How to raise addiction-resistant children: Jessica Lahey | Spawned Ep 233
For years, Jessica Lahey has been one of our favorite parenting columnists and authors. So we were honored she joined us to offer her wise advice on talking with our kids about drug use, abuse, and addiction, all of which you can find in her essential new book, The...
Can you really be a feminist dad? Jordan Shapiro on fatherhood, masculinity, and gender roles in parenting. | Spawned 232
While we love all of our Spawned guests, there are some interviews that truly reshape our views on parenting. That’s just how we feel about this chat with global education expert Jordan Shapiro. He changed our views on kids and technology thanks to his...
“Just embrace the Janet Jackson rule” and other tips for supporting women in the workplace.| Spawned Episode 231
What is the “Janet Jackson rule” exactly? Let’s just say it could really help you succeed in your career (and has nothing to do with wardrobe malfunctions that were entirely the fault of a guy but that’s another story). If you’re a...
“Back in the Burbs” is self-care in the form of laughter
The world is a little overwhelming these days (understatement of the year, right?) and sometimes we just need to kick back, chill out, and as a wise songwriter once sang, forget about life for a while. Oh, and laugh. More laughing please! PLEASE. One way to do all of...
If you’ve ever said “this is not America” in response to racism, you need to read Caste.
If you’ve been paying attention for the past four years — and in particular the past week — there’s been a lot of dissection of phrases uttered by horrified, primarily white people in response to bigotry and racist violence. Phrases like This...
What we get wrong about kids and tech: The interview that blew our minds | Spawned ep 214
While we love all of our Spawned guests, there are some interviews that truly reshape our views on parenting. That’s just how we feel about this chat with global education expert Jordan Shapiro, author of the acclaimed international best-seller, The New...
4 funny novels for summer giving us the comic relief we desperately need right now
I don’t know about you, but I’m either needing to project my primal scream into Iceland or get a really good, belly-aching laugh in with a funny new summer novel. We’re in the final stretch of summer at my house before school starts (whatever that...
The GenX midlife crisis: It’s real, you’re not alone, and it’s not your fault. | Spawned Ep 207
This week on Spawned, I have a fantastic, encouraging conversation with Ada Calhoun, prolific author and writer, who’s always got her finger on the pulse of culture. Her latest book, Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis (from Amazon,...
7 awesome Father’s Day gifts that support indie bookstores | Father’s Day Gifts 2020
Next up in our Father’s Day Gift Guide Pandemic Edition ™ , we’re sharing Father’s Day gifts that support indie bookstores. Because investing in our local brick-and-mortar bookshops now, means they’ll still be around when it’s safe to...
Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Book Club Selection #11
After speaking with Dr. Ken Ginbsburg on our Spawned Parenting Podcast, I went out and bought all his books, one of which I’m thrilled to share is the next pick for our Cool Mom Picks Virtual Book Club. I found his approach to parenting teens (and well, kids in...
2 great books about raising activist kids: Cool Mom Picks Book Club selection 10
This go round, we’re going to change things up a bit in the Cool Mom Picks Virtual Book Club, because I’m going to be talking about two selections that I know are relevant to so many parents these days. In light of the recent Climate Strike marches around...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.
Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)
We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).
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