by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks
We’ve said this many times here that some of our best iPhone tricks come from the digital natives in our lives, which is exactly where I got this simple, but very smart AirPods trick. You may be thinking “Are there really AirPods tricks?” and well, I...
by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps
I’ve been a huge Rebel Girls fan since their very first book came out, so naturally I’m so excited to hear about their brand new Rebel Girls app. The app features the stories of some of our favorite women — Malala, Lady Gaga, Maya Angelou, and many...
by Kate Etue | Games + Gaming, Tips and Tricks
My teenage son and his friends are avid online gamers, so I recently broached the topic of good gaming etiquette for kids and teens with them. “What?” they asked, “You mean like when people tell you to go kill yourself when you mess up?” Ouch. I knew this kind of...
by Liz Gumbinner | Games + Gaming, Tech Toys
If you’ve been following Cool Mom Tech lately you know how much we loooove Halloween! So when we learned about a few games for our kids’ beloved Nintendo Switches that feel perfect for the spooky season, we were excited to share them, Because we...
by Cool Mom Team | Gear + Hardware
Who says your iPhone can’t get dressed up for Halloween too? These fun Halloween iPhone cases are the perfect way to get a little festive for the month of October — and beyond. But especially now, with so many costumed trick or treaters hoping to (safely)...
by Liz Gumbinner | Tips and Tricks
I know I’m not the only one who wants to get rid of the unread email count badge on my phone that taunts me loudly in BRIGHT. RED. NUMBERS. Every so often, a friend on social media gleefully (like a Mr. Burns kind of gleeful if you ask me) will prompt friends...
by Kate Etue | Best Apps, Back to School Tech, Life and Home
I’m always on a quest for the best digital planner for the school year, because I have developed a very bad habit: Every year I get tempted by the beautiful, fun, old-fashioned paper planners I discover on Etsy or in our local stationery stores. They’re...
by Liz Gumbinner | Educational Apps, Kids
On Indigenous People’s Day, a lot of kids may be asking us to explain what Indigenous means. It’s not the kind of word that’s in a lot of kids’ day-to-day vocabularies — or at least not yet. And parents may have trouble explaining what it...
by Liz Gumbinner | Games + Gaming, Kids, Life and Home
If you’ve got a geeky gamer to shop for, allow me to share these Nintendo Switch switch plates that I just stumbled on. Because frankly, I know I need to laugh more these days and this is doing it for me. Made by a popular 3-D printer on Etsy based out of...
by Kate Etue | Life and Home
I’m mom to a busy family of six, so when I saw the Skylight Calendar in my Instagram feed my first thought was, “This could change my life.” Here’s the thing: I have a job. I homeschool my kids and teach class at a co-op. My oldest two kids...
by Kristen Chase | Entertainment, Kids
Here are some fun Halloween-themed playlists that your kids may enjoy on YouTube. Yes, YouTube. Now that YouTube Kids has upped their parental controls game, I’ve been feeling more comfortable with them using the app, and hey, sometimes it’s nice to just...
by Caroline Siegrist | Tips and Tricks, Best Apps
Lately I’ve heard some mixed opinions about the Focus feature on the latest iOS 15. If you haven’t updated your iPhone yet, Focus mode is similar to the Sleep mode introduced with iOS 14 with even more detail and more ways to customize your notifications...
by Cool Mom Team | Tips and Tricks, Life and Home
There are so many things you can do with an Amazon Echo, something I quickly learned after getting an Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas a few years ago .(It’s no Echo Studio, but still…) I admit I was a little skeptical at first. What’s all the buzz...
by Liz Gumbinner | Holiday Tech Gifts, Entertainment, Life and Home
If you’ve ever said, “Alexa, play When the Party’s Over” then you’ll be thrilled that Amazon has just announced the launch of the Billie Eilish special edition Amazon Echo Studio and it’s pretty darn cool if you’re a...
by Liz Gumbinner | Games + Gaming, Kids, Tech Toys
When your teen takes the time to text you the news about InnerSloth’s official Among Us costume for Halloween this year, you know that the party game that got millions of kids through the worst of the pandemic last year is only growing in power. Kind of like a...
by Liz Gumbinner | Social Media, Internet Safety, Kids
We’re all talking about “that” Wall Street Journal article about Instagram: Facebook Knows It’s Toxic for Teen Girls. You’re probably talking about it. Or your kids are. I know it’s all we’ve been seeing in our social feeds...
by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps
It’s been a while since we shared our favorite apps to help you get better sleep. So long, that our last post about favorite sleep apps seems to include apps all recently acquired by mattress companies. Hm. I did recently write about my favorite iOS tip for...
by Liz Gumbinner | Fitness + Health, Causes and Giving Back, Social Media
This week, a wonderfully human, poignant video from husband-wife team Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody went viral. Perhaps you’ve seen it? They used the platform to respond to a Princess Bride fan named Amanda Webb (@Alaska_Webb), a young woman who had recently...
by Christina Refford | Back to School Tech, Best Apps, Educational Apps
As a former homeschooling parent, I am a huge fan of math apps for middle school — and for tweens and teens whatever their grade level. I used to say that I was okay teaching math until around 3rd or 4th grade, and then I needed some help explaining certain...
by Caroline Siegrist | Gear + Hardware, Fitness + Health
As someone who now regularly attends physical therapy, let me be the first to advise you about the importance of ergonomic laptop accessories: So important! Given how much time we all spend on our computers these days, it really pays in the long-term to have a...