entertainment

If you're celebrating New Year's Eve at home with kids, and you can't wait until real midnight to get them to bed, we've got some fun ideas for you! In 2018, we first shared a series of brilliant Netflix fake ball drop shows , and it was…

It took me longer than most people to get into audiobooks . Even while friends raved about flying through so many books on their commutes or while sitting in carpool lines, I had tried a few novels on Audible -- good ones! -- and just co…

For those of you who also grew up with Ezra Jack Keats's magical The Snowy Day , you can imagine my thrill at discovering The Snowy Day has become a wonderful opera now available to stream on the the Houston Grand Opera website Even bett…

Not everyone loves a big, splurgey, outrageous tech gift -- some of us are happy with practical tech gifts. Especially these days, when those gifts just may help us get through another ( deep sigh ) long winter. Colder weather has offici…

I'm grateful for this list of the best apps for road trips with kids, because it turns out, I'm not allowed to put my kids in a hilarious sidecar by themselves during long drives. So I've been prepping my phone and the kids' iPad for the…

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…

This year, we want to stream the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but of course, we happened to have cut our cable cord years ago. Instead, we rely on several streaming services — mainly Netflix, the free HBOMax subscription that came with our phone …

In a typical Oscars year , I'm pretty much an expert on the (ahem) animated film category , but when it comes to the best picture or documentary feature film categories, I've maybe seen one or two movies. But 2020 was anything but typica…

We're huge board game geeks in my family. Our stack of strategy games is up to the ceiling. And while we're always up for a new game, they're expensive. So my new solution has been playing board games online before I buy! I get the full …

Anyone else need a little break from the grindiest grind that is pandemic existence with small children? Or pandemic existence generally? I, for one, definitely do, and I've found some solace -- and a few giggles -- in these fun escapist…

Have you been wondering if there are enough Apple TV+ original shows to make it worth adding another streaming service to your menu? I get it, we have a lot—and I mean a lot —to choose from these days, and my family is on a budget. Since…

Who else is looking for the best video games to play as a family this holiday? To me, these family-friendly games make the best gifts for the holidays, since they provide some safe indoor fun at a time we all really need it. Plus, they p…

Did you all see the huge announcement from Warner Bros. yesterday? For 2021, they'll be streaming all their new release movies directly to HBO Max the same day they hit theaters. That means Wonder Woman , Dune , The Matrix 4 and every ot…

Anyone else confused about the HBO offerings? There's HBO Go, HBO Max, HBO Now, HBO Later (Okay, I just made that one up, but you get the idea). But the good news is that HBO has finally taken the hint from confused consumers and start c…

Since 2020 has precluded in-person watch parties, I was glad to see Disney step up their game with GroupWatch. Just like Netflix's watch party , GroupWatch lets you watch content from Disney+ with others who are far away -- and who also …

Just last week, Twitch launched Watch Parties , a feature that allows Twitch creators to watch Prime Video TV shows and movies with their communities. Whether you've got a kid on Twitch, or maybe you're looking for a way to watch your Am…

Anyone else missing trips to your local movie theater? I know I am, which is why I've been researching the best home projectors for backyard movie nights, which seem to be the closest we're going to get to sitting in a theater anytime so…

What you do after the kids are in bed on Valentine's Day -- that's your business. What you do while the kids are still up and wanting to hang out with you though? Well, we can help with that. As the resident cinephile, I've put together …

The Netflix fake ball drop has been a total parents' New Year's Eve lifesaver for us. If you haven't heard of this magic yet, you've got to check it out. If your kids are too young (or you're too tired, ha!) to stay up till the new year,…

We have a few Thanksgiving traditions in our family: mom's pumpkin pie, a turkey that's never quite ready when we expect it to be, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on TV. Because Lucy, Linus and the rest of the gang are just a sentimenta…

We recently asked the members of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group to share their choices for best podcasts for parents -- that don't have to be about parenting at all -- and wow, we scored big. And well, so did you. If you're lookin…

What Potterhead among us hasn't wanted to accio our own working wand and perform a little magic? Like, I don't know...make some Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans get bigger, disappear a few Mandrakes, or summon some chocolate frogs? Well,…

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

Just when I thought I was the consummate binge watcher, I stumbled upon this post over at IHeartRadio that pretty much blew my mind. Turns out, Netflix has a bunch of secret codes, that when added to a url will allow you to jump to all s…

With so many of us mourning the passing of Stephen Hawking, and celebrating his many contributions to the world of science, it leaves a lot of our kids asking who he was, what he did, and what he believed -- and some of us adults are int…

