Man Purses? Really Not Fooling Anyone
If your husband's like mine, he refuses to carry any sort of diaper bag. I've tried Camo messenger bags, hulking backpacks and indie-rock totes, but nooooooo. He has rejected each and every one. So when I saw the Dad Gear Diaper Vest at Emmy and Ally, it was like the clouds parted and all was well in the world.
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Stop: Hammer Time
When I was in middle school, I should have failed Home Economics. I burned my banana bread in cooking class, and the blouse for my final sewing project might have fit had my head been the same size as my arms. But woodshop--now that, I aced. And Aunt Ginny loved her new birdhouse.
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Way Better Than Stale, Chalky Hannukah Chocolate
It's not easy finding The Perfect Gift eight times in a row. No wonder my parents always pushed us to opt for the "one big gift" on Hannukah instead of the eight little ones. Consider your list now reduced to seven.
Kids In the Hood
I just came to the realization that the hooded towels I own cover only about half of my 2-year-old daughter's body. No wonder she's always shivering after bathtime.
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Wrappers Delight
I'm a lover, not a wrapper. My version of creative holiday giftwrapping involves creating a messy patchwork of paper from mismatched leftover scraps.
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Siblings With Style
The time has come for me to search for the perfect big sister shirt for my daughter. But, I'm not so much for the sparkley stick figures designs or the cutesie kid-style typefaces I keep coming across.
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Your Kids' Guaranteed Favorite Gift This Year
While it's not indicated on our calendars, every parent knows that candy season starts just before Halloween, progresses through chocolate turkeys on Thanksgiving, peaks gloriously on Christmas day, and then trickles to a close with nervous dental visits in early January.
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Goggly-Eyed
We're all finally getting the message that sunscreen is not optional, particularly for the sensitive skin of little ones in our lives. But what about protecting those beautiful baby blues or greens or browns?
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Girlie Tees, Hold the Saccharine
Lately, the SigOth has been dressing our daughter in the navy, red and olive garments that he'd wear himself. I've been insisting that we'd get fewer, "oh, how old is he?" remarks if we girled her up just a wee bit more.
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Not Just Any Book Will Do
The lovely yet ill-conceived baby book is almost a guaranteed shower gift. While we all love to keep track of the milestones as best we can, let's be honest, those early days are exhausting. If you're going to spend the energy keeping track of details, it's not going to be things like "the outfit baby wore on her sixth day" or "the date he got his fourteenth tooth"
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"My Baby is Due In January. Is it Too Early to Apply to Preschools?"
In most cities in America, the stress of getting into college is a distant second to the stress of getting into preschool. Because of course not getting into the right preschool will take your child down a path of misery, destitution, or possibly a career in fast food service.
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Stationery Gone Wild
If you've got kids, then you know what it's like to have a pack of wild animals roaming around. They make strange noises, they eat everything in sight, and they leave disasters in their wake. Even little girls do it - if you need proof, I'll send pictures.
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A Parent's Thanksgiving Lifesaver
Now you don't have to feel bad going back for seconds (or thirteenths). Only 3.79 at drugstore.com.Now if only we could find the tryptophan coma remedy. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Now go overdo it--you know you want to.... ... [More]
But What About the Mom?
After the labor, delivery, and oh yeah, the pain, don't moms deserve a little more than yet another six-pack of infant socks, or worse, one of those scary looking diaper cakes? While we're all grateful for every baby gift we receive, it's easy to feel a little, well, forgotten, amidst all the new baby commotion.
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Choosy Moms, Unite!
If I don't absolutely adore an outfit for my girls, I don't buy it. Not even if it's on the five-dollar rack. But it's not easy being picky, especially when you've been to sixteen stories looking for Just The Right Thing.
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Playlist by Zanes
If you haven't heard of Dan Zanes, you haven't been through labor and delivery. Or at least not in good long time. While many families Zanes for his folksy, sing-along musical style, his "House Party" videos on the Disney Channel, and above all, his wild hair, Zanes also frequently lends his name and his talent to some important causes.
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Been There, Worn That
We constantly come across maternity tee-shirts with cheeky statements that try to fend off questions like, "when are you due?" or "what are you having?" But personally, I'd rather spend my money on clothes I'll actually be able to wear... ... [More]
Sushi For the Jonesing Preggo
Recently, after confessing an irrepressible pregnancy craving for very forbidden spicy tuna rolls, I found out that I was far from alone. But only one thing was more comforting: A sushi recommendation that gets thumbs-up from even the most cautious OBs. Perhaps because it's not actually made from raw fish.
