The latest from Spawned: Our award-winning parenting podcast
Melinda Wenner Moyer’s parenting strategies to raise good kids into great adults | Spawned Episode 293
We often discuss what it takes to raise kind, generous, ambitious, resilient, wonderful kids who will become kind, generous, ambitious, resilient, wonderful adults. Which is why we wanted to bring back one of our favorite interviews -- parenting and science journalist...
Reaching your organizational goals: Sarah Hart-Unger on prioritizing, organizing, and managing time | Ep 292
Is a messy desk a sign of a messy mind? Is organization something we just have to give up for a while as parents? Is a single, perfect whiteboard the key to solving all your time management woes? Sarah Hart-Unger of the podcasts Best Laid Plans and Best of Both Worlds...
Are moms going to be okay? Terrific insight from NY Times Parenting Editor Jessica Grose | Spawned 275
Are moms okay right now? I really want to know. So I called on the one guest I knew would have a terrific birds-eye view: Jessica Grose, author and The New York Times Parenting Editor. If you've ever had a must-read parenting article sent to you by a friend, it's...
The best digital photo organization tips with Casey von Stein, aka Miss Freddy
If you've got as many photos on your phone as we do, then you know how challenging it can be to find what you need when you need it. Holy smokes. But we are not alone! How do I know this? Well, this week's Spawned podcast guest, Casey von Stein, aka Miss Freddy, a...
Our favorite skincare products: Let’s talk about a self-care skin routine
If you're like us, then you're always quite curious about everyone else's self-care skin routine. So when author and podcaster Kate Spencer (you know her from Forever 35!) was a guest on Spawned a few weeks ago, we had to ask. Especially since she (along with co-host...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Preserving memories in the 21st century. Shouldn’t this be easier? | Spawned Episode 290
If you're like me, you thought that smartphones and tablets would make it a whole lot easier to grab photos and videos of your kids. But while they do make it easier to make memories, actually preserving them and being able to organize and then find them is a whole...
COVID in the house: How to best prepare yourself and your family
After two and a half years, we finally had COVID in the house. I'm certainly grateful for science (we're all fully vaccinated and boosted) because the folks (including me) who were infected had relatively mild cases. And while I knew that at some point we would...
5 simple things I’m doing to stay calm, centered, and not lose my *$&t this year.
The past few years have been -- as if you didn't live through them too -- kind of hellish. Okay, very hellish. You don't need me to share the many many articles about how much work moms in particularly have been doing to balance everyone's needs and help keep everyone...
7 quick things you can do right now to save money and manage money better in 2023
If you have a few minutes to spare, you can literally save money. And that sounds like a good way to start the new year, right? Of course I'm sure a lot of us have some version of "get my finances in order" on our list of New Year's resolutions, or "be wealthy beyond...
Spawned Parenting Podcast: The Best Advice, Tips, and Guidance of 2022
It's been an incredible 2022 for Spawned. We welcomed guests from film directors and political pundits to authors, activists, top journalists, and experts of all kinds So this week, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the best episodes of the year. Take a...
4 New Year’s resolutions you can actually tackle, with lots of resources to help
January 1 is my favorite holiday, and making New Year's resolutions is my favorite way to celebrate. Okay, that and cleaning out my closets! (I know, I'm a party animal). I know that there are various approaches to New Year's resolutions, many of which we've featured...
Margaret Ables on how moms can have more holiday fun – not just make it for everyone else | Spawned ep 288
I have been thinking a lot about the pressure on moms to make the holidays magic! Perfect! Memorable! Fun all day and all night! But what we don't talk about enough, is how we can have more fun over the holidays -- not necessarily to make more fun. And the perfect...
Irreverent cross stitch kits from Subversive Cross Stitch: The holiday gift probably not for your in-laws.
I know we've been sharing gifts galore, because hey, that's what we do this time of year. (And quite well, I might add. Ahem.) But I want to call your attention to one more gift idea that checks all my favorite boxes -- it's from an independent business, it's run by a...
