The latest from Spawned: Our award-winning parenting podcast
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Incredible advice for better parent-child communication: An interview with William Stixrud Ph.D. and Ned Johnson
If you've ever struggled to connect with your kids, help them solve problems, open up to you, or just give you more than a one-word answer when you ask how school was today...well, help is here! We have had a lot of favorite Spawned podcast guests over the years, and...
Pandemic fails, data-driven parenting, and how to make better decisions for your family, with author Emily Oster | Spawned Podcast episode 262
In the course of our parenting lives, we make a whole lot of decisions, so when I read Emily Oster's most recent book The Family Firm, which offers a very smart, data-driven method to decision making, I really wanted to chat with her on our Spawned podcast. But then I...
Kids, gratitude, and the holiday season: Can parents do better? | Spawned ep 261
As we head into the holiday season, which can be filled with the abundance of food, gifts, and celebrations, we know that a lot of us struggle with all the excess. It's valuable for us to slow down as parents, and consider ways to help develop and express more...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Sunflower earrings for Ukraine: A sweet purchase for a great cause.
This spring, we hope to see sunflowers everywhere, and that includes sunflower earrings. Especially when they're giving back to Ukraine like the ones we've just found. Indie jewelry designer, mom and art director Farah Brigante of Naaz Design Co has created a...
Affordable music lessons from Grammy winners and Juilliard musicians, all from the comfort of your home
This is a sponsored message on behalf of Virtu.Academy Instilling a love of music and supporting your child's passion for the arts just got a whole lot easier and more affordable, thanks to Virtu.Academy, a convenient online platform that offers private music lessons...
This quick tip can make your donations go further for your favorite causes
Over the past few years, I've committed to my favorite charities and causes by changing my donations from end-of-year or once-in-a-while to an automated recurring monthly contribution. I've learned that it's a really solid, easy way to help organizations and...
21 fabulous, famous women coloring pages celebrating some of our favorite American women
One of the great ways to get our kids excited to learn about anything at all is through crafts and coloring pages. So for National Women's History Month this year, we searched the web to find some of the very best printable coloring pages featuring groundbreaking...
How we can protect transgender kids in Texas and throughout the U.S.
If you are as outraged as we are by last week's directive out of Texas that equates gender-affirming medical care to child abuse and calls on licensed professionals and members of the general public to report transgender parents of minors to the authorities, keep...
What we can do to help Ukraine right now: Donate, share, call
I know I'm not the only one worrying nonstop about citizens in Ukraine the past few days. Despite claims to the contrary, President Putin invaded Ukraine at multiple points on the Ukraine border this past week and seems to be targeting Ukrainian troops defending their...
Gen Z: They’re not snowflakes, they’re warriors. Here’s the data to prove it. | Spawned Ep 269
The world feels like a pretty awful place right now. I've seen a lot of people in my social feeds say things like, "it must be hard to have kids and have to explain things like the Russian aggression against Ukraine to them." I always think that yes, sure it is --...
Our kids are sharing memes about WWIII. Here’s how to talk to kids about the fear of war and unrest.
This article was originally written in 2020 about the increase in tension between the US, Iran and Iraq. It was updated in 2021, with the riots in DC and violent insurrection at the US Capitol -- and now, February 2022 as we watch the invasion of Ukraine live on TV,...
Where to stream the 2022 Oscar-nominated movies, and which ones to watch with your kids
If you're looking for where to stream the Oscar-nominated movies -- both the ones you can watch with kids and the ones you can watch alone after they're bed -- I get it. Parent usually struggle to catch up on all our movies this time of year. Or hey, maybe you've...
8 wonderful children’s books about neurodiversity that we—and our special needs kids—love
And as the mom of a daughter with autism and as a children's book lover, I've wanted to highlight some incredible children's books about neurodiversity that represent kids just like her. If you're a frequent reader here, you know it's always been important for us to...
Exceptional chocolates from Black-owned chocolate companies. For Valentine’s Day and beyond. (2024 update)
As we are recognizing Black History Month right along with Valentine's Day, in February, I've found some wonderful Black chocolatiers who are making history in their own right: with entrepreneurship that helps create more racial and economic justice...
“There’s nothing romantic about depression” | Spawned Ep 268
This week, I was really happy to get to sit down and chat with Amy Koppelman, director, writer, and producer of the recent film A Mouthful of Air starring Amanda Seyfried and Finn Wittrock. It's based on on Amy's critically acclaimed novel inspired by her own...
Power outages preparedness checklist: 35 tips for how to prepare for storms, and what to do if you do lose power.
Snow days can be hard enough on parents, but if that snow day, storm, or other weather event also brings a power outage, like so many of us have experienced this past year? It's an even trickier situation. So in an effort to keep my home running as smoothly as...
14 practical Valentine’s gifts for her that aren’t flowers, but they’re not a case of motor oil, either
When looking around for practical Valentine's Day gifts for her -- well, we weren't super impressed. Most women don't want a vacuum (here honey, clean up after me!) or a gift card for an oil change (seriously, we were pitched that once) and yet maybe you're shopping...
Sweet new baby gifts for The Year of the Tiger (it’s the cream of the fight…)
I am not Chinese by heritage, but I still love baby gifts that reflects the Chinese zodiac. So with the Chinese New Year starting The Year of the Tiger, I've put together some of my favorite tiger-themed baby gifts, which are always a creative way to celebrate those...
Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with these delicious chocolates from L.A. Burdick
Happy New Year! The Year of the Tiger begins tomorrow and, just in time, we've found L.A. Burdick's box of handcrafted chocolate tigers created to kick off the start of the Chinese New Year. Way more scrumptious than fierce, I think they'd make a great gift for anyone...
10 of the best ideas for organizing and displaying kids’ artwork, from DIY tricks to clutter-saving services
Just when I think I have my kids' artwork organized, more of it appears. So I'm perpetually on the lookout for creative solutions to display my kids' artwork in a way that makes those watercolor rainbows and handprint turkeys still look polished and streamlined. Or at...
How to be an adult, with author Julie Lythcott-Haims | Spawned Episode 267
We've probably all used the phrase "adulting is hard." Probably an awful lot over the last two years. And that's because being an adult is pretty darn hard. Way to state the obvious, Kristen. Okay, so yeah, it is obvious, but what isn't (and wasn't) too many of us,...
Spring 2022 nail trends that are cool, not kitschy
I am so excited to share some of the spring 2022 nail trends I'm loving. Because when I decided to share my favorite winter nail trends a few months ago, I'll be honest -- had no idea it would be such a huge hit! Maybe because of all the things that are seemingly out...
The products that helped me battle the dreaded dry hands of winter. (And I won!)
Ahhhh winter. You get your sweaters, and your nog, and your glisten of frost on everything. Winter is beautiful. Winter is also the arch nemesis of my hands. My first indication that winter is HERE is that my hands become so dry, the mere act of clapping is a...
Tired of looking at the same four walls? Here are 7 easy and affordable ways to update the family room
I've been searching for easy ways to update the family room in my house lately. And I know it's not just me! With so many of us working remotely and spending more time in our homes than we would haveve in pre-pandemic days, it's no wonder that we're getting a little...