The hard talks we need to have with our kids (and how to have them) | Spawned Episode 294
As parents, we know that there are going to be difficult conversations that we need to have — about sex, violence, relationships, substances — but it can be hard to know how to actually talk about them. That’s where author Michelle Icard can help. Her book,...
Being mixed race in America, with author Lauren Kung Jessen | Spawned Episode 291
As a mixed-race Chinese American, I’ve struggled to feel a sense of belonging. I grew up feeling more accepted by the German (white) side of my family. Then, as I got older, I learned more about the Chinese side of my family and felt a connection to the...
Preserving memories in the 21st century. Shouldn’t this be easier? | Spawned Episode 290
If you’re like me, you thought that smartphones and tablets would make it a whole lot easier to grab photos and videos of your kids. But while they do make it easier to make memories, actually preserving them and being able to organize and then find them is a...
COVID in the house: How to best prepare yourself and your family
After two and a half years, we finally had COVID in the house. I’m certainly grateful for science (we’re all fully vaccinated and boosted) because the folks (including me) who were infected had relatively mild cases. And while I knew that at some point we...
4 New Year’s resolutions you can actually tackle, with lots of resources to help
January 1 is my favorite holiday, and making New Year’s resolutions is my favorite way to celebrate. Okay, that and cleaning out my closets! (I know, I’m a party animal). I know that there are various approaches to New Year’s resolutions, many of...
Why the sex talk with your kids is more important than ever | Spawned Ep 287
It’s not the first time we’ve talked about the sex talk on Spawned, but if your school district is like mine (and many across the country), they are making sex education an optional, home-taught module. That means, we need to be more invested than ever in...
Why our teens are so darn tired, with author Lisa L. Lewis | Spawned Episode 286
Just when I thought I was pretty aware of what I needed to know about teens and sleep, I got my hands on Lisa L. Lewis’s book The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, And How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive and I realized there was so...
5 tips for flying with toddlers, from a mom who has flown many times, with many toddlers
If you’re looking for tips for flying with toddlers, you’ve come to the right place. Even though my four kids are now teens, they were once toddlers, and we used to travel a lot. That means there was a time when I was on a plane with toddlers and babies,...
What you need to know about perimenopause, with Dr. Makeba Williams | Spawned Episode 284
If you’re like me, you got to your mid-40s and suddenly started to get weird period symptoms and sort-of hot flashes and night sweats and asked yourself, “Wait, is this perimenopause?” Well, we’re not the only ones. Even though perimenopause...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
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