Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Making peace with A Very Pandemic Holiday ™ | Spawned Ep 221
Liz has cancelled Thanksgiving. Kristen is staying in her bubble. We've worried, we've cried, we've reconciled with it, and then sometimes we're not quite so reconciled. We're being honest about what we're missing and what sucks and what the problems are and who we're...
Who’s actually getting dressed these days? Or wearing makeup? Well… | Spawned Ep 220
Yes, yes we know what's going on in the world. But if you need a little break from watching the news, we've got a new Spawned podcast episode just for you, that all started from a post in our Spawned podcast community. (Yes, we are consistent with naming things, if...
Helping kids with reading: What we don’t know | Spawned ep 219
Parents have always played a huge part in kids' reading skills, but that's never been more true than it is now. It's not just our toddlers and preschoolers either. Yay, virtual school. (/scarcasm) So we were so happy to chat with ah absolutely fascinating guest, Dr....
More coolness from recent weeks…
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...
Political gifts for women who need to laugh, need to recharge, need to keep going | Holiday Gifts 2020
Political gifts from some of our favorite shops over the years, and some new ones I just had to share The truth is, it took me so long to get this post up this year because every day I found something new and amazing I wanted to highlight. At some point I had to just...
10 funny Christmas cards for 2020. Because we all need a laugh. Or a hundred.
I think I speak for all of us when I say, wow, that was awful. If you too desperately need some end-of-the-year levity, check out these funny Christmas cards that riff on all things 2020 -- from masks to Zoom to that big election you may have heard something about....
Explaining Hanukkah to kids: Start with this PBS documentary
Living in New York, I kind of take for granted that everyone knows what Hanukkah is, and we don't need help explaining it to our kids. But last night on Twitter, I came across a thread started by a curious mom asking for documentaries or other resources to help...
How to support small business and your own community this holiday | Spawned Podcast Ep 222
Today we're talking about one of our very favorite subjects, how to support small businesses this holiday, during a year that needs it more than ever. After nearly 15 years, we've become quite the experts (if we do say so ourselves!) and so we're sharing some of our...
10 of the best holiday gifts on Amazon this year, most supporting small businesses
Not to be cynical, but like, what happened, Amazon? You search for cool holiday gifts, and next thing you know there are 47 sponsored listings for the same item, from brands like XIPOSIRPOWR and HARINGOH-783. On the other hand, Amazon is often where a lot of small...
We found 50+ seriously cool gifts for men and women, all under $15
We've shared our favorite gifts for kids under $15, and now of course, we've got gifts for adults under $15. After creating these affordable holiday gift lists for years now, we have one rule: No stocking stuffers! In other words, a lip balm from the drug store, a...
This handmade ornament set celebrates the heroes of 2020
I was thrilled to discover this set of four ornaments celebrating 2020 heroes: nurses, teachers, store clerks, and delivery people. The handprinted set comes from our friends at Brooklyn's Goose Grease, and I think it's the perfect holiday decoration for this year....
How to “meet” Santa this Christmas during COVID: 5 fun, safe ideas to get kids in front of the big guy.
Let's talk ways to "meet" Santa this Christmas this year, during Covid. Because my young son will want a Santa Claus visit this year, and I know he's not the only kid, by a long shot! So I've been brainstorming alternatives to sitting on a stranger's lap in a...
Because of Winn-Dixie: The 20th anniversary edition makes the perfect gift
This is a sponsored message from Candlewick Press It's hard to believe that it's officially the 20th anniversary of Newberry Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, the modern classic by Kate DiCamillo that's captivated the imaginations of hundreds of thousands of young...
These retro-modern tree skirts make your Christmas decor the ginchiest.
With lots of us going a little bigger and bolder with our decor this holiday season, I realized I needed a new tree skirt that was not an old bed sheet. (Don't judge!) An Etsy search yielded the gorgeous retro-modern tree skirts from Crash Pad Designs. Oof, be still...
These shirts remind us that it’s almost as if…there’s no war on Christmas at all. Weird.
I had to laugh when I caught wind of Kayla Pekkala's wonderful holiday gift collection on Tiny Werewolves -- the highlight of which are the mugs, hats, tees and sweatshirts, all lovingly adorned with a classic Christmas sweater pattern. Oh, and the words, The War on...
We found the very best Schitt’s Creek gifts for all the fans on your holiday gift list
Well of course we had to share our favorite Schitt's Creek gifts this year! After all, you might realize that one of favorite holiday gift recommendations each year are the up-to-the-minute pop-culture gifts, like Fleabag gifts in 2019, 90's TV pop culture gifts for...
Funny 2020 ornaments that celebrate a weird year, from Dr. Fauci to Savage, toilet paper to Schitt’s Creek.
While we often share our favorite funny Christmas ornaments, we just had to share our favorite 2020 ornaments, specifically. I mean this country can't agree on much lately (sigh) but I think we can all agree, that it's been one crazy year. In the alleged words of GW...