Doodads and Random Bits of Coolness

 

Well here’s a product that will make you want to throw up

I’m not even kidding when I tell you that someone has just come out with “trendy” morning sickness bags for pregnant women. And the best part is the name: Morning Chicness Bags.

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Continue reading → Well here’s a product that will make you want to throw up

A baby monitor for your iPhone? Sure. What the heck.

I remember that time we went to visit my folks for the holidays, and
in the midst of packing the presents and the pack-n-play, I somehow
forgot the baby monitor. Well, I was sure I’d hear the baby…

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Continue reading → A baby monitor for your iPhone? Sure. What the heck.

A baby monitor for your iPhone? Sure. What the heck.

I remember that time we went to visit my folks for the holidays, and
in the midst of packing the presents and the pack-n-play, I somehow
forgot the baby monitor. Well, I was sure I’d hear the baby…

[ ....]

Continue reading → A baby monitor for your iPhone? Sure. What the heck.

The gift of peace. Literally.

With my kids becoming more territorial about their things, I can only imagine the fights that I’m going to have to mediate courtesy of Santa this year. So I’m thinking about preparing in advance for…

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Continue reading → The gift of peace. Literally.

Hello, I’m a cup

Okay, I’ll say it: Those wine charm thingies are tacky. I recognize that they serve a purpose, but I’m fairly certain that civilization survived for thousands of years with no real ill effects from a…

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Continue reading → Hello, I’m a cup

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling

I’m not generally a bling evangelist, but if there is a time for all things sparkly and retinal-damaging I suppose it would be the holidays. I’m happy to have come across the Swarovski pencils at Red…

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Continue reading → It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling

Message to Serena & Lily: Stop adding so many cool items to your site. Love, our wallets.

CMP readers know that Serena & Lily is our one of our favorite destinations for all things nursery and fancy. But now they’ve expanded their offerings beyond their signature bedding and decor to…

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Continue reading → Message to Serena & Lily: Stop adding so many cool items to your site. Love, our wallets.

All the Wisey-er

There are plenty of products out there that claim to make life easier for parents when really, it just seems like they take money out of our pockets and fill up the landfills. That’s so clearly not…

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Pregnancy weigh-in time! Hooray! Hooray!

Up until very recently, I would have told you that no pregnant woman should even own a scale. I can remember very little of the first year after each of my children were born, but I remember the…

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For the grandmoms who don’t want to be “grandmom” all the time

My mother-in-law is one of those grandmothers who prefers not to cover herself in all things grandchildren. I learned that the hard way when I found the adorable photo bag I bought her shoved in the…

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Continue reading → For the grandmoms who don’t want to be “grandmom” all the time

Possibly the hottest gift of the year: The chance to make your very own muppet

In television and film, the miscellaneous humans hanging around in the frame are called extras. In scenes that call for additional bodies of the Muppet variety, those are called Whatnots. And while…

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Ponoko - Our new favorite time suck

There’s a reason the new online marketplace, Ponoko, is taking the design world by storm. It’s sort of like etsy meets Flick’r meets the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, all with an underlying current of…

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Baby Safe Cap - Save your brain cells for more important things

Considering I can barely keep track of my cell phone, let alone a baby bottle cap, just guess how many bottle caps I’ve lost.

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Look mom, no hands

I know I’m very lucky to only have to pump as an extra curricular activity. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the benefits of owning a PumpEase, a cool mom-created product that allows you to use…

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Continue reading → Look mom, no hands

It’s okay to stick that in your mouth - you know where it’s been.

Is there any better time to reintroduce the joys of tooth-brushing to your kids than Halloween? I’m going to say no. Which gives me the perfect segueway to introduce all of you to the joys of …

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Take note. Or better yet, give one.

This past weekend, no one was going to mistake my son for the MVP of his soccer team but he did try his best. It was the perfect occasion for one of the playing card-sized notes from Kiddo Kards.

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Continue reading → Take note. Or better yet, give one.

Because what good is Halloween week if you don’t get to say “ew” at least once.

So now I totally know what I’ll be handing out along with the candy on Friday. Presenting the totally disgusting–and I mean that in the best possible way–Scabs Bandages.

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Continue reading → Because what good is Halloween week if you don’t get to say “ew” at least once.

