Sk*rt Is Now Kirtsy. Cool.
What is cool? This site. And now it's got an even cooler name: Kirtsy.
Just makes you want to dance around in a little floral twirly skirt, doesn't it?
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Our friends at Dear Husband, Get In My Head.
One would think that because I run a shopping website, my husband would have no trouble finding me gifts. Every year I tell him to just click on anything in our Baubles and Bags category and he'll be the world's greatest husband. But every year, he ignores me and decides to go out on his own.
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Hey, Someone Forgot to Make the Online Invitations Look Ugly
In an increasingly paperless world, online correspondence is rapidly replacing snail mail even for major events. Does evite ring a bell? But I haven't lost my love for beautifully designed correspondence, whether offline or online.
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Paging Doctor Mom
I'm thrilled to have found a reputable source of information at MommyDocs. Founding doctors Jamie Freishtat and Rachel Schreiber bring a practical perspective to their site -- they're both moms themselves. So they understand that frantic need to help a sick kid feel better.
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Junking Junk Mail
Recently we reviewed Catalog Choice which I continue to love (love! love!) but recently I've been turned onto a similar service to help cut down on junk mail: Green Dimes.
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Presenting the Ultimate Mother's Day Shopping Guide. (If We Do Say So Ourselves.)
Today is April 11 which means it's exactly one month until Mother's Day, a perfect time to launch our second annual Mother's Day Gift Guide.
Clean Up The House, Win 900 Bucks. Sounds Good to Us.
My place is admittedly a mess these days - toys everywhere, clothes hanging from doorknobs, feral animals roaming the halls. So I am probably not the odds-on favorite to win the new Now You See It, Now You Don't storage solution contest
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Free Kids Music. As in Gratis. Complimentary. On the House.
Kiddie Records Weekly has digitized one great dime-store 1940s-1960s children's 78 album each and every week since 2005.
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Delaying Mommyhood But Not Mommy Friends
Sometimes moms of (ahem) advanced maternal age just need some kindred spirits to hang out with. You know, so we can reminisce about our assymetrical prom hairdos and our crushes on Scott Baio while the rugrats run circles around our arthritic ankles.
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Children's Car Seats: Better Safe Than...Not Safe
Of all the things most likely to make a new parent's head spin, I submit that it's not the colicky baby or the first diaper blow-out that's the hardest. That honor belongs to the selection of a car seat.
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Allergy Mom: Not Quite the Title Anyone Hopes For
It was over seven years ago, but I will never forget that day: My perfect, happy toddler stuck one chubby finger into the square of peanut butter sandwich I'd just handed him. In less than five minutes he was covered in welts.
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Child Development Expert? Yeah, Me Neither.
As much as I would like to believe I'm an expert on my own child, I've been known on occasion to bring home a book before realizing that yeah, maybe she's not quite ready for the whole "and then Bambi's mother dies" thing. Now Savvy Source is helping me out quite a bit in this department.
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Attention: Lazy Gift Card Redeemers
Not to look a gift (card) horse in the mouth, but I when I get one I often forget to use it in time. I guess it's people like me who account for the $8 billion in gift cards that gets wasted each year. Yikes.
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From the Cradle to The Cradle (tm)
There are more "mom" websites and social networking sites popping up than we can shake a BPA-free baby bottle at. And who can blame them? We are collectively awesome and so everyone wants us to grace them with our virtual presence.
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How Many Trees Have Died for Our Mindless Bathroom Reading?
I cannot be the only mom dreading the walk up from the mailbox these days. It would be fine if it was filled with all sorts of cards and gifts and, you know, envelopes of free money. But nope. Just bills and about sixty million pounds of catalogs that I totally don't need.
Delicious, Not Deceptive
There's been quite a bit of buzz among parents lately about whether hiding healthy foods in other foods is the right thing to do. For those who prefer to keep nutrients in plain view of the family, I've found a great resource in the Smart Foods Healthy Kids web site.
