Cool Mom Picks

1 month ago | coolmompicks.com | Liz Gumbinner

Over the past few years, I’ve committed to my favorite charities and causes by changing my donations from end-of-year or once-in-a-while to an automated recurring monthly contribution. I’ve learned that it’s a really solid, easy way to help organizations and non-profits more meaningfully, without even donating more money. Unless you want to of course.

1 month ago | coolmompicks.com | Kristen Chase

We would probably all love an extra hour in the day. Or two. Or six. Especially with the busy holiday season upon us right now. But since we’re not magicians and we don’t own a time machine (yet), the only way we’ll be able to find extra time is if we take a good look at how we’re spending the 24 hours we already have. And no, losing more sleep is not a reasonable option. Hey, we’d all love to save time wherever we can so we can put it toward more important things, right?

1 month ago | coolmompicks.com | Liz Gumbinner

I am what you’d call a camp evangelist, especially after seeing all the ways summer camp has helped my kids grow. And I’ve had a long time to be able to see that growth — our youngest is about to finish her ninth (!) year at the same camp, while her stepsister is now a second-year counselor there. To them, camp is truly their summer “home,” their friends there are some of their best, and every summer has meant so much to them.

1 month ago | coolmompicks.com | Caroline Siegrist

One parenting conundrum that seems timeless: the search for creative ways to display kids’ artwork. From the preschool doodles and finger paint portraits to the kindergarten collages, to the papier maché sculptures that would look just perfect…where, exactly? I get it! While our own school year has barely begun, I’m already feeling overwhelmed by all my son’s artwork that’s coming home So I’ve been researching all the various ways to display kids’ artwork so that it looks clean and cohesive.

2 months ago | coolmompicks.com | Georgette Gilmore

It’s safe to say that during Black History Month in particular, our children are learning all about our nation’s great civil rights leaders, like Martin Luther King, Jr.,  Rosa Parks and Frederick Douglass. But, as you may recall from the film Hidden Figures, it created awakening for a lot of parents and educators who started to explore the great wealth of Black American pioneers who deserve more attention to their own stories.