More coolness from recent weeks…
Holding out for a custom handmade superhero doll.
I've been searching for the perfect gift for my niece this Christmas. You know, the one that will make me the favorite aunt. (Kidding. Well, kind of.) As I was scouring Etsy, I found these adorable handmade superhero dolls at La Loba Studio, and I think they was make...
11 really fun Thanksgiving printables, from activity books and coloring pages for the kids, to table decor that makes you smile.
Even though Thanksgiving is a pretty low-key holiday for a lot of us -- more about food, friends and family and football than anything too fancy -- I love how kids tend to get excited about celebrating every holiday. And about decorating everything and anything for...
It’s here! Our 2015 Cool Mom Picks holiday gift guide! Whoo!
We are so, so excited to present our 2015 holiday gift guide, which we have to say is our biggest and our best yet. And we've been doing this a while, so that's saying something! Click over and you'll find more than 325 truly fabulous holiday gifts ideas for every...
7 easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids that also make great decor
Since I'll be busy in the kitchen next week,I'm going to put my kids in charge of the Thanksgiving table decorations. Craft projects and art are usually a fun way for them to fill their down time when they're home from school, and what I like about these fairly easy...
Beautiful holiday party clothes your kids can wear all winter long
We love dressing our kids up for the holidays, but there's something satisfying about picking clothes that they can wear beyond the parties and special events already crowding the calendar. That's why we're so happy to be working with our sponsor eden + zoe again....
Raising kids in a world that’s obsessed with beauty and image
Okay so yeah. The Starbucks red cup controversy. We just couldn't help but weigh in on whether we approve of Satan's own minimalist design on this week's Spawned with Kristen and Liz. Then we talk about raising kids in a world that's so obsessed with beauty and image....
8 of our favorite family board games for 6 or more players of all ages. Just in time for those big holiday gatherings.
We've got a strong competitive gene in my family, which means when we all get together, we like to hang around the dinner table playing board games. The kids get in on the action too, but that doesn't mean we're relegated to playing kiddie games all the time. We've...
Join us for a Twitter Social to help you get into the holiday shopping spirit
With the holidays right around the corner and our 2015 Cool Mom Picks Gift Guide almost here (tomorrow!), we're excited to be teaming up with our gift guide sponsor Sudo for a fun Twitter Social to chat about online holiday shopping, one of our all-time favorite...
Sponsored Message: Personalized books from I See Me! make very special gifts this holiday.
This is a sponsored message from I See Me! personalized books. If you're looking for a special, one-of-a-kind gift for your kids this holiday, check out I See Me! personalized books for kids. These award-winning books are a huge hit with children, because the...
Props in a Box: The gift box that turns dress-up time into an exercise in filmmaking.
Even though Halloween is long over, my kids are still running around in costumes most days, as they'll continue to do. It's fun to see the stories they come up with when they dig through our dress-up box -- like when Cruella deVille and an astronaut went to a French...
6 fun, easy ideas for making a custom photo memory game a more memorable gift.
Our kids are usually pretty clear about what they want for their big gifts for Christmas, so I often have the most fun thinking about those smaller gifts that are total surprises for our kids. So, we wanted to share one of our favorite affordable gifts our kids...
Tegu blocks, now customizable. And adorable. And possibly covered in pink dinosaurs.
Since their launch, we've been huge fans of Tegu, makers of the smart, high quality, sustainable wood and magnetic block sets that have just blown up over the years. While their collection of choices has gotten bigger, now Tegu has a wonderful new offering that's...
15 of the coolest Advent calendars to make waiting for Christmas more fun.
Even though I'm still finding Halloween candy wrappers hidden under the couch (kids!), I'm keenly aware that December isn't that far away. Which means that it's time to start thinking about which Advent calendar we want in our home to help us count down the days to...
How to talk to your children about tragedy and terrorism: Excellent resources to help parents, teachers and other caregivers, because we sure need it right now.
(This post has been updated, August 2017) It's been a somber mood around here lately, as it surely been for many of you. When I first wrote this post, our hearts were going out to the people of Paris. We each have been hoping and praying for peace for humanity in our...
The coolest travel books for kids of all ages. Because no, we’re not there yet.
We're getting close to the holidays, which for many families means road trips with the kids. And there's nothing more fun, right? Hahahahha. I recently did 16 hours in the car with my three kids -- each way -- and lived to tell the tale. If there's one thing I learned...
A great new reason to support Friends of Maddie
If you're a fan of great parenting blogs, you may be familiar with the difficult story of our friends Mike and Heather Spohr, of the popular site The Spohrs are Multiplying. They experienced the unimaginable after the death of their daughter Maddie in 2009, and yet...
The GB Evoq Travel System: Making us rethink the need to own multiple strollers
It sometimes seems like there's a new stroller on the market every week. Great for new parents looking for lots of choices, not so great when you have to make a decision about which one to get. For some families, though, there's an easy way to pare down the...
Peace, Joy, Color: Cool Christmas coloring pages for adults in a book of tear-out postcards
As we get closer to the launch of our big holiday gift guide (next week, you guys!) we've been keeping our eyes out in particular for lots of affordable gifts. You know, the stuff for people on your list who deserve more than a stocking stuffer, but aren't gong to get...
The perfect modern keepsake baby gift for photo-happy new parents. Hi, that’s all of us, right?
In this photo-obsessed world we're living in, we've seen all kinds of ways to document and share a baby's first year in pictures -- some of which are sweet, some of which are wow, you really had time to do all that? Striking the perfect balance in the middle: The new...
9 smart ways to organize video game controllers and reclaim your home at last!
It's about this time every year that we need to ramp up our efforts to get our homes organized and looking awesome for holiday guests. It's like, what the heck happened to all that spring cleaning I did six months ago? Yeah, well, welcome to parenthood. And one of the...
This Bridge Will Not Be Gray by Dave Eggers: Why can’t all history lessons for kids be like this?
I admit I'm a sucker for fantastic adult authors who turn their talents towards children's books -- and succeed. See also, Neil Gaiman. It's not an easy task for sure; it's hard to strike a balance between child-appropriate and childish, and a lot of authors just...