New Year's Resolution: Replenish the Jewelry Box
If you've managed to secure the talents of a babysitter or willing grandparent on New Year's Eve, make sure to make the most of your night off and dress to kill. Starting with the ears.
You're Never Too Young To Accessorize
My daughter has reached the age where she must take at least three random items with her wherever she goes. And then, leave them in the car. While I'm not about to pick a battle with her every time we leave the house, I am going to try to find a compromise -- say by letting her bring as much as she can fit in one of the mini linen totes from Nubius Organics.
No Son Of Mine is Wearing Tighty Whities
So what happens when the incentive of sporting tight little undies isn't enough for your little guy to ditch the diaper?
You've Got Doxie Kid!
I thought I'd seen a stuffed everything -- bears, phoenixes, horny toads...you name it, they've got it. You know, just in case you have a little one obsessed with flamingos. But dachsunds?
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Wait, So Not All Poems Rhyme?
Once in a while, I sit down to review something for CMP and have trouble with it. Not for lack of words, but because my daughter has somehow gotten her hands on the item and refuses to give it back.
You Spin Me Right 'Round, Baby
Since joining the cult of motherhood in 2004, my regular trek to some loud, late night dance club where I slugged down glow-in-the-dark cocktails has been replaced with a different kind of play. One that's decidedly strobe light free.But oh how... ... [More]
Sometimes my initial response to new music is, "Wow, that's really, um, different." And by different, I mean bad. But sometimes different is good, as in the case of Wear it, Hang it, Anyway You Like It
At the ripe old age of thirty, I've come to realize there's something to spending cash on quality items--particularly bags. After going through way too many crappy sacs these past two years, I have a new mantra: It's not expensive if you never have to replace it.
I Saw the Sign
We tend to see certain ironic baby tees over and over, with the same cheeky quips (cranky baby! chick magnet!) repackaged with different graphics. So I had to stop and give pause when I came across the 100% organic cotton shirts created by mom Liz Murphy of Speak Clothing.
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Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia
One prerogative we all have as parents - forcing our kids to wear hats against their will. Without some way to secure it below the neck, I just don't know a single kid that won't toss the thing to the ground at the first opportunity.
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For Moms, By Moms. But Not the Crazy Ones.
New moms will agree that new mom advice is easy to come by. For example, there's your mother-in-law and her stories about brandy in the baby bottle, or your childless cousin who's quick to tell you about the evils of television watching. What's hard to come by, however, is good advice.
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Hanging Around the Fridge, As Always
I've always found something really homey about employing the fridge as a magnetic board for family photos and postcards. But with the ridiculous assortment of magnets we end up accumulating it ends up looking less like a gallery and more like a bulletin board in the college dorm.
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A New Twist on The Coming Home Outfit
Plane rides with little ones can be a challenge, particularly for those of us who actually feel a modicum of sympathy for the childless traveler who gets stuck next to us. If you weren't able to procure an entire row to yourself on the Jet Blue flight home from grandma's this holiday, try diffusing the situation with a little humor.
Preparing for the Flood
My little girl loves jumping in puddles after a good rain. She'll get a huge grin on her face, just before her bounding through every fallen drop in her path. The only part I have issues with, however, is the post-splashing whining about wet socks.
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Save Your Baggies for Veggies
There comes a time in every mom's life when she realizes that that diaper bag she once spent hours (weeks? months?) choosing, is often obsolete. Sometimes you just want to grab a few diapers and wipes, stuff them in a Ziplock bag, and run out the door. But that wouldn't be very stylish now, would it.
Laundry-Safe Artwork
Given that my pre-baby figure is MIA and unlikely to return without surgical assistance, I now consider clothes shopping for myself to be a less than perfect way to while away an afternoon. But shopping for my girls? That's another story.
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The Happy Head
Growing up in the midwest, I endured some harsh winter mornings at the school bus stop. I gladly donned a heavy winter coat and warm mittens, but I drew the line at hats. Even though my mother was a talented knitter, she always tried to stick me in some goofy beanie. Talk about harsh.
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Hey Little Thing Let Me Light Your Candle
For me, one of the few downsides to the holidays is having to smell that nasty synthetic pine tree scent wafting from candles everywhere. Or worse, the cinnamon scent. It smells less like grandma just baked a pie, and more like grandma just got back from the cheap candle booth at the flea market.
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A New Spin On the Old Pirouette
Mention music boxes to any mom, and undoubtedly she'll be able to recall with vivid detail the very one she fell in love with as a child. It's not hard, considering we all had the exact same one - it featured a spinning ballerina and played either You are the Sunshine of My Life or the theme from Love Story.
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Boys Will Be Boys. Even Without Trucks On Their Shirts.
I've got two little girls myself. But when I'm buying gifts for the sons of friends and family, I tend to shy away from the camouflage pants and the construction-themed tees that every store seems to push on me. I suppose I feel they can still be "all boy" without dressing like miniature soldiers or welders.
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Tune In, Turn On, Bring the Kids
The other day I found myself stuck in a stalled subway car with no reading material. Digging around my bag, my options were limited to a handful of old ATM receipts, or the Sippy Cups new Electric Storyland CD, which I'd been toting around unopened for a week.
