More coolness from recent weeks…
We’re obsessed with this poster featuring favorite self-saving heroines
Just when I thought I could never love another print as much as I love my Michelle Obama print, along comes this amazing She-Series collage poster from Karen Hallion featuring so many of my favorite self-saving, empowered female heroines from books, movies, and...
Look we’re loving: The new Spanx faux leather camo leggings
Just this week I started moving the fall and winter items to the front of the closet and saying goodbye (sniff) to my comfy, swingy cotton dresses. That's when I rediscovered my favorite faux leather leggings from last year and got all excited to wear them again....
17 of our favorite kid-friendly Halloween party printables to make your bash a smash
Let's talk Halloween party printables, parents! If you're not familiar with the wide world of free printables for holidays of all kinds, we've always got you covered. And with Halloween party season upon us, these free (free!) downloadable posters, decorations,...
How one mom’s viral #himtoo post led to the #metoo ending no one expected
We all talk a lot about "oversharenting," or what to post about our kids on social media, how much info is too much, and whether we might be embarrassing them...one day. Well it turns out these questions apply well beyond potty training photos, as evidenced by one...
15 Columbus Day sales worth checking out right from home
If you plan on taking advantage of the big Columbus Day sales today, our advice remains the same as it does on Black Friday or Cyber Monday or any other sale day -- stay home! Or...go out, shop from your phone while you avoid the crowds in your favorite coffee shop....
Amiyrah Martin on the most genius time-saving hacks for moms (They are SO good!)
This week on Spawned, we're joined by Amiyrah Martin of 4 Hats and Frugal. She's one of our favorite writers and Instagrammers and while she's known for her great tips on saving money, she happens to be pretty sharp with time-saving tips too. What's especially...
Michael Strahan did a beautiful thing for one little boy who was being bullied | Thinking : Parent
I've been watching an amazing story unfold on my Facebook feed over the last month. And because we love a good heartwarming story, we knew we had to share this story of Michael Strahan's act of kindness with you all too. It started a month ago, when a friend sent out...
How one designer handbag can help thousands more women run for office
If you're not yet aware of Lingua Franca, well come right here, my friends! Rachel Hruska's luxury, celeb-approved, hand-embroidered cashmere sweaters and accessories have blown up certain circles of the internet this year -- the main one being politically-minded,...
13 of the absolute coolest family Halloween costume ideas right now from Moana to Guardians to Avocado Toast.
I'm so excited to look for cool family Halloween costumes this year! We've moved past the babywearing costumes stage now that my son is old enough to trick-or-treat, but he's young enough to accept pretty much whatever costume I dress him, and there is a very short...
This Hocus Pocus doormat is a huge improvement over “smell my feet”
Okay, so I laughed out loud when I stumbled across this "I Smell Children" Hocus Pocus Doormat From Seattle Etsy shop Stroll the City. It's just perfect for updating your Halloween decor -- creepy/funny enough to make cynical teens laugh, but not so scary that you'll...
Join us for a Twitter social to help combat online bullying. Because #ItsCoolToBeKind.
Online safety and cyberbullying have surpassed the list of parents' concerns over even drugs and alcohol. And we get it -- we have kids who are online too and it can be a little scary to let them loose on the Internet. In fact, 28% of students have experienced...
This laugh-out-loud new children’s book may remind them just how wonderful it is to go to sleep. Or so we hope. | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Candlewick Press Will the exhausted Mr. Snore ever get some shut-eye at the busy Sharemore hotel? Kids will giggle from cover to cover as they follow his adventures up each floor of the tall hotel, only to discover that one floor is...
Catherine McCord’s tips for making feeding kids more fun | Spawned ep 127
We're always up for tips and tricks to help us make our time in the kitchen more fun, which is why we were so excited to chat with Catherine McCord, of the uber popular Weelicious, one of our all-time favorite food blogs. We've been friends for years now, so how...
Why this mannequin head is a seriously cool birthday gift for a tween girl
When my daughter came home from camp this summer, all she wanted to do was braid everyone's hair. Except... none of us really have long enough hair to braid. That's when I decided to search Amazon for a hair mannequin head so she could braid whenever she wanted. Let...
If you love the Pigeon and the Piggie, you’ll love Mo Willems’ squirrels!
For all of us Mo Willems fans with a big Elephant and Piggie shaped hole in our hearts, there's good news! And it comes in the form of...unlimited squirrels. Well, technically there are 16 squirrels in total, but with the zany, over-the-top energy these new characters...
We love the story behind these cool political women icon stickers
After the past week we've had, spotting these illustrated political women icon stickers on a friend's Facebook feed kind of made my day. Let me just say, this is a tiny grassroots effort by artist Gabriela Indivero -- it's not an Etsy shop or a fancy website. But I...
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: A new jewelry line empowering women with just three words.
If you're familiar with Cool Mom Picks, you know that we started this site to help discover cool new businesses and products, support women entrepreneurs, and share their amazing stories. That's why I'm so thrilled to tell you about someone I'm so pleased to be...
Amazing op-eds and articles from women to help us process our feelings about women’s trauma, Dr. Blasey Ford, and the Kavanaugh hearings.
What a week. That's all you have to say right now to nearly any woman in your life, and she will know exactly what you're talking about. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's credible, difficult testimony in the Kavanaugh hearing (i.e. not a trial) this past Thursday was...
The fun Halloween costume kits kids can DIY themselves — while getting a lesson in STEM
This year, if your kid wants to be a unicorn with a glowing horn or a chomping dinosaur or even a fairy with motorized wings for Halloween, you can say with all confidence, "Sure, kiddo! And you can even make it yourself." (If only we could say that about all our...
6 natural remedies to help keep families healthy during the germy school year
Now that we've found new school clothes and back-to-school gear for all our kids (well, mostly), parents are now moving onto worry #2 -- how to avoid back-to-school sickness. My family has already been through hand-foot-and-mouth disease and a wicked stomach virus,...
Halloween costumes are glorifying sexual predators, and it’s disgusting.
Oh hey! In today's New Thing To Be Rightfully Outraged Over we're going to go with Halloween costumes that glorify sexual assault. Yeah, you read that right. Thanks to Mark Graham on Twitter, I was alerted to a GYN costume -- which is cool. We love OB/GYNs! I wouldn't...