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…
One Cool Thing: The Self-Care Gift Box That’s Perfect for Moms
Journaling is a proven self-care activity with meaningful benefits, and this beautifully packaged Self-Care Gift Box from Silk & Sonder is a lovely start that we're so happy to have found. It includes a 30-day illustrated wellness planner filled with journaling...
One Cool Thing: Skura Style x Eva Mendez Sponges now in Target!
I shared Skura Style anti-microbial sponges when they first launched in 2018, and I'm still a subscriber who recommends them all the time. They are the best. B-E-S-T. As someone who hates housework, Skura Sponges actually make me like washing dishes, and believe me,...
Daily Question: Who Does the Most Housework, and How Do You Feel About It?
Welcome to today's Daily Question! Today, we're thinking about housework, which has disproportionately fallen on women and mothers, regardless of employment status. However by many accounts, that's starting to change. So tell us, what's going on in your home? [poll...
Daily Question: How do you feel about cell phones in schools?
Welcome to today's Daily Question! Today we want to know your views on the issue every parent seems to talking about these days. There are no wrong answers, just your opinion. So tell us... Feel free to elaborate in the comments if you'd like. And...
One Cool Thing: New Grogu Crocs are on every kids’ wish list
I just got a peek at the new Mandalorian Grogu Crocs and whew! Get ready for kids everywhere to be begging for them. It's easily going to be among the hottest kidswear of the summer. Some sales may generate a small commission to help support us at no additional cost...
The Best ABC Songs For Kids: 17 Essential Tunes for Learning the Alphabet from a 3-Time Grammy Nominee
The best ABC songs for kids is such a fun topic for me to write about, and I'm so happy that Cool Mom Picks asked me to share my favorites. For my band, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, rock ‘n’ roll is just like the ABCs. It’s the foundation for everything...
The Best Prom Dress Rentals: Comparing the Rent-the-Runway alternatives for prom dresses and wedding season
A reader and friend asked for some Rent the Runway alternatives for from dress rentals, on behalf of her daughter who's currently prom dress shopping. She pointed out that today's teens are so eco-conscious, that many would prefer not to buy a new dress for a spring...
Daily Question: If you could only listen to ONE kind of music the rest of your life…
We're so happy to bring back our Daily Question! Thanks to you and all of your input, it's now a whole lot easier to tell us what you think. Today, we've got music on the brain! So we're wondering... Check back each weekday for a new Daily...
One Cool Thing: Jim Henson Idea Man, the trailer is here. Grab tissues.
Jim Henson Idea Man starts streaming to Disney + subscribers on May 31, but since no one I know can wait that long, it's a good thing that the Jim Henson Idea Man trailer just launched. The original documentary is directed by Ron Howard, so of course it's going to be...
These 28 self-care gifts for Mom can help her slow down and breathe. | Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Among the most popular Mother's Day gifts now and forever are self-care gifts for moms. (And grandmas and stepmoms of course.) We are all increasingly aware that moms are working harder and longer than ever before, often juggling paid work, family obligations,...
One Cool Thing: Make homemade crowns for Mother’s Day and give back to kids in need
While this DIY crown and tiara kit from SuperSmalls is designed for kids, it reminds me of the homemade Mother's Day crowns, jewelry boxes, necklaces, and other sparkly gifts my kids made me when they were young. The kit makes it so easy for kids to accomplish on...
Spark a love for our planet with these 13 enchanting Earth Day books for kids
Earth Day is a time to celebrate our wonderful planet with our planet, and these Earth Day books for kids present the perfect opportunity to nurture our children's love for nature and environmental awareness. If you're unsure where to begin, I've put together some of...
Modern custom family portrait art from 12 exceptional artists: Incredible gifts for moms, dads, and grandparents
We've always been fans of custom family portrait art, as a creative personalized gift that celebrates all the people you love. We're huge fans of photo gifts of all kinds including , of course, photo books. But if you want to get a little more creative, these modern...
One Cool Thing: Social-emotional learning through play
While looking at all the amazing new toys and gifts out this year to include in our new and improved Ultimate Birthday Gift Guide (it's on its way!), I came across this just wonderful Shapes of Emotions social-emotional learning toy. It seems like a clock at first but...
10 essential non-fiction books about climate + protecting the planet | Recommendations from a Gen Z sustainability expert
It’s officially Earth Month, which means it’s a great time to pick up some new books about climate and having conversations about preserving our planet for the next generation -- whether you're a hardcore environmentalist or just a compassionate parent and citizen....
One Cool Thing: These cool toys get kids outdoors – and help plant trees with every purchase
We've officially hit that stage of mid-April when the weather is warm everywhere, and we're trying to get the kids to play outside more. While browsing for some cool new outdoor toys for kids, I came across an awesome program: One of our favorite indie toy shops, Fat...
An age-by-age guide to teaching kids about money: Things we can do as parents.
With April being Financial Literacy Month, it's a great opportunity to share an age-by-age guide to teaching kids about money. After all, it's one of the most important things we need to teach our kids -- it impacts every one of us for our entire lives -- and yet...
One Cool Thing: Skout Organic all-natural snack bars pass the picky kid test.
This Earth Month happened to be the perfect time for us to stumble on Skout Organic, as a lot of us are thinking about how to get more plant-based foods into our family's bellies. So why not start with the lunch box? We recently tried the certified organic,...
What do libraries do? You’re not going to believe this list. | National Library Week
Several years ago, we wrote a lengthy post explaining what libraries do, and advocating for their funding. Wth this being National Library Week, at a time that there is an inarguable war on public libraries in the U.S. I thought I'd share that list with some 2024...
Deal Alert: Save 25% off at PlanetBox in Honor of Earth Month (Plus a Special Bonus)
With Earth Month here and Earth Day coming up, we wanted to share a fantastic deal from Planet Box, the company making the incredible bento-style lunch boxes and earth-friendly reusable lunch accessories that we've been recommending for years. For adults, too! Some...
One Cool Thing: Jackie Robinson commemorative merch is a fantastic gift for fans
There's a whole lot going on in April: Tax Day, Earth Day, and the first full month of baseball season. And this year, there's something extra special coming up -- the 20th anniversary of Jackie Robinson Day. Poking around for something cool at the official MLB store,...