Houses up and down our street are starting to turn on their holiday lights, and it's beginning to look at lot like Christmas in our neighborhood. My craft-loving kids would like for us to DIY everything holiday around here -- cotton-ball…
Weather experts from Europe to the US are warning us to brace ourselves for the coldest winter in years...again. So, when life gives you snow, I say go shopping for a great pair of snow boots! When it comes to a good snow boot, I want so…
If you’re looking for some of the best Cyber Monday shopping deals and discounts around the web today, we’ve we've put together only the biggest and best (sorry, get $1 off purchases of $100 -- no room for you here) all from our favorite…
We love supporting our favorite small businesses every day of course, but to encourage you to make the most of Small Business Saturday, so many of them have offered up the best shopping deals and discounts today. We’ve rounded up more th…
I don't know about the rest of the country, but down here in Nashville we went from about 80-degree days to 30-degree mornings overnight. And before I knew it, I was fumbling through our coat closets to pull out last year's jackets for t…
Please and thank you -- important stuff, right? I've always believe that courteous kids grow into nice adults and we all need more nice in the world these day. But that's not where etiquette begins and ends. So with the holidays here, an…
It's time for me to start thinking about sending out our Christmas cards again. Yikes! I haven't even scheduled a family photo session and I still need to update my address book. School and work and sports -- not to mention the major dis…
We Harry Potter fans have waited very patiently. As in, it's been five years (yes, really) since Deathly Hallows Part 2 came out. But friends, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is just out in theaters, living up to the magic we exp…
The winter can definitely put a damper on anyone's fitness routine, which is why we're putting together some really helpful, realistic, cold weather fitness tips to help you out as things get chilly. Between the can't-resist holiday food…
Our favorite crafts around here are simple ones that don't require an MFA, and it's a big bonus when we don't even have to head to the craft store for supplies. And if these crafts help us have conversations about the world around us, al…
You may have heard Gilmore Girls fans across the globe collectively freaking out when Netflix launched Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life a few years back. We will, of course, be watching while Rory continues to figure out her life and ca…
Who knew coloring would have become such a huge trend in 2016?Maybe it's a welcome break from so much screen time or just a way to keep ourselves sane in a crazy year. Because now our girls can even color in their own clothes, with the C…
Forget sweater weather; for me, fall is all about scarves. They're always on trend, and to top it off, they're practical, which is important to me. (#momlife, yo.) Having a couple of scarves in your closet gives you a lot of affordable w…
I've noticed a trend lately among the hundreds of children's books I receive for review : stellar new books for kids about the arts. We tend to promote a lot of STEM toys, books, and opportunities for kids because we're passionate about …
When you find a gift as adorable as these handknit animal hoodies and winter hats for babies from Oeuf (pronounced uh-f , it's French for "egg"), I think it's completely appropriate to ditch any baby gift registry suggestions and go rogu…
My kids hate to see me cry, but there have been times when I'm following the Syrian refugee crisis that I can't help it. They've caught me looking at the haunting photo of Omran Daqneesh in the ambulance, seeing the tragic body of 3-year…
In an effort to reduce screentime at home, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks around the bend, I've been stocking up on some arts and crafts-type activity books for kids. Instead of everyone sitting on the couch, looking a…
I can still vividly remember the playdate I had for my toddler the same week we laid new carpet in our house. You know where this is going, right? Within minutes, the mom's mega-venti-grande-whatever coffee was all over the place. And ye…
The last time I hosted an election night viewing party with friends was back in 2000 when our friends resignedly left around midnight, with no winner decided. (It's a good thing or they might have been camped out on our living room floor…
My daughter isn't what you'd typically call a "girly girl." Her favorite clothes are athletic wear and she can hold her own (and then some) with the neighborhood boys in a game of flag football. But she still loves to dress up and has a …
I've been needing a new mattress for a while now, but the idea of spending $2,000 (or more, yeesh!) on a traditional box spring and mattress set has kept me from heading to the stores to try them out. Because with multiple kids at home, …
When Kristen and Liz started Cool Mom Picks, their desire was to highlight cool, indie shops that make innovative products with fresh ideas for kids and families. A decade later, that's still our driving passion, and the chic handmade ba…
We've seen plenty of tutorials from crafty bloggers on how to DIY temporary tattoos, but they've never turned out quite right. I recently discovered the insanely creative indie temporary tattoo company Love & Lion out of my hometown Nash…
This election in particular has been a tough one for me to wade through all the issues with my kids, so I've been getting creative with how I'm involving them in our family's political discussions . I've been implementing Kristen and Liz…
