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How to save your children’s lives from real threats. Like werewolves. And woolly mammoths. | Spawned ep 184
On this week's Spawned parenting podcast, we are tackling a VERY SERIOUS SUBJECT. So profoundly serious, it could literally save lives. And it will. Because sure, you've covered your light sockets and put the Tide Pods on a high shelf, but do you know every danger out...
It’s okay to say vagina: Tips for raising sexually healthy kids and making it less awkward…for both of you. | Spawned ep 182
On this week's Spawned parenting podcast, we're focusing on about raising sexually healthy kids. i.e. How to have the sex talk, what to say, and how it's changed over the years. I don't use the term "brilliant" lightly, but that's how I feel about these ideas from our...
How to create more positive thinking to manifest success this year: 7 great tips | Spawned ep 182
While we know that positive thinking doesn't cure every problem in life, we do know that positive thinking has proven, science-based effects that impact your life for the better. It helps with lowering stress, keeping you healthier, and providing better coping skills...
Expert answers to your top questions about parenting teens | Spawned Episode 181
Like you, we've got lots of questions when it comes to parenting teens, which is why it was such a pleasure chatting with Dr. Ken Ginsburg, someone who knows an awful lot about parenting them. Along with being a parent himself, Dr. Ginsburg has years of experience...
Holiday gift guide picks: The coolest gifts from our favorite small businesses
It's our annual holiday gift guide Spawned episode, where we share some of our favorite cool picks that we think make fabulous holiday gift ideas. This year, we're highlighting small makers, indie businesses, many of which are owned and run by women. Yay! If you need...
So much coolness. Where to start…
Web coolness: What Liz is reading this week.
Oh hey! It's been a while since we brought you Web Coolness, our roundup of the stuff we're reading and liking around the web. Well, we're bringing it back to life, only different. (Kind of like a Pet Semetery thing, ha.) It's going to be more personal. Think of it a...
How to save your children’s lives from real threats. Like werewolves. And woolly mammoths. | Spawned ep 184
On this week's Spawned parenting podcast, we are tackling a VERY SERIOUS SUBJECT. So profoundly serious, it could literally save lives. And it will. Because sure, you've covered your light sockets and put the Tide Pods on a high shelf, but do you know every danger out...
It’s okay to say vagina: Tips for raising sexually healthy kids and making it less awkward…for both of you. | Spawned ep 182
On this week's Spawned parenting podcast, we're focusing on about raising sexually healthy kids. i.e. How to have the sex talk, what to say, and how it's changed over the years. I don't use the term "brilliant" lightly, but that's how I feel about these ideas from our...
7 of the best free printable 2020 calendars to suit any taste. And yes, we said free!
2020 is already underway., and normally we'd have shared our annual list of our favorite printable calendars with you for the year. But with some of our kids back in school late this year, combined with and some of the recent stories on the news, we may be a little...
Our kids are sharing memes about WWIII. Here’s how to talk to kids about the fear of war.
In light of this week's rapid increase in tension between the US, Iran, and Iraq, my social feeds are packed with parents sharing similar sentiments as Asha Dornfest did on Twitter: My children and their friends are sharing WW3 memes to cope with their fear and anger....
How to help the victims of the Australian fires, because you always have the biggest hearts in times of need
When I shared the news about the 12 million acres destroyed (so far) and thousands displaced in the current Australian fires, my always-on-social-media daughter was shocked. Why hadn't she seen this? And what could we do to help? Well, why haven't so many of us seen...
The best children’s books of 2019 to read in 2020: All the lists in one convenient place.
It's time to make your 2020 reading list! This is our fifth year to round up all the year's best-of lists of children's books, all in one convenient place for you, so you can have quick access to dozens of ideas when you're at the bookstore or library. I should add...
The top 10 Cool Mom Picks posts of 2019
We're so thrilled to be entering our 14th year publishing Cool Mom Picks. We know! We can't believe it either. Every year, we share our top 10 most visited posts on Cool Mom Picks. While our gift guides are often quite popular, these represent posts from 2019 that...
