Creative ideas to help young children with school anxiety: 7 small items that can make a big difference.
Preschoolers or kindergarten students often feel nervous about their first days and weeks of school. Or their first month of school. Even older kids may feel anxious about a new teacher, new friends, or just getting back into a more rigorous schedule after a long and...
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...
Setting up a study space at home: How to make it one your kid will actually use
So many parents have learned over the past few years that setting up a study space at home is more important than ever. Maybe you homeschool, maybe your kids just need a dedicated space for homeworkr, or maybe they’ve got virtual tutoring or other...
Thinking of trying melatonin to help your kids sleep? Please read this first.
Like so many other desperate — and exhausted — parents, we turned to melatonin supplements to help my son sleep when he was younger. I spoke to our pediatrician first of course, and did enough research about melatonin on my own to know that melatonin...
12 smart personalized label ideas to help you save money, cut down on fights, and bring home fewer germs | Back to School Guide
With back to school coming up, I’m sharing some of my favorite personalized label ideas to help keep you organized, keep you sane, save you money (whoo!) and even keep the peace if you have more than one kid. (Parents of two or more, you know what I’m...
How to get into college: Invaluable tips and fascinating insights from Ned Johnson | Spawned Ep 278
Was the college search always this overwhelming or does it just feel that way? Do my kids really need to take the SATs? Does test-optional really mean optional? How did covid impact admissions? When should I be signing up my kid for college tours? Or wait…should...
The best summer camp care package ideas for tweens and teens: A helpful list from a mom who’s been sending them for 9 years
We are still celebrating the return to summer camp around here. And I am celebrating the joy of putting together summer camp care packages for my tweens and teens! The chance to run around with friends, swim, be silly, stay up too late, fill up their MadLibs with...
Period underwear to menstrual cups: 4 tampon alternatives we’ve tried that can save you during the tampon shortage
Is there actually a tampon shortage right now? Evidently, yes. As if the recent formula shortage hasn’t been hard enough on (mostly) women, now…this. Sigh. But at least there are some great alternatives, if not permanent solutions to tampons or pads. And...
Tips for keeping kids safe from online predators, from Roo Powell of Undercover Underage | Spawned 276
This week’s Spawned podcast guest, Roo Powell, is the perfect person to help us with tips and advice for keeping kids safe online. She’s the co-founder of SOSA (Safe from Online Sexual Abuse) and has put her child advocacy skills to use by…disguising...
Another free download we wish we didn’t need: A Kids Book About School Shootings
The fact that a book called A Kids Book About School Shootings even exists should tell you exactly how big a problem this has become in the years since the horrific Columbine school shooting over 20 years ago. As we shared in today’s post How to talk to your...
How to talk to your children about mass shootings, bombings, and other tragedies in the news: Helpful resources
Another day, another mass shooting. And I’m not being flip. This week it’s the unfathomably awful shooting at Robb Roy Elementary in Uvalde Texas. Just last week it was a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. This just adds to the already unconscionable list...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
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