More coolness from recent weeks…
C is for cute, cool, and completely custom soft books for kids
I realize there are 26 letters in the alphabet, but my daughter Quinlan would like to think that there's only one. Aren't most kiddos infatuated with "their" letter? So I say let them obsess a little bit more and heck, learn a few other...
Hand sanitizer that smells like a spa, not a distillery
I tote hand sanitizer--referred to in our house as "goo"--pretty much everywhere. I'm not a germaphobe, but we do seem to have recurring interactions with petting zoos and gross gas station restrooms. I'm not picky about my hand sanitizer brands -- I...
Flying with kids just got easier. Now if only we could each have a row to ourselves.
To be clear, I'm not planning on solo air travel with three children anytime soon. However, I've got friends planning vacations (lucky dogs!) and on my recommendation list is the Portable Playtime backpack.This streamlined mom-designed pack allows kids...
Oh you sneaky nursing top, you
I love the convenience of a nursing shirt but I hate that they scream "nursing shirt" when I'm not actually nursing my baby. So if there's a top that will actually leave people guessing, it's the amazing kimono nursing top from Isabella Oliver.This super smart and...
BookSwim – Like Netflix for books
I used to collect books the way other people collect whatever it is they collect, but since having kids, my book-buying budget has been re-allocated to board books, and a trip to the library means sitting in a circle for story time. Then I found BookSwim, and I cursed...
There’s an exception to every rule: Family music even I can stand
I have allowed my children to invade nearly all areas of my life. There are chicken nuggets in my freezer, tricycles in my driveway, and hordes of toys in every room of the house. But I admit I've drawn the line at listening to children's music, even the...
Who needs a stroller when you’ve got a Cruizer?
With each successive child, it gets progressively more difficult to haul around my brood. I started with one of those gargantuan travel systems that's more trouble than it's worth. Then I moved on to the stroller frame that accommodates the infant carrier. But now...
Ornaments designed by you, cast by experts
Every year for Christmas (yes, we're thinking Christmas already) Santa tries very hard to bring my kids an ornament that is somehow representative of the past year. "Baby's First Christmas" is a no-brainer, but what about those other occasions you may not find...
Eleven Shoes get a perfect 10
When my girls hit shoe sizes in the double digits, I was dismayed at how grown up some of the styles were. Heels for a preschooler? Eek.Thankfully, the new line of fall shoes by Eleven, the big brother/sister line of CMP fave See Kai Run, gives my growing five...
It’s okay to stick that in your mouth – you know where it’s been.
Is there any better time to reintroduce the joys of tooth-brushing to your kids than Halloween? I'm going to say no. Which gives me the perfect segueway to introduce all of you to the joys of Recycline's Preserve toothbrush.The handle is made entirely of...
Baking kits for your own little Betty Crocker
My daughter loves cooking with me. Loves it. And, while a mother/daughter cooking extravaganza might sound good in theory, the reality is actually quite messy. So I was intrigued by the many promises of Zebra Mix. These brownie, cupcake and cookie kits gives kids the...
Bohemian Rhapsody
Baby bedding has come a long way, even since having my son just under two years ago. And what's amazing to me is that designers, like Catherine Fitzsimmons of Rikshaw Design, formerly of Pottery Barn and Ralph Lauren, are still able to impress us with their unique...
What’s in a baby name? Everything.
Sure, I slogged through 8 Hundred Million Names For Baby (or whatever that well-thumbed paperback was called) each time I was pregnant, but did that tell me which celebs picked which baby names just last week? Or what names were on the rise in the last month? Of...
Take note. Or better yet, give one.
This past weekend, no one was going to mistake my son for the MVP of his soccer team but he did try his best. It was the perfect occasion for one of the playing card-sized notes from Kiddo Kards: One that said Especially for you on the front and on the back, I am so...
Safer Toys for Kids – Back by Popular Demand
We launched our very first Safer Toy Guide last October during the "Year of the Recall" (remember that?) but just because we haven't been overwhelmed with toy recalls yet this year, doesn't mean parents don't want safer toys for their kids this holiday season and...
Modern moms like plush baby blankets too
I've never quite understood why the plushest baby blankets have to be made out of the most unnatural of materials (hello polyester!). Apparently, mom Tamre Sutphen and owner of Shi Shu Style didn't get it either, and when her son had an allergic reaction to...
Rollout – Some enchanted wallpaper
One thing we haven't seen a whole lot of for some reason is cool kids wallpaper. And then we discovered Rollout, a creative design studio in Canada, which is doing some truly dandy things with wallcoverings. Their artists series features some amazing patterns from...
Buttoned-up baby gifts
As far as I'm concerned, the greatest gifts are the ones that you'd feel far too frivolous buying for yourself, but are unexpectedly practical. That theory goes double for new baby gifts. That's why the Car Seat Cardigan from Pomegranate Babies is my new go-to...
Big Tent helps parents hook up online. (Not hook up hook up…you know.)
I'm online all day long: On the computer in my office, on my handheld on the go. If you want me, text or email is the way to reach me, which is why I sometimes simply blink at you with incomprehension when you suggest we do things via this paper mail thing or...
Shower invitations just like you, if you were well-rested and a watercolor
Hey, there's nothing wrong with a picture of a pregnant woman on your shower invitations and thank you notes, but you don't want something all realistic, right? Because what would your "glowing" sciatica-suffering, never-sleeping, puffy-ankled self look like as an...
Dolls as cute as your kid’s artwork. There’s a good reason for that.
I admit it, I'm a sucker for just about any convert-the-kid's-art-into-a-keepsake service. And while art2believe will take your child's drawing and turn it into a stuffed doll, they'll also also turn it into a pillow, if you'd rather. Or an embellished shirt. Or an...