When my kids were younger, I used to leave the Closed Captioning up on the television so they could get familiar with the words coming out of the mouths of their favorite cartoon characters. Taking this idea one step further and more eff…
I can't get enough of Pete the Cat. My kids are enamored. Their classmates are all entranced by the magical feline. Every week, I choose a book for the kindergarten class . But no matter what I pick, Pete the Cat is always read. Well, mo…
What would summer be without kids music to keep you busy on those long road trips--one we hope includes no traffic jams, dirty rest areas or too many Are we there yet' s. Before you pack up the vehicle, check out this trio of great CD's …
If there's any movie that my kids have been counting down the days to see, it's definitely Cars 2 , the long awaited sequel to the uber popular Cars movie that was first released when I only had one kid. Since then, we've watched it coun…
The 1937 book, Mr. Popper's Penguins , figured into my early years. Chances are that you (and your kids) know and love the book, too--it's a classic. So when I learned it was going to turned into the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins starring …
I've been looking forward to a new, full-length release by Lucky Diaz since I got a little sample of their sound on the EP Luckiest Adventure . C'mon, the band that created the infectiously fun Blue Bear ? I knew they'd be able to put to…
When the late-afternoon crankies hit all three of my kids, my quick-thinking remedy has always been to put on some fun, danceable music to give us just enough of a mood boost to make it to dinnertime. And with a new kid-friendly disco CD…
Star Wars fans are nodding sagely at this headline and raising their glasses of blue milk. To the rest of you, maybe you noticed how "May the fourth" sounds like "May the Force?" Yeah. All it takes is one fabulous pun, and we Star Wars g…
Here's something we love: Now through April 29, you and your little ones can cast votes for the finalists in the Children's Choice Book Awards . What a cool way to get your kid involved in picking new titles to grab from the library. The…
I consider myself fairly tuned in to my kids' emotional health but I must confess, I don't really know what to say to an angry six-year-old in the heat of the moment other than Stop hitting that ! Which is why I'm glad some other moms ha…
When I took my six-year-old to see the newest Disney movie Tangled last Fall, I think I may have laughed, cried, and enjoyed it more than she did. Of course, I was also 40 weeks pregnant and hopped up on hormones. In honor of its DVD and…
Though "infinity sock" sounds like what I face when I'm matching up pairs in another endless load of laundry, it's actually the name of the fourth DVD/CD combo in the amazing Gustafer Yellowgold series by illustrator and songwriter Morga…
Mirror, mirror, on the wall: What does the Evil Queen look like after all? For the third time, Disney has commissioned photographer Annie Leibovitz to turn beloved animated characters into spectacular dreamscape images for their ad campa…
Last year, I attended Kindiefest, the coolest kids-and-family music conference and band showcase, and have been excitedly waiting for details about Kindiefest '11 ever since the calendar turned over to a new year. My daughter who came wi…
When my kids were babies, I used to daydream about sleep. Oh, sweet sleep, how I'd never take it for granted again. If only I could get two hours in a row. If only I had some magic spell to make them slumber peacefully. I still don't hav…
Along with standing and getting out of diapers, one of my favorite so-called "developmental milestones" was when my kids grabbed another's pudgy little hand and declared this person their "fwend." Capturing these moments of first love ma…
Having just observed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day last month, my kids are familiar with this major figure in black history. But I want them to know that history goes well beyond one man (or woman), and the fact that February is also Bla…
For all the eye-goggling special effects and "3D everything" in kids' movies nowadays, the 60-year-old Alice in Wonderland will still leave your kids' mouths agape as it still does mine, no funny glasses needed. If you want to take your …
Here's the bad news: In the next few days, Congress will vote on a bill that could completely eliminate all federal funding for public broadcasting. That's not an exaggeration. Here's the good news: There's still time to save Elmo. The g…
While I'm finishing up my wrapping/baking/eggnogging extravaganza I'm going to enjoy some great new holiday tunes. If you're tired of the same old same old, you can too. As a little holiday gift to you, two downloadable EP's have been re…
In my family, our Christmas day tradition always involved a nice big breakfast, lots of coffee, lots of gifts, and then afterward, we'd bundle up and brave the crowds at a midtown movie theater for one of the big releases. (Yes, crowds -…
I was fretting to my sister that I didn't know what to get her kids, my sweet little niece and nephew, who seemingly have everything. Her response: Don't you review kids' music for Cool Mom Picks? Just get them some cool new tunes! Funny…
To me the holidays is nothing without our annual viewing of Rudolph. Herbie! The Abominable Snowman! The Isle of Misfit Toys who aren't quite misfits! It's all pure magic. So who's with me in jumping for joy that this year, A four-DVD se…
Although everyone from Rod Stewart to The Black Eyed Peas seems to put out Christmas albums, it's pretty rare for anyone besides Adam Sandler to do something new and interesting with Hanukkah music. New and interesting is something Dan Z…