More coolness from recent weeks…
The coolest free school printables: Lunch notes, planners, labels, chore charts and more | Back to School Guide
Back to school time isn't just about shopping! (Not that there's anything wrong with shopping, of course.) One of our favorite annual traditions is sharing our favorite back to school printables in our Back to School Guide to help make the school year easier, more...
9 cool ways to transform your plain white sneakers after summer
If you're a traditionalist, Labor Day marks the last day to wear those white canvas sneakers until next Memorial Day. Which is why we've brought back this great post on cool DIY white sneakers makeovers for you, so you can get more wear out of your favorite white...
Setting up a study space at home: Tips to make it one your kid will actually use
So many parents have learned over the past few years that setting up a study space at home is more important than ever. Maybe you homeschool, maybe your kids just need a dedicated space for homework, or maybe they've got virtual tutoring or other extracurricular...
The Maui wildfires and how to help: A list of trusted organizations (Updated)
It's been devastating watching the fires in Maui this week, and I've been looking for some ways to help. Their hospitals are overwhelmed, historic sites have been burnt to the ground, thousands have been evacuated, families are searching for missing loved ones, and...
10 important things all kids should know before leaving home and going to college. Sniffle.
With my oldest heading off to college this fall, I've been thinking about all the things kids should know before leaving home. And it's a lot. In fact I've found myself in a sort of panic mode wondering whether she knows some basics to help her navigate life. As...
7 creative time-saving hacks to save your back-to-school routine. | Back to School Guide
When we think back to school season, we're also thinking about those time-saving hacks we dust off to ease out of the summer groove and ready for our September (or August!) routines. While our Annual Back to School Guide mostly features the coolest new backpacks,...
20 cool backpacks for teens this year | Back to School Guide
When we look for cool backpacks for teens, it's not enough for them to just be, you know, cool. As kids head to middle school or high school— especially after a whole year at home more or less (sigh) — they need bigger, sturdier backpacks, better shoulder straps, and...
Sale alert: Liz’s favorite puffy, textured, and braided sandals right now. This trend’s not going anywhere!
Last year, a colleague with an "in" in the designer shoe world tipped me off that puffy textured sandals, woven textures and braided straps were going to be hot for spring/summer. I blink and whoa -- sure enough, they've been flooding the "new arrivals" category in my...
7 smart tips for staying in a hotel with toddlers. (Real tips, not those ridiculous TikTok hacks)
It was time for us to bring back some solid tips for staying in a hotel with toddlers, babies or even older kids. Because this week, we all started seeing this "TikTok hotel hacks" article going around and sheesh! It seems the article was made more for paranoid single...
The 3 things I will always always buy at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale: Great deals!
While I'd love to buy a ton of things at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, I try to be smart about it. That means besides one or two things I've had my eye on, I stick with items that I already love and need refreshing. Especially when they're the kinds of things I...
Outrageously fun swim goggles for kids: 7 styles for aspiring mermaids, mermen, and merpeople
One of my favorite things about taking my son to swim lessons is seeing all the fun swim googles for kids that have become so popular over the last few years. Eyelashes goggles! Rhinestone goggles! Shark's teeth goggles! Sequined goggles! Where were these when I was a...
“Acceptance is Protection”: Kate Brookes on parenting a trans kid, or any child on their own path. | Spawned 299
I could not be more thrilled to share this wonderful interview with award-winning TV reporter/producer/mom Kate Brookes, author of the upcoming Transister: Raising Twins in a Gender-Bending World. While our conversation is super helpful for parents looking for advice...
Game on! These 6 fun group board games are perfect for summer camp. Or just summer friends.
When I send care packages to my boys at summer camp, I generally include snacks and silly toys for them to goof around with. And in Liz's post packed with the best ideas for summer camp care packages, she talks a lot about sending fun board games the whole bunk can...
Getting your kids to practice their handwriting: 16 fun tips, tricks and ideas
Call us the handwriting brigade. Seriously. From day one, even with the advent of technology and the slow decline of handwriting instruction (let alone cursive, gah!) in schools, we've always made it our mission to encourage kids not to lose the art of handwriting....
7 tips for healthy co-parenting when you’re recently divorced or separated
Our team at Cool Mom Picks jokes that we have a lot of children among us, but the truth is, we have quite a few divorces and separations among us too. That means we've had a lot of experience trying to achieve healthy co-parenting, having navigated some admittedly...
Keeping kids healthy on social media with Dr. Devorah Heitner | Spawned Ep 298
With U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy introducing new social media guidelines for children in the past few weeks, social media and mental health is all any parent we know is talking about. Especially with summer here. So I immediately reached out to one of my...
Dr. Lisa Damour on the Emotional Life of Teenagers: Important insights and advice | Spawned Episode 297
It's always a pleasure to chat with Dr. Lisa Damour, New York Times best-selling author, podcast host and psychologist, about parenting teens. In this Spawned episode, we're talking specifically about the emotional lives of teenagers, based on her newest book of the...
8 ideas for homemade Father’s Day cards from the kids. Keep tissues nearby. | Father’s Day Gift Guide
Homemade Father's Day cards are so perfect, whether they're from kids old enough to manage their own craft supplies, or you know, "from the baby." In fact we all feel like a homemade card should be part of any Father's Day gift you're giving him, and we have found...
5 teacher thank-you note tips for a message to remember.
We've reached the end of the school year (hooray!), but before our kids run out of those school doors for summer, let's encourage them to write a short-but-sweet teacher thank you note. After all, a personal note from their students is the #1 pick from teachers who...
10 creative ways to give cash or a gift card for graduation, along with your congratulations.
We're already seeing a lot of searches on our site for ways to celebrate the graduates in our lives, whether that is by throwing a party with special, graduation-themed food, or by using one of the many newer graduation ideas that we still love from the spring of 2020...
Luvvie Ajayi Jones on raising “good troublemakers” | Spawned Ep 296
Sometimes kids get in trouble, not because they're doing bad, but because they want to do good, though they just haven't quite figured out all the boundaries yet. It's such a good reminder for parents. It also happens to be the premise of the wonderful new picture...