My girls have reached the age where they'd prefer not to share a hotel room with us when traveling -- and to be honest, we'd prefer not to share with them either. So when we heard about the family friendly Omni Kids Suites available on a…
Much as I love to color eggs with my kids, there are only so many hard-boiled eggs one family can eat. And while the plastic eggs aren't perishable, they aren't particularly attractive or earth-friendly either. These felted Easter eggs f…
I may have a family that looks like we come from a 1950s-era sitcom, complete with curly-haired children and a husband who carries a briefcase, but ours isn't the only recipe for domestic bliss. Acclaimed writer and activist Rebecca Walk…
When The Daring Book for Girls came out, I bought copies not just for my own girls, but for their friends. If I could have afforded it, I would have gone around handing out the book like a missionary. Authors Andrea Buchanan and Miriam P…
Through most of elementary school, my mother dressed me in dresses. When I complained that I couldn't hang upside down on the playground for fear of showing my underwear, she was unsympathetic. That was before Francie Pants , of course. …
I'll do whatever it takes to help my kids avoid the pain of a sunburn-- and avoid me having to listen to them whine about it-- but even so, sometimes I forget to reapply sunscreen or miss a spot. My bad. UV Skinz s un protection swimwear…
One of my first purchases after moving from an urban high-rise apartment to a house in the 'burbs was a bike. Sure, there were plenty of places to ride in the city, but with only two closets and about a million toys, I simply didn't have…
By my third child, I learned that once the walking starts, the trouble really begins. But unless I kept him in a playpen (like our mothers did with us, right?), I knew my kid would eventually start toddling around, using a chair as a mak…
At Cool Mom Picks, we love to cheer on our fellow moms, spreading the word about cool stuff created by parents we know and the ones we wish we knew. Whitney Hill, founder of iknowamom.com , has brought together hundreds of those moms she…
I love the idea of birth announcement as a means of sharing pure joy. But the logistics of actually getting my own announcements in the mail was too daunting for me on top of the rest of my post baby to-do list. No matter how joyous the …
All three of my kids love to take baths. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they love to wash themselves. Enter MiniMitts by BellyLaf. These cute bamboo/cotton blend wash mitts are the eco-friendly version of traditional bath mitts. Embell…
I guess you could say that I'm the token eco-skeptic among the Cool Mom Picks writers. Before you start throwing rotten tomatoes at me, consider what this means: If it's green and crunchy and I rave about it, then it really is spectacula…
For a guy who sets the thermostat at a level approaching "sauna," it baffles me that my husband loves to take the jogging stroller on errands even when the temperature sinks below forty. While he dresses himself properly in layers, he te…
That old wives' tale about heartburn being a sign that your baby will be born with a head full of hair didn't work out so well for me. I had twenty-seven months of fiery heartburn and three bald babies. But for luckier mamas who've got s…
I'd always heard about infant massage, but I never felt comfortable enough to give it a try. I figured that slathering my babies with lotion after their baths was about the closest I'd ever get to practicing infant massage. Then I got a …
These days I woo clients while emptying the dishwasher, refilling sippy cups, and changing poopy diapers. Yes, really. Obviously, a Bluetooth headset is a must. But not all headsets are created equal, which is why I lo-ove my Zivio Boom …
It took three tries, but I've finally got a baby who has enjoyed his bath right from the very start. Although his enthusiasm is such that I practically have to wear a rain slicker while bathing him, it also makes it pretty fun to try out…
The brand new Keepaboo has created the perfect solution for disorganized mothers of three like me-- you know, the ones who can't get it together enough to fill out a whole baby book by hand, but who don't want to forget the milestones . …
Now that my youngest is mobile-- and, thanks to the open-plan design of our house, cannot easily be confined with baby gates-- I've had to buckle down and get serious about keeping the floor clean. A few stray Cheerios can bolster his im…
Those of us who spend a lot of time online tend to be early adopters. Even if we don't think we're particularly tech savvy, our friends and neighbors give us a good reality check when they ask, "What's a blog?" No wonder they never read …
I'm a minimalist where it comes to calendars. I know some moms live and die by their beloved organizers, but give me a compact monthly view calendar at my fingertips and I'm set. The 18-month Mouse Pad calendar from Ann Kelle Designs is …
With my first baby, The Nap was sacred. With my second, napping was important, but it was no longer worthy of capitalization. Now I'm on the go with the older two so often that I'm happy if the baby sacks out in his carrier for fifteen m…
I may not be a fan of matchy-matchy outfits, but coordinated stationery ensembles are the sort of matching that I can appreciate, as long as they're done well. No pastel teddy bears or scary clowns, please. Brella Baby has hit the mark w…
Being a novice knitter myself, I have a deep appreciation for the time and effort that goes into creating a pair of children's mittens--a project I've yet to successfully complete. Trouble is, even if I did manage to finish a pair, my da…