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Your Tree Has Competition
Every year, just before Christmas the stocking debate ensues at my parents' house: "Whose is the reindeers?" "No wait, mine is the snowflakes." "Hey, his holds more than mine!"
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It's All Fun and Games Til Someone Loses a Toe
Nowhere in the parenting manual did I find a chapter on a child's inability to feel cold. How could I have known that a kid can have purple lips and six frostbitten toes and yet when there's still winter fun to be had, you'll have to drag him, kicking and screaming, inside to sit by a warm radiator?
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The One Thing You Won't Want to Unwrap This Holiday
If you're of the Christmas-celebrating persuasion, surely you've already spent months ensuring your little angel baby will be perfectly coiffed this season, with a different fabulous outfit for every party, every family dinner, every opportunity to be fawned over in public. But have you considered the diaper?
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Spare Your Friends the Lame Cards This Year
When I go to pick out cards for the holidays, I just keep looking and looking at all those stacks of foil boxes, hoping something will jump out at me screaming, "Pick me! I am not sappy or cutesy, I promise!" Rarely does this happen however, and some years, I admit I find myself settling.
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Diaper Bag Incognito
I was one of those first-time moms who refused to register for a diaper bag. Call me practical, but I just figured I could track down a cool big tote bag and I'd be fine. But then, as I discovered, there were the bibs, toys, bottles, binkies...and 4,000 other things I couldn't leave home without. And I really could have used an actual diaper bag.
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Pick Up Your Damn Coats Already!
My house has a nice entryway with a coat closet just as you walk in the front door. So why is it that all the family's coats and bookbags end up in one huge pile on the living room couch? Perhaps the child-sized coat hangers from Pakhuis Oost at Rose and Radish would help to keep my living room (relatively) tidy.
iPig
It's one thing when you give in and buy your kid an iPod. It's another when your realize that she is still at the age where everything of value ends up trashed in a matter of weeks.
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Crawfish Roasting on an Open Fire
I know there are plenty of Christmas CDs out there these days, but frankly I'm afraid to play half of them for my daughter, for fear that I'll be stuck listening to them every single day for the rest of the year.
Santa Claws
Who says that stockings have to be hand crocheted by grandmas with a penchant for pom-poms and unnatural color combinations? Apparently not the folks at Crafty Robot, who have come up with the best alterna-stockings I've ever seen.
Helping Rwanda, One Fashion Pick at a Time
Every year the cold sneaks up on me. Sure it's been December for days now, but that doesn't mean I'm not entirely in denial that it's time to take the gloves out of the back of the closet and start looking for a great new scarf for the season.
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A is for Ashtray. You Heard Me.
We come across any number of alphabet themed items for babies, featuring such tried and true subjects as animals or...well, animals. But I think I've just found one that tops them all in the Modern Child-Unfriendly Alphabet. As in not friendly at all. As in absolutely hilarious.
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What Good is Having Kids If They Can't Do The Cooking?
I love celebrity chefs, but recently I discovered (the hard way) that some of the bold-faced Food Network names out there write books which are more self-promotional vehicles than useful kitchen resources.
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Fact: Great Bags Make Women Happy.
While we at CMP try to keep our picks in the "don't have to hock my TV on ebay to afford it" range, all bets are off for the next few weeks. Why? Because someone else--hopefully--is doing the buying for you.
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Bowling For Compliments
When it comes to fashions for the junior man in my family, we dig that fashion staple, the polo shirt, just fine. But I still have a yen to add a little more pizazz to his wardrobe now and then, which is why I love the retro-inspired bowling shirt from the way too hip Vancouver boutique, Knuckleheads Clothing.
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I am burdened with quite a few "people who have everything" on my holiday list each year. Fortunately, as I discovered a few years ago, no one can have enough Baby's First Mink
New baby gifts are relatively easy to shop for - unless you're talking about baby number two. Or three. Or--eek--six. If you're looking for something for the mom who has it all, you've got to stop thinking about must-haves, and start thinking about don't-needs-but-really-really-wants.
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Bagging Bears and Bunnies
If your kids are anything like mine, they have an obscene amount of stuffed animals and while I can't prove it, I'm almost positive that they multiply just like real rabbits because the pile never stops growing.
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Santa Baby
If my daughter had her way, she'd wear her Christmas outfit every single day. However, the fancy silk number just doesn't fare well with her choice of daily activities. Like, say, spilling things on herself.
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Zen and the Art of Baby Dressing
When I brought my firstborn home from the hospital, I was hit with the unreasonable urge to discard anything rough that might come in contact with her fragile infant skin. It seemed criminal to let anything but the most butter-soft fabrics touch those downy limbs. My husband had to draw the line when I threatened to tear up the wool carpet in the living room.
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Boo Boo Kiddie
I've always thought there's just something slightly undignified about walking around with a sack of frozen peas on your postpartum boobs when they're engorged. And while your kids might not mind frozen foods on their owies, I happen to think everyone would feel a lot better using Baby Blue Cat Designs' absolutely gorgeous Boo Boo Bags instead.
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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.
CMP Flickr Group
CMP reader Sarah's daughter Alli looks cozy and snug in her Baby Bisou Carrier.
Have a picture of your little one (or yourself) in a Cool Mom Picks find or prize you've won? Join our Flickr group so we can show off your good taste to the world.
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