summer vacation

As we mentioned on Cool Mom Picks , our team is off on a little break this week. Don't we all need one these days? (The answer is yes. Yes we do.) But hey, before we took off, we wanted to put together some of our very favorite summer te…

I know that a socially distanced summer -- with all the closures and cancellations it entails -- is pretty daunting to parents. Like, ahem, myself. But I've been encouraged to find that there are so many wonderful online resources availa…

These camps are so cool that you’ll want to be a kid again! Well maybe temporarily.

As vigilant as I am about applying (and reapplying) sunscreen on my kids and myself, it's inevitable that I missed a spot -- usually on myself -- and I'm left with a sunburn patch. But this new gadget could totally change that, and help …

Of course tech innovations are making their way to the traditional BBQ now too, and if you don't have the space for an outdoor grill, I've found a solution in the Kenyon SilKEN Grill which keeps your grilling game on all year round. This…

When it's time to unplug the devices and hit the pool, lake, or ocean to cool off, I know my kids love stretching out and relaxing on a comfy pool float or raft while they talk to their friends. And, whoa, they would go nuts for any of t…

Even with school out for summer, that doesn't mean learning has to go on vacation too. If you've got a computer-crazy kid who's interested in the creativity that comes from learning to code, there are so many great resources online. You …

If you're like us, you're counting down the days to a summer vacation, whether it's a weekend at the grandparents' place or something bigger. Either way, hopefully it means sleeping in late (kids willing), lazy days, catching up on books…

Spring is (finally) rounding the corner. That also means that prime travel season and spring break is about to begin, and when it comes to family vacations -- be it a long weekend or a 10-day stretch -- there are plenty of moving parts t…

With this being the first summer with our third baby, I have been thrown back into super vigilant mode when it comes to pool safety. While summer is coming to a close, we've still got quite a few weeks of hot swim weather left (and an up…

Even though it's easy to snap and share plenty of great vacation photos these days, I do miss those fun postcards we used to collect and send during my family trips as a kid. But now with the ScenePast app for iOS, you can actually send …

Depending on where you live, school is either winding down or over completely. And with the unofficial start of summer here this weekend, we've picked the song Day Camp by Justin Roberts as our music download of the week. It's sure to ge…

What is the best app or website for plotting out a road trip? We want to be able to enter mileage targets and also find interesting places to stop. -Danielle Thanks for the great question, Danielle! Tis the season for the family road tri…

Poking around one of my favorite online shops, Fat Brain Toys , I was looking to see what's new and geeky and cool for kids now that school is close to letting out around here. That's when I came across this robot. But it's no ordinary r…

Are you as obsessed with Pinterest as we are? Follow us ! Then check out what pins you might have missed this week. 1. A brilliant way to eliminate cord and earbud tangles once and for all. 2. Don't miss this round-up of free kindie rock…

Even though my kids still have weeks left of school, Memorial Day weekend feels like the unofficial start of summer to me. For that reason, we've had the latest Okee Dokee Brothers' release, Can You Canoe? , on heavy rotation because its…

Any other parents in denial that the school year is coming to an end? Summer vacation beckons and lots of trips to the beach, trips to Grandma and Grandpa's, and trips in general are on the horizon. Yay! That said, the planning leading u…

Though my kids generally loathe being dragged along from store to store when I have errands to run, there is one store I have no problem getting them into: The Apple Store. In fact, I usually have to drag them out when I'm ready to leave…

During these long, unscheduled, fun-in-the-sun summer months, I've been on the lookout for some smart apps that keep my kids' brains thinking and not turning into soft serve. That's a big reason why I am so excited about this math app wh…