Our Mother's Day Gift Guide is Here! (It's our favorite.)

As we continue to navigate through this unchartered pandemic territory, it's easy for us to think that this isn't the time for play, levity, or romance. But as it turns out, those experiences are even more important now than ever, which is something we chat about with...

8 things to think about if you’re considering homeschool because of COVID-19 this fall, from a homeschool mom

With school districts all over the country releasing their preliminary plans for school this fall, I'm hearing so many parents trying to determine whether or not their kids are going back full-time. The requirement between states and districts varies greatly, with...

The antiracist baby board book everyone’s talking about right now

When I first saw Antiracist Baby, the new board book everyone's talking about right now, I thought, Oh, cute, a very cool companion to Feminist Baby! But whereas Feminist Baby was full of punny jokes about napping, Antiracist Baby actually aims to educate about...

The GenX midlife crisis: It’s real, you’re not alone, and it’s not your fault. | Spawned Ep 207

This week on Spawned, I have a fantastic, encouraging conversation with Ada Calhoun, prolific author and writer, who's always got her finger on the pulse of culture. Her latest book, Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis (from Amazon, Indiebound, or on...

The twin quarantine baby onesies making us giggle

I love a funny pregnancy announcement, and these days I'm particularly happy to see them pop up since most of my social media is full of pretty heavy stuff, and I love any excuse to wish someone congratulations. If you're one of the lucky few moms who is expecting...

3 excellent educational videos about Juneteenth for kids. Watch and learn.

I'm trying to do a better job of raising anti-racist kids, and I believe that starts with learning more about the history of the Black experience in America. An essential part of that education is the understanding of Juneteenth, a holiday that I was certainly never...

I’m a lifelong Tennessee white woman. And we have to talk about the Confederate flag and other symbols of hate.

Let's talk about the Confederate Flag, y'all. It's time. As I write these thoughts, I'm sitting at the exact location where Confederate soldiers met the "Federal Front Line" of the Union Army during the Battle of Franklin in the Civil War. I'm not here to research....

Out-Tech Your Kids: Our new tech-positive podcast for parenting in the digital age

by Kristen Chase

Big news, parents! We've got a new podcast called Out-Tech Your Kids, a tech-positive podcast for the age of digital parenting. Liz and I answer parents' top burning tech questions in just 15 minutes or less each week. Hey, we know your time is valuable (we're parents...

This wonderful new kids clothing collection celebrates medical superheroes. Diagnosis: adorable!

I've been blown away by our frontline medical workers during the Covid pandemic, and the degree to which they've selflessly put their own safety and health at risk to care for patients and stop the spread Clearly our kid are learning more about it too, and I wouldn't...

These inclusive baby books are made for LGBTQ parents, single parents, adoptive parents — hey, parents who fit into all three groups!

Spoiler alert: LGBTQ parents want to track babies' milestones too. Seems like kind of an obvious statement in 2020, but so few baby memory books fit that need. In fact, it can be pretty hard to find baby books that don't still offer prompts like "how your daddy and...

How to be the fun mom, with thoughts from fun dad and Magic for Humans host Justin Willman | Spawned Episode 206

On our special Father's Day edition of our Spawned podcast, we wanted to figure out how we can get a little more credit for being the fun parent from a dad who is peak fun. We're talking about magician and dad Justin Willman, who's also the creator and host of one of...

8 reasons why every family should have a virtual pet

It's pretty amazing what you can do virtually these days, which has definitely made these last few months much easier for families. From online classrooms to card games, to lots of other fun things in between, there are no shortage of cool ways for kids to learn,...

Rene Syler on speaking up and speaking out about racial injustice. Now. | Spawned Ep 205

We understand that everyone is at different stages when it comes to understanding, internalizing, and speaking out against systemic racism and Black Lives Matter. But it's important to know that even if a lot of the information coming out these days is new to you,...

Presenting 200+ of the best baby shower gifts of 2020. We’re so excited!

We are so excited to relaunch our popular Baby Shower Gift Guide 2020, featuring all the best baby gifts of 2020 in every price range. Whoo! From sweet deals on baby gifts under $15 to luxury splurges the make us go, whoa, you'll find the coolest ones here. While...

Meena Harris on the importance of diversity in children’s books, and raising kids who care | Spawned Ep 204

A few days ago, just before an intense week of protests and democratic uprising across America, I was grateful to talk to the truly delightful, brilliant Meena Harris. She's an activist, strategist, mom of two, and now, author of the wonderful new children's book,...

You believe that Black Lives Matter. You are non-Black. You don’t know what to say or do. So start here.

We have spent more time listening than talking this difficult weekend. But I woke up this morning knowing I want to make it perfectly 100% clear where Kristen and I stand: Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. This was originally posted on...

7 awesome Father’s Day gifts that support indie bookstores | Father’s Day Gifts 2020

Next up in our Father's Day Gift Guide Pandemic Edition ™ , we're sharing Father's Day gifts that support indie bookstores. Because investing in our local brick-and-mortar bookshops now, means they'll still be around when it's safe to wander their aisles and breathe...

What we’re keeping and what we’re ditching, after the pandemic is over | Spawned Ep 203

This past week, Liz and I were chatting about some of the changes we've made since this pandemic started. We're finding ourselves cooking more, taking more time for ourselves, and spending way less (waaaaay less) on Starbucks. So it got us thinking: what are some...

10 funny Father’s Day cards for the dad in your life. Hold the fart jokes.

We've rounded-up some of the funniest Father's Day cards for the dad in your life, no lawnmower, golf, or fart jokes to be found. We hope you find the perfect Father's Day card for the partner, dad, father-in-law, or grandfather in your life. Cool Mom Picks is a...

The perfect graduation card for the Class of 2020