More coolness from recent weeks…
Nerd parent alert! 7 brilliant ideas for kids’ Game of Thrones costumes.
If your post-bedtime routine is all about Westeros, Wildlings, and Winterfell, you're going to love these cheeky Game of Thrones inspired costume ideas for kids this Halloween. And while there's no chance my kids will be watching The Mountain and Prince Oberyn's...
The Roots create a Schoolhouse Rock-ish video about slavery. Here’s why every parent should watch. | Thinking Parent
Last week's episode of Blackish focused on Columbus Day and why some Americans still celebrate or honor a man who really was no hero. The entire episode was powerful -- and brilliantly funny, as the show always is -- but it was I Am A Slave from The Roots, a song and...
How would you describe yourself with just four 4 things?
I love receiving personalized gifts, because they show that a friend has put a little more thought into gift-giving than, "Hey, it's on sale!" So when I saw these fun personalized 4 Things tote bags at The Shop Forward, I went ahead and passed it along it to a few...
Lisa Loeb’s latest lullaby album is the perfect chill out music. For adults.
I've been a big fan of Lisa Loeb since her hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" in the 90s. Then I became a mom and she started making really good kid's music and I loved her all over again. Now, those world's collide with her latest Amazon Original album Lullaby Girl, just...
An honest review of Glossier Balm Dotcom Universal Salve | Damn You, Social Media Ads
I can't be the only one seeing Glossier ads all over my Facebook feed. Those videos of dewey-skinned young lovelies applying their skincare products and popular lip balms were too much for this beauty product fan to resist! So in our latest installment of Damn You,...
Glow-in-the-dark pacifiers for Halloween! Or you know, baby’s first rave.
On Halloween, bigger kids may get all the action when it comes to face paint, fake fangs, multicolored hair, creepy costumes, and spooky masks. But glow-in-the-dark pacifiers? These suckers (ha) are babies-only. Related: 7 easy, creative baby Halloween costumes you...
A personalized children’s book that shows all kids that they can be anything they want.
We're always on the lookout for children's books that feature diverse characters, depict positive gender-neutral roles, and inspire. So I was pretty excited to discover this Kickstarter project for Seeing is Believing, a personalized picture book showing children that...
3 new building toys for animal lovers that kids (and parents!) will adore | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from MEGA Whether you're shopping for birthdays, holidays, or even World Animal Day (that's today!), these three new animal-themed building toys from kid-favorite MEGA might just be the perfect gift for the little animal lover in your life....
You won’t believe the features built into these 3 new jaw-dropping luxury strollers.
The new fancypants luxury strollers that have come out recently have me thinking, whoa. How did I survive my own baby's years with a regular old, not expensive, stroller? I mean, these new luxury strollers push themselves (literally). They monitor themselves for...
The first AR teddy bear blends high-tech with old-fashioned creative play | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Seedling Kids love tech. Kids love stuffed animals. So of course kids are going to love Parker, the world’s first Augmented Reality teddy bear who's here just in time for the holidays. Parker combines classic pretend play with amazing...
What to say when you call your representatives (and why it’s not scary)
We've seen so many important issues rise to the surface in 2017, and with that, more people calling their representatives. But we also see people saying that it makes them nervous, or they don't know just what to say. I can safely say that all of us here at Cool Mom...
The best travel mug we’ve ever used. And we’ve used a lot of them.
I have used an embarrassing number of travel mugs in my life, and none have come close to the YETI Rambler that I received as a gift from a friend a few months ago. It's going to be my new go-to gift for everyone because I can't stop talking about it. Which brings me...
THERE WILL BE BLOOD: The great (and hilarious) period discussion | Spawned ep 87
This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, a brutally honest, very funny, no-holds (or anatomical references) -barred discussion about girls, periods, and yep. Vaginas. Because you can't talk about periods without talking vaginas. And the more we say the word, the...
What’s in your bag? 16 items I never leave home without.
Over the years, I've carried many bags, and collected a whole lot of things in them. Helicopter toy? Check! Hand sanitizer? Always. 40 broken crayons? Got 'em. Ah, parenting. But, save the rare date nights when I'm carrying a small clutch, there are always items in my...
7 easy and still creative baby Halloween costumes you can make with a onesie
After years of making baby Halloween costumes, we've learned two things: One, there's almost nothing cuter than babies in Halloween costumes. I mean, really. And two, you don't have to get all crazy-DIY to produce some seriously winning costumes. In fact, some of the...
School librarian politely declines some Dr Seuss books from Melania Trump, Internet goes insane. | Thinking: Parent
Earlier this week, I was introduced to the story of Cambridge, MA librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro, who graciously and thoughtfully declined to accept a box of Dr. Seuss books sent to her by Melania Trump as they were to a number of other high-achieving schools. I admit my...
#DrawingWhileBlack: Prints from 5 amazing Black children’s book illustrators and artists you will fall in love with.
Thanks to a 19-year-old artist who originated the hashtag, the #DrawingWhileBlack campaign on social media caught on and became a veritable treasure trove of art on Twitter. I watched in real time thrilled to discover the talents of hundreds of Black artists and...
A free printable protest poster to motivate you to keep on keepin’ on.
It's time for my tween daughter's room to get a decorating refresh, and I've got my eye on this this inspiring free "fight hate" printable by Vanessa at Little Gold Pixel as a starting point. Okay, so she may be a little too young for coffee, but making art and...
Got a gifted kid? Here’s how to navigate the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Talent Search
After my daughter, now 13, was identified as qualifying for gifted education prior to heading to middle school, I decided I wanted to provide her with some extra learning opportunities in the summer and throughout the school year. And quite frankly, give her some...
The brilliant site that lets new moms register for the best baby gift of all: maternity leave.
There's no way to fully prepare for the sleepless and uh, very sore, whirlwind after you leave the hospital with a new baby. And while moms want to take ample time off before returning to work, the U.S. doesn't require that employers provide paid maternity leave,...
Teaching kids about racial justice with the best teacher ever: Langston Hughes.
Issues concerning civil rights and racial justice in America have never stopped being news. At least if you're paying attention. However over the past few years, they've really become front and center in a more widespread way, thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement...