If you are as obsessed with House of Cards as I am, please take a few minutes out of your day to watch House of Bricks, the hilarious Sesame Street House of Cards parody, because it is pure genius. I have barely come up for food or air--…
We're fist-pumping, Bender style, over the rerelease of John Hughes’ arguably best movie ever (sorry, Home Alone ), The Breakfast Club. Say it with us: Could you describe the ruckus, sir? In honor of the 30th anniversary of the film that…
If like me, you fell in love with the art of animation all over again after losing yourself in the artistry of releases like The Book of Life , The Boxtrolls , and the totally-robbed-by-the-award-show-establishment LEGO Movie , then list…
Several years ago, my youngest daughter fell in love with paper dolls, so I scoured the Internet for tons of free printable paper dolls for her, then shared my favorite ones with you all. Well now she's gone through them all--multiple ti…
We sat down in the theater to see The Book of Life movie, and as the lights dimmed, my nine-year-old daughter whispered, I have literally been waiting to see this since the day we saw the preview ! And indeed she had. After that many mon…
We are always on the lookout for the best and brightest new kids' music makers on Cool Mom Picks, bringing you everyone from The Not-Its! to Shine and the Moonbeams . But today we want to honor one of the longest-enduring stars in kids' …
If you guys are anything like me, the news that ABC will share some of our favorite Schoolhouse Rock videos on network television in The ABC’s of Schoolhouse Rock made my day. And since I've been sharing the best Schoolhouse Rock videos …
If Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the hit at the box office that it was on TV back in the 80's I suspect a whole lot of kids will be flipping for this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bento box lunch found at Alpha Mom. I am so not the Pinte…
There are moments in stories I heard as a child -- lots of them in fact -- that have stayed with me my entire life. Charlotte's spider babies, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's wonderful cures, Peter Rabbit losing his jacket in what, at that time in …
Grammy-award winners and all around super guys The Okee Dokee Brothers follow up their stellar Mississippi River-themed album, Can You Canoe? , with Through the Woods , all about their adventures hiking a chunk of the Appalachian Mountai…
If your kids are anything like mine—or every other kid I know—they are way into Frozen . Still. Until they let it go (cheap shot?), I say we embrace it. For me, this means whipping up Frozen- inspired recipes that are perfect for a movie…
When the Rio movie ended, I was left with two kids who loved to shake their tail feathers to the samba and a sinking feeling that Type A Blu and fiercely independent Jewel were going to need some relationship counseling. Now, after a whi…
Oh you knew I'd go there with the headline, didn't you? What can I say, just as I said in my Lego Movie review , the song has been stuck in my head for life. Another thing you probably knew: the Lego Movie sets were not long to follow th…
We were so, so sad to hear that Shirley Temple Black passed away Monday night. She was one of our (and probably your) most very favorite child stars ever—those dimples! Those curls! Not to mention the respected diplomatic path she took a…
As the cultural discussion continues about building toys for girls and gender specific toy aisles, let me start by saying that my girls have been talking non-stop about The Lego Movie since they first saw a preview for it months ago . Th…
As an avowed musical geek, I'm so thrilled about tonight's daring production of the The Sound of Music Live on NBC. Yes, live. I've got the inner track and the word is that Carrie Underwood is simply brilliant as Maria, if you can forgiv…
Let me start out this review with a spoiler alert: although Free Birds is a buddy film and the buddies are dudes, the strongest and most intelligent character by far is a girl. And a turkey. And she has a lazy eye. And let me go on to sa…
Watching The Academy Awards always gets me excited to watch more movies, but maybe not the best movies for kids. In fact I'm sure that 99% of them are way too much for little ones (and, often, me) to handle. But for you lucky New Yorkers…
If your kids are anything like mine, they're dogging your heels and sneaking under the Christmas tree to peek at presents any chance that they can get. So I'm desperate to find anything to keep them occupied for the next 24 hours until S…
Yes, the years are going by so fast, though I've never had one whiz by in 28.4 minutes, thank goodness. But if anyone can make that happen in a way that will put a smile on your face, it's the musical, yellow-hued cartoon Gustafer Yellow…
Long before I had children, I fell in love with the clay stop-motion characters of nerdy inventor Wallace and his lovable dog Gromit. And now that I've succeeded in bringing three more over to Wallace & Gromit fandom, I've found a fun li…
The minds behind Yo Gabba Gabba! are not content to settle with one successful kids show. In fact, they have just hooked themselves a certain daughter I know with a brand-new show--and some truly awesome rock music. And I'm betting a lot…
Film fans in the New York area are preparing for the New York International Children's Film Festival and we are too! Over the past 15 years, the NYICFF has become a huge family event, and a great chance to expose our kids to more than 10…
Black History Month is rolling to a close, but it's never to late to share new learning resources with your kids. Along with some great books, movies and music picks that honor African American culture and history, I have recently come u…