More coolness from recent weeks…
8 savory apple recipes for dinner — sweet!
We all know that apples shine in sweet recipes for tasty apple snacks and delectable apple desserts, but this versatile fruit also rocks the dinner table. And not just in salads, I'll have you know. There are lots of ways to use apples in all three meals of the day....
Traditional Swedish slipper socks get a lot less traditional
Every so often we come across a small company that takes a classic product and bring it up to date in an irresistible way, and the adaptation of traditional Swedish slipper socks by London company Ace&Me nails it. My kids have lived in slippers like these since...
DIY Board Games for kids gives family game night a creative twist
Playing a board game with the kids can be fun, but it's bound to feel a lot more special when your kids get to put their own finishing touches on the games themselves, like they can with DIY Board Games. And, don't worry: The "DIY" doesn't mean they get to make up...
DIYers: Get inspired with these very cool handmade rubber stamps
Ever since a Cool Mom Picks editor forwarded me a link to the Creatiate Etsy shop devoted solely to cool handmade rubber stamps, I've been imagining the inky possibilities. These stamps are gorgeous--like I wish I could spend a week stamping an entire wall in my house...
The Petunia Pickle Bottom Cake Collection: Have your cake and wear it too.
Having three kids is just fine by me, but Petunia Pickle Bottom almost makes me want to keep having babies just so I can keep using their gorgeous diaper bags year after year. I said almost. And kids or no kids, I think any woman would be excited to use a bag from...
Brighten up your winter with cool, colorful jackets for kids
It's hard to believe it, but winter's going to be here soon, and forecasters are saying this is going to be a cold one. I, for one, not going to let the idea of a long, snowy winter get me down, especially when this year's winter jackets for kids are so fun, bright,...
5 copycat coffee drink recipes as good as the overpriced ones at the coffee shop: Our gift to you this National Coffee Day.
We know you love coffee, so we thought long and hard about what to give you for National Coffee Day today. We've already shared our favorite iced coffee recipes and coffee recipes from around the world. We've made it easy to make your own cold brew and hot buttered...
The ultimate cashmere shrug for the world’s cutest flower girls and imaginary ballet legends.
If you're starting to think special gift for a special girl, especially one who likes to dance around the living room to the Nutcracker the second the weather gets nippy (I am familiar with this phenomenon, intimately) then our good friends at Ivory Row have...
10 funny mugs to help you celebrate National Coffee Day in style
Every day is National Coffee Day for some of us, which means that every day is also Wow, I Need Something to Put All This Coffee In Day. We've rounded up some of our favorite funny coffee mugs that might make you smile when there's basically no reason to smile. By...
T-shirts from J Crew that help support two of our favorite educational charities
I don't need a reason to cozy up with the new J Crew catalog or website, multiple times a day, so give me that plus an awesome cause and you have my complete attention. Their new fall kids collection includes two t-shirts that support partnerships with education-based...
Love letters to your baby. Future you will thank you.
If we ask my four-year-old to help out with something, he's taken to tipping an imaginary hat and saying, "Happy to sublige." As in, happy to oblige. How Downton Abbey of him. He's always cracked us up, but when I try to think of specific things he's said, all I can...
Kid and Coe helps you find family vacation rentals right out of a magazine
A week after our summer vacation rental, I still couldn't get the musty smell of the house out of my clothes. I also couldn't forget the splintery deck, scary spiral stairs, and tangle of electrical wires that stressed me out as much as it enticed my three- and...
The Ella Jenkins documentary: Let’s help get it made
We are always on the lookout for the best and brightest new kids' music makers on Cool Mom Picks, bringing you everyone from The Not-Its! to Shine and the Moonbeams. But today we want to honor one of the longest-enduring stars in kids' music, the incomparable Ella...
Cool travel accessory alert: The reinvention of the travel neck pillow
I don't travel light. It's hard to with two kids and an affinity for shoes, which is why a neck pillow is one of those useful travel accessories that never really make it into my carry-on. For the first time I'm reconsidering, now that I've discovered the new Sleeper...
3 healthy hot cereals and breakfast ideas that go way beyond oatmeal
Everyone's always talking about how hard it is to get a good dinner on the table, but I find that breakfast is way more hectic, with less time and no delivery options! There's always cereal, but unfortunately most cold cereals completely lack what we need to start the...
Need a Hunger Games alternative for your tweens to read? Find an unlikely heroine in The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee
The lead character in Barry Jonsberg's excellent new book for tweens, The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee, isn't as strong as Katniss in The Hunger Games or as fearless as Divergent's Tris, but Candice Phee is still my new favorite literary heroine. And the quest...
Handmade baby blankets with a truly wonderful design
I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for nice baby blankets -- which is why you see a lot of them around here. Especially handmade ones. I mean, what's more sweet than wrapping your little newborn up in a soft bundle that's one-of-a-kind, too? For lightweight...
Jen7 Jeans: Jeans for moms that aren’t mom jeans.
So you should know a couple of things about me right off the bat. I live in jeans all fall and winter, like every single day. And I will happily spend a fair amount of money on them if I find a pair that fit me really well, which after having four kids is no easy...
Check out what Laurie Berkner is serving up on Kids’ Place Live this weekend
If your kids can't get enough of Laurie Berkner's music, they're going to eat up the news that she's coming to Sirius XM's Kids' Place Live this weekend--and throughout the year--to promote healthy eating. Oh, and play lots of tunes, too. Her new hour-long...
DIY with the Makr app: Getting crafty in an app-happy world
We love finding gorgeous designs from indie artists, but sometimes what you really need is a way to make your very own custom design--preferably without hiring an artist or earning a degree in graphic design. The new Makr app for iOS helps you do exactly that, and...
Cookbooks and baking blends to make a gluten-free diet delicious
My experiments with gluten-free cooking and baking have taught me that it can be a seriously tricky endeavor. Not only is it hard to find great gluten-free breads and pastas, but avoiding all of the foods that surprisingly contain gluten—from soy sauce to sausage—can...