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…
Mott & Bow jeans make it easy (and fun!) for you to find the perfect fit. And maybe some extra savings.
After seeing ads for Mott & Bow denim in my Instagram feed for a while, a friend insisted that I had to check them out. I did! And I ordered! Turns out the brand isn't only legit, they're beloved by a ton of fashion editors, they have customers who swear won't buy...
One Cool Thing: Colorful Mermaid Scale Wine Tumblers
While it's still a little cold in my neck of the woods -- because, April in New York -- we're getting a little spring fever around here and we're determined to get outside more. Even if jackets are required. Next week, we've got plans to head to a local park to watch...
Daily Question: Which Mobile Games Do You Loooooooove?
If there's one thing moms need more of, it's downtime. We love reading, watching shows, hobbies, and yes, playing games. SO many games. No judgments at all -- whatever it takes to decompress is good by us. (Let alone starting each morning with Wordle without fail.) So...
Daily Question: Congrats, You’re Mega-Rich! Who Do You Hire First?
Welcome to our next daily reader question, where cool moms get to share their opinions and ideas with other cool moms. (Dads welcome too.) Today, we're asking about all your lottery-winning, surprise-inheritance, found-ten-million-dollars-in-a-coat-pocket dreams. We...
One Cool Thing: Happy Jack x Kenneth Cole is supporting students struggling with mental health
You know how much we love gifts that give back, and I was thrilled to find one more in the new Happy Jack x Kenneth Cole capsule collection. Our posts may contain affiliate links and some purchases generate a small commission to support our work at no additional cost...
Daily Question: Which Breakfast Club Character Were You in High School
Welcome to our next daily reader question, where cool moms get to share their opinions and ideas with other cool moms. (Dads welcome too.) After our first daily question about the best 80s teen movies ever (click over for the results!) it turns out you all have a...
The Best April Fool’s Prank We Ever Pulled. Still Hilarious.
Over the years, we used to create the best April Fool's posts each April 1 until it became...well, kind of a thing everyone did and readers got savvy and started expecting them. Then we started sharing the best April Fool's pranks you could play on your kids and hey,...
Daily Question: Do you take your shoes off in the house?
Welcome to today's daily question, where cool moms get to tell other cool parents what they think. Today, we've got a question that can be a little controversial: Do you require shoes to come off at the front door? Parents have extremely strong opinions about whether...
Daily Question: Gen Z Slang
Welcome to our next daily reader question, where you get to tell other cool parents what's cool! Today, we're asking about Gen Z slang. Our kids have created so much colorful vocabulary, and they get a hard time for a lot of it. So let's turn it around a bit. We want...
Daily Question : The Best ’80s Teen Movies of All Time
Welcome to our first daily reader question, where you get to tell other cool parents what's cool! First up, a topic that's near and dear to our hearts: Pop culture. Or more specifically the pop culture from our own youth that we now get to share with our kids as they...
How to dye Easter eggs: Getting the perfect shades with tips from the food dye experts
I imagine that the McCormick's website must get more traffic this time of year than any other, considering that it's pretty the perfect starting point for anyone looking for a legit Easter egg color guide. If you want to know just how to dye Easter eggs with food...
Your kids will love these 35 affordable Easter basket ideas – all under $15!
While we're all for jellybeans, affordable chocolate bunnies, and Peeps of every color, if you're looking for creative, affordable Easter basket ideas beyond candy, we've got you covered! In fact, this year we're sharing 35 incredibly cool Easter basket ideas for...
One Cool Thing: A thoughtful gift under $10 for an avid reader, teacher, or a new grad
For years we've loved sharing personalized bookmarks, and today I'm so happy to have stumbled on a new maker, right in time for graduation, end-of-year teacher gifts, Mother's Day...any day, really. What's more, the price is incredible, especially if you have a lot...
Here are 3 eco-friendly plastic wrap alternatives we can recommend for more sustainable food storage
In an effort be more eco-friendly, we've all been using more plastic wrap alternatives. After all, being eco-friendly also means cutting back on food waste by wrapping up leftovers; and making the most of pre-made staples like pre-cooked pasta and rice or diced...
One Cool Thing: An allergy-friendly chocolate bunny
While we were putting together our Guide to Easter Gifts for Teens + Tweens, we came across this awesome Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Bunny from a longtime favorite of ours, No Whey! Foods. It's a long list of gift ideas, so I wanted to be sure it didn't get buried in...
One Cool Thing: Fiesta towels add a splash of color to your kitchen
Sometimes it's fun just sharing one cool thing I've found, and because I'm online basically all day, you know...looking for cool things, I'm excited to do more of this here. Today I stumbled on Fiesta Kitchen Towels and I couldn't wait to share them. For under $15 at...
Preppy is back, only better! Get the modern prep look for less with these hot spring deals
If you haven't heard, modern prep has taken over, reinvigorating the classic preppy staples of the 80s. So we found some incredible modern prep staples for your spring and summer wardrobe, all updated beautifully for 2024 -- and even better, they're all on sale. Like...
Easter Baskets for Teens and Tweens: Look no further than these 28 amazing ideas!
It can be hard putting together cool Easter baskets for teens and tweens. While our youngest kids may be content with a stuffed rabbit and a basket full of candy-filled plastic eggs, I'm excited to treat my three kids with some cool Easter gifts for teens that they'll...
Where to get your hands on the new Betsey Johnson x Peeps handbag
If you have a Peeps obsession like so many of us, you have to peep (sorry) the new Betsey Johnson x Peeps rhinestone bunny bag that's out just in time for Easter. In classic yellow, hot pink, or baby blue, this crossbody bag is tricked out in a bevy of rhinestones,...
Lovevery Baby: the beautifully curated developmental toy box subscription that parents adore
Pretend for a moment you have a personal shopper for your baby or young child -- who also happens to have amazing taste and a degree in developmental psychology. Well, that's basically what you get with Lovevery Baby, a wonderful subscription service that curates and...
The cant-miss women’s clothing sales to look for right now
We've been sharing plenty of sales and cool finds for updating your home for spring, but if it's your wardrobe that needs a refresh, we've got you covered there too! Here are just 9 shops you should be browsing if you want to find something you love for less. Find...