Once upon a time, there was a girl who wasn't a very good housekeeper. Then she flew to Minnesota--which is cooler than she could have imagined--and met a fairy grandmother who taught her that cleanliness is next to just-plain-goodness, …
Some kids put on a Superman cape when they want to run super fast. But my kid puts on her "Cheetah Dress," which is actually the Jasmine Shell Puff Sleeve dress from WeWe Clothing. And she has good taste, according to celebs like Halle B…
I promise Sean Connery isn't involved in this elite nanny placement service we just discovered. So that's one point in its favor, right? There are a few more too, especially if you're looking for extensively screened, college educated na…
I'm going to go ahead and admit it right here: I'm in my early thirties, and I love books written for teens. I know I'm not alone because the YA genre, or Young Adult, is awesomely popular right now. So I'm thrilled to have found a websi…
My job as a parent has always been playing defense, which is why I'm the one who slathers the family in SPF 50, sorts the recycling, and saves fifty cents on black beans with a coupon. My favorite strategy these days is reusing bags, and…
CMP loves to turn ABC into ROFL, and we are totally digging on these XYZ Blocks by Fred & Friends. They stack, tumble, and teach letters just as well as more traditional blocks, but they're beautiful, unusual, and entertaining, too. E is…
Pregnancy. Nursing. Postpartum. Pregnant again. Getting my first crow's foot. Freaking out. My skin's undergone more changes in the last five years than the cast of Saturday Night Live. I wanted a skincare product that was natural and sa…
Right now, I'm looking at the wilted, brown leaves of my dying container garden and ruing the white-hot Atlanta sun. I'm pretty sure we spent $30 on supplies that produced four very small tomatoes and one hideous cucumber. But the joy on…
After a pinched nerve sidelined my beloved babywearing, I was stuck in mid-toddler crisis. But the stroller that saved me can save more than just moms of chunky two-year-olds. It can help moms slinging around newborns in buckets, moms wi…
Thanks to a certain animated show, my daughter now ties her stuffed animals to chairs and then attempts to save them using only teamwork and a pom-pom hat. It's not my cup of tea, but I do like the idea of encouraging kids to help animal…
Let me give you 3 reasons why An Awesome Book by artist Dallas Clayton is indeed an awesome book: 1. For every book sold, The Awesome World Foundation will donate one book to schools, hospitals, camps, and shelters. 2. The artwork and st…
Today I was so desperate for a new project to pull the tiny whiners off my knees that I gave them a huge cardboard box and some Sharpies. They ended up just stomping on the bubble wrap inside, much to my headache's eternal sadness. But i…
Sometimes, full-sized baby skincare products can be intimidating for me. Like that enormous tube of diaper cream, or the half-gallon jug of powder that I can all too easily imagine scattered over my floor. I like my products like I like …
Family-friendly Grammy-nominated musician extraordinaire Dan Zanes apparently had a secret desire to be a disc jockey. Which is a coincidence, because I had a secret desire to hear awesome radio music that wasn't pure dreck (mainstream k…
Why did the handkerchief dance? Because you put a little boogie in it. (Heh). And why does my kid dance? Because she's a ballerina/ninja/cheerleader/doctor/dinosaur-tamer. And that is why Baby Loves Disco keeps on rockin' with some super…
After she watches Lion King, my kid spends most of the day running around in her pink underoos and roaring. She's being Simba, of course. But it's not really a costume she can wear out in public when she's feeling fierce. These t-shirts …
I spent a lot of time in airports last month, and one thing became as clear as an airplane-sized glass of Sprite: Europeans are just uniquely cool. I think they must be born with it. The scarves , the sunglasses, the bags -- and definite…
As your little Padawan goes back to school, you've got a long list of supplies: Lightsaber, translator droid, nerf sandwich, and a schoolbus that can make the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. Oh, I'm sorry, did you just figure out tha…
My daughter's fourth birthday is coming up, and I spend a good bit of time daydreaming of mastering fondant, hand calligraphing creamy envelopes, and crafting a birthday banner in lovely watercolor washes over newspaper. Ha freakin' ha. …
Almost every day, we drive by a castle. No, really-- it's in a field near our house, and the moat is a swimming pool, and the iron fence is guarded by concrete dwarves painted in garish colors. I can't make stuff like that up. "Mommy, ca…
It's 104 degrees outside, and you know what that means: back to school and our annual Back to School Shopping Guide ! We know-- it doesn't make much sense. But we also know that the next few ultra-sunny weeks will require new clothes, sh…
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…
Here comes Jimmy Bond. He rolls up on a black Big Wheel and requests his favorite drink: chocolate milk; shaken, not stirred. Aunts line up to pinch his cheeks. And I imagine him wearing this effortlessly cool striped shirt and tie combo…
Talk about truth in advertising: The STEPONBOX is a storage box that also functions as a stool. That you can step on. And a ton more. Available in four Jetsons-esque color combinations, the STEPONBOX is crafted of Polypropylene and Therm…