Disney+ and the domination of our streaming overlords | Editors’ Best in 2019
We've been streaming media for a few years now (and for some of us, even more), but in 2019, streaming went to a whole new level. And we're not necessarily talking about Disney+ (but we also kind of are). If you've been following award nominations this year, then you...
Baby Yoda | Editors’ Best of 2019
Two words: Baby Yoda. He's adorable and powerful, and exactly how we imagine a Baby Yoda would be if we had imagined it ourselves. (Spoiler: We didn't). He's a singular brilliant reason to become a Disney + subscriber so you get access to The Mandalorian, and is 100%...
The power and positivity of raising teens | Editors’ Best of 2019
In the past, teenagers have had a reputation with parents that preceded them. Does the eyeroll emoji come to mind? Well in 2019, we saw the rise of an exciting movement that empowered parents raising teens to see them in all their awesome, creative, out-of-the-box...
The tech-positive parenting movement | Editors’ Best of 2019
Even though we started Cool Mom Tech in 2010, this past year, we saw an exciting parenting trend emerge: tech-positive parenting. But considering how powerful this movement has been, I'm pretty sure that it's a trend that's going to be around for a very long time....
The diversity of women taking over entertainment: Editors Best of the Year
It's hard to even know where to start with this -- each of these women could be their own Editors Best of the Year, but together, they're even more powerful. And that's saying something. We have to start somewhere, so, as we often do, we'll start with the force that...
Post-Hamilton Broadway for teens: Editors’ Best of the Year.
It's no surprise to anyone who knows me or my kids that we are massive Broadway fans. We are so fortunate to live in The Greatest City in the World (name that tune), which allows us to see a lot of musicals. A lot. But my kids are hardly alone in asking for show...
Mattel’s Creatable World and other progress towards gender non-comformity and inclusivity: Editors Best of the Year
it's time for our annual Top 10 Editors Picks of the Year! To kick things off, I wanted to start with one of the biggest, most positive events that pops out to us as we reflect on 2019: the growing awareness of gender fluidity and gender identity, and the increasing...
Greta Thunberg and youth climate activism: Editors Best of the Year
When we first started this site in 2006, eco-friendly was one of our most popular tags. Parents were concerned about where their products were made, what ingredients were in them, and how they impacted the planet. Then the recession hit. Suddenly no one wanted to pay...
Happy whatever you celebrate. Because we need more happiness in the world.
There have been years that I received kind Christmas cards from family and friends that blessed me and my Atheist-slash-Secular Jewish family, wishing Our Heavenly Father’s blessings upon us. They expressed hope that we have found peace with The Lord Jesus Christ....
How to create more positive thinking to manifest success this year: 7 great tips | Spawned ep 182
While we know that positive thinking doesn't cure every problem in life, we do know that positive thinking has proven, science-based effects that impact your life for the better. It helps with lowering stress, keeping you healthier, and providing better coping skills...
8 thoughtful tips if you’re hosting kids with special needs for the holidays
Nothing gets me emotional quite like the Folger's coffee holiday commercial, with the sentimental mother-son reunion at 5:30 AM over a cup of coffee. (I'm not joking, I cry every time.) But that's not quite most people's reality when we travel to visit family --...
The best subscription gifts for kids this year: There’s one for every age, and every interest
It's final countdown to the holidays, which means last-minute gift ideas, which means subscription gifts for kids, which are always some of our favorites to give -- last minute or not! Wwe know from experience that our kids love to receive boxes in the mail each...
Yes, real Christmas trees are better for the environment than artificial trees. Here are the facts.
Lately, I've seen a lot of well-meaning posts from people around my social networks, with comments like, "well I want to protect the environment....that's why we're getting a fake Christmas tree this year." Suddenly I was like crap, should I be feeling super guilty...