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Janice Johnson Dias on parenting with joy, raising change-makers, and navigating the f*ckery of life. | Spawned 227
Fair warning: This episode may really make you miss your IRL get togethers with your favorite mom friends, because that is exactly what this conversation with Dr. Janice Johnson Dias feels like. We knew that talking to Janice would be helpful, but to be honest, we had...
Listen now: Donzaleigh Abernathy on “Uncle Martin” and growing up in the civil rights movement | Spawned 226
Every night [I] had the fear of going to bed. Because at dinnertime, members of the white supremacist Group, the Ku Klux Klan, would call. every single evening at dinner. Not some nights, but every single night once we moved to Atlanta, and threaten to kill us. My...
How organizing our homes is giving us some control we need, with Naeemah Ford Goldson | Spawned 225
With a lot of insanity in the world, it may feel weird to talk about organizing solutions right now. But that's exactly the reason we're talking about it. We have so little control in our own lives -- in the world -- and it's disorienting and destabilizing. So it...
Why we need to reframe how we talk about self-care, with Dr. Christine Koh | Spawned Episode 224
We've talked a lot about self-care over the years -- the last year in particular -- but not as deeply honest as we did during this recent conversation with our dear friend, author, and podcaster Dr. Christine Koh. She's been sharing her own radical self-care journey...
The top 10 Spawned parenting podcast episodes of 2020
Every year, we love to share our most popular Spawned podcast episodes. It's always fun to see which topics and guests resonated the most with you, our awesome listeners. And if you're new to our podcast, well, here's the perfect opportunity to get to know us a little...
So much coolness. Where to start…
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...
What Do You Meme? Custom Cards make family game night waaaaay more personal (and hilarious)
Here's what I suggest for the weekend: Entice your teens out from their bedrooms for a hilarious family game night using your set of What Do You Meme? game cards. Only surprise them when they open the box, to find that you've booby trapped the deck with photos and...
Listen now: Donzaleigh Abernathy on “Uncle Martin” and growing up in the civil rights movement | Spawned 226
Every night [I] had the fear of going to bed. Because at dinnertime, members of the white supremacist Group, the Ku Klux Klan, would call. every single evening at dinner. Not some nights, but every single night once we moved to Atlanta, and threaten to kill us. My...
Expressie: Finally! A quick dry nail polish that makes at-home manicures a cinch.
Since the pandemic started last year (LOLSOB), I've been trying to give myself manicures, which goes pretty well until I get to the part where I can't do anything for a few hours while I wait for my nails to dry. That was until I decided to give Expressie, Essie's...
What you can do to fight anti-Asian racism and xenophobia
The beginning of 2021 feels just as heavy as 2020, with the pandemic still in full force, and then our friends in Texas getting hammered with snow, ice and power outages. But as an Asian American (4th generation American-born Chinese, to be exact), I've been...
How to help Texas right now: Millions of people need us.
The stories and photos I'm seeing in the wake of the Texas storm, some from close friends, are shocking. Right now, all 254 counties in Texas have been hit, with 2.5 million Texans still without power at the time of publishing. Many of them are are living without...
6 cool ways to support indie bookstores right now. They need it…and we need them.
I'd like to put in a plug for supporting indie bookstores right now, even if it takes a little extra effort. I'm seeing a lot of people trying to get through this looooong February (what's that even about?) by recommitting to reading. I mean hey, even the most...
How organizing our homes is giving us some control we need, with Naeemah Ford Goldson | Spawned 225
With a lot of insanity in the world, it may feel weird to talk about organizing solutions right now. But that's exactly the reason we're talking about it. We have so little control in our own lives -- in the world -- and it's disorienting and destabilizing. So it...
These articles explain how the pandemic is impacting mothers and you know? We’re allowed to feel like crap about it.
Considering this is a site dedicated to mothers and parenting, I would not be surprised to learn that you were one of the thousands (millions?) who read The Primal Scream interactive series on the New York Times this week. Compiled by Jessica Grose, Jessica Bennett,...
