Fourteen talks to have before your child turns fourteen, with author Michelle Icard | Spawned Episode 229
As parents, we have a general idea of the conversations we need to have with our kids before they to the throes of teendom – like the sex talk, and the drugs and alcohol talk – for example. But there are actually a whole lot more conversations that we...
Kate DiCamillo on why kids need superheroes right now | Spawned 228
It’s a bit of a statement say we fan-grilled a bit over this week’s guest on the Spawned Parenting Podcast, two-time Newbery award-winning author Kate DiCamillo. Surely you know her incredible children’s books like The Tale of Despereaux, Because of...
Janice Johnson Dias on parenting with joy, raising change-makers, and navigating the f*ckery of life. | Spawned 227
Fair warning: This episode may really make you miss your IRL get togethers with your favorite mom friends, because that is exactly what this conversation with Dr. Janice Johnson Dias feels like. We knew that talking to Janice would be helpful, but to be honest, we had...
Listen now: Donzaleigh Abernathy on “Uncle Martin” and growing up in the civil rights movement | Spawned 226
Every night [I] had the fear of going to bed. Because at dinnertime, members of the white supremacist Group, the Ku Klux Klan, would call. every single evening at dinner. Not some nights, but every single night once we moved to Atlanta, and threaten to kill us. My...
How organizing our homes is giving us some control we need, with Naeemah Ford Goldson | Spawned 225
With a lot of insanity in the world, it may feel weird to talk about organizing solutions right now. But that’s exactly the reason we’re talking about it. We have so little control in our own lives — in the world — and it’s disorienting...
Why we need to reframe how we talk about self-care, with Dr. Christine Koh | Spawned Episode 224
We’ve talked a lot about self-care over the years — the last year in particular — but not as deeply honest as we did during this recent conversation with our dear friend, author, and podcaster Dr. Christine Koh. She’s been sharing her own...
The top 10 Spawned parenting podcast episodes of 2020
Every year, we love to share our most popular Spawned podcast episodes. It’s always fun to see which topics and guests resonated the most with you, our awesome listeners. And if you’re new to our podcast, well, here’s the perfect opportunity to get...
Your questions about vaccine safety + Covid-19 answered: Dr. Perri Klass | Spawned Ep 223
If there’s one thing we’re all talking about right now, and maybe even tearing up about (if you’re Liz), it’s the long-awaited arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines. So we invited the most perfect guest to sit down with us: vaccine expert, NYU...
How to support small business and your own community this holiday | Spawned Podcast Ep 222
Today we’re talking about one of our very favorite subjects, how to support small businesses this holiday, during a year that needs it more than ever. After nearly 15 years, we’ve become quite the experts (if we do say so ourselves!) and so we’re...
Making peace with A Very Pandemic Holiday ™ | Spawned Ep 221
Liz has cancelled Thanksgiving. Kristen is staying in her bubble. We’ve worried, we’ve cried, we’ve reconciled with it, and then sometimes we’re not quite so reconciled. We’re being honest about what we’re missing and what sucks and...
Who’s actually getting dressed these days? Or wearing makeup? Well… | Spawned Ep 220
Yes, yes we know what’s going on in the world. But if you need a little break from watching the news, we’ve got a new Spawned podcast episode just for you, that all started from a post in our Spawned podcast community. (Yes, we are consistent with naming...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).
We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.
50 screen-free summer activities for kids
Summer camp care package ideas
Support for Ukraine
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The Best Gifts for Kids by Age
Best Baby Gifts of the Year
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