Christina Refford

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…

Though I knew it was risky, for the first couple of months of owning a shiny new iPad 2, I didn't use protection. Oh sure, I worried that it'd get scratched, dinged or (gulp) dropped, I was just overwhelmed with the number of cases out t…

When my kids were little, I couldn't wait to take them to see the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, they didn't want to stay up that late, hated the booms and generally made it hard to relax and say my required "oooos" and …

We're about to embark on a holiday weekend of picnics, and I'm about to become that mom whose son eats nothing but hot dogs and ice cream for three days straight. He looks at all food as if it will bite him back, and if you've got one of…

It's finally the season of long sunny days spent outside riding bikes, playing kickball and tag. Oh, and that all-too-familiar sound of one of my kids tripping, falling and skinning yet another part of their body. I am not kidding when I…

As soon as I could turn my back on my kids with the safety scissors, I knew it was only a matter of time before they decided to give themselves (or each other) a trim. A far better way to scratch their itch to play hairdresser, comes in …

Most of us know that George Washington was the first president and Al Gore was never one, but there are a whole lot of years in the middle there that are not my strong suit. That's why I love a new app that helps my kids and me brush up …

There is so much cool stuff being shared on social media sites, there's no way any of us could ever keep up with it, especially if we want to do things like eat, play with the kids, or leave the house. But I've just stumbled upon a new s…

One of our favorite kindie voices, Charlie Hope, has a brand new release called Let's Go Play! , and you can bet you'll see a review of this wonderful family album soon on Cool Mom Picks . But today we have a little treat for you: a beau…

No outdoor toy draws my kids to it as quickly as a big thing of bubble juice, as we call it. And with the gorgeous days now practically begging for the kids to be outside with their friends, I'm especially loving this ethereal little son…

Ever since he was a little guy, my six year old has been obsessed with maps, so it was a no-brainer that I'd look for fun apps that capitalize (ha, get it?) on his obsession. What I didn't expect was to find an app that I'd want to play …

Summer is unofficially here and it's only fitting that I share a sweet little duet that is full of sunshiny warmth. Best of all, it is sung by two of our favorite kindie performers, Caspar Babypants and Charlie Hope, who really make beau…

There is much to love about Lucky Diaz's first full-length CD for kids, Oh Lucky Day !, though it's the first song that sets the whole tone for me. With a lot of rollicking, soulful scat and one confused little girl, who also happens to …

There's so much awesomeness in the kindie music world that we thought we'd start offering a favorite kid-friendly single each week to help freshen up your family playlists Sunshine Collective's I Just Wanna Play is my new favorite to spi…

After a really busy day yesterday, I finally got to see video of the Space Shuttle Endeavor make its last voyage. And as amazing as it was to watch that rocket blast off into space to cheers, I was equally amazed that I was watching vide…

Having just gotten my first iPad a few days ago, I have to hold myself back from loading up on every single app that looks entertaining. But I couldn't resist trying out one new free app that puts the perfect spin on playtime, and it is …

Those of you who are long-time readers of our sister site, Cool Mom Picks , may have heard us rave about Readeez DVDs , which introduce kids to phonics, reading and good music in a way that is fun, playful and effective. Now they have a …

If I want my kids to celebrate Earth Day every day, it helps if they understand the little issues that all add up to make big changes. In other words: Why I screech when they forget to recycle a piece of paper. (I admit it. I screech.) T…

Now that I'm about to get my hands on a shiny new iPad2 (yay!) I've been on the lookout for cool new accessories for my tablet, like the PadPivot that I saw on crowd-funding site Kickstarter a little while back. Now Kickstarter has intro…

In those blissful few quiet minutes to myself, I love to curl up on the couch and flip through a magazine. So I am happy to have found a cool online magazine for parents that features loads of drool-worthy photos of stylish kids, decorat…

If you made my kids narrow down to the two things they think are really cool about technology, they'd come up with: 1. Making really goofy videos of themselves, and 2. Angry Birds. Yeah, I'd have to agree, though I bet I have more people…

When I find myself doing the really icky chores around the house, like scrubbing the floor under my kids' breakfast chairs, or getting on my hands and knees around the toilet, I think: In this enlightened age, shouldn't there be a button…

As cool as our Samsung Galaxy tablet is, I can't help but wish I had an extra hand to prop it up when I'm trying to follow a recipe off a website or scrolling Twitter while we watch a movie together. Hey, I like two hands for popcorn, th…

Though I've been homeschooling for five years, make no mistake: I am no great educator. I'm just good at finding help for subjects in which I'm a little rusty, like...all of them. Hey, it's been a long time since I sat behind a classroom…