More coolness from recent weeks…
Get ready for back to school with Cool Mom Tech
These days, there's just no way we could head back to school without a little (okay, a lot of) help from technology. That's why we've put together our second annual Cool Mom Tech Back to School Guide, which launched this week. You'll find tons of stylish, practical...
Celebrating Woody Guthrie with 2 perfect CDs
This would have been folk-music legend Woody Guthrie's centennial year. And so we celebrate the truly amazing legacy he left behind. Within the 3,000 song lyrics (wow!) that he wrote, there lies a powerful children's music catalog that speaks directly to the energy...
Characters with character: alphabet prints for superhero fans
In this fontastic alphabet, J stands for James...James Bond? I'm in. Especially since I is for Iron Man.I just love the way Helvetica is used to depict some of my favorite superheroes and famous characters, and wow, how great would they be in a cool kid's room?...
Lunch bag and sandwich bag value packs make back to school eco-friendly and affordable
I've always liked BuiltNY's lunch totes, so much so that I own a few of them myself. I can assure you they've all stood the test of time. And the test of peanut butter. Now they're offering new kid's lunchboxes and brand new reusable sandwich bags that are so cute, we...
Designer diaper bags for fall: fashionable + affordable
As we start heading towards fall, I've got new diaper bags on the brain. (Why should back to school shopping time be just for the kids?) It's been a while since I took a look to see what diaper bag label JP Lizzy has been up to, and it's a good thing I had a mind to...
13 healthier versions of kids’ favorite lunchbox snacks
Healthy lunchbox snacks seem to be one of the frequent requests from our readers. I'm generally a from-scratch girl, but life--and lunch packing--with two little ones can get hectic. Despite my dedication to all foods homemade, I rely on a pantry stocked with...
Natural relief from things that make kids go OUCH
My kids entered a phase around 4 when bug bite creams and sting-stoppers terrified them. I'm sure it had a little something to do with the one we "promised them" wouldn't hurt but turned out to be made with alcohol. (It wasn't totally our fault; we were traveling...
Oh my oh my oh dinosaur
If there's one awesome baby gift for any kid at all anywhere, it's a bunch of books to start his library. Which means if there's one more awesome baby gift, it's going to be a sturdy bookend that does more than just sit there and look pretty on the shelf. Or in this...
Affordable bangles for fall that you can start wearing now
August is a bit of a weird jewelry-buying time. I want things that will feel all light and happy with my sleeveless dresses, but I've also got an eye towards fall. Which his why these affordable skinny bangles are the perfect thing to take me from one season to the...
Augie to Zebra: a fab alphabet book from a favorite duo
It makes perfect sense that Caspar Babypants, the kindie music favorite whose song titles include My Flea Has Dogs and Stompy the Bear, would create an alphabet book with prose way beyond A is for Apple. But what really makes this picture book a must-have for any...
The Busy Mom’s Cookbook – isn’t that all of us?
Antonia Lofaso was absolutely captivating on Top Chef. I loved watching her seamlessly perfect results every single episode, and I appreciated her passion for being both a full time chef and full time mother. And now she's offering wisdom to parents who want haute,...
This book belongs to…
With school starting soon--or for some it's already started--books are being bought and soon, books will be lost. There's nothing like a "this book belongs to..." label to make sure that the rightful owner remains the rightful owner. Especially when that rightful...
Martha Stewart American Made Awards – a big chance for your small biz
We love small businesses, and we love Martha Stewart. And now they're coming together in a marvelous opportunity for one lucky entrepreneur or crafter. Could that be you?Second question: could you use $10,000? Martha Stewart's American Made competition is searching...
Crayons straight from the farm. In France. Via schoolbus.
Since a shiny new box of crayons is de rigeur for back to school season, I am loving this awesome set of crayons that might make a perfect "You'll do great, honey!" gift for a new preschooler or kindergartener. And of course, her mom can borrow them too. The...
Today, please hit “Like” to help end pediatric AIDS
As a mother, here's a program I'm so happy to be able to tell you about: for the next few hours only, you can help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in a significant way by barely lifting a finger. In fact, you will quite literally save lives. And saving...
5 tech picks you won’t want to miss this week
Here are a few of our favorite tech picks from the last week, just in case you missed them. 1. Lovely, handmade gadget covers that are so nice we can't decide which one we like best. 2. As if we needed another reason to love IKEA. Look at what they're doing...
Bite-sized happiness from Ella’s Kitchen
I must admit, once or twice I have bought boxes of lovely, organic snacks only to find they've gone stale before we've had a chance to get through them. What can I say? My daughter is picky and not every snack is her style. Leave it to Ella's Kitchen, the creators of...
Grow baby, grow.
Despite having found so many cool kids' growth charts here on Cool Mom Picks, I confess I still use a pencil on the side of our kitchen wall. It's not that I haven't loved every single one of them, but they're either too pretty or too big or just too...something for...
One more fun reason to visit the Fab Back to School pop-up shop right now
It's abundantly evident to readers of this site that I'm in love with Fab.com. That love only heightened when they launched weekly kids sales. And now--a back-to-school pop-up shop with lots of fun goodies for preschoolers, teens and even college kids. Plus a few...
The ottoman fit for your child’s adorable little butt
I am one of those moms who totally wants my house to look as good as it did pre-kids, but also recognizes that that is ridiculously impractical and it will never happen and no, it's okay, I have my own Kleenex. So when I find furniture that both looks great and won't...
A Ryan Gosling coloring book just for Mommy
I've made it pretty clear that I'm a huge Ryan Gosling fan. I own the Ryan Gosling dish towel we recently found. (Enough said?) So if you love Ryan as much as I do, here's an excuse to stare at him a little more. The Ryan Gosling coloring book might just be the most...