Shari Simpson

My husband is obsessed with Christmas music. From midnight on Thanksgiving to the wee hours of New Year's Day, we are a 24/7 Away in a Manger on that O Holy Night with Silver Bells Fa-la-la-ing family. So you should have seen his eyes li…

Procrastinating about holiday cards runs in my blood--my mother used to write her cards the day after Christmas, step on the envelopes to make them look messy, and tell people they must have gotten lost in the mail. (She really did.) So …

Has this ever happened to you? You're in a mall or restaurant and suddenly you hear a song that's so catchy that you immediately want to know what it is, who sings it, how you can get it. (By the way, this experience never happens in an …

As a 'Droid user, I'll admit it, I've had my moments when I've wished to etch a tiny apple on the back of my phone for some small measure of coolness. The good news is that there are a number of designers who have heard my virtual sighs …

"A wonderful app! It's better than rap! 'If I Ran the Circus' makes me smile like a sap!" Um... sorry. There's just something about announcing a new Seuss app that forces me to rhyme, albeit badly. We've talked at length about our affect…

I have an Android phone and we 'droid-ers know the feeling of being left out of the iPhone world with all its cool doodads and whatnots and whozits. (What? Those are the real tech terms). So when there's cool stuff made just for us--well…

There are two things you should know about me as a chronicler of my kids' lives: 1. I take lots of photographs of them on various devices. 2. I do absolutely nothing with those photographs. I have a sneaky suspicion that I am not alone i…

We're always on the prowl for awesome wireless speakers here at Cool Mom Tech, because let's face it, we're women and women like things to look clean and sharp. Oh, and when it comes to speakers, sound clean and sharp. You know of our ab…

I am intermittently craft-crazy, with bouts of knitting and jewelry-making fever. Unfortunately, my skill set doesn't always match up to my enthusiasm, as evidenced by the sweater I knitted for my son that took two years. (Yes, two years…

Let's face it, most of our children think carrots grow in a refrigerated display case in a grocery store, so any chance to teach them about seeds, soil, sun and watering is a plus. My family and I are urban folk through and through, whic…

I had one of those moments recently that falls squarely into the category of "modern life." I was looking for a photograph of my kids that I could visualize in my mind, but couldn't remember if it was on my phone camera, camera-camera, i…

If you're on the klutzy side like I am, you've no doubt tripped over a wire or two in your life. Bluetooth was made for people like us--and the pleasantly streamlined, portable aesthetics of a wireless system are a very nice bonus (espec…

You haven't lived until you've seen a video of your head superimposed on the body of an elf, dancing in a winter wonderland. Such is the magic of Elf Yourself by the hilarious company JibJab , a.k.a. the Spiridelli brothers. Now that the…

There are two images in my mind right now: one of my husband struggling to keep his Android phone steady in the car while using it as a GPS; the other, yours truly, trying to read a recipe on my phone without dropping it in the pancake b…

Once in a while, my husband and I have been known to make wise family decisions and this was one of our best: we took the TV sets out of the entire first floor of our house, wanting to spend a bit more time in conversation (remember that…

I love books. I also love lovers of books. And I particularly love book lovers who aren't too "precious" to also enjoy a little modern technology for their books, (all hail Kindles and iPads). Such is the case with this small new company…

Don't get me wrong, I like photographs of my kids, family and friends, but just looking at pictures doesn't "send me." UNLESS they're in a slideshow with music and text--then I become a blubbering, "Memories"-singing mama. Which is why t…

I adore my iPad. Almost as much as my children adore my iPad. Luckily, I've managed to keep my hands on it enough to prevent them from downloading apps like crazed little tech-monkeys. And since Mommy is pretty selective, they've only be…

I know; tech and nature can seem to go together about as well as bikini tops and orthopedic shoes--in other words, not at all. But now, even lovers of woods and flowers can find their soulmate case with these 5 cases I've rounded up. Inc…

I'm not fancy. If I'm in a hurry, particularly if I'm flying somewhere and need to get to the airport pronto, I've been known to jam my laptop into my raggedy backpack and stick my iPad in a plastic grocery bag. (Don't tell anyone!) Havi…

Being that I'm the creative type (read: messy), I have a tendency to be doing ten things at one time, and that includes eating and drinking and working on my computer. I'll be frank: I've grown a little weary of my fingers sticking to th…