I've bought enough chocolate for my milk-allergic daughter to know that milk isn't a necessary ingredient for super-delicious chocolate, especially when it's the extra-good-for-you darker varieties. And while Divvies is my first choice f…
Indeed the whole eco-friendly gift tag embedded with wildflower seed thing isn't brand new, but I like it anyway. I like that it makes the giver feel as good as the getter. And in time for the holidays, I especially like the Plantable Or…
For my niece's first Christmas, I got her a big collection of DVDs from great kindie rock artists , hoping it would help keep her away from all that awful kids' music as she got older. But I never really think to check our favorite music…
Tween girls are often the hardest to shop for at the holidays - everything they covet seems to be a fortune (iPod Touch, I'm talking to you) and most of the inexpensive gifts are hopelessly disposable. But I think I just found a home run…
When I found out that How the Grinch Stole Christmas , one of my all time faaaaavorite Christmas movies was out on Blu-ray I couldn't wait to see it in glorious high def. Especially now that we're officially into Christmas season . As it…
Thanks so much to CBS 4 in Denver for the lovely coverage of our Holiday Gift Guide and their focus on our support of mom-run businesses and more affordable options for parents this year. Click over (while you can!) to see CMP VIP and De…
We fell in love with Paloma's Nest last year when we first featured this Austin artist's ceramic Christmas ornaments in our holiday gift guide . (Speaking of which - our 2009 guide should be out next week. Whoo!) We were so blown away by…
I send flowers several times a year and I've found florist shops and online flower delivery services to be very hit or miss in terms of the quality and freshness. When most of the "fresh" flowers you order are shipped in from abroad, how…
In our family, Christmas stockings have always been a really important aspect of our family tradition. Even on years we skip the tree for whatever reason, those stockings just make the house feel festive and fun. So I really love seeking…
For years I was mystified by the thong, an article of clothing that felt more "medieval torture device" than comfy undergarment. But, after hearing about Hanky Panky's thongs , I gave them a try and have been a convert to their comfortab…
I've become a strong advocate of paper dolls since realizing that my girls can spend hours entertaining themselves with them. The only issue? That whole paper thing. Let's just say freak decapitations are are not an uncommon occurrence. …
We've all got play dough connoisseurs for children at Cool Mom Picks, so I know that a few of the organic versions I've had a chance to try out recently have some tough standards to live up to. Past pick Eco-Dough so far is the benchmark…
If you're looking to knock off a half-dozen of teacher gifts or cousin gifts or classmate gifts in one fell swoop, I love the idea of the holiday ornament kit from CMP fave, Thomas Claire . This wonderful mom-run company will hook you up…
Steer clear of the fruitcake and stinky pine candles, mamas! If it's cool holiday gifts you're looking for, then we've got you covered with our brand spankin' new 2009 Holiday Gift Guide . We've scoured the web to help you solve every ho…
With all due respect to the latest pop star du jour, most modern renditions of my favorite classic holiday songs leave me wishing for stronger eggnog. But now that I've started playing the Putumayo Presents awesome new A Family Christmas…
Sometimes we find our own best picks from our sponsors (what can we say? We click on our own ads to see what's cool!) and this week, I learned that One King's Lane , which has private sales on amazing home decor brands, is doing holiday …
My daughter loves puppets. I mean, she really loves puppets. She carries them around and tells them stories and engages them in fisticuffs. (Put Bert on one hand and Ernie on the other and smash them together and you get the picture.) So…
Sure my son's friends get monogrammed Christmas stockings, but he can enjoy eating his latkes off one of these personalized Hanukkah plates , by Lima Bean Kids. These pink or blue melamine dishes feature a sweet menorah design with the n…
My mom would like to get my 14 month old daughter a wooden nativity set for Christmas--something she can actually play with but something sturdy, cute, and made to last. - Cara It's funny you should ask this Cara, because I was just look…
I had my baby in February, which meant my son's little toes needed to be kept warm. He was too young for shoes, and the baby socks I had for him spent more time on the floor than on his feet. But the socks from Trumpette are known for st…
We all know that babies usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to Christmas presents, mostly because they'd just as soon spend hours chewing on a big red bow than playing with a bunch of expensive toys. So this holiday, let…
In only five or so years of spousal gift giving , I think I pretty much exhausted the personalized, sentimental guy gifts. So my interest was piqued when I saw the custom map cufflinks from Anne Holman . Using vintage world atlases, Anne…
Just six months ago, my daughters planted seeds from their organic growing kits, re-potted the shoots in Grandma's vegetable garden, and late this summer, they were eating their own little yellow teardrop tomatoes. You country folk make …
This year we're teaching the kids more about the joy of giving , so I wanted them to think of something they could make for their (mostly girl) cousins. Then along came the jewelry making kits from Bijoux in a Box and bam, problem solved…