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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...
Kids and video games: What parents need to know | Spawned Episode 133
With the holiday season in full swing, we know lots of parents are seeing video games on gift wish lists. We also know parents, like us, have so many questions about them. What are upsides and downsides? When do we know too much is too much? Will Fortnite ever go away...
The importance of gratitude right now | Spawned ep 32
We both have gratitude on our minds right now. At a time that there is so much abundance -- food, gifts, parties -- and conversely, so many of us struggling with holidays in general, it's so valuable for us to slow down and consider ways to help develop more gratitude...
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...
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...
Yip Yips stockings! Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yip yip yip.
We've seen Seuss stockings. We've seen Mermaid stockings but I don't know if I've ever laughed as hard at a stocking as I did when Kristen shared these knit Yip Yips Muppet stockings with me. With the help of a free knitting or crochet pattern offered by Carissa...
11 thoughtful gifts that help support first responders, in California and beyond
After putting together a list of ways to help the first responders and victims in the California Camp and Woolsey wildfires, we knew right away that we wanted to start collecting gift ideas that help support and give back to first responders. I for one have been...
The white elephant gift that everyone will end up fighting over.
We know a white elephant gift exchange is not a competition, but let's be honest here. We all know that deep down, everyone wants to give the gift that everyone else ends up fighting over. And that is what we predict will happen with this hilarious shower wine glass...
A beautiful custom gift for the holidays. Tissues sold separately.
Some of our favorite gifts to give (and receive) are custom gifts because they feel so personal. And really, what's more personal than a loved one's handwriting? That's why we fell instantly in love with these custom handwriting cuff bracelets by Emily J. Design,...
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...
17 feminist gifts that honor our activist women friends after a long, hard year
While our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide is up and running with hundreds of gift ideas, there are still a few very specific types of people on our lists that you might be shopping for. In my case, I'm thinking of all the incredible, engaged, active, activist women who worked...
5 things parents need to know about administering over-the-counter medicine to kids | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message on behalf of KnowYourOTCs.org With cold and flu season officially here, parents are doing their best to help their kids when they're not feeling well, which often means giving them over-the-counter (OTC) medicines to help relieve their...
How not to make yourself crazy this holiday season.
I always start the holiday season with good intentions, like this will be the year that we have lots of fun and don't stress about the cookies not getting baked and the tree not getting up until the week before Christmas. But then I'm not sure if it's the egg nog or...
4 cool black sneakers for people who would rather be wearing anything but sneakers
As anyone who knows me knows, I'm not a sneaker person. I mean I love the comfort, I've just always felt more...dressed, when I'm in boots or booties or basically anything but sneakers. But recently I've discovered a few pairs that are striking the right balance...
This baby and toddler subscription is like a 3-year Montessori education | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Monti Kids Kids learn through play. And this is the season so many parents, grandparents, and caregivers have play on our minds. Enter Monti Kids, the only at-home Montessori learning toy subscription program that's designed and safely...
Introducing our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide! Whoo!
It’s true! Our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide is here! Can you believe it's our 13th annual holiday gift guide? We're a teenager! This year, we've scoured the web to find literally hundreds of gifts for everyone on your list. And when we say everyone, we really mean...
3 favorite under eye concealers that could actually help you look well-rested this winter.
Anyone else needing a fantastic under eye concealer to help them through these shorter days and a busy holiday schedule? I know that my own dark circles have turned a decidedly eggplant shade (not a good look) since since fall started. So while I'm normally just a...
10 things we wish we had spent way less time on when our kids were babies
Now that our kids are older, it’s easy to look back and ask ourselves why we spent so much time thinking about things that didn’t really matter that much in the long run. Oh to have all of that time back! One thing we know parents spend a lot of time thinking about:...
A few adorable, modern Christmas pajamas for kids for a picture-perfect Christmas morning
Since this is my son's first Christmas in proper pajamas and not a sleep sack, I've been inordinately excited to pick out some cute modern Christmas pajamas for him. While I love a good flannel plaid in holiday hues -- hey, nothing wrong with the classics -- I think...
Kids and video games: What parents need to know | Spawned Episode 133
With the holiday season in full swing, we know lots of parents are seeing video games on gift wish lists. We also know parents, like us, have so many questions about them. What are upsides and downsides? When do we know too much is too much? Will Fortnite ever go away...
You could be using coupon codes at these 4 kinds of websites – but may not know it
We have preached for years about the #1 rule of online shopping -- always look for discount codes before you checkout -- but even we forget that it always means...well, always. In fact, there are plenty of sites that just don't spring to mind as even offering discount...
3 terrific books for children who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah
We've covered so many holiday books for kids over the years, and one thing we've realizes is missing: a good selection of books for children who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. While my teens may be jealous of friends who celebrate both of the big winter...
Some of our favorite Secret Santa gift ideas for the whole family
One way I always bring all of my family together over the holidays is with a Secret Santa gifting tradition. Truth be told, it's the most affordable (and let's be honest, fun) way to exchange gifts with a large family over the holidays. I generally try to keep gifts...
3 wooden high chairs so gorgeous you’ll actually want them at your holiday table
With the holidays coming up, I've been on the hunt for beautiful high chairs that will actually look nice at the dining room table -- unlike the sweet potato-crusted plastic monstrosity I'm currently using. Let's just say it won't be winning any beauty pageants (or...
We found wonderfully diverse dollhouse dolls: Multicultural, multiracial, differently-abled and more.
If a dollhouse is on your kids' holiday wish lists, don't forget to include some dollhouse dolls so that they can get right to the business of playing (while you clean up wrapping paper). But unlike dollhouses which come in lots of different styles, from modern to...
These funky handmade holiday dresses are perfect for girls who say no to frills and flounce
Before you deck the halls, deck your girls out in the handmade, one-of-a-kind holiday dresses and skirts from one of our longtime favorite indie makers, Courtney Courtney. They're much more comfy than a red faux-taffeta dress with scratchy white lace, we wouldn't be...