entertainment

If you're celebrating New Year's Eve at home with kids, and you can't wait until real midnight to get them to bed, we've got some fun ideas for you! In 2018, we first shared a series of brilliant Netflix fake ball drop shows , and it was…

It took me longer than most people to get into audiobooks . Even while friends raved about flying through so many books on their commutes or while sitting in carpool lines, I had tried a few novels on Audible -- good ones! -- and just co…

For those of you who also grew up with Ezra Jack Keats's magical The Snowy Day , you can imagine my thrill at discovering The Snowy Day has become a wonderful opera now available to stream on the the Houston Grand Opera website Even bett…

Not everyone loves a big, splurgey, outrageous tech gift -- some of us are happy with practical tech gifts. Especially these days, when those gifts just may help us get through another ( deep sigh ) long winter. Colder weather has offici…

I'm grateful for this list of the best apps for road trips with kids, because it turns out, I'm not allowed to put my kids in a hilarious sidecar by themselves during long drives. So I've been prepping my phone and the kids' iPad for the…

Here are some fun Halloween-themed playlists that your kids may enjoy on YouTube. Yes, YouTube. Now that YouTube Kids has upped their parental controls game , I've been feeling more comfortable with them using the app, and hey, sometimes…

This year, we want to stream the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but of course, we happened to have cut our cable cord years ago. Instead, we rely on several streaming services — mainly Netflix, the free HBOMax subscription that came with our phone …

In a typical Oscars year , I'm pretty much an expert on the (ahem) animated film category , but when it comes to the best picture or documentary feature film categories, I've maybe seen one or two movies. But 2020 was anything but typica…

We're huge board game geeks in my family. Our stack of strategy games is up to the ceiling. And while we're always up for a new game, they're expensive. So my new solution has been playing board games online before I buy! I get the full …

Anyone else need a little break from the grindiest grind that is pandemic existence with small children? Or pandemic existence generally? I, for one, definitely do, and I've found some solace -- and a few giggles -- in these fun escapist…

Have you been wondering if there are enough Apple TV+ original shows to make it worth adding another streaming service to your menu? I get it, we have a lot—and I mean a lot —to choose from these days, and my family is on a budget. Since…

Who else is looking for the best video games to play as a family this holiday? To me, these family-friendly games make the best gifts for the holidays, since they provide some safe indoor fun at a time we all really need it. Plus, they p…

Did you all see the huge announcement from Warner Bros. yesterday? For 2021, they'll be streaming all their new release movies directly to HBO Max the same day they hit theaters. That means Wonder Woman , Dune , The Matrix 4 and every ot…

Anyone else confused about the HBO offerings? There's HBO Go, HBO Max, HBO Now, HBO Later (Okay, I just made that one up, but you get the idea). But the good news is that HBO has finally taken the hint from confused consumers and start c…

Since 2020 has precluded in-person watch parties, I was glad to see Disney step up their game with GroupWatch. Just like Netflix's watch party , GroupWatch lets you watch content from Disney+ with others who are far away -- and who also …

Just last week, Twitch launched Watch Parties , a feature that allows Twitch creators to watch Prime Video TV shows and movies with their communities. Whether you've got a kid on Twitch, or maybe you're looking for a way to watch your Am…

Anyone else missing trips to your local movie theater? I know I am, which is why I've been researching the best home projectors for backyard movie nights, which seem to be the closest we're going to get to sitting in a theater anytime so…

What you do after the kids are in bed on Valentine's Day -- that's your business. What you do while the kids are still up and wanting to hang out with you though? Well, we can help with that. As the resident cinephile, I've put together …

The Netflix fake ball drop has been a total parents' New Year's Eve lifesaver for us. If you haven't heard of this magic yet, you've got to check it out. If your kids are too young (or you're too tired, ha!) to stay up till the new year,…

We have a few Thanksgiving traditions in our family: mom's pumpkin pie, a turkey that's never quite ready when we expect it to be, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on TV. Because Lucy, Linus and the rest of the gang are just a sentimenta…

We recently asked the members of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group to share their choices for best podcasts for parents -- that don't have to be about parenting at all -- and wow, we scored big. And well, so did you. If you're lookin…

What Potterhead among us hasn't wanted to accio our own working wand and perform a little magic? Like, I don't know...make some Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans get bigger, disappear a few Mandrakes, or summon some chocolate frogs? Well,…

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …