Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Margaret Ables on how moms can have more holiday fun – not just make it for everyone else | Spawned ep 288
I have been thinking a lot about the pressure on moms to make the holidays magic! Perfect! Memorable! Fun all day and all night! But what we don't talk about enough, is how we can have more fun over the holidays -- not necessarily to make more fun. And the perfect...
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 ensuring our...
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 much I...
More coolness from recent weeks…
How to set up the perfect playroom for kids when you don’t have a lot of space: 8 expert tips
We love the idea of setting up a playroom for kids so that our children have their own space. But not all of us have an entire room to spare for play. Still, that doesn't mean you need to sacrifice half your living room or give up your dining room table. There are so...
Tons of creative last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts that won’t seem last minute at all
You’re almost out of time, lover. Good news: We’ve rounded up creative last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts that will remind your honey how much you love them every day. Even if you also have to love them enough to pay a ton for quick shipping or to run out and find a...
Black History Month for Kids: The best new Black history picture books they’ll love all year
We invite you to celebrate Black History Month for kids -- yours or any others! -- with our picks for the top books for kids that showcase the diverse and inspiring stories of African American heroes and leaders. Black history has never been a topic we discuss just...
Easy Last Minute Valentine’s Day Crafts That Kids Can Make
Even if Valentine's Day is coming up quick, there's still time for kids to make these last-minute craft ideas and printables to make anyone's February 14 extra special. (Even if their sweetheart is just Dad or Mom.) While a full school week left until Valentine's Day...
12 anti-Valentine’s gifts for people who hate Valentine’s Day (you know who you are!)
Each year, we love putting together Valentine's Day gift ideas, but I admittedly have had a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day throughout my life. Love the opportunity to tell people in my life I love them, hate the pressure. Love helping my kids spread their...
40 of the Best Gifts for Girlfriends: Stylish, Sexy, Soulful + Smart
Finding the right gifts for girlfriends – romantic or otherwise – is so important. It's a way to say "I get you and you matter to me," whether you sleep in the same bed, or she’s your BFF from college who you catch up with once a year. What makes these particular...
Cool Valentine’s gifts for teens on Etsy … that they might actually like!
If you’re looking for cool Valentine's gifts for teens, we're happy to present a whole bunch of the best gift finds, all supporting the real makers we love on Etsy. I mean we've always been the place to find unique Valentine’s gifts for everyone on your list, but this...
Our favorite Valentine’s gifts for kids on Etsy this year, no cap
Sure Valentine’s Day is traditionally for our sweethearts, but we love giving adorable Valentine’s gifts for kids we find on Etsy. (Almost as much as we love embarrassing them by saying "no cap.) So I searched like crazy to find some Valentine's gifts for kids I can...
We found the best Valentine’s gifts on Etsy for boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses and partners. All made with love.
You don't have spend hours to find the best Valentine's gifts on Etsy for your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, partner, or sweetheart. Because we did it for you! We get it: searching for creative Valentine's gifts is hard in general, let alone finding actual makers on...
Sweet, easy Valentine’s Day crafts young kids can make their BFFs.
This year we're making sure that friend love doesn't get neglected on Valentine's Day, and so I've rounded up 8 awesome crafts that celebrate your kids' BFFs in the most adorable ways. Because while I can barely tell you the names of my middle school boyfriends (and...
These Valentine’s Day gift ideas are perfect for boys who aren’t so into the hearts and romance stuff
Valentine's Day has a tendency to skew all lace and hearts and sweetness, so as moms of boys, we wanted to find some cool gifts they would appreciate too. Of course these gifts are not just for boys, because cool Valentine's gift ideas know no gender -- but it is hard...
These tips from experts and research studies will help get your kids excited about reading.
Not every kid comes out of the womb loving reading. (Or, even comes out of preschool loving reading.) No matter how much you read to your kids or encourage reading, sometimes it just doesn't click right away. And that's okay! fter years of writing about this -- let...
A college guidance expert and former admissions officer helps de-stress the application process. Phew! | Spawned Ep 301
Navigating the college search and admission process is rough -- emotionally, practically, financially. (Eep!) It completely stressed me out, and I'm a pretty Type B mom. So learn from my mistakes! Make it easier on yourself by listening to all the helpful advice...
Here are the auto-subscriptions that have been saving me time, money, and a ton of hassle
One of the things that I've started doing over the past few years is signing up for practical subscriptions that get delivered to me every few months or so. It's saving me time, saving me money (a lot!), and saving me a whole lot of hassle when I'm like "oh crap, I'm...
Dr. Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech in its entirety: Where to watch, and what to talk about with your kids
Today we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's life and legacy, as we have every year since we started this site. Over the years, we've shared plenty of excellent books, videos, resources, and websites to help kids understand the reason for MLK Day. And they are all...
Oversized handbags are back! Go big or go home!
Oversized handbags are trending again and well, hallelujah, the world is once again feeling New York City! See, we don't have cars (or trunks or gloves compartments) in which to stash our daily lives, so we just carry our entire lives with with us at all times in...
A printable rewards chart to get kids to do anything. Almost.
We started a rewards chart with my daughter a month ago, and -- although I'm scared to say it out loud -- it's working to keep her in her bed at night. So, consider me a brand new fan of rewards charts, whether you're starting potty training or well past it; and allow...
Discover the Deliciousness of Organic Snacking with Skout Organic: Perfect for Every Health-Consicous Mother and Family
As a mother, finding a snack that is convenient, tasty, and nutritious for your family can be challenging. Enter Skout Organic, an excellent option for health-conscious mothers who don't want to compromise on taste or nutritional value when it comes to feeding their...
These gorgeous printable 2024 calendars will modernize your wall in seconds
There are a lot of printable 2024 calendars out there, but (no offense!) most of them look like someone's having a good time playing with Canva templates. I'd rather recommend something for you that's a little more artful. So after a good long search around Etsy, I...
How to Make a Burn List: My New Year’s tradition helps me manifest good things for next year – and get rid of a little petty. (Okay, a lot.)
When Ibi shared her New Year's Eve tradition with me, I was like...this is genius. How have I never done this? I need to do this! Whatever I can do to be out with the old and focusing on better things in the year to come sounds good to me. I'm sure I'm not alone, so I...
New Year’s Eve home with the kids: 12 ideas to make it fun for adults too!
New Year's Eve at home with the kids isn't exactly like New Year's Eve home without them. New Year's Eve parties for parents are more about trying our very best to stay up till midnight (though 10 p.m. is more like it) and drinking fun cocktails with our kids as we...