This week, I am under the impression, for some reason, that lots of folks are searching for information on Frederick Douglass: Who was Frederick Douglass? What did he do that was so important? How did he earn a place in the new Smithsoni…
Today marks not only the beginning of Black History Month, but the birthday of the beloved, brilliant, prescient poet Langston Hughes, who would have been 114 today. As with all essential writers throughout history, his words live on lon…
Our friend Christine Koh, she of the wonderful gold personalized unicorn tee (featured as one of our favorite cool birthday gifts for tweens and tweens ) is at it again. Her shop, which features beautifully designed advocacy tees each su…
I'm all about supporting our nation's National Park Service in any way we can, especially because of the myriad ways they support us right back. So I'm thrilled to share the brilliant initiative to get even more kids to our National Park…
Children writing to our president and the First Family has always been a wonderful and important tradition. And with the inauguration of a new White House resident today, this is a great time to get kids thinking about their own hopes, t…
Last week, I was fortunate to attend a reception hosted by Marlo Thomas (!) and spend some time talking about life, womanhood, Free to Be You and Me , education, kids, femininity, being sexy at any age, and of course, her chic new throwb…
This past holiday season, my 9-year-old asked for a boy doll. "But not a boy baby doll," she said, "because they're exactly the same as the girl baby dolls when you take the clothes off. They are just girl dolls! Only in blue clothes! Th…
Our Facebook fans pretty much went nuts discussing (okay, debating) our thorough, honest review of THINX Period Underwear this past year, and now the woman-run period innovation company is back with the upcoming launch RETA, the first re…
Over the years, we've put together so many fantastic ways to help honor the important, impactful work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., especially to help families be able to discuss how we might all carry on his legacy. We hope you'll chec…
It wouldn't be our Editors Picks of the Year if we didn't give a shoutout to our favorite kids music of the year. And if you're thinking, huh? Cool kids' music? then clearly you haven't spent a lot of time here! For years now, there have…
Those of us Hanukkah revelers have always had slimmer pickings when it comes to great modern music. But now Adam Sandler and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings have some great new company thanks to the Maccabeats, who are just out with Hasmone…
With the perfectly timed December launch of Rogue One , of course Star Wars toys for kids are all the rage. Again. If you're looking for an awesome gift for your little padawan -- even if he or she isn't quite so little -- here are 5 of …
After featuring Georgette's post on 6 toymakers making diverse interracial dolls for kids , Facebook fan Melissa asked us if we know of any interracial dollhouse families. I love this question. So many of us want to bring more diversity …
If you've got a stylish woman in your life, I've got some really fantastic ideas for you for beauty stocking stuffers. My checklist: They have to be practical, useful, affordable (well, relatively) and yet still totally fun to receive. M…
Right in time for last-minute holiday gifts and stocking stuffers , I've discovered the Entertainment AIDS Alliance , which is offering popular DVDs and Blu-Ray discs at 30–90% off retail, all to provide services through 155 of the best …
I admit I am very skeptical of subscription boxes of clothing like Stitchfix (we published a terrific, brutally honest she said/she said post on it that's worth a read) since I have very particular tastes and I tend to know what shapes I…
With Marvel and DC pretty much taking over entertainment for the past decade or so, plenty of kids are clamoring for superhero action figures for the holidays. But what I think is even cooler than Chris Evans in miniature (not that I'd c…
We've recently become Cheryl's Cookies converts around here, after having received a generous gift basket delivery of their buttercream cookies. (Now that's a friend.) And now...they're our newest sponsor! Which makes us very happy. If, …
With the massive popularity of Cards Against Humanity, it was only a matter of time before someone created a G-rated (ok, G-rated-ish) adaptation that pays homage to its irreverent mastery. Enter Not Parent Approved , a truly hilarious, …
Kristen and I have never run this as a partisan or a political site, but that's not to say that our values aren't pretty clearly reflected on these pages. Our long-time readers know we are, and have always been, about inclusivity. Positi…
You might have heard, but there's this election coming up in the US on Tuesday, November 8 and it's kind of a big deal. Here are just a few links we've been reading to help you, enlighten you, stress you out, or de-stress you completely.…
Recently, I had the joy of attending the annual Martha Stewart American Made event , or what I think of as Cool Mom Picks gift guide central. Truly, it's always a joy to discover amazing new makers and other small businesses (a few are o…
Tomorrow we can diet. But today? Enjoy all those mini Snickers, mini Reese's, mini Milky Way Darks, mini 100 Grands, and if you're lucky, a few full-sized chocolates too. From Liz, Kristen, and everyone at Cool Mom Picks
Looking for a fun way to get kids learning about the election -- without all the awfulness of what's appearing on the news lately? One of our favorite kindie bands, The Not-Its , are out this week with Are You Listening , a very entertai…