You’re never to young to say “Argh”

I am about the biggest binkie clip evangelist on the planet. What can I say, I’m not a fan of picking up my daughter’s dirty pacifiers off the ground every 4.2 seconds.

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Continue reading → You’re never to young to say “Argh”

They call it “vintage revisited,” but I call it hilarious

What do you get when you combine vintage photos with snarky captions like Why do dishes when you can do daiquiris? The delightfully cheeky line of Anne Taintor products, of course. I’d seen these in…

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Continue reading → They call it “vintage revisited,” but I call it hilarious

Aaah toilet paper foam: Because you-know-what happens.

I will admit, there are times I am envious of my girls’ use of diaper wipes instead of regular old TP. What? It’s refreshingly indulgent!

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How to talk to your daughter about [her period]

My daughter chuckled nervously as the DVD from the My First Period Kit began with the image of Dr. Chrystal de Freitas facing a group of tweens and their moms. But within minutes we were both…

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Martha Stewart’s Halloween favor bags. Because sometimes you just can’t out-Martha Martha.

We make plenty of jokes around here about the “Martha Moms,” mainly because in our heart of hearts, we wish we could count ourselves among those crafty mamas who hand appliqué their children’s sippy…

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Continue reading → Martha Stewart’s Halloween favor bags. Because sometimes you just can’t out-Martha Martha.

Tattoos that even your conservative MIL can get behind

My kids are old enough now that I no longer have to drill them on our phone number and what to do if they get lost. But oh what I wouldn’t have given back then for the brilliant SafetyTats,…

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To all those parents for whom Crocs are sacred

The very same week I got a note from our preschool teachers begging the parents to keep the dreaded Crocs off of children’s feet I’ve discovered that it’s still okay to send them to synagogue with…

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Adorn your keys, you classy thing you

I haven’t had a keychain since college, when we attached our keys to ID holders and waved them around at football games. Since I’ve (hopefully) evolved since then, I’ve decided to add a little…

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Not your average birthday party decor

Today is my birthday and it’s a big one. Oh how I wish I had the guts to make use of one of the bad party buntings, aka “festoons of gloom” from UK shop Twisted Twee

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Cleatskins - Clean car, unmarked floors, happy Soccer Mom

While I’d rather you not call me a Soccer Mom, the fact remains that… well… I am, by definition, a Soccer Mom who spends a lot of Saturday mornings on the field. I also spend a lot of time…

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Continue reading → Cleatskins - Clean car, unmarked floors, happy Soccer Mom

Don’t Let Hannah Montana’s Singing Hurt Your Kids. More.

I used to worry that my daughter was damaging her fragile ear drums with a volume set to “too loud.” Thankfully, we now have LoudEnough Volume-Limiting Earphones so when I yell DO YOU HEAR ME? I…

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Continue reading → Don’t Let Hannah Montana’s Singing Hurt Your Kids. More.

Getting Your Pre-Baby Figure Back with the Belly Bandit and HipSlimmer. Or So We Hope. (And Pray.)

Exercise, eat right, and that baby weight will come off…eventually. 
That’s the common wisdom anyway. But I’m impatient, so in addition to bike rides and bowls of broccoli, I went looking for…

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Continue reading → Getting Your Pre-Baby Figure Back with the Belly Bandit and HipSlimmer. Or So We Hope. (And Pray.)

Learning the Write Way (*Rim Shot*)

As my big girl heads off to first grade (sob), I’m at home with a little girl who wants to do everything her big sister does, including learning the very same things. The mom-run company, Write Way…

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Breathing New Life Into That Old Bjorn

Thanks to Cool Mom Picks, I’ve expanded my babywearing horizons to include wraps and slings, but I can never abandon my beloved Swedish front carrier standby, no matter how much drool coats its…

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Because the World Does In Fact Revolve Around Your Kid

Custom photo confetti? At first I had a hard time imagining what anyone would want with that. Teeny tiny pictures? Wouldn’t they just look like pixelated blobs? But that was before I had a look at…

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SaraBear: Not Just Any Old Basket

I’m probably the last person on earth who would consider using a diaper caddy. But try and steal my new and improved SaraBear Basket from me and you’ll have one angry pregnant chick on your hands.

