5 smart and easy tips for your first backyard campout with the kids.
We've still got a lot of summer left for camping out with the kids! If you love the idea, but you're not sure you're ready to head out into the wilderness with the family just yet, a backyard campout is a great place to start. If it goes wrong -- and it very well may...
Remembering Toni Morrison: Here’s her complete list of novels. Pick one up today.
The passing of Toni Morrison today at the age of 88 is a serious gut punch to me. I think a lot of writers -- and readers -- are feeling it in a very personal way. I was first introduced to the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize-winning author by my English Lit professor,...
Naruto run to grab these Storm Area 51 meme shirts: The best designs, for all your conspiratorial fashion needs
If you have a teen, surely you know of their great hopes and dreams to storm Area 51 this coming September. The meme has taken hold, and I'm afraid I'm going to wake up one morning with a note from my kids saying, Gone to see them aliens. Took some money. Back soon....
How to deal with sanctimommies (and tame the one inside you) | Spawned Episode 166
When Jessica Simpson was recently mommy shamed on social media for letting her oldest daughter get her hair dyed, Kristen clapped back with her own Instagram post. And then, we decided it might be time to talk about the sanctimommy again. On this episode of Spawned...
Cool Mom Picks Book Club Selection 7: The Yes Brain, by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
We are thrilled to announce the seventh selection in our Cool Mom Picks Book Club, The Yes Brain, by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. (From our affiliate Amazon or find it at your local book store.) If the title doesn't say enough about the book, their subtitle...
We tried making Amazon returns at Kohl’s (yes, Kohl’s) and here’s how it works.
Returning items purchased from Amazon has never been all that hard, so when I heard you can now make Amazon returns at Kohl's I was kind of thinking, Why? But then I realized, getting to the post office or repackaging a return if you don't have supplies on hand can be...
How to keep a subtle summer glow, without the rays.
I'm less of a lie-out-in-the-sun gal, and more of a how-can-I-look-like-I-like-out-in-the-sun? gal. I haven't really used a bronzer for years, but I found a blush-bronzer combo from NARS (man I love NARS) that's been making me happy for quite a few seasons now. The...
What to say to a grieving parent, and what to never say: Tips from moms who have been there.
Did you know July is National Bereaved Parents Month? Truly, it's an awful kind of a thing to have to recognize, but I'm so glad for it. For parents who have gone through this horrible tragedy, a dedicated time that more people can recognize their pain and loss -- and...
Birthdays with older kids: Isn’t it great when they don’t want a party? | Spawned ep. 165
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:...
Set up a lemonade stand this weekend, help support kids in crisis at the border
Kids are born with big hearts. They are full of kindness and compassion. They want to do something when they see awful things in the world, especially impacting other children. I know my own kids have been distraught following what's happening to children separated...