One toy in, one toy out: Used toy donations to help kids in need this holiday season

by Delilah S. Dawson | Doing Good

Especially with so many services that help facilitate toy donations, there is nothing more sad to me than seeing a perfectly good plastic toy sitting by the curb on garbage day. And yet, if you’re like me, you’re not quite sure who to call about the sand...

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas: natural, affordable holiday edition soaps that make cleaning less of a chore

by Liz Gumbinner | Uncategorized

One of the little things I do over the holidays is swap out the grapefruit dish soap or lavender hand pump for something a little more festive. It’s a simple way to make everything feel more holiday-ish the second we walk in the door. It used to be that only the...

Jewelry that feels as good to give as to get from the Kwagala Project

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion

I’ve always said that one of my favorite categories in our Holiday Gift Guide are gifts that give back. We managed to pare it down to 14 this year, but honestly we could have gone on forever. And while you have probably heard of some of our favorite...

A comparison of our 11 favorite custom photo book services, for one of our all-time favorite gifts.

by Kate Etue | DIY

This is that time of year when I start thinking about putting together a photo book with all my pictures from the year, but I usually get hung up on wanting one that will actually last until my kids are adults, so they can enjoy them for years to come. There are so...

Meet Our Contributors

by Cool Mom Team

About the Cool Mom Picks Editors, Writers, and Contributors Liz Gumbinner, Co-Founder and Former Editor-in-Chief, is a born and bred New Yorker but without the accent. She has a background as a creative director in world of advertising, contributes commentary on...

Free Birds movie review: Thanksgiving is not for turkeys.

by Delilah S. Dawson | Entertainment + Media

Let me start out this review with a spoiler alert: although Free Birds is a buddy film and the buddies are dudes, the strongest and most intelligent character by far is a girl. And a turkey. And she has a lazy eye. And let me go on to say that I’ll definitely be...

Turning kids’ artwork into stuffed animals. As cuddly or scary as you (or they) want.

by Kate Etue | Toys + Playthings

I’m always looking for cool ways to preserve my kids’ artwork. Sure, we’ve got plenty of it taped up in the kitchen, plus boxes of the really great stuff stored in the hall closet. But now my kids are going to be able to sleep with their favorite...

Move over, Fancy Nancy. The Fairy Birds are here.

by Kate Etue | Kid Style

My daughter is at that sweet age where she’s still fascinated by all things “fancy,” which equals “grown-up” to her six-year-old mind. She loves a great fairy tale, but she’s getting a little tired of the damsels in distress. So...

The Verve Pipe’s Are We There Yet? has indeed arrived

by Christina Refford | Entertainment + Media

After listening to indie-rockers The Verve Pipe’s debut kids’ CD, A Family Album, a while back, I remember hoping they’d be back soon with more of their rockin’ charm. Fortunately, The Verve Pipe has decided to splash around in the kindie pool...

Belts little kids can do by themselves. Whoo!

by Liz Gumbinner | Baby, Kid Style

We discovered mom-run Myself Belts back in 2006 (wow), and it’s awesome to see how they’ve grown. They make a brilliant line of first belts for toddlers, especially during the potty training months. You know what I’m talking about. And now there are...