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Chinese Laundry
Recently a friend of mine arrived home with her beautiful new daughter - a thirteen month-old from China. I love how she's making an effort to help her child retain aspects of her heritage, even as she assimilates into her new home. A perfect gift for her--or any new parent, come to think of it--is one of the Chinese Satin Baby Blankets from Graceful Kate Designs.
Anatomy of a Tee Shirt
We tell our kids it's what's on the inside that matters, right? But now they can wear the adage--literally--with the hilarious shirts from I Heart Guts.
Oh The Things That You Will Cook
I
t's not often I find a cookbook that actually motivates me to cook something. Make that never. But the new Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook by Georgeann Brennan and Frankie Frankeny certainly did the trick.
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I'm Dreaming of a Tropical Christmas
It won't be long before snow blankets much of the country, bringing with it exorbitant heating bills and mothball scented sweaters. And it also won't be long before some of us escape it all, heading south to warmer climes.
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Growing Up Before Your Eyes
I'm terrible about knowing my kids' vital stats. When someone remarks that one of my girls seems to have grown taller, I just smile and hope he doesn't ask me her actual height. The problem is, I haven't been keeping track – somehow I never started that tradition of lining my girls up against a doorway and getting out the old #2 pencil.
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Another Chanukah Miracle
Chanukah-celebrating moms are busy enough picking out eight presents each for the kids, that the last thing they have time to do is weed through the paltry selection of decent cards out there. Most of them look as if they were slapped together in two seconds by design-school dropouts or little old ladies with a surplus of gold paint on hand.
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Blinding Me With Science and Hand-Embroidery
Nothing tickles us more here at Cool Mom Picks when a mom we know personally goes from making cool duds at home to cool duds we can buy ourselves. Such is the case of Debbie, who along with her husband, a professional sportswear designer, has opened the brand new kids duds e-tique, Fadiddle.
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Organic Just Got a Little Spicy
I'm a huge fan of organic clothing, particularly because my daughter has extremely sensitive skin. But the muted creams and pastels aren't necessarily my taste, nor are they very practical when they're clothing a self-feeding toddler.
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Don't Call Them Housecoats
Once in a while, a product happens upon us that is so genius I can't imagine living without it. MayaLena's Momonos are one of those too-good-to-true but thank-goodness-they-are things, a must-have for the wardrobes of all new mothers.
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The Age of Aquarius Comes With Its Own Blanket
As we all know, new moms get an average of 16,247 receiving blankets for their first child. So why are we still compelled to continue to give them? For me, it's sort of a sick competitive streak - I want to be the giver of THE blanket, the one she loves best of all.
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Your Baby Was Made for Wearing
Front carriers are great and all until your baby gets big enough to hold his or her head up. And then while you can flip them around, they still precariously dangle in what I sometimes fear is not the most comfortable position.
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I Want To Ride My Tricycle
Hip kid art is hard to come by, hip personalized kid art even harder. But it's exactly what you'll find at the appropriately named Hip Kid Art.
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Sk8er Baby
For the first time ever, defying all expectations to the contrary, my better half has actually shown interest in one of the kids duds sites we've uncovered. Why, you ask? Because the site is Little Ruler, which appeals just to parents just like him--those who now rock the Bjorns the way they used to rock the 7.5" deck on a halfpipe.
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We're Here, We're Adopting, Get Used to It.
When I was young, mentioning that a child was adopted was akin to disclosing Daddy's salary or talking about how Mommy drinks too much wine. Thank goodness for progress.
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Battery-Free Fun. Is It Even Possible?
Battery: It's one of the first words kids learn, right after "NO!" and "MINE!" and "GIMME!" If a toy moves or makes noise or has any potential for fun whatsoever, then certainly it requires batteries. Or does it?
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How Mommy Got Her Groove Back
There's nothing like getting all dressed up for your much awaited date night only to find you're lacking in fun jewelry--i.e. that which would be yanked painfully from your person by any person under six, should he be accompanying you on your date. Which, of course, he will not.
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Photo Cards Just Got Less Photo Card-y
Holiday cards never fail to make me smile. Yes, even the ones containing a single-spaced, full-page dissertation of the year's activities--heavy on the boredom, light on the entertainment (and ocassionally the truth). My favorite cards include pictures, but let's be honest, most photo cards leave something to be desired in the taste department.
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Stories Worth Telling Over and Over (Sorry Grandpa)
When I hear about kid stories on CD, I imagine some generic, B-list voice over talent reading Peter Rabbit as my brood rubs their eyes. But Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales from Around the World from writer/producer/mastermind Amy Friedman was a different, um, story.
