With temps in the high 90s and crazy humidity here, I'm really, really looking forward to the beach trip we have planned later this summer . So I've sought out lots of fun, easy DIY crafts using shells,which are an easy way for the kids …
It may surprise readers of Cool Mom Tech , but I am pretty much a no-screens-in-the-car kind of a parent. Back when my youngest was still a toddler and four consecutive episodes of Dora meant a needed stretch of quiet. But now, unless it…
With my girls heading off to sleepaway camp in a few weeks, getting everything together has been definitely consuming many brain cells. And with a few of our writers in the same boat, that explains why you've been seeing recent posts her…
When I was a kid at summer camp, mail time was always one of the best parts of my days. And I'd imagine now, a time when hardly any of us get actual personal snail mail at all, camp mail is an even more exciting ritual. So we've got some…
The Minions are coming! The Minions are coming! Today's premiere of the aptly titled Minions movie is bound to turn even more kids into fans of those yellow goofballs, meaning you may find yourself planning a Minion-themed birthday party…
We expect to hear plenty of ooh's and ahh's to accompany all the bright and sparkly things we'll see on the Fourth of July, but I hope to eliminate any ow's with these safera alternatives to sparklers that they can enjoy on Independence …
We just keep finding more and more fun, free Father's Day printables for you all. Which is good news whether you're looking for a token that's sweet but not spendy, or even if you already have some big splurgy gift, but really want somet…
If you missed the boat on photo gifts...no, wait! You didn't! We all live in the land of the Smartphone Camera , after all, and if you've got a camera and a place to print a photo, you've got the makings of a wonderful surprise Father's …
We all know, of course, that the amount of money you spend on a Father's Day gift has no correlation with love whatsoever. Not that there's anything wrong with splurges. But if you're on a tight budget, if you're not a spendy gift kind o…
We may look at our tweens and teens and think, How did they get so big so fast? But you only have to scratch the surface to find a playful kid hiding in there, and ready to come out. So, it wasn't hard to come up with a whole bunch of me…
Wow, is our email box and social media feed getting packed with parents stressing out about what to do with kids during downtime this summer. Seeing as how we can't let kids play in the park by themselves without 8 "concerned" neighbors …
If you have a kid (or kid at heart) who's wild for LEGO, you have to check out EverBlock . As in, right now. Because if you've ever thought about what it would be like to be a Minifig in one of those cool creations, this is pretty much y…
We just finished putting together a ton of great educational activities for kids to keep them sharp over the summer, and now of course I find one more I'd love to add to the list. This free printable paper chain reading log from Eighteen…
Next up in our 2015 Father's Day gift guide, are some of the coolest gifts for grandpas. Or grandfathers. Or papas, pop-pops...you know, that awesome patriarch in your family. We've got a fun range for you from thoughtful gifts from the …
For those of us with young kids, we know that one of the best parts about Father's Day is letting the kids participate in making DIY Father's Day gifts for their dads and grandpas. And because we don't expect them to be hand-stitching an…
We've got a lot of summer birthdays for the kids in my family, so party planning is definitely top of mind for me these days. But I realized, as I've looked around the web, that while there are lots of gorgeous handmade birthday crowns o…
If your kids like building blocks as much as mine, you'll want to check out Paper Punk's new Urban Fold paper blocks which allow kids 6 and up to build a sprawling metropolis without the bulk and weight of traditional blocks. This is suc…
We've been smitten by Claudine Hellmuth's clever gift boxes that look like ovens and popsicles for a while now. So we just visited her Etsy shop again, and wow, she has so many fun printable gift boxes at her site now that I'm tempted to…
Oh, summer. The kids wait and wait and wait for it, and then, how many minutes in are they complaining about how hot it is? Or how you won't take them to the pool (for the second time that day)? Or that they're simply bored? So we've tra…
I always feel so grateful to those amazingly talented illustrators and graphic designers who create free printables that we get to share with you. We've found so many cool ones over the years. But the one I'm really excited to have disco…
With three vehicle-loving children, there was a time when I feared my living room would be overrun with sections of train tracks and makeshift "roads" built out of blocks. I wish I had known about InRoad Toys; clever play tape road rolls…
They may be growing up oh-so-fast, but our elementary-school aged kids are more than happy to get as messy as their toddler selves used to, especially when it's all in good fun. Our tip: Every so often, it's okay to get messy. So throw o…
Each year for the last few years, we've been tracking down our favorite funny Mother's Day cards. Of course humor is subjective, but I always try to stay away from the cards that reduce her to a laundress/cook/taxi driver. Also all the M…
Back in December, when we asked teachers for the Best Teacher Gift Ideas , by far the most cherished gift mentioned was a handwritten note or card from their students. Just a few words to let them know that all their hard work made a dif…