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Safer Toys For Kids. You Know, The Unleaded Kind
For your browsing, buying, and drooling pleasure, we're happy to present The Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide, featuring some of our favorite playthings for younger kids.
While we haven't sold out to the Hollywood machine just yet (Watch out Harvey Weinstein, we're coming for you!) we are excited to tell you about the nine short Cool Mom Picks videos we taped for Toys That Won't Sit in the Closet for Three Years
I'm definitely not the person to count on for remembering what developmental milestone comes when so good thing I found ebeanstalk before I bought the poor girl a rattle for her first birthday.
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Best Editing of a Motion Picture Goes To...
Like all parents in this digital age, I've taken thousands of photos of my two girls. I've captured those "firsts" both big and small, but it's not easy to share those precious moments with friends and family without making them suffer through 75 nearly identical shots of, say, "first spit up."
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Snarking on that Pregnancy Book You Hated Could Land You a Cool Grand
We love Alpha Mom and we're not afraid to shout it from the rooftops. Owner/mom Isabel Kallman has created a smart, informative website featuring columns from the best bloggers in town, along with extremely helpful videos, a great baby name guide, and other helpful resources for parents.
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Match.com Meets Flea Market
Perhaps you bought a few items (before discovering Cool Mom Picks of course) and realize now that you don't want them. Here are a few solutions to minimizes your carbon footprint, as the kids say today.
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We Interrupt Your Shopping For A Random Act of Do-Gooding
We post a lot about lotion/potion alternatives for the kiddos that are organic, natural, and hopefully bad-stuff-free. If you care about what goes into you children's shampoos, diaper creams and bubble baths, consider helping out the non-profit Environmental Working Group.
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Like the Best Flea Market Ever, and No Tube Socks
Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear about Hyena Cart, an online community where moms can sell their handmade wares--and the rest of us, luckily, can buy them.
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Feeling Tip-sy?
It always seems like I'm the last one to know the tricks of the trade--you know, like toothpaste gets crayon off the wall or Preparation H has more than just that one use.
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Candy For Your Ears
Remember when you were little and someone introduced you to the local candy store for the first time--and they gave out samples? Free! That's how I felt when I discovered Hip Young Parent: The Children's Music Alternative.
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Book Snob Heaven
My family and I are serious book lovers. Okay, we're full-on snobs. I admit it. We only have eyes for the worthwhile page-turners and even my toddler has learned to resist the call of the flashy but content-lite pages in the bargain bins and head straight for the award winners. That's my girl!
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Confess!
If you haven't yet heard about True Mom Confessions, you haven't been neglecting your kids nearly enough while surfing the web.
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Making Grandma's (Mothers') Day
I am not a diy-er, crafter, Martha-in-training, or whatever you want to call people who have the genius ability to make things that don't look, well, like they made them. This is not a big deal until my own mother gets on the phone and tells me to "make her something" for Mother's Day. And I don't think she's referring to the new grandbaby on the way.
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Scrapbooks Out, Storybooks In
Those fill-in-the-blank baby books didn't work well for me. While some of the questions didn't apply, I just didn't like to leave the pages completely empty--or worse, use the bureaucratic Not Applicable. Eventually, I decided to eschew the preformatted books and put together a baby book of my own design.
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Like Craig's List Without the Weirdos Looking to Buy Placentas
You've spent months agonizing over bedding options for your baby's nursery, only to discover your must-have ensemble was discontinued, and the whole county is sold out. Who'd have thought Pirate Bunnies would be so popular?
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Craft Your Way to Unboredom
It's the phrase all mothers dread: "Mom, I'm booooorrrred!" After the kids have made their way through every puzzle ("I've done that"), book ("read it already"), and game ("we played that this morning") in the house, what's a mom to suggest?
YouTube for Moms: The Boob Tube?