If you're a parent of a teen, like me, or you have a soon-to-be teen, I highly recommend you check it out the new What Were You Thinking? Audible series aimed at helping parents (or anyone working with teens) get a better understanding o…

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 ce…

We're big podcast fans in my house, and no, not just because we've got a Cool Mom Picks podcast (shameless plug for Spawned with Kristen and Liz ). They're fantastic screen-free entertainment for the whole family. As more and more podcas…

It's fantastic to see the popularity of STEM over the last couple of years, with so many options that are truly inspiring kids to pursue their geeky passions. But we parents know that one of the best ways to get excited about something i…

In case you haven't noticed, we're geeking out over the total solar eclipse that's coming on August 21. Where you live will determine what you see , but here in Nashville, viewing will be at a premium with almost 3 minutes of darkness in…

You know the frustration of sitting down for family movie night, searching Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, but not finding the show you've been so excited to watch, right? Well, we thought we'd share some other sites that stream great movie…

Remember those awesome choose-your-own-adventure books we all loved as kids? Well Netflix has just launched their first in a series of choose-your-own-adventure TV shows, and mama? It's so much fun! The first episode, Puss in Book: Trapp…

As we get closer to Christmas and Hanukkah (eep!) we thought we'd close out our 2016 Holiday Tech Gift Guide should help you out since it's all about last minute holiday tech deals and discounts. Yep, those of you procrastinators and bus…

Next up in our Cool Mom Tech Holiday Tech Gift Guide, we've got two dozen ideas for great geeky gifts for a kid in your life. From little babies just cutting their teeth on Nintendo (literally -- you'll see) to big kids and kids at heart…

This is a sponsored message from DISH HopperGO Ever wish you could take all of your favorite shows on the go, without having to download them all to your mobile device? And watch them without the worry that you won't have access to WiFi?…

Being a total Prime junkie who likes getting the most out of my membership (hello, free shipping + Transparent !) I was excited to learn that now Prime members will get exclusive access to free streaming PBS Kids series . Then I realized…

If you've seen posts floating around telling you that you've got free Ticketmaster tickets to claim, it's totally legit. Due to a huge class action lawsuit that just settled, if you bought tickets between October 21, 1999 and February 27…

With Father's Day right around the corner, we've started thinking about some cool Father's Day tech gift options -- in addition to the kids' plaster handprints and construction paper ties, of course. The timing of this holiday is perfect…

We're huge fans of STEM at Cool Mom Tech (no surprise, there), and in fact we started this site in part to help give parents more resources and opportunities to get their kids excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Howe…

I love family movie nights, especially on those rare occasions when it takes less than 15 minutes for the kids to agree on what we're going to watch. So when I heard about a new wireless projector called CINEMOOD that lets you bring fami…

It's pretty rare that I watch a new release or an Oscar-nominated movie in any kind of timely manner, but today's launch of a new service called FandangoNOW may make the impossible possible. We primarily know Fandango for movie listings …

This is a sponsored message from Slingbox. With more people taking their media on the go, Slingbox is an innovative service enabling you to watch and control all the cable TV channels you already pay for absolutely anywhere -- on your ta…

Every year around this time, I hear the buzz around Oscar-nominated films and roles, and every year around this time, I realize that I have seen, oh...none of them. I know a lot of you feel me. But with this compilation of flicks from th…

I'd been considering cutting the cable cord for about a year before I actually took the plunge. My kids and I rarely ever watch cable, and pretty much never use the landline (I don't think I ever actually learned that phone number!), so …

We're always excited to try out all the new gadgets each year and wow, what a long way we've come since Cool Mom Tech launched five years ago. Technology like pressure touch screens, the overwhelming adoption of streaming music and media…

This is a sponsored message from Flare Kids Parents love good educational children's apps, even more so when they're free. And now there's Flare Kids which isn't just great for the kids who use it, but for the children of the Atlanta Ron…

Honestly, haven't we all rocked out to an air guitar at some point in our lives? (Or maybe this morning in the shower -- ahem .) Pretending to be Lenny Kravitz or Joan Jett shredding the axe and professing our love for rock 'n' roll out …

These days, one of the best parts of parties of all kinds, are photo booths, whether we're employing pro photographers, or some great photo booth apps installed on our own laptops or tablets. The fantastic pics they yield of our costumed…

For well over a decade, people have been talking -- or more like yelling -- about being hamstrung by cable companies. Some had-it-up-to-here folks have started cutting the cable cord and looking for more manageable, customized ways of wa…

