With the launch of our brand new Ultimate Birthday Gift Guide (you’ve already browsed around, right? Right? Right?) we’ve got birthdays on the brain! And we realized that wow, lots of things change with birthday celebrations once your kids get a little older.

Pro: Kids enjoy family experiences as gifts over toys.

Con: They mayyyyy want tickets to Hamilton.

Pro: No need to invite all 26 kids in the preschool class!

Con: Nothing like social media to remind your kid about that one kid’s birthday they weren’t invited to.

So basically, we’ve got a lot to talk about. Including tips to help make birthdays more fun, more manageable, and maybe even help you start some fun, meaningful traditions that you’ll keep for years to come.

Tune in right here right now.

Psst…Make sure you’re subscribed to our podcast through Apple Podcasts or your own favorite podcasting app, so you never miss an episode. And hey… do do us a solid and leave us a 5-star review! It helps other listeners find us and it’s a nice way to help support our show. Thank you!

Some links from this week’s episode:

The coolest gifts for tweens in 2019

The coolest gifts for teens in 2019

Our massive birthday gift guide new for 2019!

Fun birthday traditions you can start at any age

Liz’s Dad’s Famous Peanut Brittle Recipe

How to make an easy DIY pasta bar for birthdays

Outrageous birthday ideas for those of you who are like, “what budget?”

Liz insists on DIY whipped cream — but her daughter wants to eat it right out of the can.

Hosting a party for a charity through Beverly’s Birthdays, a fabulous Pittsburgh-based org

And don’t forget to join our Spawned Podcast Community on Facebook. We’ll talk about all our show topics, plus anything else you’d like to chat about. We’re chatty, if you hadn’t noticed.

About our awesome sponsors:
Don’t Wait Up, by Liz Astrof

Fans of Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened will love Don’t Wait Up: Confessions of a Stay-at-Work Mom by Liz Astrof, award-winning comedy writer and  producer of 2 Broke Girls and The King of Queens. It’s a candid, hilarious collection of essays embracing the realities of motherhood that no one talks about. It’s an honest look at parenting and relationships for moms who realize that motherhood doesn’t have to be your entire life — just an amazing part of it.

Buy Don’t Wait Up: Confessions of a Stay-at-Work Mom by Liz Astrof starting July 30, wherever you buy books!

Osmo

This episode of Spawned is also brought to you by Osmo, a unique gaming accessory that brings healthy screen time to kids of all ages by combining both physical and digital interactions with play-based, hands-on learning, developed with the help of child development researchers. It can be extremely effective in teaching kids both traditional subjects, like math and reading, as well as socio-emotional skills.

Spawned listeners: Get a free Osmo Sampler through this link. It includes five Osmo games for ages 4-10 focused on math, drawing, creativity, and spatial awareness.

Thanks to all of you who support the brands that support us!

Our Cool Picks of the Week

Kristen: MamaP Toothbrushes look cool, and support great causes too!

Liz: The Blinger bedazzles your hair (basically) and is guaranteed to be a hot holiday gift this year.  See it in action on Liz’s hair on our Instagram feed.

Top image  Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash