More coolness from recent weeks…

Three good reasons to wash your hands.

Three good reasons to wash your hands.

Forget germs or flu bugs or anything like that. The way I see it, there are three new reasons to wash your hands right now: The three new holiday scents from Method. I can't remember the last time I bought a hand soap that didn't smell marvelous. These days, even...

Okay, kid. Here’s that kitten you wanted.

Okay, kid. Here’s that kitten you wanted.

I'm pretty sure my Christmas list one year included a puppy, a kitten, a bunny, and The Black Stallion. I was deeply disappointed not to find any boxes with air holes under the tree, but you can get at least 3 out of 4 with these adorable stocking...

Cute non-skid pants give crawlers a leg up

Cute non-skid pants give crawlers a leg up

Before we had babies, we decided that what our house needed was stained concrete floors. Slippery-as-heck concrete floors, as we found out after we had babies, are not exactly the easiest place for them to learn to crawl. We ended up investing in a lot of rugs.So I...

On the thirteenth day of Christmas: PEACE.

On the thirteenth day of Christmas: PEACE.

Partridges, French hens, the splattered eggs of a dozen overactive geese. Forget 'em. If you want to say "I love you" with birds, go for the artistic, lasting beauty of paper lovebirds, another gift that gives back.Whether you'd like a whole flock in mobile form or...

Honey for the hostess

Honey for the hostess

While Christmas is drawing ever so close, I know the hostess invitations and house visits will extend well into the new year. I can't stop browsing hostess gifts, looking for something more interesting than candles or flower bouquets. I think these handmade wooden...

6 great kindie music CDs for Christmas

6 great kindie music CDs for Christmas

I was fretting to my sister that I didn't know what to get her kids, my sweet little niece and nephew, who seemingly have everything. Her response: Don't you review kids' music for Cool Mom Picks? Just get them some cool new tunes!   Funny how the most obvious...

Wrapping paper so cute it should come with a frame.

Wrapping paper so cute it should come with a frame.

Don't worry, little narwhals and belugas. My kids' sticky mitts will never touch you, much less rip you to shreds to get to the booty beneath. No, my sweet blubbery friends, you are far too precious for that. Yes, I'm talking to wrapping paper. It's that cute. I'll be...

Custom toy boxes make last minute gifts for kids easy.

Custom toy boxes make last minute gifts for kids easy.

My daughter is obsessed with being a dentist. Yes, just like that Elf on that Rudolph video. Of course, I'm delighted and I want to encourage her, but dentist toys are a little hard to come by. Luckily, I won't have to scour the Internet in all my hours of free time...

Crafty gifts for kids with an artist’s eye

Crafty gifts for kids with an artist’s eye

Kids need a little ink too. (No, not tattoos. We may be hip and fashion-forward, but we're not crazy.) I'm talking about the kind of ink that creates together time, yields beautiful artwork, and teaches an interesting lesson. The all-in-one handy sumi-e painting kit...

Lumberjack shirt 2.0

Lumberjack shirt 2.0

While we've featured numerous stylish, Swedish-inspired clothes for kids by Polarn O. Pyret on Cool Mom Picks since they came to US shores last year, this reversible plaid lumberjack shirt was my first personal experience with their clothing. And let me just say, I...

Our favorite dressy dresses for Christmas

Our favorite dressy dresses for Christmas

I still need a dressy dress for my 3.5 year old daughter for Christmas eve, so I started diving through our archives looking for ideas. Of course there's always the mall stores that we all know and love (or accept somewhat begrudgingly at times). But if you're looking...

Make it a handmade Christmas

Make it a handmade Christmas

Still looking for a few last minute gifts for the family? Clearly we're crazy, mad, marry-us-in-Vegas in love with Etsy and all the wonderful artists and crafters we've discovered there. That's why today, on Etsy's The Storque blog, we've rounded up some of...