More coolness from recent weeks…
Things to do with kids when you’re too busy to think argh, what can I do with the kids?
I think of Yojo Mama as that clued-in friend who knows all the hot spots in town. Except instead of tipping you off to a new shoe store, she knows fun places to take an active toddler, which restaurants are kid-friendly and even the nearest diaper changing station...
Hooded baby towels that actually do what a hooded baby towel is supposed to do. Shocking.
Hooded towels are pretty much a requisite baby registry purchase, but most of the big shops that moms register with offer the thinnest, scratchiest, least absorbent towels in the world. I know. I've been there, as have my poor shivering kids. So you'd better hope your...
The big polka dot elephant in the middle of the room
Leave it to the darn CPSIA to help us discover a ton of wonderful artisans thinking about calling it quits on February 10th thanks to the new toy testing regulations.Such is the case for Kristen Dirmeier, musician and artist, who hand creates the most adorable stuffed...
Into the wild blue yonder
Since my husband is a pilot, you can probably guess the amount of plane toys and clothes we've got strewn about our house. But we have yet to see anything like the Margalo Aviator Cap from Soil. Modeled after a classic pilot's cap and even featuring a set of appliqued...
The 2009 inauguration. You know, for kids.
Wondering how to amply convey excitement and understanding about Obama's historic inauguration for your children? Me, I'm going to click over to Share My Inauguration with my oldest daughter, and show her what it all looks like from a kid's perspective. Not just any...
The new Electric Company plugs in today and that’s C…ool…Cool
Hey you guyyyyyyyys! Let me just come right out and say the new Electric Company kids' show on PBS does not disappoint, and, believe me, I was worried. In fact, my first reaction to the relaunch was one of skepticism. How could they mess with Easy Reader? Fortunately,...
Revved up like a deuce
An occupational hazard of writing for Cool Mom Picks is spending waaaay too much money buying all the cool stuff you're writing about. One glance at this original 1970s Olds print and my 8-year-old was declaring he had to have it.It's not surprising considering these...
An infant massage DVD that rubs me the right way
I'd always heard about infant massage, but I never felt comfortable enough to give it a try. I figured that slathering my babies with lotion after their baths was about the closest I'd ever get to practicing infant massage.Then I got a chance to check out the...
Can You Hear Me Now?
These days I woo clients while emptying the dishwasher, refilling sippy cups, and changing poopy diapers. Yes, really. Obviously, a Bluetooth headset is a must. But not all headsets are created equal, which is why I lo-ove my Zivio Boom. It's got six different...
Cafe Handmade’s virtual craft show: open 24 hours
A few days before Christmas, I decided to visit a large indoor craft show, jam-packed with cool, one-of-a-kind items. I arranged for a sitter to watch the kids, got directions and was ready to go. Then, it snowed. I wish I had known about Cafe Handmade when I was...
Moey’s Music Party throws a preschooler bash
Melissa Levis, the Moey of Moey's Music Party, communicates to toddlers the way I wish I could, especially when they are getting on my nerves. Rather than tensely demand, "Share your toys!" this off-Broadway songwriter sings a bouncy song about sharing. Instead of...
If these walls could read
Ever been tempted to rip the pages out of your kids' books and hang them on the wall? Is that only me? Oops. I'm tempted by every single framable children's book illustration by illustrator Adam Record of Fall Down Tree, a man so cool and 2.0 that he...
A baby activity center that lets mom get some activities in too
Of course those gihunda baby activity centers and Exersaucers are a big hit for new parents because the kid will happily swat at some puppets or jingle balls in there long enough for you to hit the shower and wash the pureed chicken out of your hair. (Don't hurt me...
Last day to vote – Save handmade from the CPSIA
Today is the last day to vote at Change.org for "Save Small Businesses for CPSIA", a proposal from the Handmade Toy Alliance that help to save handmade. If you have a minute (or a few seconds if you're a fast clicker), hop over and vote digg style. The top 10 ideas...
Toby + Rei spin bamboo and cotton into a whole lot of cute
I don't think I could ever send my kids off to school with a flimsy paper lunch bag after getting one of Toby + Rei's sturdy and very cool reusable Robot Lunch Sacks. These heavyweight, 100% organic cotton sacks are so much bigger than the typical lunch bag, meaning I...
Baby Mukluks – Yeah, I had no idea what they were either
Maybe it's because the last thing I need is a gigunda boot at the bottom of my already huge ankles, or because it's currently 65 degrees outside in Atlanta in the middle of January, but either way, I've yet to embrace the Mukluks trend. When I saw these Giselle...
An ABC book that actually gets kids creating their own A’s, B’s and C’s. And sometimes an alien robot.
How to Build an A is about the most fun you can have with an alphabet book. Because, just as author Sara Midda's title says, kids can actually devote their time to creating letters out of the enclosed EVA foam pieces and not just reading about them. Midda's charming...
One more incentive for taking on those blank walls this year
We've been raving about graphic artist Lisa Masterson's various works at Avalisa for... well, a long time, and Liz recently marveled over her stunning stretched wall art. So you can probably only imagine my glee at learning that more than 500 different Avalisa designs...
The elephant in the room… is adorable
When you think Eames you probably think wood, but for kids raised around the Eames Elephant, they'll grow up to associate the designer with a rainbow of colored plastics. It's a stool, it's a bench, it's decoration. It's pint-sized modern aesthetic, somehow making...
Don’t shake it like a Polaroid picture, unless you want to break your laptop
Just because they stopped making film for Polaroid cameras doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying the now kitsch classic. We are totally digging on Poladroid, free downloadable software that gives your digital pics the same retro look of those instant pictures from...
Dribble me this
I've proclaimed my disdain for bibs so many times that it would only make sense that my third baby would be the drooliest of them all. Seriously, it's like a tiny river flowing down her chin. So I'm sorry to say that bibs have become a regular fixture around her...