More coolness from recent weeks…
Happy Camper Week: Built NY Munchlers
With extra protective parents and a ton of great outdoor resources right near our home, I saw my fair share of day camps growing up. So along with my swimsuit and an extra change of clothes, my mom always had to pack me a lunch. Of course, she never had anything as...
Big Brands Doing Cool Things: Aurora’s Eco-Plush Animals
Mostly we're fans of handmade plush around here, but we also understand that not everyone wants to spend $85 on a penguin hand-knit from recycled sweaters then hand-stuffed with locally harvested cotton (even if it is totally awesome and you would be seriously the...
Dear John (Or Aiden or Chloe or Oliver) Letters
When I left home, my mother sent my own baby book along with me. She had taken great pains to record minute details for me, including our family tree and every newborn gift I received, but it was her personal commentary - the notes scrawled on scraps of paper - that...
Happy Camper Week on Cool Mom Picks: The Camp Pack From Mabel’s Labels
If you've got a kid heading off to sleepaway camp or even day camp, you're probably hoping that he'll come back home again with the same stuff you sent him there with. Except maybe that peanut butter sandwich. Because that would be gross. Mabel's Labels makes labels...
Secret Agent Ma’am
My daughter adores cartoon characters, as she is biologically programmed to, but I don't necessarily like cartoon characters all over her clothes. (God love Diego for teaching my kid what an ocelot is but I don't feel the need to reciprocate by advertising the show...
Attention Pretend K-Mart Shoppers
Pity the average supermarket shopper; we have to push around banged-up, one-wheel- jiggling, sticky-handled metal shopping carts when we do our food shopping. If our carts looked more like the toy shopping cart from Plan Toys, I may enjoy the experience a bit more...
The Sony Alpha DSLR-A 300K: Cool Mom–and Cool Dad–Approved
This review comes courtesy of an exceptionally cool dad, Nate, my own sigOth, which I insisted on since he won't let me near the camera. Grrr. -Liz I can say without exaggeration that our apartment has been overrun by the most obnoxiously adorable everything in the...
Happy Camper Week on Cool Mom Picks: The Don’t Bite Me Bug Patch
There is no happy camping where there are mosquitoes and ticks there to ruin the fun, and so we present to you the ingenious Don't Bite Me Patch. It's one of the most awesome and natural ways we've found to protect your kids from those small buzzing beasts of summer....
A dandy alternative to backpacks for kids
My three year-old has entered that phase I'm lovingly describing as Her Jerk Phase. As in, the movie The Jerk. Remember that scene where Steve Martin says "The ashtray, the paddle thing and the remote control. And these matches. That's all I need. And this chair."...
Social Networking For a Cause
Having kids didn't make you forget about the worthy causes you've championed -- in fact, there's something about becoming a parent that often activates the save-the-world gene. But with time at a premium now, how do you reconcile passion for change with a mom's busy...
Eco-Friendly Rattles in Technicolor
While I'm definitely way pickier when it comes to buying rattles for my upcoming third baby, I admit that at times, the eco-friendly choices in their various shades of brown almost make me miss the bright colors of some of our retired plastic ones....
The JP Lizzy Tote: One More Reason to be Happy About Summer
We're certainly fortunate to have a pool right up the street from our house, but combine daily visits with two little kids and you've got a whole heck of a lot of crap to lug around. Clearly, not just any old tote bag will do, which is why I was quite happy that one...
Bippity Boppity Ribbit
If it wasn't obvious enough from the piles of crowns and high heels in our toy box, my daughter is tiara deep into a fairy tale princess obsession. Why would I be surprised when she asked me for a wand for her birthday?Being the supportive and loving mother that I am,...
Thoroughly Modern Zoo
Kids loves animals. Kids love animals on their shirts. And now Colette Kids is making killer tees that parents will love if they love a kid who loves animals on their shirts. I'm pretty sure if my toddler owned one of graphic designer Anita Lee's cool geometric animal...
Regifting Just Found Legitimacy
One of the best pieces of advice I got at my baby shower was to save the gift bags. Sure enough, I reused almost all of them--except that one that already looked reused enough. I'll withhold names to protect the regifter.Mom Jennifer Paretta liked the idea of reusing...
C-Section Undies: Hot. For Real.
I realize that it took nine months for my body to complete its baby-making journey, so I really ought to be patient and give it nine months to recover. Especially after a c-section. But patience has never been my strong suit and I want to wear cute undies again....
Fear Not, Little Girls
Turtle Papers is one of those shops that we're always checking back with because every new item they make, from stationery to wall decor to kids tees, is pretty much something we're coveting. The latest: The I'm Fearless lap tee for the littlest adventurers. I'm...
Habla Toddlerese
The excitement of hearing my son's first few words was quickly dashed when no one but us could actually understand what the heck he was saying. But now that he's sporting his Translation Tee from Temporary Language, everyone knows that his strategically spoken "oohs"...
Rolling in the Dough
The smell brings me right back to childhood, but the first time I found my daughter with a wad of Play-Doh in her mouth, I wondered, "what the heck is in this stuff?" An all-natural alternative is the unscented eco-dough, made by a family in California My kids loved...
Robeez Gets Air Conditioning
I'll admit that I'm late to the Robeez party, but now that I'm here, I'm a devoted fan. And as far as I'm concerned, I've arrived just in time since their designs seem to be getting cuter by the season. This summer, I'm coveting their sandals for babies and toddlers....
Organic Bedding Just Keeps Getting Cuter
Of all the splurges one can make when it comes to decorating the nursery, the one I always fantasized about was fabulous organic bedding. It's a purchase you can feel good about (good for the environment! good for baby!) plus there's little cozier than a nice soft...