As a native New Yorker, I admit I'm totally biased when I say that this is one of the most magical places for a family to be over the holidays. Because I get so many emails each year from readers and out-of-town friends asking me about m…
Perhaps you've poked around our holiday gift guide this year and come across the category called Gifts Under $15 That Don't Seem Cheap at All . If so, you very likely spotted the gourmet lollipops. You know the ones. The ones that call t…
Need a break to gab with the girls and giggle about gifting? Want to win a gift certificate to one of our favorite online shops ? Then pull up a squishy chair, grab a chai latte, and settle in for a cyberchat with the Cool Mom Picks gang…
One of my all time favorite holiday shows is the Nutcracker Ballet, but I didn't imagined I would get tickets to see it with my toddler for quite a long time--like, ten years, at least. Performances are expensive in New York! Which is on…
Can you suggest some more holiday photo card sites? I'm a little bored with the same ole, same ole every year. Or, what about a site for creating your own cards with flair? -Ginger I am fairly certain that Holiday Rule #1 states that you…
I cringed on that day back in October when holiday cards replaced an aisle of Halloween costumes. It's not that I dislike the holiday season or have a soft spot for grown men dressed as plates of spaghetti. It's just that the cards were …
When my kids were young, I found a trio of very cute stockings in a small local store that I thought were totally unique and special for our family. And then my mother saw them and said, O ooo, I saw those at the card store! So much for …
If we couldn't solve all your holiday shopping conundrums with our Cool Mom Picks holiday gift guide (gasp!), then we've got over 75 more fabulous gift options just for you in our brand spankin' new Cool Mom Tech holiday gift guide ! We'…
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…
I made a huge withdrawal from the Crafty Mom Bank on Halloween, when I decided to make a Big Bird costume for my daughter by hand. Turns out even a mini bird requires a lot of faux feathers. So I've been ever-so-slightly grinchlike when …
I love the hustle of the holiday season: cooking, shopping and giving are three of my favorite things. What I really don't like is finding the right wrapping paper for my latest treasures - and it can get ugly when I have multiple smalle…
Is there a single mom who isn't stressed out by holiday cards? Like I don't already have enough to do, let alone trying to find one picture where everyone in the family looks halfway decent and then praying that the photo cards we order …
There's no escaping the holiday music in the stores and tinsel in the windows -- the holiday season is upon us. You know what will make your life easier? Our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide ! Whoo! For the fifth straight year (wow), we've done t…
I'm dreaming of a picture perfect holiday season , like a vintage postcard, with over-sized snowflakes and smiling kids singing songs at my door. I'm also dreaming of taking the perfect holiday photo of my two girls and they'll both smil…
At the first sign of snow, every parent in our neighborhood bundles up their little dumplings and runs outside with three or four cameras-- because it's Georgia, and we go crazy over a little snow. But when we get back inside, the photos…
As December nears, my house is ready to to become a big, kid-friendly fun house of colored blinky lights and tinsel. With three kids, I know what to expect and have given in to All Things Christmas. Except I've just seen the most beautif…
...and to all, a day free of pouting, crying, and shouting. Also calories. We hear they don't count on national holidays anyway. [photo: felt ornaments from rikrak ]
If your holiday music collection needs a little boost of something you haven't heard ten thousand times already, check out the list of 7 free downloadable holiday tunes from Jitterbug.tv. They're all original songs from cool bands for ki…
It's been a tough year, mamas. We all know it. But we also know how absolutely incredible and giving and generous this here community of parents always is for those in need. While our holiday gift guide has a whole category of terrific c…
Now that I'm in the thick of holiday gift-wrapping, and starting to look for finishing touches, nothing warms my heart more than the words free and you don't have to go to the store for this. Which is why I love these awesome gift-worthy…
I don't need to tell you that it might be handy to be able to program calls from Santa into your phone, for when you want to remind the kids that he knows when they're naughty or nice. Or to be able to pull, right out of your pocket, vid…
Last night I was yapping with my sister-in-law about holiday dresses, when I clicked over to the Noko Baby site to show her some of my all-time favorite dressy dresses for girls . And wouldn't you know it, I get an email this morning, le…
Every December, I take stock of the state of our coloring, drawing and painting supplies and weed out the lost-caps, tiny crayon bits and crusty paints so they can be replaced. It's a great tradition that both keeps us organized, and pre…
I learned long ago that the best way for my son to learn about "boring" things was to find creative ways to teach him . Although I personally am fascinated by Modern Art, he could probably not be able to withstand an extended visit to th…