Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Why our parenting stories matter, with author Zibby Owens | Spawned Episode 270
Liz and I have a special place in our hearts for storytelling, because that's how we first met online almost 17 years ago. That can't be right, can it? We connected through our personal blogs—Mom 101 and Motherhood Uncensored—and the rest is Cool Mom Picks history....
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 --...
“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...
More coolness from recent weeks…
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...
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...
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...
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...
17 Gen Z gifts that give back to the incredible causes they care about | Holiday Gift Guide
For this year's holiday gift guide, we really wanted to share some creative, irreverent, sassy and smart Gen Z gifts that give back to causes that our teens and young adults care about. We have Gen Z kids ourselves, and we know first hand how passionate they can...
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...
The 10 coolest Ted Lasso gifts for fans who can’t wait for Season 3.
The AFC Richmond fans say it's the hope that kills you, but we're here to say that it's really the anticipation -- of Ted Lasso Season 3, of course. Luckily, it will be appearing on our screens in 2023, and we can almost taste the homemade biscuits. So to tide us...
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...
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...
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...
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...
17 personalized holiday gifts you can still get in time for Christmas (and Hanukkah too!) | Holiday Gifts 2022
Personalized gifts have always been among our favorites, but finding affordable personalized holiday gifts -- well, we really love a challenge. So we've found more than a dozen for you all, to help you select something extra-thoughtful for anyone on your list. Of...
5 tips for flying with toddlers, from a mom who has flown many times, with many toddlers
If you're looking for tips for flying with toddlers, you've come to the right place. Even though my four kids are now teens, they were once toddlers, and we used to travel a lot. That means there was a time when I was on a plane with toddlers and babies, all by...
15 gift ideas for the guy who’s hard to shop for. | Holiday Gift Guide
Every year, we put together our favorite gift ideas for the man who has everything and while last year's picks are still pretty awesome, we thought we'd share some new ideas too. I get it -- it's hard! But I hope this list helps you pick the perfect gift ideas for...
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...
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...
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...
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...
21 great gift ideas for college students | Holiday Gifts 2022
The span between shopping for a preschooler and finding a holiday gift for a college student seems impossibly short, now that many of us have hit that stage of parenting. But what remains is the desire to make the holidays really special for our kids. And since even...
Cyber Monday Deal: 40% off this cult-favorite root concealer spray
This is a sponsored message from Style Edit These days, it's hard to find the time, money and energy to hit the salon and touch up your color -- or maybe you're waiting until your roots grow in just a teeny bit more. Enter the cult-favorite, beauty...
10 of my favorite holiday gifts from Oprah’s favorite things list 2022
Last year I browsed Oprah's Favorite Things List of holiday gifts so thoroughly that I thought -- whoa, what if I share my favorites from her favorites? So I did. And you liked them! So much so, it was hard to even get your hands on some of them. Like those headlight...