If you're stuck in Irene's path this weekend, most of all, we hope you're safe! After that, here are a few of our favorite ways to spend your electricity-free time hunkered down in close quarters with the family. Got game? Apps and onlin…
Aside from that time I won Scrabble by placing VULVA on a triple word score, I don't generally get excited over board games. But the other night, I laughed until I was wiping tears off on my husband's t-shirt, all because of the Awkward …
When my kids first discovered Angry Birds, I admit that it didn't take me long to join the legions of lovers . There is something about the smug little faces and the clueless looking swine that gets me every time. But there is this littl…
My kids are always coming up with some crazy games from our board game graveyard, and anything else they can find in my craft cabinet. So I figure, why not let them put their creativity into action by letting them invent their own board …
I am completely geeking out on the idea that you can buy Monopoly money refills. Seriously, why did no one ever tell me before that this was possible? For one, the extra $16,550 in Monopoly money means we can play major high stakes knowi…
Here in Atlanta where I live, the weather has been nice since the beginning of March, which means my kids have already exhausted Hide n' Seek, Freeze Tag, and two entire boxes of sidewalk chalk. So when I saw this book when I was at the …
When I first became a mother of two, my own mom introduced me to the concept of collaborative board games. Think less "I did it!" and more "We did it!" In other words, less "I hate you, I'm never playing with you any more ever again!" an…
I have waited three months for the Ubisoft Just Dance 2 for Wii to come out. Three months! Because that's how long it's been since the Cool Mom Picks team monopolized the display model at the Blogher conference, challenged our friends at…
I'm pretty sure that most mamas will agree that there's nothing--nothing!--like a good children's book. Or a box full of them. Or, if your kids are anything like my 3-year-old, a bedroom that is basically Book Central. But my kiddo is al…
We are an unapologetic game-playing household for sure, whether it's the kind on the teevee or the kind in the box with pieces that end up under our couch. As far as the video kind, we're always looking for options we can either play wit…
We're board game freaks around my place, and now that I have kids old enough to play, we usually have game night at least once a week. That is, if we have all the pieces to them these days. Well hallelujah for a new event that's letting …
As a homeschooling mom, my kids know that I'm often trying to sneak learning moments into our day . Unfortunately, they are now old enough to resist my attempts to shove some factoids down their throats; often they aren't trying to be me…
My kids are already super kind, generous little people, but that doesn't mean a little more conscious kindness isn't in order. That's where the folks at Boom Boom! come in. Their line of pay-it-forward cards (which we've already fallen i…
I know a lot of parents aren't into letting their kids play on the computer when they're younger, but I have to confess I believe using computers is an incredibly effective way to teach children everything from colors to calculus . For b…
I can't tell you how much I admire teachers. My son has had some good ones and some great ones and what separates the two are that great teachers don't just instruct, they inspire. Haring Kids , a website based on the amazing artwork of …
There's nothing like finally taking that summer vacation and then getting stuck in the hotel while the skies rain down on your plans. To save us from extreme hotel ennui, I make sure we take along a few easy-to-pack games to help us pass…
I admit that I was a little nervous about my 3.5 year old starting preschool this fall because he's the second kid and well, I'm just amazed that he knows how to count to ten. But thanks an ingenious new learning tool, I'm feeling confid…
I kind of love that my children love my iPhone, because their love of my iPhone means that I have one more tool for distracting them when we're traveling , or even just making a run to the grocery store, because, seriously, there are onl…
Yesterday my son had a playdate with a little Chinese girl, coincidentally the same day I downloaded Chinese for Munchkins to my iPhone. The amazed look on her face when I asked them if they had seen a hóu zi or a lóng (a monkey or a dra…
When it comes to eating out with my kids, we make sure to go to our favorite family friendly restaurant early in the evening with an arsenal of activities to keep them occupied . Seriously, I think planning a wedding is easier. But thank…
So it's become pretty clear that iPhone apps can be God's technological gift to parents wanting to avoid toddler meltdowns in restaurants and pediatrician offices. Some of my favorite apps for the younger set come courtesy of Duck Duck M…
I scream, you scream, we all scream for... well, okay, I lied. I didn't scream over these adorable soft ice cream-festooned beanbags, but I did squeal just a little bit. The Baby Gardner brings us Lisa Bacigalupi's exclusive hand-stitche…
Long ago when my parents would drag us on a 10 hour family road trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, my brother and I would occupy ourselves with all sorts of fun travel-friendly activities, none of which included a DVD player. Imagine t…
Even though I homeschool, I'm more than okay with farming out some subjects. Especially if my kids will do them happily on their own, instead of fighting with me for an hour. So, when Headsprout asked if my five year-old beginner reader …