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Picnic Week: Built NYC’s Neoprene Six-Pack Tote

My memories of picnicking as a child include my poor
dad struggling to carry a giant plastic cooler weighing approximately
100 pounds to our picnic site.  He’d heave the monstrous beast onto a…

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Continue reading → Picnic Week: Built NYC’s Neoprene Six-Pack Tote

That Water Fountain Just got about a Milion Percent More Appealing

There is one definite problem with toting your eco-friendly 21st century reusable water bottle around, and that is, eventually it runs out of water. At least if you’re me and you drink like a fish…

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Continue reading → That Water Fountain Just got about a Milion Percent More Appealing

Picnic Week: The Mod Bento Lunchbox

I’m tired of unpacking a picnic lunch and finding that the
sandwiches have been squished or the plastic containers have spilled
their contents all over the inside of the cooler.  Next time, I am…

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The Blue Bird of Barrette Organization Happiness

Being that my daughter was a little baldie for a very long time, imagine my excitement when she became obsessed with hair clips. Especially because I am not the type to stick barrettes on a…

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Sometimes Mama Needs a Cocktail. Even if Baby Doesn’t.

The CMP staff has just returned from the BlogHer conference, that magical yearly event in which hundreds of bloggers
gather together to hone our craft, take thousands of photos
and drink copious…

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Continue reading → Sometimes Mama Needs a Cocktail. Even if Baby Doesn’t.

Lap Desks for Kids That They’ll Totally Use

My daughter is insistent on drawing anywhere and everywhere, which isn’t so bad when we’re sitting in our kitchen. When we’re in our car it can present a bit of a problem. But now with her Room it Up…

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Poo-Pourri: The $9.95 Marriage Saver

When you get a pitch for something called Poo-Pourri you think it’s a joke. Maybe a teaser for a Will Ferrell movie or an April Fool’s email that got lost in the ether for three months. But holy cow,…

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Baby Shower Favors, Hold the Cliches

In theory, party favors are a wonderful idea.  Sending your guests home
with a lovely memento of a special occasion - who could object to such
thoughtfulness?  Problem is, most favors are…

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Connect the Dots

While my four-year-old daughter can definitely write her name, she still has trouble nailing that tricky letter N. But now, thanks to her Little Stamp, she doesn’t have to tell me that the N in…

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Photo Stamps Make Envelopes as Awesome as the Announcements Inside

Little known geeky fact about me: I’ve collected stamps since I was my
daughter’s age. Before
you question my
credibility where it comes to finding cool picks for fabulous moms,
check out PhotoStamps…

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Continue reading → Photo Stamps Make Envelopes as Awesome as the Announcements Inside

Summer Travel With Kids Just Got 10% Easier

As a wife of a pilot who takes advantage of the perks and does a fair bit of traveling alone with two kids, I’m always on the lookout for travel helpers that make the experience a bit more tolerable….

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Turning All Your Kids’ Clothing Into UPF Clothing.

Since moving my fair-skinned family to Georgia last year, I’ve really had a baptism by fire(ball) when it comes to sun protection. Oh, sure, we took precautions in the sun up north, but the sun here…

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Attention Parents of Hypochondriacs

When my daughter was a toddler, it wasn’t only cleaning supplies that had to go into high or locked cabinets — we also had to hide the band-aids, lest she plaster herself head to toe every time she…

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Happy Camper Week on Cool Mom Picks: The Don’t Bite Me Bug Patch

There is no happy camping where there are mosquitoes and ticks there to ruin the fun, and so we present to you the ingenious Don’t Bite Me Patch. It’s one of the most awesome and natural ways we’ve…

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Regifting Just Found Legitimacy

One of the best pieces of advice I got at my baby shower was to save the gift bags. Sure enough, I reused almost all of them–except that one that already looked reused enough. I’ll withhold names to…

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JetHeads: Helping Kids Sleep Better On the Plane Without Benadryl

After reading a New York Times article about how often airplanes wash their blankets and pillows  and what exactly can be found in those seat back pockets…shivers. I may just have to…

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Mobile Phones Just Got Even More Wireless

We have the world’s stupidest cell phone charging set-up at our home. Meaning we plug it in, set it on the floor, and act amazed as the baby gets to the wire every time.

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Continue reading → Mobile Phones Just Got Even More Wireless