One thing pregnant women and new mothers are definitely not lacking is a variety of information sources--some more desired (Cool Mom Picks) than others (the mother-in-law with some very interesting views on putting whiskey in the bottle). But picking and choosing from among the stacks of books and lists of URLs can be daunting. And frankly, who has that kind of energy these days? Sometimes a passive medium like TV is just what the doctor ordered.
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Couch Potatoes No More
One year ago, two other movie-loving moms, Sarah Bowman and Diane Shakin, founded Kids off the Couch to help LA-area families turn the passive act of film-watching into active adventures around town that get kids psyched about film, culture and yes, even spending time with you.
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Hit the Road, Jack. And Emma.
Balancing the everyday logistics of work and home: No problem. Planning a vacation for our family of four: Problem. I become paralyzed with information overload, and all I want is for someone I trust to give me the real scoop on what to pack, where to go, and what to do.
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Procrastinating Parents: We Have The Baby Books for You
I'm an overachiever in many ways, but a huge slacker in the baby book department. I started the book for my first child just one day before #2 was born. Oops. Don't even ask about how I've documented milestones for the second child. (Okay, it's Post-It notes).
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Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me a Mercedes-Benz. Or Maybe a Jag.
Why do car manufacturers leap to the conclusion that moms and minivans are synonymous? Do they think that we all just turned in our sense of style and adventure along with our placentas?
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All the Stuff You Convince Yourself You Need
I think I can safely say that I was not alone in my amazement that something so small and helpless as a new baby could possibly need so much stuff. I didn't know what gear was necessary and what was merely clever marketing, and after factoring in all the unsolicited advice from well-meaning veteran moms about bouncy seat A versus bouncy seat B, I was overwhelmed to say the least.
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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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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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Sometimes You Just...Click
When it comes to making new mom friends, I have excellent intentions but admittedly, terrible follow-through. Sometimes life just gets in the way of picking up the phone and making plans.
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The Girlfriend's Guide to "Get That Out Of Your Mouth"
I'm not a big fan of the "D" word, but when I do need to watch what I eat, I find that misery loves company. Or to put it in a more positive light, I like to have a friend to diet along with me so we can scream YEAH! together when the scale moves in the right direction.
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One-Stop Rocking
Wouldn't it be amazing if there was one site that sold all the cool music that CMP recommends? And wouldn't it be even more amazing if you didn't have to dig through a bunch of other music--the kind we don't recommend--on that site to find the good stuff that has been carefully tucked away?
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Your Business is Our Business
If you read Cool Mom Picks for all of about 10 seconds, you'll realize we're huge supporters of the community of mom-trepreneurs. We know how hard it can be to get a business off a ground, particularly while chasing small children around, and so part of our mission is to help get the word out about cool stuff that moms are making and selling.
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Isn't a Jack Jill's Brother?
I am clueless about cars. Give me a reliable car with four wheels and a good mechanic and I'm set. However, it has crossed my mind that I'm not so sure what I would do if I had engine trouble on the road, or God help me, had to buy a car without the assistance of my husband (aka The Haggler).
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Run Mommy, Run
I learned that if there are two things that all new moms have in common, it's the desire to meet other new moms, and the desire to fit back into the pre-pregnancy jeans. Like, yesterday.
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Radio Moosehead
For the past two years, this household's been on a steady musical diet of Sesame Street and The Wiggles. Don't get me wrong--I love me some Rubber Duckie--but I've been meaning to try something a little more exotic.
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Putting Your Fingers In Your Ears and Going LALALALA
I have mixed feelings about watching the news. I do want stay on top of current events; but to do so I have to get through 20 minutes of tragic, ratings-trolling disaster stories just to get to anything actually of value.
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When You're Too Sleep-Deprived to Cut Through the BS
As a new mom, it’s hard to know where to turn for good advice. There are several websites offering free newsletters, which at their best clutter up your in-box unopened. At their worst, they make you feel like if you don't buy a particular developmental toy from their online store right now now NOW, your child will grow up to rob banks and torture small animals.
