Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
How to raise media-savvy kids and help them BS-proof their brains: Dr. Seema Yasmin | Spawned Ep 282
According to Dr. Seema Yasmin, we're living through a misinformationdemic. I've always thought that media literacy should be a mandatory subject for kids, but it's never been more evident than today -- so I'm incredibly grateful for Seema's wonderfully helpful,...
Developing healthy eating habits and positive food relationships with our tweens and teens | Spawned Episode 281
We're back with Season 6 of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, launching our new season with an incredibly helpful episode about developing healthy eating habits and positive food relationships with tweens and teens. But, our guest, Nicole Cruz, a registered dietician...
The world needs funny women! A chat with award-winning humorist Wendi Aarons | Spawned Ep 280
Let's be honest, the world sucks a whole lot these days. So I thought this would be a good week for a light, fun episode of Spawned just to take your mind off the world -- something my guest Wendi Aarons happens to be very good at. Which is why I invited her back! The...
More coolness from recent weeks…
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...
Our big list of more than 200+ homemade holiday gift ideas: DIY gifts for moms, dads, kids, grandparents, neighbors, teachers…
While of course our holiday gift guide is always full of wonderful gifts you can buy, we adore homemade holiday gifts of all kinds. It's not just that homemade gifts allow us to save some money (well, depending on the gift of course!), but they allow us to give an...
8 of the coolest modern nativity sets that belong on your own mantel, not your grandma’s.
I love nativity sets, but I've never really gone for the Jesus-as-a-Precious-Moments-cherub style. So I've rounded up 8 modern nativity sets that skip the uber-traditional but still deliver on all the festive Christmas vibes. If you're looking for cool graphic design,...
Fitness gift idea: This celeb-favorite athletic wear brand gives back to kids in a meaningful way
We're always fans of finding gifts that give back to meaningful causes during the holiday season (or all year long, really) and one of my favorite new finds is a woman-run businesses that's also supporting one of my favorite causes: helping us raising the next...
A personalized letter from Santa generating donations to Girls Who Code? That’s the spirit!
If your kids are the age to write letters to Santa---a pretty cute age, we admit---they'll be floored to get a personalized letter from the big guy himself before he heads out on his annual trip around the world. Instead of using elves this year (they're busy making...
How moms can find more holiday joy for themselves: Margaret Ables | Spawned Ep 300
It's been some year. To say the least. With the holiday season in full swing, it can be tough to find the joys in a tough world, let alone trying to make happy holiday memories for our kids. And in doing so, moms often put ourselves last. How can moms be part of the...
Why the ultimate gift for Disney-loving kids is a hit with parents who are fond of saying “can you just put down your phone for a minute?”
When my young kids dressed up and played imaginary games, they often fought over who got to be "the bad guy" -- Hook over Peter Pan, Maleficent over Sleeping Beauty, and literally anyone over "The Prince," should he have actually had a name of his own. So when I got a...
24 thoughtful gifts for your mother-in-law (or stepmother or aunt or cool grandma) | Holiday Gifts 2023
No matter how long you've had a mother-in-law in your life, finding a perfect gift for your mother-in-law can be so hard. Especially when she's a VIP member of your family. While some mothers-in-law are verrrrry specific with the kinds of gifts they like, others make...
10 of my favorite holiday gifts from Oprah’s favorite things list 2023: For men, women, kids and teens
Over the last two years, I've browsed Oprah's Favorite Things List of holiday gifts so thoroughly that I started a tradition here of sharing my favorites from her favorites. And you liked them! So much so, it can even be hard to get your hands on some of these holiday...
Amazing gifts under $15 for adults: More than 60 VERY cool finds for everyone on your list
Each year, we love sharing our favorite affordable gift ideas for everyone on your list, and this year, we've gone back to one of our most popular guides and updated it fresh for 2023. Behold: 60+ incredible gift ideas under $15 for adults -- none of them stocking...
12 cool DIY holiday gifts from the kids . . .For parents, grandparents, teachers and friends
Every year, we love to find the best handmade, DIY holiday gifts for the kids to make for all the VIPs in their lives. Even if we're not the craftiest people on the block, we love to give out DIY holiday gifts that feel more personal. (Not that our Holiday Gift Guide...
20 special gifts that give back to great causes. | Holiday Gift Guide + Giving Tuesday
This Giving Tuesday, there is no shortage of worthy organizations to support. From Veterans charities, to those trying to help civilians in need in Israel and Gaza, to the organizations pushing back against the ongoing threat of gun violence in our local...
Our top Black Friday Deals of 2023: From the big stores to small shops and indie makers
Each year we share the best Black Friday deals online to help you manage your time, your budget, and get back to family faster. Here, find the big brands we can't resist along with the small businesses we love. (And tomorrow for Small Business Saturday, we'll be back...
Sale alert: Save up to 30% off our readers’ most-loved handbag ever, and a lot more from ABLE
I first discovered ABLE on a trip to Ethiopia 11 years ago and was so taken with their mission to help lift women out of poverty with dignity by teaching them a trade crafting beautiful items for fair wages, health care, and educational opportunities. Fun fact: Since...
20 wonderful Hanukkah gifts for kids from toddlers to teens | Holiday Gift Guide
With Hanukkah coming up early on December 8, it's time to share some of the best Hanukkah gifts for kids in 2023 -- that actually are Hanukkah gifts. Because for the past year, and especially right now, a lot of us are really thinking about what it means to be Jewish...
Research shows this app can help kids become kinder, more generous, and possibly more willing to pick their clothes off the floor?
We all want to raise kind, caring, empathic kids, and there's certainly a lot of discussion about whether technology is helping -- or can do more to help. That's why our team has always worked hard to share those apps that make screen time meaningful, help kids learn,...
Where to find trusted children’s car seat safety tips: Q&A with Jamie Grayson
Children's car seat safety is so so important, but with the rise of TikTok car seat "experts" who are uh...well, like many self-proclaimed experts, not necessarily offering the most accurate advice, it can be tough to navigate the car seat safety tips flooding our...
11 top-rated veterans charities offering everything from adaptive housing to service dogs to support exclusively for women
There are so many wonderful veterans charities that could really use our support right now for all they do. From scholarship funds for families of fallen soldiers, to support just for women veterans, to service dog training or the construction of adaptive homes, the...
24 of the absolute best 2023 Advent calendars for crafty kids, cool teens, and Christmas-loving adults
If you enjoy counting down the days to Christmas as much as we do, you'll want to grab one of these fantastic 2023 Advent calendars ASAP! The best ones get scooped up fast. And while the holidays may seem very far away right now, experience tells us that December 1st...
10 Thanksgiving books for kids written from the Native perspective, by Native people
Looking for the best Thanksgiving books for kids to share with you all, it's become increasingly important for us to share Thanksgiving books for kids from a Native perspective -- and more than that, books about Thanksgiving from Native authors and illustrators...
Wonderful printable sugar skull coloring pages for Dia de los Muertos.
Dia de los Muertos may sound ominous to those unfamiliar, but this holiday recognized in Mexico, throughout Latin America, and increasingly around the US is traditionally a sweet time for families to come together to pray for and celebrate their loved ones who have...