More coolness from recent weeks…
Funny Father’s Day cards that actually are
Finding a funny Father's Day card that has nothing to do with golf, grilling, tools, beer, or leaving the toilet seat up is not an easy task, as I've discovered. And yet--voila. I've tracked down 7 funny Father's Day cards that I would actually send. (No offense,...
5 cool personalized key chains for Father’s Day
Every time I see my father-in-law, he tells me how much he loves his Father's Day gift from a few years back, a personalized key chain I had made for him from the kids. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's his favorite gift of all time. If you're looking for an...
5 great white wine cocktail recipes (and one great way to do good while making them)
Now that it's unofficially summer, I'm in a white wine mindset, which also means delicious white wine cocktails. Fortunately I've got quite a few to share with you. But first, I want to share one of my favorite white wines--with a great story to boot. After a decade...
Are LEGO Friends good for girls? Let’s talk about it.
I'll be frank, quite a few of us groaned along with many of you when LEGO Friends was announced; that series of pastel-colored, "girl-friendly" kits which seemed heavy on the pink and purple, with themes like Butterfly Beauty Shop. (Gah.) At Toy Fair earlier this...
UV swimwear lets girls play it safe, and adorable, in the sun.
Hooray, it's unofficially summer this week! That mean fun days at the beach, and for parents, the grand hunt for UV swimwear and the perfect sunblock to keep our kids safe.My daughter is not the yellow polka dot bikini kind of gal anyway; she'll be digging in the sand...
Gifts for new dads – Father’s Day Gift Guide
This roundup of awesome gifts for new dads is the second in our Father’s Day Gift Guide series brought to you by the wonderful folks at Dove Men+Care. The perfect b+w of Daddy and the new baby in a great frame is always a classic First Father's Day gift. We happen to...
DIY teacher gifts from the class? Reader Q+A
Help! We are trying to come up with an end of year DIY teacher gift from the whole classroom for our kindergarten teacher. Something every kid can participate in but won't require too much work from the parents. I know Cool Mom Picks will have great ideas. Thank you...
Dan Zanes in a most unexpected place: your own kitchen
Dan Zanes is happiness squared. His music puts me in a great mood each and every time I give it a spin--even without the kids, when I'm alone in the minivan. So I'm excited to see his new project that didn't come out of a sound studio, but a ceramics studio.[after the...
A Father’s Day gift from the kid. Of the kid.
We've recently shared 10 of our favorite personalized Father's Day gifts, and now there's one more we're in love with. Now let me first tell you, normally, I get a little panicked about Father's Day gift-giving, while consoling myself with the knowledge that, worse...
Kindie music’s Walden: The Okee Dokee Brothers take on the Mississippi
When I wrote about the first Okee Dokee Brothers CD back in '08, I called them "equal parts hillbilly, seven-year-old boy and your favorite teacher"...heavy on the 7 year old boy. Now on their third release, it's as if the two jokers with the goofy sense of humor have...
The coolest luggage tags, just in time for travel season
It's Memorial Day, which means the start of summer travel season, hooray! If upgrading your entire set of luggage isn't in the budget at this particular moment, you can at least swankify it all with a super cool new luggage tag. Here are just a few I've found that...
5 tech picks you won’t want to miss this week
From photo magic to outlet genius, here are a few of our favorite discoveries on Cool Mom Tech from the last week, just in case you missed them. 1. Here's a cool use for an old phone (remember those?) that would be a great Father's Day gift. Besides, you'll have...
Cool patriotic kids’ shirts beyond the red, white, and blue
With a husband in the Air Force Reserves, you can bet that Memorial Day means more to us than the unofficial start of summer and a long lazy weekend. And while in years past I deck the kids out in red, white, and blue, this year I've got the coolest t-shirts that pay...
Great breastfeeding dresses – But no one has to know but you and the baby
The one summer wardrobe staple I missed wearing when I was breastfeeding was a simple, easy dress. (Yeah, not too many of us are willing to lift an entire dress over our heads in public.) But these days, there are so many cool options for nursing moms, like the new...
Trend alert: Balloon dogs!
Jeff Koons may have popularized the balloon dog as pop art icon, but as a figure in so many of our own childhoods, its no wonder we're starting to see all kinds of artists and brands finding inspiration in them. Here are a few super cute balloon dogs that are finding...
A DIY Father’s Day gift, no crafty genes required
As much as I love to give my husband a handmade DIY Father's Day gift from the kids, I'm not the craftiest person in the world. They make their own cards and we call it a day. But after discovering this awesome DIY gift idea, I think I might have the kids forgo the...
What? We’re recommending a cover album for kids? Why yes indeedy!
We are not generally fans of albums of popular music covered by band that dumb down the music for kids--or worse, have kids sing the music. I'll take my Beatles sung by the Beatles, thanks very much. That said, I was nervous when I heard about LA duo Renee &...
Clothes for tween girls that you’ll both like
One of the biggest requests we get these days are for clothes for tween girls that aren't slutty. (Their words, not mine. Okay, mine too.) It should not be so hard to dress a ten year-old like a ten year-old, right? Well I've discovered a beautiful, classy collection...
Reef rash just got fashionable. Thanks, Cynthia Rowley!
Cynthia Rowley's back in the Band-Aid business, and this time, she skipped the mall and gone straight to the beach. If you recall the last Cynthia Rowley Band-Aids, you'll know how quickly these blingy bandages are going to sell out. The collection features eight...
Disney Pixar Summer Movie weekend – $6 movies, whoo!
As much as I'm excited about spending Memorial Day weekend outside with my family, I anticipate we'll need a little break from the pool and the 90 degree heat here in Atlanta. So I'm happy to have this awesome Pixar movie promotion on my radar just in case we need a...
Marc Jacobs honors kids with two daddies, or two mommies. And we honor Marc Jacobs.
Obviously, we've got Father's Day on the brain lately. Which means we're also thinking about fathers of all kinds. Like single dads. And those dads with a second loving dad at home. Evidently, Marc Jacobs is in the same place. So we're standing up and applauding this...