Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Are moms going to be okay? Terrific insight from NY Times Parenting Editor Jessica Grose | Spawned 275
Are moms okay right now? I really want to know. So I called on the one guest I knew would have a terrific birds-eye view: Jessica Grose, author and The New York Times Parenting Editor. If you've ever had a must-read parenting article sent to you by a friend, it's...
The best digital photo organization tips with Casey von Stein, aka Miss Freddy
If you've got as many photos on your phone as we do, then you know how challenging it can be to find what you need when you need it. Holy smokes. But we are not alone! How do I know this? Well, this week's Spawned podcast guest, Casey von Stein, aka Miss Freddy, a...
Our favorite skincare products: Let’s talk about a self-care skin routine
If you're like us, then you're always quite curious about everyone else's self-care skin routine. So when author and podcaster Kate Spencer (you know her from Forever 35!) was a guest on Spawned a few weeks ago, we had to ask. Especially since she (along with co-host...
More coolness from recent weeks…
24 cheap, easy, sexy ideas for date night at home. Because shockingly, parents can’t always get out.
We're all about trying to find enjoyable, cheap and easy ideas for date night at home, especially for those of us with kids who'd like a little extra help rekindling that proverbial spark when we're stuck sans sitter. Even if it's just a few hours off from actually...
The Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria: What we can do to help
As the overwhelmingly huge rescue and recovery efforts are underway in southern Türkiye and northern Syria after the devastating 7.8 earthquake, so many of us want to find ways to help the 15 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The numbers of dead keep...
These creative teens have turned a passion for tie-dye into an amazing charitable effort.
We have heard that the kids are alright. And in today's world, it's always exciting to see teens who are not just being entrepreneurial, but doing good things with their efforts. Like really, really good things. Enter Tie Dye For A Good Cause. New York teens Ella, Eve...
Cool Valentine’s Day jewelry for women: 14 pieces that are edgy, funky, and anything but traditional.
I have always loved the range of cool Valentine's Day jewelry for women, like me, who aren't quite into the traditional stuff. Nothing wrong with a solid sterling Tiffany heart necklace of course! But if you're shopping for Valentine's Day jewelry for a woman who...
14 excellent new children’s books for Black History Month – and the rest of the year too
February is Black History Month, which gives us a great opportunity to share some of our favorite new books about Black history for kids. But honestly, we are always looking for smart, educational, and enlightening children's books about and by Black Americans for our...
16 truly special Valentine’s gifts for best friends who could use a little extra love right now
Valentine's gifts for best friends isn't always something that comes top of mind when we're shopping for gifts for the kids or our significant other. But c'mon -- could we have gotten through the past couple of years without all the amazing friends in our lives?...
Outstanding videos and resources to teach our kids about the Holocaust on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Today marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Memorial Day. It's particularly poignant this year, with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp. The sad truth is, the older we all get, the more the survivors and...
Why you should take A Thousand Miles to Graceland for a spin.
Another year, another Good Reads Challenge goal, and I'm so happy to get the year started with the first novel by Cool Mom Picks' own co-founder Kristen Mei Chase, A Thousand Miles to Graceland. If you love to read tender, funny, and cathartic stories about...
What’s up, doc? The cutest new baby gifts for the Year of the Rabbit.
Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac and after last year's "Year of the Tiger", I'm more than ready to settle down with something a little more calm and sweet. This means our kids will roar less, right? To commemorate the start of...
Being mixed race in America, with author Lauren Kung Jessen | Spawned Episode 291
As a mixed-race Chinese American, I've struggled to feel a sense of belonging. I grew up feeling more accepted by the German (white) side of my family. Then, as I got older, I learned more about the Chinese side of my family and felt a connection to the experiences of...
7 fantastic books for kids about Martin Luther King Jr. to help educate our younger children
Monday, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday and his innumerable contributions to this nation's history and advancement. Books for kids about MLK can be a great way to help little ones understand the importance of the day. Although it's a holiday in most...
SaneBox may be the best thing to ever happen to email organization.
This is a sponsored message from SaneBox Whether that little red email badge is showing you 20 unread messages or 20,000, it can be overwhelming to feel like you'll never get to the bottom of it. Enter SaneBox. Trusted by TechCrunch, The New York Times, Forbes and...
Preserving memories in the 21st century. Shouldn’t this be easier? | Spawned Episode 290
If you're like me, you thought that smartphones and tablets would make it a whole lot easier to grab photos and videos of your kids. But while they do make it easier to make memories, actually preserving them and being able to organize and then find them is a whole...
COVID in the house: How to best prepare yourself and your family
After two and a half years, we finally had COVID in the house. I'm certainly grateful for science (we're all fully vaccinated and boosted) because the folks (including me) who were infected had relatively mild cases. And while I knew that at some point we would...
5 simple things I’m doing to stay calm, centered, and not lose my *$&t this year.
The past few years have been -- as if you didn't live through them too -- kind of hellish. Okay, very hellish. You don't need me to share the many many articles about how much work moms in particularly have been doing to balance everyone's needs and help keep everyone...
7 quick things you can do right now to save money and manage money better in 2023
If you have a few minutes to spare, you can literally save money. And that sounds like a good way to start the new year, right? Of course I'm sure a lot of us have some version of "get my finances in order" on our list of New Year's resolutions, or "be wealthy beyond...
Spawned Parenting Podcast: The Best Advice, Tips, and Guidance of 2022
It's been an incredible 2022 for Spawned. We welcomed guests from film directors and political pundits to authors, activists, top journalists, and experts of all kinds So this week, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the best episodes of the year. Take a...
4 New Year’s resolutions you can actually tackle, with lots of resources to help
January 1 is my favorite holiday, and making New Year's resolutions is my favorite way to celebrate. Okay, that and cleaning out my closets! (I know, I'm a party animal). I know that there are various approaches to New Year's resolutions, many of which we've featured...
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...
Irreverent cross stitch kits from Subversive Cross Stitch: The holiday gift probably not for your in-laws.
I know we've been sharing gifts galore, because hey, that's what we do this time of year. (And quite well, I might add. Ahem.) But I want to call your attention to one more gift idea that checks all my favorite boxes -- it's from an independent business, it's run by a...
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...