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Surviving the toddler years with Dr. Heather Wittenberg | Spawned Episode 131
The toddler years comes with quite a reputation for putting poor, unsuspecting parents through the ringer. Well, we're here to give you a little bit of your sanity back thanks to our special guest Dr. Heather Wittenberg aka The BabyShrink, who's an expert in all...
Representation FTW! Spawned Ep. 130
Whatever your feelings about what happened on November 6, 2018, we hope you can agree that it was an exciting, historic day for women. Over 100 women in Congress! YES! So, on this week's episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we're talking about Election Day, the...
12 year olds can be arrested for trick-or-treating and WHAT IS GOING ON | Spawned 129
So uh, yeah. Turns out that some American towns are now banning 12-year-old kids from trick-or-treating, under penalty of arrest. We think it's nuts, of course, so we had to talk about it this week on Spawned.There are even a lot of expert reasons that it's good and...
Amiyrah Martin on the most genius time-saving hacks for moms (They are SO good!)
This week on Spawned, we're joined by Amiyrah Martin of 4 Hats and Frugal. She's one of our favorite writers and Instagrammers and while she's known for her great tips on saving money, she happens to be pretty sharp with time-saving tips too. What's especially...
Catherine McCord’s tips for making feeding kids more fun | Spawned ep 127
We're always up for tips and tricks to help us make our time in the kitchen more fun, which is why we were so excited to chat with Catherine McCord, of the uber popular Weelicious, one of our all-time favorite food blogs. We've been friends for years now, so how...
So much coolness. Where to start…
How to help the California fire victims, from evacuees to animals to our brave first responders
The images and stories of the Western Wildfires -- the Hill and Woolsey Fires in the LA area, and the Camp Fire in Northern California that has entirely decimated the town of Paradise -- have been nothing short of horrifying. With upwards of a quarter-million evacuees...
What to do with leftover Halloween candy: 10 creative ideas besides you know, just eating it.
We're always happy to offer up parents lots of ideas for what to do with all that leftover Halloween candy you'll surely end up with. Well, at least after the small gorge-fest that your trick-or-treaters may be entitled to after all their hard work. So I've put...
5 big things parents get wrong about potty training
While some aspects of parenting little ones have gotten easier over the years, thanks to baby food makers, nursing stations in airports, and 24/7 streaming cartoons (ha), potty training is one thing that remains a major source of stress and frustration for so many...
Free Thanksgiving coloring pages to help children express gratitude
While there's no shortage of websites out there that offer free Thanksgiving coloring pages for children surrounded by lots of blinking ads and downloadable PDFs of dubious quality, we have an alternative: A selection of nicely designed, artful Thanksgiving coloring...
How buying one of our favorite kids’ toys on Veteran’s Day will support deployed military families in a great way.
Each year on Veteran's Day, we love finding new organizations that support the families of military service men and women. And wow, I am so thrilled to learn about United Through Reading and their 40 Million Stories campaign. This non-profit gives the more than...
A collection of culturally and historically accurate Thanksgiving coloring pages for children
This year, I've been on a mission to track down more culturally and historically accurate Thanksgiving coloring pages for my own kids and for our readers. Because most of us know by now that, however uncomfortable it may be, the story of Thanksgiving that so many of...
Representation FTW! Spawned Ep. 130
Whatever your feelings about what happened on November 6, 2018, we hope you can agree that it was an exciting, historic day for women. Over 100 women in Congress! YES! So, on this week's episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we're talking about Election Day, the...
This weekend’s GameStop PRO DAYS sale can save you a ton on these hot holiday gifts | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from GameStop If your family has video games, gaming systems, or pop culture tees and gifts (hey there, Fortnite fans!) on their holiday wish lists you're going to want to check out this weekend's huge GameStop PRO DAYS sale. The GameStop...
Get well soon Ruth Bader Ginsburg! We need you!
I just received a news alert that our strong, feisty, beloved SCOTUS Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, fell and fractured three ribs last night. It's happened before (she evidently "did not skip a beat" during that time, according to the court because, RBG), and I know...
