cool websites

I was once a struggling engineering student, so I have a special appreciation for the courage and creativity of kids who really want to know how stuff works and aren't afraid to jump in and figure it out. Now that one of my own kids is c…

We always love seeing what the cool dads of the world are up to, because not only are they pretty awesome at this whole child-rearing thing, they've got some great ideas about how to make the world a better place. In fact, that's the goa…

Have you ever been going somewhere specific, but you take an early turn and end up somewhere completely unknown and completely fantastic? You feel like you've discovered something private and special. How did I not know about this place?…

More and more classrooms are going digital with volunteer signups these days, which means room parents get to avoid the hassle of collecting rounds of paperwork from all the students in their class. Not to mention the environmental impac…

I have just discovered the new ingredients database, TellSpecopedia , and I warn you, click over and it will be hard to leave. This clean, easy to navigate site currently details more than 1,300 ingredients found in foods and cosmetics f…

While we've seen apps to itemize and inventory your belongings , here's a first: The MakeSpace service is blending digital cataloging of your precious stuff with actual real-life storage. It's been taking NYC by storm, and I imagine it w…

Twitter isn't generally the best way to pitch us, but when we get a Tweet like this, well...how can we resist? @coolmompicks That's an awesome profile photo, and even better in #LEGO by https://t.co/LK9Hyuz4UG pic.twitter.com/cQoriCzIFn …

We've written here in the past how easy Mosaic custom photo books from Mixbook are to create. It truly takes just a few minutes, and you have the photo book in your hands within a couple of days. Pretty amazing. The only downside with th…

Unfortunately this site is no longer around. Bummer. The extensive selection on Netflix is both a blessing and a curse--so many titles I've never heard of, but that also means I have no idea if they'll be right for my family or even some…

I'm a planner: I like knowing what I want to get done, and when I'm going to do it. But I'm also a sucker for dreamy design, so it's no surprise that I'm smitten with The Timeline Project , a new way for women to visualize your future. D…

The increasing essentialness that is Google Maps is fairly well known by now, so it's no surprise that as parents, we're loving their latest project -- a geography trivia game called SmartyPins that will take you around the world. Each g…

H i Cool Mom Tech, any suggestions for fun kid-friendly typing apps or websites? - Tiffiny via Twitter How perfect -- I've just been looking for typing websites myself, to get my own kids to learn how to type online. Especially after the…

I get you, foodies. You hop onto one of those mega restaurant review sites—you know, the ones where everyone and their grandmother can contribute to a a restaurant's rating—and immediately realize that you cannot trust the masses. I know…

I am one of those (awful, judgy) people who will unfollow people on Instagram if their feed is filled with too many type-heavy, horribly designed promotions or ads or OMG LOOK AT MY CUTE BEHBEH proclamations over family photos that might…

It seems like every week we hear about a new fitness tracker , so we weren't surprised to hear that fitness giant Garmin has gotten in on the trend with their new Garmin vívofit fitness tracker . I've been using it for a few weeks, and I…

It's not uncommon to see tech resources, apps and services come and go, but when it's something we use ourselves, it's definitely a bummer to say goodbye. Unfortunately, the latest tech casualty is Springpad , an awesome online and mobil…

I may have a bunch of races under my hydration belt, including a full marathon [ ed note: whoo, Julie!] , but I still rely on rockin' playlists to keep me going, which is why I'm absolutely loving the Rock My Run app (iOS and Android) an…

For the past few weeks, New York City has been awash in giant Easter eggs, in a brilliant (if a little time-consuming for me) social-media-meets-installation-art campaign for Fabergé called The Big Egg Hunt . It brought eager New Yorkers…

Ever walk into a friend's finely decorated home and think: Yeah, I'm not leaving this place. Nope. Moving. In. Or, if you're not working the stowaway angle, you basically press them for intel on how you, too, can get skilled at creating …

Are you drowning in paperwork like me, and dying to start going paper free as part of your spring cleaning routine? Between the kids' forms, the manuals, the permission slips, the bills, the important documents, the health records, the r…

If you want to devote a whole 5 or 10 seconds and see your first tweet on Twitter, there's an easier way than scrolling back to the beginning. Visit Twitter's discover.twitter.com/first-tweet page just launched to celebrate their 8th bir…

I love when my kids come home from school and excitedly tell me about something fun they did that doesn't include snack, lunch or recess. I love even more when it's a mix of something educational and entertaining that we can all partake …

Kids lack perspective. We see it in our own kids when they moan, this is the worst day ever! and we remember it from our own childhood when a fifteen minute wait felt like hours. But here's one cool way to give kids a little perspective,…

If I had to pick a favorite moment from last night's Academy Awards, I would have to say the Ellen Oscars selfie was at the top of my list. I'm sure I'm not alone here. Well now you can do what we all wanted to do last night when Bradley…