After two and a half years, we finally had COVID in the house. I'm certainly grateful for science (we're all fully vaccinated and boosted) because the folks (including me) who were infected had relatively mild cases. And while I knew tha…
We were actually surprised to realize that that we hadn't yet put together a list for parents of children's books about anxiety. Considering how many other topics that children's books have helped us with -- from books about neurodiversi…
This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Breathwrk app As we (ahem, parents) come up two years since the beginning of Covid , things are still tough. The stress, the anxiety, the uncertainty, the Groundhog Day every day feeling... it's …
Lately I've been thinking a lot about how to support my fellow pandemic parents , and I've landed on sending some funny, "just-because" cards as a start. To be clear, I think every parent who's survived the past 18 months deserves a pers…
After 18 months (sigh) it's now clear that we're past the point of "any mask is better than nothing" for preventing Covid spread , especially with the Delta variant here. In fact, just this weekend, the CDC issued new, specific recommend…
I thought this back to school year was going to be different than last year. I think everyone did. Last year, I took all of my kids out of school and placed them in a cyber school. A couple did well. A couple did not. But we all had the …
Over the last 24 hours, this pandemic has caught up to me . I'd been doing pretty well, navigating cyber school with my kids last year along with work adjustments and managing my mental health through it all. But this back to school seas…
At-home rapid Covid tests isn't the only thing we've been on the hunt for lately. With cold and flu and yes, yet another Covid-19 season upon us, I've been making a list of a few essentials so that my family isn't scrambling if we do com…
If the Barbie #ThankYouHeroes initiative isn't the epitome of our times , in the best possible way, I don't know what is. Barbie has added all kinds of famous role models to their collection in recent years, and now they're honoring some…
I can hardly express the relief and utter joy we've felt over the past few weeks, since my teens got their first Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19. The feelings increased substantially since their second shot -- knowing they can safely se…
Vaccination t-shirts are more than a trend, they may be kind of important to you. I have seen so many people tell me that they are thrilled to be vaccinated, they're ready to take off their masks outside or with friends -- but they don't…
A few years back, kids probably wouldn't have considered hand sanitizer as a "cool" Easter gift like they would a funky lip balm or a springy AirPods case . But this year, OLIKA, who makes the cool, natural -hand sanitizers shaped like c…
I saw a recent Twitter thread that asked about all the things we may never go back to since COVID-19: Eating from a buffet. Trying on makeup samples. Shaking hands. And one that comes up time and again is that time-honored tradition of b…
You know we often turn to books when we want to help our children through their struggles and feelings, and this month feels like the right time to share some excellent children's books on grief and loss. When I think back over the last …
We keep looking for the silver lining in the past Year That Was Like No Other, and as we talk to other parents, one thing comes up over and over: "my kid discovered they really love _____." Whether it's manga or chemistry, dystopian fict…
Well, hey there scientists at Johnson & Johnson! Did you hear us singing your praises (loudly, and possibly with some happy tears) this weekend as your single-dose vaccine joins Moderna and Pfizer on the approved Covid vaccine list? Beca…
I'd like to put in a plug for supporting indie bookstores right now, even if it takes a little extra effort. I'm seeing a lot of people trying to get through this looooong February (what's that even about?) by recommitting to reading. I …
If you’re like me, you’re currently on your whatever month (because who is counting at this point) of The Great Confinement. It's not over yet! So I’m sharing my ways to stay fabulous ...while staying home and staying safe . If you read …
Over the last week, I've read a number of articles recommending that we start double masking to increase the level of coverage we're getting. Even Dr. Fauci says that it's just "common sense." And let's just say, when Fauci talks, I list…
I think I speak for everyone when I say that there should be a serum to fix what 2020 has done to us. And our faces. Yes, I know that scientists are a little busy developing COVID vaccines at the moment, but as soon as they're done with …
Acts of kindness have never felt more important than they do this year. And since kinds are naturally inclined toward kindness, we wanted to give this post a bump this year. Because when Christmas is over, Santa is back at the North Pole…
Every year, we love to share our 10 most popular Cool Mom Picks posts. No surprise, there are lots of posts about Covid-19 here -- and we were glad we could help our readers out during such challenging times. But there are some surprises…
You might think experience gifts are out this year, with the pandemic is still raging, but I'm here to tell you they are very much in. They've just gone virtual. And yes, I realize we all have serious Zoom burnout at this point, so if yo…
I think I speak for all of us when I say, wow, that was awful . If you too desperately need some end-of-the-year levity, check out these funny Christmas cards that riff on all things 2020 -- from masks to Zoom to that big election you ma…