More coolness from recent weeks…
Recession shopping tip: Last season it was new, this season it’s a sale
If you've been known to lust after designer backpacks and dream of sending your kid back to school in impeccable style, but can't quite bring yourself to face the designer price tag, I have some great news. Now's a great time to buy those gorgeous designs you drooled...
The reinvention of the lunchbox
Who knew, back when we were kids that there would be a lunchbox alternative besides those little metal numbers with the latch, the wobbly handle, and, if you were me, an illustration of the Partridge Family on the front. The contemporary new Oots Lunchbox is a really...
GoPicnic – The real happy meals
With my daughter entering kindergarten in the fall, I must now add "pack a lunch" to my list of duties--something that is clearly not my fort?. So at least I know that in a pinch, I've got the GoPicnic kids Mighty Munch meals to turn to. These convenient prepacked...
The back to school sneakers for climbing a tree or cutting a rug
While all of the trend forecasting is pointing to the 80s for fall, I'm loving the 80s-meets-50s footwear mashup of the new Keds saddle shoe sneaker, right in time for back to school shopping.It's that rare hybrid that's got all the comfort and support you want in a...
Dahling, who are you wearing? Oh you? Fabulous!
My days of drawing rock band logos on my knees are long gone, but life would have been a lot easier if the non-toxic Tee Juice fabric markers were around back then. My son and his friends tried them out during the world's best playdate, and I found the thick...
Purple Trail makes anybody a professional party planner
I want to be a good hostess, really I do. But my idea of throwing a party involves opening a few bottles of wine and putting steaks on the grill. I'm a little shaky where it comes to the details that elevate a party from fun to fabulous.Purple Trail is exactly what...
Chic maternity wear all in one place. And that one place is not a mall, thank you.
Maternity wear has come a long way in the nine years since I had my first baby, but for most of us, the local maternity shopping options are limited, and trolling the Internet for deals takes time away from napping -- an important part of staying radiant while you're...
Last Chance to Win One Kings Lane Shopping Spree!
If you've been waiting for just the right moment to become a Cool Mom Picks subscriber, now is the perfect time! Aside from getting the coolest of our monthly picks, exclusive features, celeb trends, discounts and special offers from our awesome sponsors right in your...
I can’t believe it’s not shea butter
Let me start off with the disclaimer: Shea butter scares me. I have tried out any number of shea butter moisturizers for review because I hear of its miraculous benefits, and yet one leaves me feeling slimier and smellier than the next. So when I hear about a product...
Oh, the places we’ve never been. And the prints to match.
In my want-to-but-can't traveling state, I can easily identify with Jennifer Hill's Places I Have Never Been collection where she takes a city she's never been and develops a pattern for it, using the pattern in fun prints, calendars, and cards. Now thoughts of...
Don’t burn, baby burn
The best part of the summer, for me, are the days spend hanging out at our local pool, but worst part is getting my son to put on sunscreen. No, strike that, usually I can pin him down long enough to slather him with the first coating; it's arguing over how long the...
The original eco friendly lunch box gets an update with Laptop Lunches 2.0
Can I mention that I'm sort of freaking out about this whole packing a lunch in an actual lunch box thing, which is completely silly because it's just a lunch for goodness sake. So, I'm relying on my daughter's new Laptop Lunch box and bag to get me through this...
All You Gluten, Milk, Egg and Nut-Allergic Cookie Lovers: I have the Cookies for you
You're lucky she isn't allergic to gluten. . .that allergy sucks, the guy at Whole Foods said, as I looked for milk-free treats for my oldest. And, I have to agree that in the world of food allergies, short of the real life-threatening ones, I feel worst for the...
Been Caught Squealing
Back in the day, sweaty dancing to live music, singing loudly and staying up too late was a given during my annual pilgrimage to the Lollapalooza music festival. I've had to tone things down a bit now that my hearing is shot, my bedtime is before 10 and the kids are...
The budget-friendly Oeuf collection. Yep, you read that correctly.
The brilliant folks at Oeuf have listened to the pleas of cash-strapped moms like me and created a new kids' furniture collection that is chock full of the design and eco-friendliness of their other collections-- but at about half the price. The new Oeuf Robin...
RunPee – So pregnant women will never miss the good parts again
I'm pretty sure my pregnant bladder had a mind of its own, ensuring that I would have to run to the bathroom at all the most inopportune times. You know, like immediately after you pass a rest stop on the highway, just when you fall asleep, and right at the good part...
Toy and product recalls – Yep, they’re still out there.
While 2009 hasn't quite turned out to be the Year of the Recall the same way it was in 2007, we still like the the idea of an easy way to check for safety recalls of children's toys and other products. In fact, the Babysitter Balance from Baby Bjorn (shown), a...
These ain’t your mama’s nursery rhyme illustrations
There's a place for tradition, and there's a place for innovation, and there is a place for both side by side. Sub-Studio design's new nursery rhyme prints are a perfect combination of age-old nursery rhymes from past generations and a bold mid-century illustration...
The waste-free lunch kit with something for everyone
The day I realized how many plastic baggies I was using in my kids' lunches each week was the day I began trying every sort of reusable container and wrap out there. Nowadays the kids take a cobbled-together assortment of reusables in their lunch bags, but the Kids...
In the pink
There aren't too many pink posters I'd hang in my daughters' post-feminist non-pink bedroom, but artist and graphic designer Robin Rosenthal's counting bird poster would easily make the cut. When we first found her original counting birds poster two years ago, we fell...
Learning disguised as catchy pop songs, cool characters, and charming illustrations.
We don't own a lot of kids' DVDs in my house, primarily since it's so hard to know if we will get our money's worth or they will be watched twice before my daughter gets bored and just wants to throw the disk around. But one completely worthwhile standby has been our...