Put down that take-out menu--I'm here to tell you that yes, you can cook a complete meal without pulling out your hair. Sure, there are a million recipe sites out there, and some of them are fantastic, but what if you want instructions o…
You probably already know Crumpler for their sturdy, stylish bags for adults. Or at least you should. But now they've gone and shrunk two of their favorites down to kid-size and it's definitely worth a look. The Baby Pea preschool backpa…
If you're planning a trip to California, New York, or Chicago in the near future, See Jane Fly is ready to offer you a customized travel guide to help you plan. But regardless of where you're headed, peep their latest free perk: The See …
We were so smitten with the cheeky online shopping helper Alice when it first debuted, we're now thrilled to find that we can take Alice everywhere, via their brand new iPhone App . It's all the same things we love about the original--sh…
I once packed the same apple in my son's lunch for an entire week. Every afternoon it was still there, and he'd promise to eat it the next day, and then he'd bring it home again. And it's not even that he doesn't like apples, but as he s…
Games on the iPhone are nice, having books on hand make you feel a little less guilty about trying to keep the kid occupied on mile-long supermarket checkout lines. Now you can always have books on hand without carting around pounds of h…
How do I love this anatomical heart necklace ? Let me count the ways: Let's start with the hand-cut sterling silver. Continue on to the fact that it's, you know, a pretty darn realistic rendering of a real heart without being gross or ma…
It started with two brothers complaining that their booster seats were uncomfortable; five years later, their parents run Diggity Kids , proud purveyor of American-made comfort travel systems for kids who need more cushy digs in the car.…
I've got a bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse, as I'm sure all of you do, too. It feels like an imperative, even though I'll pick actual soap-and-water hand washing over hand sanitizer whenever I can. So when I first heard about "a new…
When I first discovered the show last year, I didn't think I could be any more impressed with Dottie's Magic Pockets as cool kid entertainment. But they've gone and done it again with their newly-released CD, The Super Secret Seashell Ca…
Next month Congress is going to be revisiting school meal program guidelines, and the more parents and kids they hear from before they do so, the greater the chance that our schools will have real food (what a concept) to offer our child…
If you're a longtime Cool Mom Picks reader, then you already know Baby Banz as the quintessential purveyor of eye protection for little ones in the sun--plus we were excited when they started making Baby Banz sun protection beachwear . B…
You show me the woman who didn't spend her pregnancy polling her friends as to their symptoms and decisions at similar points of gestation, and I'll show you a bridge I have for sale (cheap). But while having girlfriends and relatives to…
If you have a kid who just puts clothes on like it's no big deal, you're a lot luckier than you probably realize. For those of us with a child with sensory issues, clothing is one of a million battles we fight every day. For most kids wi…
We know that moms are, by definition, givers. But after something like Tuesday's devastating earthquake in Haiti, it can be hard to know how to best help. If you're wanting to donate to relief efforts but unsure of where your money will …
Is it possible to have a kids' show nowadays that doesn't involve robots, high technology, or characters that make you want to throw a shoe at the television before your eardrums rupture? Sometimes! John Bankhead--a father seeking entert…
Look, I'm going to be honest: When I read that Family Matters is the family game for ages 8+ that helps your family get to know each other better, I steeled myself for my daughter rolling her eyes and my son sliding underneath the table,…
A few weeks ago I had some friends over to the house, and one of them brought her three-year-old, who immediately commenced leaping around on the furniture like a chimp on crack. Given that my children are past that phase (or can be reig…
My name is Mir, and I like a good margarita. Judge me if you must. I'm also kind of lazy, so my margaritas are generally limited to the rare dinner out with my husband. Can I make a margarita at home? Sure. Do I? Usually not (see aforeme…
It seems impossible to me that I'll one day have a teen or two whom I'll allow to roam the world somewhat freely, but the truth is that teenagerhood will be entering my house very, very soon. Hold me. Vanessa Van Petten has been helping …
I've already shared my love for SwapMamas here, the great location for moms to meet up and swap their gently used items. But for the holidays, they're adding a dash of Etsy and going positively medieval: You can check out the Handmade Ma…
Look, we've discussed my SIS (Scrapbook Impairment Syndrome) in the past. I'm okay with it. There are tools available for me to do pretty things with my pictures in other ways. But if I want a genuine photos-affixed-to-beautiful-backgrou…
My grandmother wrote recipes on flowery little cards expressly for that purpose, and my mother rebelled against the cute by using nothing more than plain index cards. Me, I fall somewhere in the middle--plain cards seem kind of depressin…
Sure, there's no shortage of ways to rent movies nowadays; whether you go in-store, via mail service, or even streaming over the Internet. Still, 'tis the season to be mindful of where every penny is going , so maybe it's time to check o…
