More coolness from recent weeks…
Family game night goes deeper with Family Matters
Look, I'm going to be honest: When I read that Family Matters is the family game for ages 8+ that helps your family get to know each other better, I steeled myself for my daughter rolling her eyes and my son sliding underneath the table, declaring his boredom....
Need Santa? There’s An App For That
I don't need to tell you that it might be handy to be able to program calls from Santa into your phone, for when you want to remind the kids that he knows when they're naughty or nice. Or to be able to pull, right out of your pocket, video to show a fidgety...
C’mon by Renee & Jeremy is easy listening, not cheesy listening
My kids are bouncing off the walls with cabin fever already and the constant refrain of "Santa is coming" isn't helping out. For those moments when we need to seriously chill out without falling asleep, Renee & Jeremy's new kids' music CD C'mon suits us perfectly....
For when that BBQ apron just won’t cut it.
You're having a holiday party. You're dressed up. You're serving food and drinks. An apron would be nice to protect your perfect cocktail dress, but who wants to drag out the old marinara-stained "Kiss the Cook" monstrosity? Well if it were me, I'd prefer...
Henry Road bears – A stuffed animal we can get behind
Unless a plush animal is on a kid's holiday or birthday wish list, I tend to steer clear from giving them because as a mom, I know how maddening it can be adding another stuffed bear to the already full toy bin. But when I saw the Kindred Things bears from Henry Road,...
My favorite girls’ dresses go on sale and suddenly I need 47 of them
Last night I was yapping with my sister-in-law about holiday dresses, when I clicked over to the Noko Baby site to show her some of my all-time favorite dressy dresses for girls. And wouldn't you know it, I get an email this morning, letting me know that for the first...
Not your same old Nutcracker story
We've amassed quite the collection of Christmas-themed picture books, but I'm always on the lookout for cool new titles to replace some of the ones we were given when the kids were little (I'm looking at you, Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Merry Christmas). Perennial...
Get your holiday music the (very, very, very) easy way with Slacker
So what's a slacker mom like me to do when she's having a Christmas party for sixty of her closest friends and her entire selection of Christmas music was wiped off the hard drive in the Great Computer Crash of Summer, 2009'? I don't know about you, but Slacker.com...
Affordable girl’s tights – Reader Q&A
I'm looking for simple, solid color winter tights in 3T that won't break the bank. -Kristina As the weather has officially turned here in Atlanta, I've also been on the lookout for winter tights for both my girls, Kristina. I dug around to find a few high quality...
iPlay’n Learn – They should’ve named it iDistract’n Calm
A few weeks ago I had some friends over to the house, and one of them brought her three-year-old, who immediately commenced leaping around on the furniture like a chimp on crack. Given that my children are past that phase (or can be reigned in with a simple, Knock it...
P’Kolino Art Supplies can’t wait to get into your stockings
Every December, I take stock of the state of our coloring, drawing and painting supplies and weed out the lost-caps, tiny crayon bits and crusty paints so they can be replaced. It's a great tradition that both keeps us organized, and presents some Christmas gift...
Skinnygirl Margarita Review: The 100-calorie, 5-second margarita
My name is Mir, and I like a good margarita. Judge me if you must. I'm also kind of lazy, so my margaritas are generally limited to the rare dinner out with my husband. Can I make a margarita at home? Sure. Do I? Usually not (see aforementioned laziness). And the...
Last minute gift idea – A book of the month club with no lame choices
Last year, we recommended the Gift Lit book of the month series as a cool children's gift, and it still is. But it makes smart last-minute gift for a fully grown adult too.You can just tell the thoughtful book choices in each series have been curated by a panel of...
A gift bag that truly has H.E.A.R.T.
Somewhere in between bargain hunting and gift wrapping I make sure that I stop to think about how blessed I am in so many ways. After all, isn't that what this season is supposed to be about? Fashionology, a fun, interactive, design-your-own-clothes website agrees,...
Leggings for girls who want to do more than host tea parties and watch princess videos
My four year-old daughter recently informed me that jeans were "stupid." Which, okay. Not the term I would use, but I get her point that she'd rather be wearing a dress, even to kick a soccer ball in the park. I know for a fact mom, designer and entrepreneur Wendy...
Want an incredible collection of Modern Art? Go Fish
I learned long ago that the best way for my son to learn about "boring" things was to find creative ways to teach him. Although I personally am fascinated by Modern Art, he could probably not be able to withstand an extended visit to the MoMA. Which made the Go Fish...
Children’s first games: For when you just can’t face another trip to Candyland
I want to be the mom who sits on the floor and plays board games for hours with her kids, but I usually start losing interest right around the same time my son tries to see how far he can hurl the dice. So we've tracked down some fantastic (dice-free) first games for...
X is for that cool coffee table in your playroom
Oh how I love the new Xylophone Music Table from the quirky, nostalgia-tastic furniture makers at Jellio. This 40-inch long coffee table inspired by that ubiquitous toy xylophone of my misspent youth would look so fantastic in a colorful kid's playroom, or even as a...
Cool Stocking Stuffers under $10 that still bring the Christmas magic
Seeing the kids make a beeline for their stockings is a favorite moment on Christmas morning. But, even though this is their first taste of Santa for the day, "he" can't afford to spend a small fortune on their stockings. So I thought I'd turn Santa onto some of my...
Getting a head start on organization
This is the first of Cool Mom Picks' four-part series on organization, sponsored by the most delightful momAgenda, makers of smart products like the the myAgenda Desktop planner, which happens to be perfect for busy people--not just moms!We're finally getting our acts...
Last minute holiday shopping tips – Join Cool Mom Picks at the Motherhood
There's only one week of holiday shopping left, mamas, but do not fear! In addition to our handy Holiday Gift Guide and our daily holiday picks, we've got a few extra last minute shopping tricks up our sleeves that we'll be sharing all day today (Wednesday, December...