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How to raise addiction-resistant children: Jessica Lahey | Spawned Ep 233
For years, Jessica Lahey has been one of our favorite parenting columnists and authors. So we were honored she joined us to offer her wise advice on talking with our kids about drug use, abuse, and addiction, all of which you can find in her essential new book, The...
Can you really be a feminist dad? Jordan Shapiro on fatherhood, masculinity, and gender roles in parenting. | Spawned 232
While we love all of our Spawned guests, there are some interviews that truly reshape our views on parenting. That's just how we feel about this chat with global education expert Jordan Shapiro. He changed our views on kids and technology thanks to his...
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...
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...
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...
So much coolness. Where to start…
New Year’s Eve at home with the kids: These 13 festive (and easy!) ideas can make the night memorable.
New Year's Eve at home with the kids isn't a new idea for this year. In general, New Year's Eve parties for parents are more about trying our very best to stay up till midnight (though 10 PM is more like it) and drinking sparkling cider with our kids as we watch the...
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
It's final countdown to the holidays, which means last-minute gift ideas, which means subscription gifts for kids, which are always some of our favorites to give -- last minute or not! Wwe know from experience that our kids love to receive boxes in the mail each...
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....
Our giant list of more than 200+ homemade holiday gift ideas: DIY gifts for boyfriends, girlfriends, men, women, kids, neighbors, teachers…
I can see in my social networks this year that so many more of us are looking for homemade gift ideas for the holidays. It's not just that homemade gifts allow us to save some money (well, depending on the gift of course!), but they allow us to give an extra-special...
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...
More than 50 amazing holiday gifts for kids under $15: Like, GOOD gifts. Not stocking stuffers.
Each year, we love putting together a list of affordable holiday gifts for kids under $15. With budgets tight for so many this year, it really helps to know that there are plenty of affordable gifts that still seem like big deals to kids, tweens, and even teens....
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...