More coolness from recent weeks…
6 delightfully creepy books for kids for Halloween and long, long after. If you dare.
With Halloween coming up, I did some browsing at my local library and bookstore to find some creepy books for kids. But, I wanted books that weren't necessarily tied to Halloween so that we could read, enjoy, and be spooked by them all year long. These six books range...
20 non-candy Halloween treats to buy or DIY. Because they are going to get a boatload of candy anyway.
I wish my kids had more candy this Halloween is not something you'll hear from our lips because--wow--candy is everywhere. And, while we're not against our kids collecting sugary treats (In fact, I'll be taking- um, sneaking - all of their Mounds), we're also in favor...
A free printable to help with Halloween milestones and mommybrain, all at once.
We all know that as your kids get older, it can be tough to remember their milestones, like which Halloween your kid was a vampire bride and which year they were the Arthurian knight with the helmet that wouldn't stay on. Hopefully, I'm not alone in having a case of...
A ton of empowering Halloween costume ideas for women and girls. In other words, no sexy cop, sexy nurse, or sexy serial killer.
I knew the whole sexy Halloween costumes for women thing had jumped the shark (the sexy shark?) when I saw a sexy Freddy Krueger costume in our local costume shop. Not even kidding; we talked about it on a recent episode of Spawned. So if you -- or your girls -- are...
Fids and Kamily names the best kids and family albums of 2015
If you want to know about the best of the best in music for kids and families, you have got to check out Fids and Kamily, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. This annual poll is voted on by publishers like us who cover the best kids' music, as well as other...
10 scary Halloween decorations that you can DIY… if you dare
Now that my kids are a little older—and a little braver—we can finally bump up the fear factor when it comes to decorating our home for Halloween. That means that the smiling cartoon ghosts and friendly pumpkin faces are about to be replaced with decorations that are...
The ultimate source for hip, hand-knit hats and accessories. Whether you are the one hand-knitting them or no freaking way.
First, you have to laugh at a shop called Wool and the Gang. (Take a sec...okay, there you go.) But when you look at their amazing selection of hand-knit accessories, and the knitting patterns you can buy, it turns out it's a massive resource for hip, cheeky...
9 super easy DIY Halloween treat bags for kids that beat carrying a boring pillow case
The house is decorated, there's candy in the pantry for trick-or-treaters, and your children's Halloween costumes have been planned for a month. Think you're set for October 31? Well, have you considered what your kids will use for Halloween treat bags? Plastic...
Showing your thanks: 5 simple tips for making military care packages more personal
When my kids' father was deployed for a few months to Afghanistan, I put together several military care packages filled with fairly typical items. Don't get me wrong, they were definitely very appreciated by his unit! But it wasn't until he returned home that I got...
Are we still sending handwritten thank-you notes?
Since you guys had such strong opinions about handwritten thank-you notes on our Facebook page last week, we decided that we needed to tackle the topic on today's episode of SPAWNED with Kristen and Liz. Is a text or email message okay or completely unacceptable? And...
9 really creative but still easy last-minute Halloween costumes for kids. Hey, we’re busy too.
I like to think of Halloween as an equal opportunity holiday; you don't actually need to be a crafting maven to come up with the best costume. Even procrastinators can throw together last-minute Halloween costumes using (mostly) everyday items around your house, and...
5 fun, easy ways to celebrate 10-21-2015, or Back to the Future Day. Whoa, the future really is now.
Though there have been many incorrect memes circulating on social media over the years, today, October 21, 2015, is the actual day that Doc Brown, Marty McFly, and Jennifer first left their cushy 1989 lives to travel "to the future" in Back to the Future Part II....
Oh, baby, you have no idea
I laughed so hard when I found this adorable Mama said there'd be days like this onesie from Little Adi, inspired by the Shirelle's popular song lyrics. Was there ever a more perfect song chorus that's applicable to those early baby months, even it was was written for...
Adult Halloween treats you’ll want to keep out of the kids’ candy bags
So here's something we're pretty excited about: Recently, we've teamed up with our friends at Mouth.com, to put together a fantastic, carefully curated collection of adult Halloween treats you'll want to keep all to yourself. Just scroll down. A little more...a little...
12 creative ideas for the world’s best Peanuts themed party. (Good grief, these are fun!)
With the new 3-D Peanuts Movie coming out soon, we know there's been a lot more buzz about Charlie Brown, Snoopy and his friends among our kids -- and we're so happy! We're all big fans of the Peanut gang going way back, and if you're thinking of throwing a Peanuts...
The Originals: KnotNot knot pillows by Umemi
I've seen all these DIY tutorials around the web lately for handmade knot pillows and if you have as well, these images may look familiar. Only after a whole lot of searching and secret sourcing, turns out the original photos are not from loads of brilliant crafters...
10 creative Zombie party ideas that are more creepy-fun than outright disgusting.
If cackling witches and spiders that drop from doorways aren't quite creepy enough for you for Halloween, perhaps a zombie-themed party is more your speed. I started looking for some fun zombie party ideas now that my kids are getting older, but I realized so many of...
4 free kawaii Halloween printable craft projects make super cute happy girl!
We love when our own readers share cool things with us, and in the case of Nicola Pravato of Next to Nicx, I'm so happy she brought to our attention her squee-cute kawaii Halloween printables that are awesome for upcoming Halloween parties. She is one talented...
Book cover tees that promote smarts over sass
RJ Palacio's Wonder is one of those rare books that simply stays with you for a long time. At least for me and for my daughters, who often bring up this phenomenal YA novel in the course of everyday conversation, and refer back to it when we have those hard talks...
17 cool DIY Star Wars costumes for kids that you can make, from Han and Leia, to baby Ewoks, to the droids you’re looking for.
If your kids are begging to be a Star Wars character this Halloween--or if you are just dying to turn your baby into Yoda for their first trick-or-treating--we've rounded up an entire galaxy of DIY Star Wars costumes that cover a variety of characters and ages. From...
Reply all is scary, and other things kids really need to know about email. Some adults, too.
Thanks to a lovely iTunes review who told us she'd have us as guests at her famous person dinner, on this week's episode of SPAWNED with Kristen and Liz, we were inspired to chat about who we'd have at our own! Bradley Cooper, Hillary Clinton... you'll just have to...