Tie one on
I am generally a coffee drinker, mostly out of habit, but lately I've made the switch over to tea and I'm not sure I'll go back. I enjoy the ritual: brewing the water, selecting the tea of your choice, burning your fingers as you try to …
Topic
kitchen + dining
Look ma, there's a monkey in my food!
My son is the proud owner of a Skip Hop Zoo Backpack (a froggie, in case you were wondering), so when I found out they were making a line of tableware to match, I got excited about the idea of luring my son to dinner with something besid…
You can even eat the dishes
Having recently introduced my girls to the joys of Willie Wonka (yes the original. Sheesh.) they became instantly fascinated with the idea of a teacup that you could actually eat. I had to explain that it was just a movie, and that no, w…
Making a holiday table look like a holiday table
I know that starting tomorrow I will admire my family members' beautifully adorned holiday tables and think I should really do more with mine. And then I will start virtually shopping online for gorgeous linens and flatware and other pre…
Kids placemats are almost too cute to cover with food
We've been eating out waaaay too much lately because of a kitchen renovation, and though my kids have finally grown sick of chicken fingers, they are also sick of those restaurant-supplied paper activity mats that hold their attention fo…
An XOXO to OXO's new BPA-free snack servers
True Parent Confession: Life is so hectic that I once served crackers to my toddler in one of her own shoes. I couldn't give her the giant, store-fresh bag of cheesy crunchers in her car seat, but I had promised her a snack. So she had a…
Possibly the most fun way yet to get your kids to eat their veggies.
Remember those Dapper Dan the Magnetic Man toys from when we (or , okay, maybe our parents) were kids? It was so much fun to use the magnetic wand to give that smiling bald dude bizarre facial hair, hats, and eye patches. And now our kid…
Silhouette yourself into the bride of Frankenstein
Anyone can pick up a package of boring old jack-o-lantern paper plates at the grocery store. But guess what you can't get there? Customizable Halloween plates featuring your kiddos, all Halloween-ized with a spooky bride of Frankenstein …
mOmma cups wobble but they don't fall down
You know how you can tell when your kid is using a really cool sippy cup ? When you hear they sell them in the MOMA design store. Oh, and when they're imported from Italy, of course. The new mOmma line of baby feeding products fits the b…
Mama's got a new tattoo. On her plate.
I admit that I completely poo-poo'd the idea of registering for fancy pants dishes when I got married. I also used Chef Mic (aka the microwave) for most of my meals back then too. But after seeing the amazing place settings by Ink Dish, …
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The game of cute eats
Sure, as a seasoned mama, you know that even the cutest plate won't keep the applesauce out of baby's hair and the peas out of her nose, but hope springs eternal. And really, what makes a better baby gift than adorable tot-sized tablewar…
Put a cork in it: The cool OXO Uplift Tea Kettle
Trying to agree on a tea kettle with the sigOth last weekend in a Maine gourmet shop was nearly as difficult as trying to agree on a baby name. The kitchen is more or less his domain (the culinary school degree grants him as much), so he…
The power of restaurant placemats now at your dinner table
I've long thought about how to channel the power of the restaurant paper placemats in my own home so that we can all enjoy a pleasant meal. In other words, one in which the kids are occupied while I'm busy cutting their food into a billi…
The reinvention of the sippy cup
Last summer I tried my hand at canning. Let's just say the results were less than spectacular. Fast forward to today when I'm watching my kids drink out of a pair of EIO Kids Cups . Abundance of empty, unused canning jars problem solved.…
On my Target shopping list: Milk. Apples. Awesome art from Poketo.
Cool Mom Picks favorite Poketo has a very simple philosophy: Make real art available to everyday people. Which is good, because I'm at my local SuperTarget pretty much every day, and that's where their latest collection will land on Augu…
Keep your mitts off mommy's forspecial mug
There's just no comparison to the feel of handmade ceramics, knowing that an artisan's hands shaped the clay and followed inspiration to decorate something just for you. Don't moms deserve little islands of peace and beauty in our hectic…
Shear genius
My sigOth, the culinary school grad, has turned me onto the joys of scissors in the kitchen. While I use them mainly to cut off the stupid packaging I can't pull open with my hands, he has always used kitchen shears for cutting herbs qui…
Babies deserve a little Green Toy action too
We first fell in love with Green Toys way back in the day of the lead paint recalls (aw, remember those fun days?) and knew they were onto something fabulous. Well sure enough, their line has expanded beautifully since then and today the…
Caps off to you
I have hostess gifts on the brain these days; maybe it's just wishful thinking that I'll get lots of fancy summer house invitations this season? Or maybe I'm just dying to get someone a little gift as cool as this sleek little Urban Crea…
Passage to India
Now that our air conditioner is blaring full force (curse you, NYC humidity!), I've finally gotten around to summer-izing the linens. I find a simple little change like switching throw pillow covers from wool to cotton or swapping out ou…
Tools for those a little green around the grills
Yes it's kind of a cliche that all dads like barbecuing and therefore all need grill tools for Father's Day. But at least in my family, all the dads do like barbecuing and need grill tools for Father's Day, so there. I love the look of a…
Possibly the coolest thing to put a drink on, ever.
I'm in love with a set of drink coasters if such a thing is even possible. But when I spotted these handmade film director coasters on Etsy this morning, my heart started racing, my palms got all sweaty, and I think, my friends, that tha…
Tea towels aren't just for tea lovers
I always thought of tea towels to be completely prim and proper, but that's absolutely not the case with the gorgeous block printed tea towels at Fisk and Fern. The bright inviting designs are printed on absorbent 100% cotton which evide…