If your kid is a problem-solver, they could win a cool 25 grand. Here’s how.
This is a sponsored message on behalf of the Young Scientist Challenge Our long-time readers know we're big advocates of teaching kids to think critically, solve problems, and use their imaginations. In fact, we're pretty much counting on the next generation of...
You can pry this heated, weighted blanket from my not-at-all-cold, dead hands
February is hard for me in a zillion ways. Low light, cold temperatures, the biological imperative to eat all the Oreos. (Didn't Darwin mention Oreos somewhere in his writing? I could swear I remember that from 7th grade biology.) Oh, and then there's this little...
7 adorable Valentine’s Day gifts for babies: An excuse to celebrate something, anything, these days.
If you ask me, there's nothing as cheerful as shopping for Valentine's Day gifts for babies. Necessary? No! Adorable? So much yes. And as a mom of little ones who really needs an excuse for some cheer and celebration -- especially with no date night in sight -- I've...
Stay Home, Stay Fabulous: Skip the spa and do these 6 things right now.
If you’re like me, you’re currently on your whatever month (because who is counting at this point) of The Great Confinement. It's not over yet! So I’m sharing my ways to stay fabulous...while staying home and staying safe. If you read between the lines, you'll see...
Add a little magic to your Valentine’s Day with Justin Willman
I've been searching for fun ways to celebrate Valentine's Day with my kids since the typical school parties and gatherings aren't happening. Thankfully, Cool Mom Tech has a bunch of great ideas for having a virtual Valentine's Day party (amongst other things), but I...
16 Valentine’s gifts for friends who could probably use a little extra love this year.
No matter how I personally feel about the goofily coined term "Galentine's Day," I do agree that this is the year I might send Valentine's gifts to friends. And I don't mean friends with benefits! Just...friends. As we are approaching what was once unthinkable -- our...
Here are the 2021 Caldecott, Newbery and all the ALA book award winners. Time to update your reading list!
Readers, get excited! The 2021 ALA youth media awards have been announced, and it's time to update our reading lists! In case you're not fully in the book-nerd world like me, that means our 2021 Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King awards and more have been...
Why we need to reframe how we talk about self-care, with Dr. Christine Koh | Spawned Episode 224
We've talked a lot about self-care over the years -- the last year in particular -- but not as deeply honest as we did during this recent conversation with our dear friend, author, and podcaster Dr. Christine Koh. She's been sharing her own radical self-care journey...
Most lists of the best baby gifts aren’t really the best. But this one is. Guess how we know…
For more than a decade now (wow), our team has been carefully curating our guide to the very best baby gifts of the year and 2021 is no different. We are beyond thrilled to launch our all new Baby Gift Guide 2021. Whoo!! I mean, if there's ever a year that new...
Do I need to start double masking? The safest mask options and when to wear them.
Over the last week, I've read a number of articles recommending that we start double masking to increase the level of coverage we're getting. Even Dr. Fauci says that it's just "common sense." And let's just say, when Fauci talks, I listen. Then this morning, I combed...
The skincare and makeup we really want to see for a fresh 2021
I think I speak for everyone when I say that there should be a serum to fix what 2020 has done to us. And our faces. Yes, I know that scientists are a little busy developing COVID vaccines at the moment, but as soon as they're done with that, I'm hoping they devote...
A free lesson plan about Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem will make for some great dinner table conversation tonight.
My kids and I were glued to the TV last Wednesday, watching history take place on Inauguration Day. We were sobered by the national guard presence, excited about the achievements of our new VP Kamala Harris, and just so totally and completely relieved to see President...
The Bernie Mittens meme, now coming to a coffee mug near you. (For charity.)
I think so many of us just needed to laugh this week. So it's no surprise that the Bernie Sanders meme that's taken the internet by storm this week is just good fun. Not cynical, not snarky, not political. Just... funny. I guess 2021 will be different after all! (Not...