The best ever, super simple trick for taking better selfies
Last week on family vacation, atop the San Jacinto Mountain with the scenic Coachella Valley behind me, of course tons of selfies were taken. As is the law these days. When it was my turn to pull out my phone, I realized I couldn't get a flattering angle, and the...
5 free journal apps to harness your thoughts in 2018.
Harness your thoughts (and maybe a New Years’ resolution) with one of our favorite free journal apps.
Twitter tricks: The smart accessibility features you never knew about.
Thanks to Twitter user Red Long, who describes himself as blind in his bio, I found a terrific tip to use a feature in your Twitter accessibility features to help your visually impaired readers. However in digging deeper, turns out there are a whole bunch of really...
Cool gadgets, apps, and tips to help you get better sleep. Yay tech!
It might seem counterintuitive to use technology to get sleep, especially since so many sleep experts remind us all that tech before bed is a major offender. Over the years, we've featured some fantastic sleep gadgets and sleep apps to help you get more sleep, none of...
When should I use Portrait Mode on my iPhone camera? A quick, simple tip.
Over the holiday break, I took my family on a trip to Sedona, Arizona and the Grand Canyon, and thanks to my fantastic iPhone 8+ camera with Portrait Mode, I've got some fantastic photos. But, as I quickly discovered after some trial and error, Portrait Mode doesn't...
Start the year off with organization: 20 tech to-dos to knock off your list!
If you're like us, then you've got a ton of fingerprints on your computer and way too many photos on your smartphone. But to start 2018 with a clean slate (or at least, a clean screen), we're sharing 20 tech to-dos to help you get more organized before the year gets...
Countdown to a reasonable bedtime on NYE thanks to Netflix
We can barely stay up until midnight anymore, let alone our little kids, and the combination of both of us with no sleep is just scary. If you're looking to get your kids to bed at a reasonable hour on New Year's Eve, Netflix has parents covered (again) with their...
Our top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2017
From scary apps your kids might be using to the solar eclipse of 2017 (remember that?), we rounded up our top 10 most popular posts here on Cool Mom Tech from 2017. 10. Is Unroll.me safe to use? After the controversy over their use of data (which is common amongst...
Here’s what you need to know about the iPhone battery issue. And how to fix it.
If you've always had a sinking feeling that your iPhone battery started to you know what the fan when new iPhone models were released, you probably felt vindicated last week. That's when multiple sources, like our friends at CNET, reported that indeed, there was a...
American Girl goes STEM with Luciana Vega, the 2018 girl of the year
Big news today, especially for American Girl doll lovers. They announced their 2018 girl of the year, who just so happens to love STEM. How cool is that? Related: Finally, the first American Girl boy Doll Meet Luciana Vega, the 2018 girl of the year, who is an...
Our most popular Spawned podcast episodes of 2017
We've covered a ton of topics on our Spawned with Kristen and Liz podcast in 2017. From kids and social media to vagacials (yes, it's a thing), we've had a blast chatting with each other, and our esteemed guests, about parenting and parenting culture. And we hope...
15 ways Alexa can make your life easier and cooler this holiday season
At my house, we use our Amazon Echo every single day. I ask Alexa to place orders, find the proper cooking temperature of pork, or play my favorite playlist, just to name a few. So with the holidays here, I thought it would be fun to share 15 ways Alexa can make your...
Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way!) Easier
Our most popular Spawned podcast episodes of 2017
We've covered a ton of topics on our Spawned with Kristen and Liz podcast in 2017. From kids and social media to vagacials (yes, it's a thing), we've had a blast chatting with each other, and our esteemed guests, about parenting and parenting culture. And we hope...
15 ways Alexa can make your life easier and cooler this holiday season
At my house, we use our Amazon Echo every single day. I ask Alexa to place orders, find the proper cooking temperature of pork, or play my favorite playlist, just to name a few. So with the holidays here, I thought it would be fun to share 15 ways Alexa can make your...
Raising kids to be good digital citizens: The only 4 things you need to tell them.
Raising digital kids, we parents all want to raise them to be good digital citizens, make wise choices, never bully, never be bullied, use their platforms for good, and be the change we want to see in the world. Not much to ask for, right? Since starting this site...
11 STEM subscription boxes for kids that make perfect last minute gift ideas | 2017 Holiday Tech Gift Guide
We know it’s never too early to inspire a science and math passion in our kids!
Raising kids to be good digital citizens: The only 4 things you need to tell them.
Raising digital kids, we parents all want to raise them to be good digital citizens, make wise choices, never bully, never be bullied, use their platforms for good, and be the change we want to see in the world. Not much to ask for, right? Since starting this site...
Beyond Snapchat: 12 risky apps parents should watch out for.
By now, everyone knows about Snapchat and kids right? It's like Snapchat has come to epitomize the "watch out for kids and their apps." But the truth is, there are so so many apps that can get kids into trouble, and it's hard to keep up with them all. Fear not, we can...
Hot coffee? Yes please! The Ember smart coffee mug is every parent’s dream.
This year, I've become a full-on coffee addict. Welcome to life with four kids. Or, any kids...right? But between cooking breakfasts and getting lunch boxes into backpacks and driving the kids to school (no bus for us, bummer), it's rare to actually drink a whole cup...
How to set up a smartphone for kids: 9 things parents need to do first.
We're all learning about new technology right along with our kids, which can put us at a bit of a disadvantage. Darn those growing brains. And if you've ever gotten a new cell phone and seen how much more your kid knows about it than you do, well, you know exactly...
We found 10 of the best Amazon tech deals right now. Hurry!
Like so many of you, I'm like, whoops -- 9 days til Christmas and my list is not done at all! So I just clicked over to Amazon and whoa. Deals galore. Here are 10 I think are awesome that you might want to check out too. Just know some of the "last minute deals" on...
12 fun holiday iPhone cases. Oooh, festive! | Holiday Tech Guide 2017
Show a little love to the device that is quite literally, closest to you. Here are 22 ways to get your iPhone into the holiday spirit.
12 entertaining and educational STEM toys for kids of all ages | Holiday Tech Guide 2017
STEM toys have become one of the hottest gifts for kids, and we couldn't be happier. In fact, we think they're especially great for those tweens who've kind of started to outgrow "toys" but still want something fun to play with around the house. These gifts are...
Can you guess the most searched TV shows and movies on the Roku?
We know lots of families, like us, who have ditched cable and completely switched over to a streaming devices, like a Roku or Roku TV. So, when we got an email from our friends at Roku sharing their most searched TV shows, films, and celebrities, we thought it would...
23 cool digital subscription gifts for people who don’t want more stuff | Holiday Tech Guide 2017
We know lots of people who would appreciate a Hulu membership, or a subscription to Netflix over more stuff.
Let’s hear it for Little Miss Inventor: The newest member of the Little Miss family
Mark your calendars for International Women's Day next year, because that's the day when Little Miss Inventor, the newest, coolest Little Miss character from Roger Hargreaves (well, now his son Adam Hargreaves), will be hitting the shelves. Related: 7 cool coding and...
Portable North Pole app is back with new, better-than-ever features. It’s magical.
The Portable North Pole app and website is hands-down our favorite way for kids to get a chance to talk with Santa. And this year, it's back with new features that make it better than ever. For kids who are clever, curious (and maybe a little doubtful) the elaborate...