Life with four kids means there are a lot of last minute "oops" happening around my place when it comes to gifts and cards. This is also why I've been a fan of Animoto since we first featured them on Cool Mom Picks a few years ago. Their…
We're kicking November to the curb and happily welcoming December with our highly anticipated, super spectacular 2011 Holiday Gift Guide ! Whoo! For the 6th straight year, we've scoured the web for the best gifts ever--150 this year at e…
We may still have Thanksgiving leftovers in the refrigerator, but December 1st is just around the corner. To my kids, this can only mean one thing: Time to get out the advent calendar so that they can start the countdown to Christmas. An…
My kids really want to be helper elves when it comes to wrapping the gifts, but after a roll of tape and a yard of paper, I've learned to enlist their help in other ways. So instead of handing them the safety scissors and gift wrap, I'm …
Fewer things throw my kids into a tizzy of Christmastime anticipation as an advent calendar with its counting down of days. But the calendar grandma gets them with the waxy chocolate behind each door isn't much to look at and barely make…
If you haven't visited Cool Mom Tech this week, grab a minute while the turkey is happily roasting. You'll find a whole lot of posts that we think can help make your weekend even better, from the kitchen to the weekend holiday shopping, …
Just a quick note to wish you all a beautiful Thanksgiving, however you're spending it. We hope you're surrounded by all the people you love, reminded of all the many, many things we have to be thankful for. As for us, we can say with al…
It's not even Black Friday yet, but of course the deals are already starting to roll in . And this particular pick is so special that we have to tell you about every time it comes available. After all, there's nothing we love more than a…
Is Anthropologie suddenly going the way of Jacadi, with upscale children's clothes made by small designers? It certainly seems that way. In October they brought in Kico Kids, and now Handmade Charlotte is following suit. This splendid Ha…
Garfield has never been called elegant, nor is Snoopy considered stylish. And yet, in the right hands, the Sunday comics are being transformed into stunning holiday ornaments. The Sea Urchin Recycled Newspaper Ornament from kissadesign o…
This holiday season, you can do almost anything with your fancy photos: make books, cards, puzzles, even an afghan. But we found one artist putting a beautiful homemade twist on capturing your family's image, and we think this one's wort…
Every year after I spend half the day trying to get myself ready, and then wrangling my four kids and my husband for our annual holiday card family photo extravaganza, I vow to do something different the next year. I have found it! With …
Though I normally don't start thinking about my holiday cards until after Thanksgiving (or, ahem, later), I've got two reasons to be prematurely in the holiday spirit : An October snowstorm in the northeast, and the gorgeous new custom h…
Boy have we spent time at Cool Mom Tech this past week, culling down the throngs of Halloween themed apps for kids. Let's just say there are a lot of people just throwing a pumpkin clip-art graphic into a counting app and calling it a "m…
Consider this your annual reminder from us about Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF. If it's never something you've done before, the premise is that your kids can ask for more on Halloween than just another sugary treat, on behalf of kids who …
I'm often of the "do it quickly" school when it comes to holiday presents --I sometimes forgo the little touches (like tags!) in favor of just getting the gifts wrapped. (And yes, we're thinking holidays already. Forgive us!) These beaut…
One of my favorite holiday traditions is sending and receiving cards in the mail -- especially the photo kind. (I can't possibly be the only one. Who doesn't love getting real mail? And photos? Everyone does!) It's the best part of Decem…
My kids won't even go into the basement by themselves, so let's just say we do Halloween Lite around here. For our kinder, gentler Halloween, I've found a tee shirt from CMP favorite Threadless that would fit in just fine to our version …
I'm back in town from a delicious jaunt to the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon, and I've got all the dirt on one of my favorite holiday gift companies, Harry & David . (You know, the pear people. With all the catalogs?) So here's my conf…
Halloween is just around the corner and the overpriced costume catalogs are rolling in. As I do not own a sewing machine, I of course will be buying. Personally I am hoping to acquire something affordable , easy to get on and off, reusab…
Wishing all you cool dads, grandpas and father-in-laws a fabulous Father's Day with all the doting and adoration you deserve. [photo: eleni's ]
As my oldest daughter fast approaches her 7th birthday, I have become more acutely aware of how fleeting childhood really is. And the urgency to bask in her little-ness is now even more present after seeing a fascinating new must-see HBO…
This is part 6 of our Father's Day Gift Guide series. There's really no better way to celebrate dad on Father's Day with a special gift just from the offspring. While of course they can "give him" nearly anything at all, we've found a bu…
Ask my kids what songs make them think of their dad, and they'll rattle off a bunch of Rock Band tunes--which gives you a hint as to one of their favorite pastimes. Chances are your kids too can name some songs that make them think "dad"…