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How to make more time for the things you love with Jake Knapp | Spawned Episode 138
If you're like us, then you've said something like "I wish I had more time" at least once. Or like 1000 times. Well, that's exactly what we learned how to do with author Jake Knapp in our recent Spawned with Kristen and Liz podcast episode. He chatted with us about...
How to cope with grief and loss (and support others who have) with author Kate Inglis | Spawned Ep 137
At some point in all our lives, we've experienced a loss, whether it's an immediate family member of our own, or someone close to us who has lost a loved one. And we all navigate the process of grief, from our own to supporting someone else who's going through it,...
Last-minute holiday shopping help: We’ve got you covered, parents! | Spawned Ep 136
Every year, we do an entire show dedicated to help you with your last-minute holiday shopping. Lucky for you, we've got an entire holiday gift guide full of awesome gift ideas, many of which are from handmade artists, indie artisans, and small businesses. So, on this...
How to make the most of the holiday (and not lose your mind) | Spawned Ep 135
We know that the holidays can be a busy, stressful time for lots of families, which is why we thought it might be helpful to discuss ways we try to make the most out of the holidays (and not lose our minds) with our own families on our latest Spawned podcast. In this...
How to be a bare minimum parent with James Breakwell | Spawned Episode 134
If you've heard of helicopter parenting, well, sorry to say, we're not talking about that today. We're actually talking about the polar opposite (or well, close enough) with the hilarious social media sensation and author James Breakwell (aka Xploding Unicorn on...
So much coolness. Where to start…
7 really smart decluttering habits to start now, so you don’t have to KonMari your house later
After reading Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I immediately started purging my closets and folding my clothes differently. I've also binged on her new Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and am currently in the process of piling all of my...
Here’s to Colleen Ballinger who shares the truth about new motherhood on Twitter. (It’s sticky and smells like baby pee and mold.)
Every time I hear someone complain about social media, or how they're quitting this platform or that because of "all the negativity," I can't help but think about all the ways that social platforms have literally saved moms. From blogs that share true, difficult...
Yoga mats with more personality than your average yoga mat
I've been trying to re-kickstart my yoga habit, and there's nothing like a fresh new yoga mat to get me motivated. So when we saw that yoga mats in tons of fantastic designs from independent artists are now available as limited editions from Society 6, I kind of...
3 inspirational art prints to celebrate Mary Oliver’s wild and precious life
I was so sad to find out that one of my favorite poets, the bestselling and Pulitzer prize winning Mary Oliver, passed away earlier today. Her poetry collections were some of my all-time favorites: Wild Geese helped me slow down and appreciate the natural world; Dog...
A creative way to take baby milestone photos for more cuteness, less fuss
We didn't have Instagram when my kids were babies, so I wasn't exactly all over the "photograph every baby milestone" thing the way new parents are now. But if I had found this creative Monthly Milestone Play Mat made just for photographing those many baby milestones,...
11 anti-Valentine’s gifts for people who hate Valentine’s Day (you know who you are!)
Each year, we love putting together Valentine's Day gift ideas, but I admittedly have had a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day throughout my life. Love the opportunity to tell people in my life I love them, hate the pressure, love helping my kids spread love...
Love your city? Put a ring on it.
I don't see a lot of jewelry that grabs me right away, but when I do? Well, here I am to share it with you. Right now, it's the remarkable cityscape rings by jewelry artist Ola Shekhtman that caught my attention on Uncommon Goods and...wow. I'm smitten. CMP is an...
Boo-boo packs just got about a zillion percent more cuddly
I was so charmed to learn about the Thermal Aid Teddy Bear that delivers comforting heat -- or cold -- in the form of a cute stuffed animal. If your kid has muscle aches from a growth spurt during those "wonder weeks," or from a particularly tough game of soccer, you...
