VIP mom – Liz Gumbinner

By day, Liz Gumbinner is an ad agency creative director, but online, she’s best known as the co-publisher and editor-in-chief of shopping and trend blog Cool Mom Picks and sister site Cool Mom Tech. Called “the online arbiter of cool for the swingset crowd” by Parents Magazine, Cool Mom Picks been cited as a favorite parenting blog by Real Simple, inStyle, and the Telegraph UK.

Liz is also the author of the popular personal blog Mom-101 which has been featured in the New York Times, CNN and NPR, and called “funny some of the time” by an enthusiastic anonymous commenter. Her honest writing about the trials of parenting has appeared in several anthologies, as well as publications including Redbook, New York Family, Time Out New York and Brain, Child.

Liz lives with in Brooklyn with her two daughters, and her partner Nate who, thankfully, cooks.

Tidbits on Liz:

Favourite place to travel: We just took our kids on their first European Vacation, to Spain, and now I’m so excited to go everywhere with them. I can’t pick one place! I feel wildly fortunate that my kids are good travelers. I just have to remember to bring a jar of peanut butter so they don’t starve to death.

Cannot-live-without gadget: iPhone 4S. So pretty. So shiny. So hard to put down.

Go-to ‘Mom’ attire: Anything black. In New York, they make you pay higher taxes if you wear colors. (True story.)

Favourite kid-friendly dinner to make: I am so not the cook of the family–my partner is a culinary school grad and hardly lets me in the kitchen. But I do like making quesadillas because even I can’t mess them up. Oddly, my 4 year-old won’t eat grilled cheese but she will eat quesadillas; it’s all about the sour cream.

I’m currently reading this book: Life, the Keith Richards autobiography. I can’t even believe he used to do drugs. It’s shocking.

My kid’s birthday party this year will involve my swearing to get it done early for a change, then not getting it done early, then freaking out completely about having to plan a party in a week. Or uh, less.Best advice from my Mother: Any decision you make as a parent is right, and any decision you make as a parent is wrong. Once you understand that, you’re golden.