movies Archives | Cool Mom Tech

6 great Apple TV+ original shows to try, if you’re still on the fence about subscribing

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 each service charges their own...

6 unexpected rom-coms on Netflix that you can watch with the family on Valentine’s Day

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment

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 some...

5 free parental controls for cable TV that you may not know about

by Cool Mom Staff | Entertainment, Tips and Tricks

One of parents’ biggest concerns about kids today, is the access they have to inappropriate content. Parents are often asking us for parental control devices, services and apps to help them moderate what kids’ can see and keep them safe. And there are...

Did you know you can request what movies and TV shows you want on Netflix?

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

Thanks to comedian Chelsea Peretti, Netflix is about to get a whole lot of movie and TV requests. She recently discovered a link on the Netflix site that allows you to submit your suggestions for what you’d like to see offered. Related: These secret Netflix...

Who was Stephen Hawking? These terrific shows can help.

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment

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 interested in learning more,...

Is MoviePass good for families? We tried it! | Damn you, Facebook Ads series

by Kate Etue | Fun Apps

Editor’s note: Please scroll to the very bottom for some important updates on our Movie Pass experience. When I first heard about MoviePass on Facebook, I thought it sounded a little too good to be true. All the movies you could possibly see, for just $9 each...

Awesome, easy emoji activities and gear you need right now, because The Emoji Movie!

by Kate Etue | Entertainment

Are your kids as smiling-face-with-hands excited to see The Emoji Movie as ours are? We’ve already bought our tickets for opening day tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait to start celebrating our love for everything emoji, right? While...

Netflix brings choose-your-own-adventure TV to kids and it is awesome!

by Kate Etue | Entertainment

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: Trapped in an Epic Tale stars...

This app lets you check out library books on your tablet. Free. From home. Yes!

by Kate Etue | Educational Apps For Kids

I love the feeling of being surrounded by stacks and stacks of actual old-fashioned books at my local library. But, I also love that they’re embracing all the amazing new technology that has huge benefits for busy parents like me, who are still emphatic that our...

Calling all STEM lovers: Here’s how to get free storytelling lessons for kids from Khan Academy and Pixar.

by Delilah S. Dawson | Educational Apps For Kids

Well this is cool, parents! Khan Academy is partnering with Disney and Pixar to offer free online classes in storytelling for kids of all ages to show them how STEM helps make movies. The initiative is called Pixar in a Box, and we’re pretty sure it’s...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.

We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.

We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.

(Answer: It's complicated.)

We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.