More coolness from recent weeks…
Cool headband alert!
I've always had a thing for headbands. It probably dates back to the first grade when I fell in love with a ribbon and bead headband a cool older girl made for me. Now CMP (and mom) fave Giddy Giddy is taking me back to my grade school days with their ultra-adorable...
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
I now have a tree filed with beautiful one-of-a-kind ornaments from years of craft fairs and museum shops, and travels to cities everywhere. But if I can't get around the world, I'm glad their ornaments can now get to me, via Etsy. This stunning porcelain snowflake...
It’s Small Business Saturday – Have you hugged your mom + pop today?
Well hello! And happy Small Business Saturday --quite possibly our new favorite shopping day. (It certainly sounds better than Black Friday, right? So dark! So ominous!) Today is an amazing opportunity to devote some of that holiday budget to the local merchants you...
Cirque du Soleil – now performing in your living room between the tricycle and the house plant
My kids once had a gymnastics teacher who was training to be a Cirque du Soleil acrobat. He would take a ribbon that was hanging from the ceiling and spin himself up it as if gravity had no effect on him. It was freakishly amazing, a description I've heard...
When the gift tag is as cool as the gift
A gift card can sometimes feel kind of impersonal, no matter how many zeroes are on it. (Not necessarily unwelcome, by the way--dear friends and family: bring on those zeroes!) That's one reason we're always looking for special cards and gift tags, which can help make...
The Cool Mom Tech Holiday Gift Guide is here!
If we couldn't solve all your holiday shopping conundrums with our Cool Mom Picks holiday gift guide (gasp!), then we've got over 75 more fabulous gift options just for you in our brand spankin' new Cool Mom Tech holiday gift guide! We're here for you, mamas!We've got...
Star power
'Tis the season for lots of neighborhood parties and gatherings, and you know what that means--lots of hostess gifts. I have a closet dedicated to "cutesy gifts gone bad," like dozens of fancy soaps. (I'm a pump dispenser girl.)Personally I think a hostess gift is to...
The long lost potholder loom of my misspent youth!
With all the awesome Black Friday sales online today, I've had the best morning avoiding the crowds at the stores. I've been cuddling up with my girls, watching the Mahna Mahna video for the zillionth time on you tube, and jumping online to grab a deal or two. When I...
HABA’s little lambs, with their organic fleece as white as snow
When buying a gift for those sweet toddlers in my life, I tend to steer clear of "white" anything. Let's face it, they aren't the cleanest creatures on the planet.But HABA is one step ahead of me with their new line of snow-white lambs that don't mind a little water...
Accessories make the world go round. (Says us.)
Now that I'm expecting baby number two, accessories are the only fashion items I will allow myself to indulge in. I mean, who knows what form my figure will take after I pop out this little dude? To that end, I will certainly be hitting up Style Tryst, a new online...
Happy Thanksgiving, cool parents of the world!
We must say, Thanksgiving is easily one of our favorite holidays. (Especially if we're not the ones making the turkey, ha.) We hope that today you're surrounded with lots of family, lots of joy, and lots of really fantastic pecan pie. Then, make sure to come back...
Last minute Thanksgiving recipes? Don’t panic!
That growing anxiety I feel is because Thanksgiving is right around the corner, like a really long race I have to run and if I down, I'll never catch up again. Luckily, there are some food-tastic sites and bloggers who are a great help to you in your final hours of...
Giving the gift of reading. Really, really good reading.
It's awfully daunting, standing in the hustle and bustle of a huge bookstore during the holidays and trying to find one book among millions for the bibliophile or budding reader in your life. Luckily, there's a fabulous new service to help you choose just the right...
Making a holiday table look like a holiday table
I know that starting tomorrow I will admire my family members' beautifully adorned holiday tables and think I should really do more with mine. And then I will start virtually shopping online for gorgeous linens and flatware and other pretty things. And then maybe this...
These kids’ clothes will spice up my life too
So you've got a little girl who likes pink? Shockingly, I have one, as well. She loves purple, too, of course. And I admit freely that there are times I wish she'd wear any other color. But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em --on your own terms, of course. Which is why I...
Books to bring the Festival of Lights to life
Every Hanukkah, in addition to the loooong lists of requested items (i.e. toys) we always make sure to include several books as gifts. And guess what--long after my son is bored with the video game he received, he's still reading and re-reading the books. For...
Designing ornaments for kids. And charity. And Etsy. And because it’s awesome.
If you're an artist, a wannabe artist, or even an artist-in-training, we sure hope you'll enter our Color Your Own paper holiday ornament design contest that we're putting on with the fine folks at Etsy.All it takes is your design for a festive, seasonal paper...
Small Business Saturday: That’s our kind of Saturday!
This post and the first ever Small Business Saturday, November 27, is sponsored by American Express. You can "like" the Small Business Saturday Facebook Page to help generate a $1 donation to Girls Inc., and help spread the word about supporting the kinds of small...
The maternity top that’s saving me from a thousand tiny breakdowns daily
I have discovered maternity top nirvana. Nirvana, I tell you. And I'm pretty sure I will not be taking this thing off until I have my baby. Finally, I'm spared the thousand daily tug-downs of a too-small top. Finally, the underside of my belly doesn't have to get...
The best kids music of 2010, if we do say so ourselves
What's your beat? asked someone recently when I told them I write for Cool Mom Picks. Confused momentarily by the lingo, I recovered and replied, kids music. And, what a great beat it is, especially in 2010, when the music put out by kids' musicians was so...
Eco-friendly kids’ clothes meet funky pop art
If you're a mama (which you probably are) who dresses her children in clothes (which you probably do), and you read Cool Mom Picks (which you do!) you know there is a plethora of cute kids' clothing from which to choose. There are days my preschooler dresses way...