Question: How many Beyoncés does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: As many as you're in the mood for, because these rad LED light bulbs are also Bluetooth wireless speakers. So basically whatever strikes your fancy when you're tu…

If you're always looking for the newest, coolest toys for your kids, we think you're going to want to know about the introduction of the wildly cool Disney Playmation this fall, because mamas? This could be a category changer. If it does…

As an avowed Roku devotee -- a word that's hardly strong enough considering I've convinced most of my relatives to invest in one -- I was excited to check out the new Roku 3 that just came out this spring. Let's just say, they had me at …

I finally sat down and took a good hard look at my cable bill and...whoa. When I consider that there are probably only 4-5 cable channels I really watch, aside from premiums HBO and Showtime; I do pretty much all my watching on Netflix ,…

Before I had kids, I mostly visited YouTube to watch random music videos and the occasional hair tutorial. Now, in addition to curling iron how-tos, I find myself searching for family-friendly shows and videos to hold my son's attention …

Sure, Spring Break is cool when you and the family are jetting off somewhere fun, but what about those of us who decide to stay close to home? Are we not entitled to enjoy some rollin' good times, too? Short answer: Yes! Indeed, we are. …

As someone who has been trying to cut the cord from cable TV, I'm pretty excited to learn that HBO NOW means the network is taking that first step towards saying, hey cable companies, we don't actually need you anymore . And that's a hug…

My appreciation for opera came early, and I credit a combination of ballet and piano lessons for this. But I can totally see how plenty of kids (and, real talk, adults too) can find opera boring, at least until they really take the time …

Football fans or not, millions of viewers flock to the Super Bowl for the commercials. Pretty much everyone wants to see the ads that will have everyone buzzing the next day -- or in real time on Twitter. But if you want a pre-game sneak…

Trying to find appropriate content on YouTube for kids can be a challenge. Because you know, YouTube isn't always super kid-friendly -- especially YouTube comments . Good news: we found two new kids' channels on YouTube that I think pare…

I can barely keep track of the TV remote control, let alone the one for the cable box, the Blu-Ray, the ... you get where I'm going, which is why I was pretty enthralled with Pronto at CES 2015, a gadget and app that lets you control all…

Everyone likes singing karaoke. Well, everyone except maybe my husband, who prefers to do a Leonard Cohen-style speak-singing thing when it's his turn up at the mic. Still, even he would get a kick out of Hook'd , a fun social music app …

Every year for a looong time now I've looked forward to the annual Simpsons holiday intro that takes seasonal themes and runs with them, hilariously. This year's sequence does not disappoint--a Christmas (or Hanukkah?) miracle in itself …

Jack Frost nipping at your nose? Perfect time to gather 'round the fire and get merry, toasty and bright. No need to load on the logs, though. These flames are coming from your computer. Oh, yes. Yule Log 2.0 is back for a second season,…

We know. Frozen -- and all of its songs -- will never leave us. Acceptance is key here, friends. But I have to admit, it tickles me something serious whenever I hear (or better, overhear) little voices trying to belt out the movie's big …

Not done with your holiday shopping yet? No problem. We've rounded up today's best Cyber Monday tech deals and discounts all in one handy place. Make sure to check back as we'll be updating this post all day long and follow us on Twitter…

This is a sponsored message from Entertainment One Family Preschoolers can't seem to get enough of Peppa Pig , one of the coolest new cartoons to hit the tube in the last ten years. Probably because Peppa Pig likes a lot of the same thin…

The holidays are coming—as in, fast —and that means company. While we're always thinking about organization tips like cleaning off the china or straightening the bookshelves, it's easy to forget about what a presence tech is in our homes…

We haven't been shy about singing our praises for nabi tablets for kids . Between the nabi Square , nabi Jr. and the nabi 2 (which I dubbed the best kids' tablet at the time), it's pretty safe to say that we are very fond of their awesom…

The thing about YouTube is, it can go from super fun to totally overwhelming--not to mention disturbing--on a dime. Sometimes when I'm watching my 5-year-old son watch his YouTube videos on my old iPad, all I can do is hope that we don't…

So of course Halloween has crept up on us seemingly faster than ever before. I'm going to avoid thinking about what happens after Friday (holiday shopping, eek!), and focus on getting those costumes ready and devising a strategy to not e…

As our resident Sonos evangelist - although not the only one around here - I'm always excited when they launch something new, because their product releases tend to come slowly but thoughtfully. And today (as in, right now this very seco…

We're smack in the middle of World Space Week which offers a perfect opportunity for kids to explore all the wonders of outer space. Older kids can take advantage of great apps like Star Walk 2 or the original Star Walk to learn about co…