Why the sex talk with your kids is more important than ever | Spawned Ep 287
It's not the first time we've talked about the sex talk on Spawned, but if your school district is like mine (and many across the country), they are making sex education an optional, home-taught module. That means, we need to be more invested than ever in ensuring our...
17 Gen Z gifts that give back to the incredible causes they care about | Holiday Gift Guide
For this year's holiday gift guide, we really wanted to share some creative, irreverent, sassy and smart Gen Z gifts that give back to causes that our teens and young adults care about. We have Gen Z kids ourselves, and we know first hand how passionate they can...
17 personalized holiday gifts you can still get in time for Christmas (and Hanukkah too!) | Holiday Gifts 2022
Personalized gifts have always been among our favorites, but finding affordable personalized holiday gifts -- well, we really love a challenge. So we've found more than a dozen for you all, to help you select something extra-thoughtful for anyone on your list. Of...
21 great gift ideas for college students | Holiday Gifts 2022
The span between shopping for a preschooler and finding a holiday gift for a college student seems impossibly short, now that many of us have hit that stage of parenting. But what remains is the desire to make the holidays really special for our kids. And since even...
Why our teens are so darn tired, with author Lisa L. Lewis | Spawned Episode 286
Just when I thought I was pretty aware of what I needed to know about teens and sleep, I got my hands on Lisa L. Lewis's book The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, And How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive and I realized there was so much I...
5 tips for flying with toddlers, from a mom who has flown many times, with many toddlers
If you're looking for tips for flying with toddlers, you've come to the right place. Even though my four kids are now teens, they were once toddlers, and we used to travel a lot. That means there was a time when I was on a plane with toddlers and babies, all by...
Cyber Monday Deal: 40% off this cult-favorite root concealer spray
This is a sponsored message from Style Edit These days, it's hard to find the time, money and energy to hit the salon and touch up your color -- or maybe you're waiting until your roots grow in just a teeny bit more. Enter the cult-favorite, beauty...
The 10 coolest Ted Lasso gifts for fans who can’t wait for Season 3.
The AFC Richmond fans say it's the hope that kills you, but we're here to say that it's really the anticipation -- of Ted Lasso Season 3, of course. Luckily, it will be appearing on our screens in 2023, and we can almost taste the homemade biscuits. So to tide us...
15 gift ideas for the guy who’s hard to shop for. | Holiday Gift Guide
Every year, we put together our favorite gift ideas for the man who has everything and while last year's picks are still pretty awesome, we thought we'd share some new ideas too. I get it -- it's hard! But I hope this list helps you pick the perfect gift ideas for...
10 of my favorite holiday gifts from Oprah’s favorite things list 2022
Last year I browsed Oprah's Favorite Things List of holiday gifts so thoroughly that I thought -- whoa, what if I share my favorites from her favorites? So I did. And you liked them! So much so, it was hard to even get your hands on some of them. Like those headlight...
These personalized, virtual holiday cards may have changed e-cards forever
This is a sponsored message from American Greetings If you love sending real holiday cards but hate the hassle of printing, finding postage and mailing -- basically all of us -- you're going to love Creatacard from AmericanGreetings.com. It's one of the easiest ways...
The impact of Covid on kids: Anya Kamenetz on what we know and what we don’t yet | Spawned Ep 285
This week on Spawned, I have the honor of welcoming back the wonderful Anya Kamenetz, NPR Education reporter and author, to talk about her new book, The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Kids' Lives...and Where We Go Now. I will tell you this: From the title alone, this...
200+ of the best gifts for kids by age: The ultimate guide for birthdays and holidays!
Every year, it's our joy to put together our guide to the best gifts for kids by age, from one-year-olds to those picky tweens and teens. To be sure, this is a (long, long) labor of love! Christina and I spend literally months combing the corners of the web to create...