Cute coral earrings: An easy, affordable way to wear Pantone’s color of the year
When I first heard about the Pantone color of the year being coral, I was uh...not thrilled. Unlike Caroline who can totally wear coral and look gorgeous, I'm a winter (remember that?) and orangey-pinky-brown colors are not generally the best for me. That said, coral...
8 gorgeous Pantone coral accessories to get on trend with the 2019 Pantone color of the year
In the past couple of weeks, I've become more than a little obsessed with Living Coral, the 2019 Pantone color of the year, which is why I've had so much fun rounding up these cool coral accessories. Pantone says Living Coral "embraces us with warmth and nourishment,"...
The cutest Year of the Pig baby gifts for all the 2019 little piggies
On Tuesday, February 5, we celebrate Chinese New Year and ring in the Year of the Pig. We've always loved Chinese New Year animal gifts as thoughtful baby gifts -- and I'm kind of amazed realizing we've now come full Chinese Zodiac circle, having first shared Year of...
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo review: Does the new Neflix series spark joy?
if you have ever "tidied" your home, said thank you to a book before putting it into the donate pile, or wondered whether that shirt you're wearing still "sparks joy," chances are you've been introduced to the Konmari method. And you surely already know about her new...
Why this first bra for girls has a 7,000 person waitlist
I've written quite a bit about the genius of Yellowberry bras for girls, the "mom-approved" first (or second) bras created by a teen herself who was not having it with the I wanna look like a Victoria Secret Model style of lacy underthings for 13 and 14-year olds. I...
The #CaptainMarvelChallenge: Can you help send girls to see a badass female superhero on the big screen?
I am so excited about the upcoming Captain Marvel release. Like, crazy excited. Believe it or not, it's the first woman-lead superhero film from Marvel. (Yep, Wonder Woman was from DC Comics, fun as it was, my non-geeky friends.) Not only that, but Brie Larson's Carol...
The new Oliver Jeffers space tattoos by Tattly let kids wear the moon and stars
We've been fans of Oliver Jeffers for years, and now kids (or young at heart parents) can wear his dreamy illustrations right on their arms, ankles and foreheads with the new Tattly collection of Oliver Jeffers space-themed temporary tattoos. The designs come from a...
All the best children’s books of 2018 from all the best best-of 2018 lists. Perfect place to kickstart your 2019 reading list
One New Year's resolution my family all agreed on was to read more books in 2019.(A resolution that seems to be going around amongst our staff!) So, in my favorite annual Cool Mom Picks post, I'm sharing all the best children's books on 2018 lists from our favorite...
Handmade baby blankets to inspire dreams. Hopefully the sleeping kind, too.
When we first started this site, at the dawn of Etsy, I feel like we were sharing cute handmade baby blankets every other day. Well it's been a while since I found a new one that caught my attention, until I discovered Elegant Infant Co. Mom-of-three Hope makes...
7 quick things you can do right now to make money, save money, or manage money better in 2019
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 my wildest dreams" on our vision boards. Well, I think both of those things are a stretch for me (let alone creating a vision board) but...
I read 39 books in 2018 in Goodreads’ Annual Reading Challenge. Here are my 10 favorites.
Now that my kids are teens (sniff) and need less handholding to get through every second of the day, I'm trying to read more books instead of spending all my "down time" reading Facebook updates or watching Netflix. So at the start of 2018, I joined Goodreads' Annual...
Garmentory: One-stop shopping for stunning indie boutiques and emerging designers
I'm not sure if it was an Instagram ad or something else that made me click over to Garmentory, but I did, and I'm in love. We're always looking for new designers or indie brands, and what a delight to find this site that's kind of like the best of Etsy meets Barney's...
8 fun, free printable 2019 calendars to keep you organized
A new year means a new calendar, like these 8 free printable 2019 calendars from minimalist to cheery, all of which are free. So, clear a little desk or wall space and fire up your printer. Consider them our New Year's gift to you. Top image: Confetti 2019 printable...