The standards for kids' birthday cakes have gone up a bit since I was little, when we just stopped by the Piggly Wiggly and had the teen behind the counter misspell my name between the lumpy sugar roses. Now we want them to be beautiful,…
If you need a break from superheroes and princesses, I've got a fabulous kids birthday party idea, and it's so easy: Food themed birthday parties. Move over tea parties, we've got three new themes worth checking out. Milk & Cookies Fest …
We are so excited to welcome Stacie of One Hungry Mama to the Cool Mom Picks team! We've admired her common sense, approachable, clever posts about food and cooking for ages now. This is the first of her weekly niblets of food-related co…
I always feel more social during the holidays. Maybe it's the cooler weather and festive music that inspires me to finally bring out the welcome mat and throw a party. (Fine, the fact that the house is finally decorated doesn't hurt.) Bu…
We were so impressed with the gorgeous eco-friendly holiday cards from Night Owl Paper Goods last year that we ordered them for our own CMP contributors. So when I heard they added a few new items to their collection of goodies, I couldn…
With the money I'm spending on Halloween costumes and bags of candy, I'm not about to drop a fortune on decor too. So, I'm so pleased to have found so many affordable (and free!) printables that don't require me to do much of anything or…
My kids are at the age where their Trick-or-Treat bags return home weighing almost as much as they do. At this rate they'll be up to their knees in mini-treats until 2012. So I'm often looking out for other things to hand out at Hallowee…
Whether you're into classic Zeppelin or that annoyingly peppy pop song about a party under the Hollywood sign, you can't play it without a guitar. And you definitely shouldn't party without these extra tiny, extra awesome guitars, just i…
I am fairly confident in my taste, and know when I see an invitation that's special and different. But making it myself? No way. So I am happy to know there are some wonderful artists and designers out there who are willing to work with …
While the fancy cupcake trend has now hit just about every town in America, you don't need to spend a fortune to get a good cupcake or even one that your kids will consider cool . Whether you're going store-bought or baking at home, I th…
Whether you've got a tiny horse fanatic, a country themed shindig, or just some really unruly cake pops that need to be rounded up like little dogeys, we've found the perfect cupcake wrappers for you. Bonus: Hello, ponies! I've got a cas…
When my newly minted 7-year old daughter asked me to throw her a Harry Potter birthday party with only two weeks to plan, I said "absolutely!" And then ran straight to my computer to try to figure out how the heck to pull this off for ab…
I need ideas for my daughter's 10th birthday..something original and wow. She's a girly girl, loves to sing, very creative, honor student, responsible and loving. Over the years, we've done the bead parties, craft parties , clowns, art p…
After I run a 5k with my girls (their first!) and hit our local Memorial Day parade, I plan to do a whole lot of nothing but eat, drink and spend a few moments thanking those brave men and women who gave everything so I could live in thi…
Just because America broke up with England a few hundred years ago doesn't mean we're not still desperately interested in their royal family. Especially since it's about to be infiltrated by a commoner like us. If you're as excited as we…
Unless I've got a friend who isn't telling me something, I have no need for baby shower invitations any time soon. I'm not hosting one--that I know of. But when the time comes, I'm so excited to use one of the new baby shower invitations…
A few years ago I got really ambitious and made birthday crowns for my two children. Flash forward a bit and I've now got a third child and still only two birthday crowns. Any guesses where this is going? Yeah. I'm kind of thinking these…
We're so thrilled to introduce our third annual Ultimate Baby Shower Gift Guide! After much work (phew!) this year we've packed our guide with more than 125 of the coolest must-haves and want-to-have baby gifts for every baby and mama on…
If I had a dollar for every princess themed birthday party I've been to, including my daughter's birthday party...well, I'd be able to pay for our next goodie bags. If you get suckered into hosting one with the ever-so-popular theme, I l…
Every shower needs a centerpiece, and this one beats the strained peas out of a diaper cake, or one of those Cake-Wreck-y pregnant belly confections that are a little too reminiscent of Sigourney Weaver in Alien. It's the lovely Wishing …
I love throwing birthday parties for my kids. Love it. But I'm a bit of an over-achiever when it comes to loot bags, generally insisting that there should be something handmade -or at least really, really cool- inside. And that means I s…
Despite light-up toys, dolls that talk, and, um, iPads, at the end of the day, nothing holds a candle -- or backlit touchpad screen -- to a good kids' book . It's a lesson my 3.5 year-old daughter has already learned, and I'm sure your k…
It's Super Bowl Sunday(tm), that day of pigs-in-a-blanket, three-million dollar commercials featuring talking animals, and of course, Puppy Bowl. Also there's a football game. Or so we hear. Without any Green Bay or Pittsburgh mamas amon…
I can't stop giggling over these printable cupcake wrappers available from the Spaceships and Laser Beams Etsy shop. The description says it's so hard to find anything for Valentine's Day that appeals to little boys... and sure, I can se…