Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Kate DiCamillo on why kids need superheroes right now | Spawned 228
It's a bit of a statement say we fan-grilled a bit over this week's guest on the Spawned Parenting Podcast, two-time Newbery award-winning author Kate DiCamillo. Surely you know her incredible children's books like The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie, and...
Janice Johnson Dias on parenting with joy, raising change-makers, and navigating the f*ckery of life. | Spawned 227
Fair warning: This episode may really make you miss your IRL get togethers with your favorite mom friends, because that is exactly what this conversation with Dr. Janice Johnson Dias feels like. We knew that talking to Janice would be helpful, but to be honest, we had...
Listen now: Donzaleigh Abernathy on “Uncle Martin” and growing up in the civil rights movement | Spawned 226
Every night [I] had the fear of going to bed. Because at dinnertime, members of the white supremacist Group, the Ku Klux Klan, would call. every single evening at dinner. Not some nights, but every single night once we moved to Atlanta, and threaten to kill us. My...
More coolness from recent weeks…
How organizing our homes is giving us some control we need, with Naeemah Ford Goldson | Spawned 225
With a lot of insanity in the world, it may feel weird to talk about organizing solutions right now. But that's exactly the reason we're talking about it. We have so little control in our own lives -- in the world -- and it's disorienting and destabilizing. So it...
These articles explain how the pandemic is impacting mothers and you know? We’re allowed to feel like crap about it.
Considering this is a site dedicated to mothers and parenting, I would not be surprised to learn that you were one of the thousands (millions?) who read The Primal Scream interactive series on the New York Times this week. Compiled by Jessica Grose, Jessica Bennett,...
If your kid is a problem-solver, they could win a cool 25 grand. Here’s how.
This is a sponsored message on behalf of the Young Scientist Challenge Our long-time readers know we're big advocates of teaching kids to think critically, solve problems, and use their imaginations. In fact, we're pretty much counting on the next generation of...
You can pry this heated, weighted blanket from my not-at-all-cold, dead hands
February is hard for me in a zillion ways. Low light, cold temperatures, the biological imperative to eat all the Oreos. (Didn't Darwin mention Oreos somewhere in his writing? I could swear I remember that from 7th grade biology.) Oh, and then there's this little...
7 adorable Valentine’s Day gifts for babies: An excuse to celebrate something, anything, these days.
If you ask me, there's nothing as cheerful as shopping for Valentine's Day gifts for babies. Necessary? No! Adorable? So much yes. And as a mom of little ones who really needs an excuse for some cheer and celebration -- especially with no date night in sight -- I've...
Stay Home, Stay Fabulous: Skip the spa and do these 6 things right now.
If you’re like me, you’re currently on your whatever month (because who is counting at this point) of The Great Confinement. It's not over yet! So I’m sharing my ways to stay fabulous...while staying home and staying safe. If you read between the lines, you'll see...
Add a little magic to your Valentine’s Day with Justin Willman
I've been searching for fun ways to celebrate Valentine's Day with my kids since the typical school parties and gatherings aren't happening. Thankfully, Cool Mom Tech has a bunch of great ideas for having a virtual Valentine's Day party (amongst other things), but I...
16 Valentine’s gifts for friends who could probably use a little extra love this year.
No matter how I personally feel about the goofily coined term "Galentine's Day," I do agree that this is the year I might send Valentine's gifts to friends. And I don't mean friends with benefits! Just...friends. As we are approaching what was once unthinkable -- our...
Here are the 2021 Caldecott, Newbery and all the ALA book award winners. Time to update your reading list!
Readers, get excited! The 2021 ALA youth media awards have been announced, and it's time to update our reading lists! In case you're not fully in the book-nerd world like me, that means our 2021 Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King awards and more have been...
Why we need to reframe how we talk about self-care, with Dr. Christine Koh | Spawned Episode 224
We've talked a lot about self-care over the years -- the last year in particular -- but not as deeply honest as we did during this recent conversation with our dear friend, author, and podcaster Dr. Christine Koh. She's been sharing her own radical self-care journey...
Most lists of the best baby gifts aren’t really the best. But this one is. Guess how we know…
For more than a decade now (wow), our team has been carefully curating our guide to the very best baby gifts of the year and 2021 is no different. We are beyond thrilled to launch our all new Baby Gift Guide 2021. Whoo!! I mean, if there's ever a year that new...
Do I need to start double masking? The safest mask options and when to wear them.
Over the last week, I've read a number of articles recommending that we start double masking to increase the level of coverage we're getting. Even Dr. Fauci says that it's just "common sense." And let's just say, when Fauci talks, I listen. Then this morning, I combed...
The skincare and makeup we really want to see for a fresh 2021
I think I speak for everyone when I say that there should be a serum to fix what 2020 has done to us. And our faces. Yes, I know that scientists are a little busy developing COVID vaccines at the moment, but as soon as they're done with that, I'm hoping they devote...
A free lesson plan about Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem will make for some great dinner table conversation tonight.
My kids and I were glued to the TV last Wednesday, watching history take place on Inauguration Day. We were sobered by the national guard presence, excited about the achievements of our new VP Kamala Harris, and just so totally and completely relieved to see President...
The Bernie Mittens meme, now coming to a coffee mug near you. (For charity.)
I think so many of us just needed to laugh this week. So it's no surprise that the Bernie Sanders meme that's taken the internet by storm this week is just good fun. Not cynical, not snarky, not political. Just... funny. I guess 2021 will be different after all! (Not...
Ambitious Girl by Meena Harris: Because girls need to own their dreams. And so do women!
I'm typing from behind swollen eyes today, the result of a day of crying tears of joy, tears of relief. Just a whole lot of tears. Lots of friends and readers have told me the same, and shared that one of the most profound moments of yesterday's historic inauguration...
2021 inauguration activities and events for kids and families: Lots of ways to watch, learn, and celebrate with your kids
As we move on from the worst president of all time, some wonderful organizations are coming together to help us collectively process, plan, and heal. You can find the full schedule of official Biden-Harris inaugural events here, but there's more inaugural activities...
Everyone is flipping over Kamala Harris’s cool socks, and we found them!
Inspired by the laid-back, powerful, and very modern style of Kamala Harris? If the answer is yes, duh, then we have a pair of socks you'll want to add to your wardrobe, ASAP. You know, to go with those Chuck Taylor All-Stars. These The Future is Female socks from hot...
If you’ve ever said “this is not America” in response to racism, you need to read Caste.
If you've been paying attention for the past four years -- and in particular the past week -- there's been a lot of dissection of phrases uttered by horrified, primarily white people in response to bigotry and racist violence. Phrases like This is not my America and...
The best children’s books of 2020: All the award winners to read with your kids in 2021.
I don't think our annual roundup of the best children's books of 2020 could come at a better time. As we're heading into a winter of quarantining in 2021, my goal is to turn off the TV more and open up more books. This is my sixth year compiling all the year's best-of...
Gen Xers! We found 7 fun 80s movie-themed board games that are totally excellent
At my house, we always start the new year with new board games found under our tree, and this year, it's included some really fun board games inspired by 80s movies. As we face the fact that there's a whole lot of winter to go (and stay-at-home orders and family time)...