free or close to it

At least a few nights during summer vacation, we throw "reasonable bedtimes" out the window and stay up way too late around a bonfire or lying on the beach gazing at the stars. And now we have a song that captures beautifully the sense o…

Every so often I go ahead and swap out the photo on my desktop for some soothing, cool illustrated desktop pattern. Often because I have so much crap on my desktop I stop being able to find it. I mean...because I have awesome style and w…

The bright sparklers, the red-white-and-blue banners, the popsicle-dyed smiles...I love celebrating a loud, messy, fun-filled Fourth of July with the family. And to add even more excitement to your day, we've got the coolest (and free!) …

My eyes have finally stopped itching and my nose stopped running which means that the trees around my yard are finally in full bloom. And though they make my allergies go crazy for a few weeks each year, I love looking out at all the dif…

I figured the big news about ATT's free mobile charging station program would be taking place somewhere like San Francisco or Portland or Austin. But nope, NY mamas like me--and those who visit our fair northeastern hamlet--are in luck w…

I have a sizeable collection of photos and videos on my iPhone, mostly of my kids. While I access my camera roll pretty frequently to find old pictures, show people my kids, watch past videos with my kids, etc., I love apps that take exi…

Discounts, perks, rewards--they all sounded reeeeally good when we signed up for all those membership programs. Until we end up with a lot of cards taking up wallet space and we never bother cashing in on all those benefits. Enter Larky …

The Walkman seems like a lifetime ago, especially now that any kind of music is available at our fingertips through all kinds of music services, plenty of them free. And hey, we don't even need to switch cassettes or push clunky fast for…

Free clip art is always one of the hardest things to find online--at least if you're picky about your clip art. But we found a really amazing clip art search engine that you're going to want to bookmark stat. Check out Hippo Paint and yo…

The last time I went to a live music concert was... oh, alright, I can't even remember. I'm sure I'm not the only parent with that answer. And that's exactly why I'm intrigued by EVNTLIVE. The concept is pretty simple. And pretty brillia…

If there is anything I want my kids to remember about Monday's tragedy at the Boston Marathon , it is how many people came together to help in any way, from aiding the injured, to showing love and support from across the globe. Today's f…

I took the cutest video of my daughter at her piano lesson last week playing Beethoven Sonatas, jazz riffs and Billy Joel covers. It was amazing! OK, fine, it was a run-through of "Do Not Sneeze" accompanied by her piano teacher, but I s…

Listening to the Hits One station on Sirius Radio in the car may keep me somewhat up with the latest pop hits (even though my kids always know the lyrics before I do), but I still find myself saying "who?" to every new up-and-comer that …

Great news for all you faithful Windows phone folks, especially if you love your tunes. The uber-popular music streaming service Pandora is offering not only free, but ad-free, streaming for Windows phone users. And only for Windows phon…

Cool Mom Tech subscribers are already ahead of the curve, thanks to our newsletters with techy tips, cool deals, and all the hottest free apps. But this month, five lucky CMT subscribers will win a new way to stay on track, especially in…

Easter hops into the picture in one week, and I've got a great song for this bunny-filled holiday. Though you probably know the lyrics to Here Comes Peter Cottontail, I'm pretty sure you've never heard it sound so cool. With one of our f…

The good news this morning? The kids slept past 6am. The bad news? Most of us lost an hour of precious sleep to daylight savings time. While this will be a two-cup-of-coffee morning for sure, we have a lovely, free download with Good Mor…

Your mother is calling--again--and just when the Bachelor is handing out his roses. (Priorities, people!) What do you do? Ignore the call and feel guilty? Reject the call and feel guiltier? Pick it up and feel grouchy during the whole ex…

Maybe it's an age factor or the fact that I have a lot in my brain, but I've been relying more heavily on making lists to do, well, everything. We've covered quite a few great ones here at Cool Mom Tech like Teux Deux, Orchestra and Cozi…

Over on our sister site, Cool Mom Picks , we've shared our favorite picks for Black History Month which include important figures in the civil rights movement, in the arts, and in politics. But there are many other African American heroe…

We love great kids' music. And we love almost-free stuff. So, when two of our very favorite kindie groups offer up downloadable EP's for our families to enjoy at whatever cost we want to pay for it? It makes us very, very happy. Don't mi…

If you like the picks, tips and deals we put together for you on Cool Mom Tech, you will love becoming a Cool Mom Tech subscriber . You'll receive our free monthly newsletter (actual retail value: MILLIONS), with exclusive features, mont…

I've never been a huge Instagram user, which I guess after recent major changes to the Instagram Terms of Service , isn't a bad thing at all. But I am a fan of good quality photo editing apps, especially when they're free. We have been k…

I'm so relieved Christmas is over so I won't have to spend any more time wracking by brain for those thoughtful gifts for people who I have a hard time shopping for. But for every birthday and holiday coming up, I'm going to start using …