This hip, indie kids’ magazine subscription is a fabulous gift for curious tweens
You may have heard of Aquila children's magazine, the cool indie kids publication from the UK, because they've been around for 25 years. And they've announced they're going to open their subscriptions up to the USA too, and I'm so excited. if you have a curious kid...
There are now more than 100 women in Congress. Here’s why it matters to our girl — and boys.
Last night's election was historic in so many ways, with representation that's starting to better reflect the actual composition of the country. We now have the first Black woman in Congress from Massachusetts: Ayanna Pressley. The first Black woman in Congress from...
Why every parent needs to see Boy Erased. Spoiler: The world desperately needs more understanding and compassion
It’s been over a week since I saw the brand new movie Boy Erased and I can’t get it out of my head. As an avid human-rights supporter and the mom of two activist teenagers, I spend a lot of time trying to be less angry these days than I have been. The world feels so...
Emily McDowell’s new “fantasy stones” offer self-care through laughter
Anyone else feeling stressed thee day? Frantically perusing self-care tips, devouring all the Halloween chocolate in the "donate" bag, or diving into every comedy on Netflix? We get it. And we've got the gift for you. While I've never been one to carry crystals or...
Here’s what you can do with your family on #TheLastWeekend before the Midterms, and why it (really!) matters.
Parents. We're not like other people who can just drop everything and fly out to a swing state to canvas, or host raucous fundraising cocktail nights, or even attend a GOTV concert on a whim. But there's a lot we can do -- with our families -- to help make a...
The coolest Halloween costumes from Garden Place Brooklyn, 2018
I'm reluctant to even tell any of you about Garden Place, because it is one of the most delightful things about living in Brooklyn -- and I don't want it suddenly flooded with Manhattan people who swoop in and steal all the candy! (J/K anyone is welcome). But...
How a 13-year-old Broadway fan created the coolest Halloween door decorations
So that 13-year-old Broadway-obsessed kid? That would be my daughter. And after last year's attempt to mashup Halloween with Broadway musicals, she improved on her artwork this year and taped it straight on our apartment door. So, proud mama that I am, I wanted to...
3 smoking black maternity dresses for fall and winter, even if you’re not on Meghan Markle’s budget
If you've been following the newly minted royal couple on their post-nuptial adventures (waving hands, here), you might have caught mom-to-be Meghan Markle in this little black dress and-trench maternity outfit. I'll admit that I've been coveting the look, too, and OF...
The blogging world loses one of our own. Here’s how to help.
Kristen and I are both old school bloggers, going back to 2006 when our kids were tiny. Back then, we were a small, passionate community of writers who shared our lives, our joys, our many challenges and even some painful losses. Many of us became IRL friends. Even if...
12 fantastic no-carve pumpkin ideas for a very last-minute Halloween
Who here's a fan of no-carve pumpkins for Halloween? As someone whose toddler definitely shouldn't be anywhere near sharp objects, I've become a staunch convert. And as someone who doesn't always get to my Halloween pumpkin until the last-minute, it beats spilling all...
12 year olds can be arrested for trick-or-treating and WHAT IS GOING ON | Spawned 129
So uh, yeah. Turns out that some American towns are now banning 12-year-old kids from trick-or-treating, under penalty of arrest. We think it's nuts, of course, so we had to talk about it this week on Spawned.There are even a lot of expert reasons that it's good and...
20 of the most amazing, must-see Halloween face paint video tutorials on YouTube.
My kids have spent hours in front of the mirror perfecting scars and simpler character makeup based off of YouTube face paint tutorials, but these Halloween themed face paint tutorials should put their growing skills to the test. From your classic Halloween ghouls to...
11 cool tween and teen Halloween craft ideas that don’t suck.
While we love sharing Halloween craft ideas for our preschoolers and little ones, our tweens and older kids want to get in on the fun too. So with my own Halloween-loving older kid in mind, I searched around for some cool Halloween craft projects and ideas just for...