Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
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...
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...
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...
More coolness from recent weeks…
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)...
Our picks for the best 2021 planners for every type of parent. Which one are you?
Each year, we put together the best planners for parents, and 2021 is no different. But after the year that was 2020, I have to admit I've hesitated longer than usual to take the plunge. What are we planning anyway? Will our calendars start to fill again? Do we dare...
The top 10 Spawned parenting podcast episodes of 2020
Every year, we love to share our most popular Spawned podcast episodes. It's always fun to see which topics and guests resonated the most with you, our awesome listeners. And if you're new to our podcast, well, here's the perfect opportunity to get to know us a little...
12 acts of kindness you can do with your kids over the holiday break, to make the season about more than presents.
Acts of kindness have never felt more important than they do this year. And since kinds are naturally inclined toward kindness, we wanted to give this post a bump this year. Because when Christmas is over, Santa is back at the North Pole, the toys are all unwrapped,...
The top 10 most popular Cool Mom Picks posts of 2020
Every year, we love to share our 10 most popular Cool Mom Picks posts. No surprise, there are lots of posts about Covid-19 here -- and we were glad we could help our readers out during such challenging times. But there are some surprises here too. If you're new to our...
Stream our playlist of great kids holiday music, for tunes you haven’t heard 10,000 times already
Right about now, I've heard enough Run Run Rudolph to last me to next Christmas, and I'm itching to mix up our holiday music playlist with some old favorites and new-to-us tunes. So, as my gift to you, I'm sharing a brand-new Cool Mom Picks Spotify Holiday Playlist...
Last-minute holiday gift ideas: Tons of options that let you skip the $$$ shipping
I totally get the last-minute holiday gift problem. Believe me! I mean, we may have started amassing ideas for our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide in, like...February, but hey, we're busy moms. And we're busy shopping for you sometimes at the expense of our own families....
The best subscription gifts for kids this year: 40+ ideas for every age, and every interest
All year long, we adore sending subscription gifts for kids, which are always some of our favorites to give -- and also, happen to make perfect last minute gifts for birthdays, holidays, or other celebrations. Our kids love to receive boxes in the mail each month,...
Stop everything and watch Debbie Allen in Dance Dreams: The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker on Netflix.
The day it was released on Netflix, I watched Shondaland's Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, the new documentary about Debbie Allen Dance Academy and their annual production. Before I knew it, I was crying. While I danced as a child, I was never a ballet dancer....
Your questions about vaccine safety + Covid-19 answered: Dr. Perri Klass | Spawned Ep 223
If there's one thing we're all talking about right now, and maybe even tearing up about (if you're Liz), it's the long-awaited arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines. So we invited the most perfect guest to sit down with us: vaccine expert, NYU Professor of Journalism and...
The coolest virtual experience gift ideas for kids and adults. They’re fun, we promise!
You might think experience gifts are out this year, with the pandemic is still raging, but I'm here to tell you they are very much in. They've just gone virtual. And yes, I realize we all have serious Zoom burnout at this point, so if you're looking for a cool virtual...