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Retirement Gift
I remember the glorious day when I folded up my two-ton diaper bag, shoved it in the back of the closet, and brought home my first real bag in ages. It was worthy of a celebration-- until I realized I still needed to carry at least one diaper and some wipes at all times.
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Locket 2.0
My grandmother always wore a large butterfly locket containing pictures of her favorite little people so she could "keep us close to her heart." I like the idea of honoring my kids, but wearing a giant silver insect--or most any locket for that matter--just isn't my thing.
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Shake Your Booties
Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder how a former Doc Maarten-wearing, black lipstick-owning alternachick looks just so...mom. While I'm not going back to those styles any time soon, at least I have a baby to project them onto. That's why I love the rockin' tartan baby booties from Babesta, an online boutique that can easily outfit the most trendsetting tot with innovative duds from independent artisans. Just our kind of place.
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A is for Art
I'm all for alphabet artwork, but it's always bugged me that the images are of things kids will most likely (and sometimes hopefully) never encounter in their daily lives. Never seen an alligator on the street, not even once. And certainly not a yodeler.
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Robeez For Their Heads
If you haven't seen or heard of Robeez shoes, then I'm surprised you even have an internet connection. My daughter lived in them from near day one, like so many other children who get a pair for their first shoes. The designs are adorable, and I love the success story -- the company was created by mom Sandra Wilson after losing her airline job to downsizing.
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There's More to Life Than Rock N Roll
While we're big fans of the rock n roll around these parts, we also have a soft spot for the country classics. And no, that doesn't mean Achy-Breaky Heart. Bite your tongue.
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Just Like Daddy's Only Without That Distinctive Herbal Aroma
One of the hardest wardrobe staples to let go of is definitely the concert tee. Filled with the memories (and aromas) of youthful indiscretion and unfortunate hairstyles, it's as if tossing the battered old thing is tossing the memories.
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The Experts' Guide to Calm The Heck Down Already
As a mama-to-be once again, I am suddenly remembering how absolutely every concern about childbirth and beyond is magnified by sixteen million. It's not inconceivable that you experience as much anxiety over picking the right pacifier as you do picking the right pediatrician.
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The Lazy Mom's Photo Card
I am the great procrastinator. So much so in fact, that it's a wonder I'm even writing about the December holidays a full calendar month beforehand.
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Rock The Boat, Baby
One of the downsides of our charming New York apartment - our toys outnumber our square footage. I fear any holiday gift for the kiddo bigger than a breadbox is going to have trouble finding a permanent home here--except for maybe a breadbox itself. Then at least we could store other toys in it.
Skin So Soft
When I first had my baby, I spared no expense at procuring the fanciest, most expensive, la-di-da baby lotions and creams from Europe. And then, I promptly gave them away. The smell! Oh my goodness, the smell--so sweet, I felt my insulin levels soar as soon as the cap came off.
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The Bag To Pack When You're Packing Your Bags
It's no secret that I have a thing for bags. Certainly not to anyone who's ever opened my closet only to have dozens of them tumbling down on her head. But, as most women know: There's always room for one more.
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The First Trimester Tee
Shopping during the first trimester of pregnancy is a nightmare. Not big enough for the materni-tents, but too bloated for my current crop of fitted tees, I resigned myself to being doomed to fashion purgatory for a while.
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It's Actually Pretty Easy Being Green
As I am just beginning to realize, there is no end to the fears we have as parents. Just as our kids outgrow the SIDS risk, we're worried about mercury in water. When they're done with the finger in the electric socket phase, we're reading up on what's in those plastic Halloween masks.
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I spent an entire day wracking my brain, trying to determine why we did not own a proper winter jacket for our baby last winter. Then the all-knowing daddy came to the rescue: "Because we had a Win It!
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Ask Cool Mom Picks
I have been searching for a photo album or scrapbook that is NOT in the classic style you see everywhere that's either pink and fluffy or traditional leather. Any ideas? -Sarah
Googling "photo albums" can definitely lead to very bad things. We always find cool stuff at Zanisa and we like the Molly West books at Chittypulga.
But lately we really dig the handmade wooden albums from Tree by Kerri Lee [pictured] with metal hinges and the funky wooden ring and strap. And the prices are terrific.
Got a gift dilemma? A shopping conundrum? Write to CMP at info@coolmompicks.com.
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CMP reader Sarah's daughter Alli looks cozy and snug in her Baby Bisou Carrier.
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