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The Working Mom's Survival Guide
Surfing around in search of online resources for working moms, the good ones seem to be far and few between. Most look a lot like...well, work. Blech.Mom and GAP bigwig Amy Keroes knew better when she developed Mommy Track'd, the... ... [More]
It's a Crafter's World. We Just Live in It.
If you haven't figured it out yet, we here at Cool Mom Picks love the crafty types. We've also learned that you can't call yourself crafty without having Kiddley bookmarked in your browser. Kiddley is the brand new website from... ... [More]
Why is This Woman Smiling? Because She Has the Day Off.
Recently, salary.com calculated that the 10.6 million stay-at-home moms in America are each worth an average of $134,000 a year. And yet--do they get overtime? No. Do they get year-end bonuses? No. Do they get to call in sick after... ... [More]
You've Got Moxie, Kid!
If you had a best friend that was really friendly, smart and level-headed and knew a thing or two about parenting, she might be a lot like Moxie of Ask Moxie. Ask Moxie is an advice blog where parents can... ... [More]
Now It's Easy Bein' Green
We here at Cool Mom Picks are all about being kind to the environment. But trying to live that way can be a challenge, particularly in you live in a not-so-green state like I do.
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Making Life Easier: A Web Magazine After Our Own Heart
If you have read through this site for more than one minute, then you have figured out that we are all about trying to make life easier. We know moms have very little time to themselves, and reading may not... ... [More]
PopPop? Uncle Marty? Who are They?
As a military family, we do our best to keep everyone posted on the goings on of the first grandchild. But, let's face it, I can barely keep track of my own relatives, let alone my husband's huge family. And,... ... [More]
Bleeding Ears, So Not Cool
As we've pointed out here before, the problem with most children's music is that the more your kids love it, the more you want to jump out the window. Allow us to point you towards a few remedies--three bloggers with both children and excellent musical taste.
... [More]Once Upon a Time There Was This MP3...
Hard to believe, but your computer's MP3 player can be more than a repository of embarrassing one-hit wonders and Lite FM ballads. It can also be a source for encouraging your children's love of literature. ... [More]
That Wasn't In The Manual
Feeling a little disappointed with that Dr. Expert parenting book that everyone raved about it? Would you rather have a root canal sans novocaine than listen to yet another round of "well-meaning" advice from your mother-in-law? Does it seem like... ... [More]
If Only I Could Exchange My Belly...
There's nothing like paying $50 for a designer (muumuu) maternity shirt that you're only going to wear for a few months at best.
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"If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy"
I think many of the mainstream parenting-type magazines make fine reads... for my daughter while I'm on the toilet. What toddler doesn't love to flip through pages of baby pictures and toy ads? But when I'm looking for something to challenge my slowly deteriorating mom brain, I head right over to mamazine.com.
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More fun than wiping up poo? I don't believe it.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard a nervous mom-to-be ask, "so what did you do after the baby got home? Just...look at her?" Well, kind of. Yeah. I also watched more mindless TV than I ever thought possible.
The Mod Hatter: Contest for a Cause
mod*mom, that mama with the hippest, most happening retro-modern design blog, is on the lookout for those of you with a good eye and a big heart. You see mod*mom, also known as Kristen (no relation to CMP's Kristen), was... ... [More]
Win It!
Subscribe to CMP and win
a $250 Room Seven shopping spree from The Silly Wagon
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Congrats to April winner Amy L
cmp book club
If you think Madysynne is bad, this list of real names will have you equally howling and cringing.
Check out more CMP approved reads at our new book club!
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Got a little (or not so little) grad in the family? Shout it to the world with the great custom invites and announcements from Tiny Prints
at Tiny Prints
For more discounts from our hand-selected partner shops, visit the brand new CMP Emporium.
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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