : Spawned episode 25
On this episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we were determined to help you with those hard-to-shop-for adults on your list, so we're giving out tips and dishing our our own favorite gifts from our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide. Plus, we have a good laugh about the...
The best Hanukkah coloring pages: 8 options that are beautiful, artful and free.
Do you know how hard it is to find good free Hanukkah coloring pages for kids? Like, really hard. Who knew that tracking 8 of them down would be another Hanukkah miracle! I searched a long time to find what I think are some of the best Hanukkah coloring pages on the...
Sponsored message: GiftLit curated book-a-month subscriptions let you give the gift of reading this holiday
This is a sponsored message from GiftLit. You really can't go wrong when you give books over the holidays, but a special way to make your gift keep on giving all year long is a personalized subscription to GiftLit. GiftLit offers more than 100 different collections in...
Mittyz totally reinvents mittens for kids. Starting with the fact that kids will actually want to wear them.
Wintery white snowy days are coming whether we are ready for them or not. This year I am going to try to be prepared with updated snow gear for the kids that fits and is comfortable, encouraging longer outdoor playtime. So lucky us, we just discovered Mittyz mittens,...