We are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a bright tune by one of our favorite bilingual groups, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band . (And if you don't know them yet well...they won the 2014 Grammy. So get on it!) De Colores is a w…

Usually when I check out a new tech product, it's me in a conference room (or sometimes alone) listening to someone wax poetic about its features. But nope, not LG. They recently announced their phenomenal new LG Ultra HD TV 4K and LG OL…

We're shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of Robin Williams, an entertainer who defined our childhood and still stayed relevant over all these years. He made us laugh, cry, and laugh-cry, with his amazing ability to transform …

The stats are sobering: Women only account for 26 percent of the STEM jobs in the U.S. So there's been a recent, nationwide nudge to get our girls and young women interested and engaged in science, technology, engineering and math, as we…

Well it didn't take long at all for Roku to come out with their very own Roku Streaming Stick to compete with the Google Chromecast which is creeping its way into carry-ons of entertainment-starved travelers everywhere. As an avowed Roku…

If you're like me, your movie-going days all but disappeared when you had kids. As a nursing mom, I found it nearly impossible to get away for a few hours without feeling like I was going to explode (TMI?) so we started watching our TV a…

In the past week, two different friends have told me that they're ending their cable TV service and switching to streaming services or online media for their entertainment needs. And when cool online entertainment options pop up, like Pl…

Well of course we're obsessed with the LEGOLAND Model Builder Challenge . Our kids are all big fans of LEGO, and so are we, especially the blocks aren't underfoot or getting sucked up by the vacuum. The LEGO Movie was a huge hit, and LEG…

Last night I was thrilled to join founder Anna Fader in celebrating the anniversary of Mommy Poppins , her terrific regional website network for parents looking for the best stuff to do with their kids. They've now been saving families (…

I love developments like the Roku apps which turn your Android or iOS devices into remote controls for your TV. We always joke about the old days when we actually had to get up to change a channel. Now that we're too lazy to even find th…

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…

Full disclosure before talking about the new Ken Burns app: I’m a big Ken Burns fan. For nearly 40 years, the award-winning historical documentarian has been telling beautiful, expansive, influential stories on film about everything from…

I love my Roku 3 . Love. I've tried Apple TV and like it just fine. But hey, I'm all for more choices for streaming video content, and if Amazon comes out with a TV box as predicted, then I hope it's as good or better than anything else …

All hail the new Spoiler Shield app , a mobile app whose time has come. It's very rare that I watch TV in real time these days, and for so many of us, it's all about Roku or DVR--which means we have to dodge all those spoilers on our soc…

If you're forgoing the fancy dinner tonight and staying in for Valentine's Day like us, I rounded up 7 of my top romantic movies that are ready for streaming via Amazon Instant Video, on your various gadgets. ( Roku , anyone?) Because as…

Are your kids going as stir crazy as ours are with this Polar Vortex and other crazy weather? We've exhausted every board game and put together every puzzle we have in our house. So, TV. And child friendly entertainment on our computers.…

As I woke up New Year's day and made pancakes to the sweet sounds of NPR, I realized how much I really like radio. But with radio dying, I've started making my way over to podcasts which let you filter exactly what you want, when you wan…

I got the word that Santa delivered a lot of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles this Christmas, which requires lots of fun video games for families. Even if you've received an older version of a console, which are still very much in dem…

In our E ditors' Tech Picks of 2013 series, are so excited to present our picks for the coolest new gadgets of 2013. These are the 11 that best captured our imaginations this year, with a combination of smart design, functionality, innov…

As we begin putting our site to rest for a long winter's nap (or at least until the kids wake us up at 5 am tomorrow) I started looking at all the outrageous Christmas light show videos on YouTube, knowing how much my kids would love to …

Whether you like the newer songs or the old classics, we asked our Cool Mom Tech writers to pick out their favorite coolest Christmas music to play with their families and wow, what a variety we got! From Johnny Mathis to Ella Fitzgerald…

You know how for kids, the most popular house for playdates is the one with the best snacks or the most video games? Well for adults, I'm starting to feel like my home is becoming a gathering spot because of my Sonos audio system . And n…

We're big fans of products that fan the flames of our girls' love for science , and really make it cool for a girl to use her brain. PBS has always been a great channel for shows that make education cool, and I predict they're gonna have…

Even with the busy holiday season here, I'm bound and determined to set aside some personal time for momma to keep me sane. For me, that means reading a lot more. Like, a lot more. So I'm really excited about the ebook subscription servi…