Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Wait, moms are funny? A delightful conversation with Ophira Eisenberg | Spawned Episode 161
We've always said that if we weren't laughing about motherhood, we'd be crying. Hey, parenting is hard. And from what we learned from our chat with comedian and NPR Ask Me Another host Ophira Eisenberg, we're not alone. Have you ever wondered what it's like being on...
The Evangeline Lilly interview that will convince you she’s one of the coolest moms | Spawned Ep 160
As it turns out, Evangeline Lilly is not just an Orc-defeating Tolkien elf, badass desert island survivor, or quantum realm-traveling Marvel superhero. She is also a super cool mom, and author of the darkly comic, wonderfully inventive new young reader series, the...
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver writer Jill Twiss on finding the funny in tough times | Spawned 159
Does it feel hard to laugh sometimes with all that's going on in the world? You'll love this episode of the Spawned Parenting Podcast. This week we're talking to Jill Twiss, Emmy-winning Last Week Tonight with John Oliver staff writer, and best-selling children's...
More coolness from recent weeks…
How to survive the last month of school. You’ve got this, parents | Spawned Ep 154
The countdown to summer has begun, and if your schedules are anything like ours, things get a whole lot crazier this last month (or couple of weeks, depending on where you live). On this episode of Spawned Parenting Podcast, we're sharing our tried and true tips for...
Radical Kindness, by Angela Santomero: Cool Mom Picks Book Club Selection 2
We are thrilled to announce the second selection in our Low-Commitment Cool Mom Picks Book Club with a topic that's near and dear to me: Radical Kindness: The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Receiving, from best-selling author, children's TV creator, and Fred Rogers...
Here are our favorite mineral sunscreens: 3 splurges and 3 saves, all safer than chemical sunscreens
If you've seen the new report from the FDA concluding that chemical sunscreens are not as safe as we thought -- for you or the environment -- you may be looking for the best mineral sunscreens out there to replace your former go-to. I started using a mineral-based...
Coding with Kids: The online summer camp that blends fun and real world STEM skills. | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Coding With Kids If you're trying to balance fun and educational activities for your kids this summer, Coding With Kids is a fabulous solution offering both! Coding With Kids offers live, week-long online coding camps for kids -- they...
FACTS: Illegal abortions kill women. Alabama will kill women. Here’s what you can do about it.
In light of the inhumane, outrageous, regressive, and entirely cruel Alabama anti-abortion law signed yesterday, Kristen and I knew we couldn't be silent today. Let's be perfectly clear: Making abortion illegal does not eliminate abortion. It kills women. Taylor M...
7 important reasons that children need baby dolls — both girls AND boys
For years, we've written about the joy and beauty and specialness of baby dolls as gifts for our kids, from newborns to toddlers, even our school-aged kids. A doll can be a cherished best friend, a bedtime comfort, a travel companion, a tea party guest, and these...
I found the best drugstore waterproof eyeliner. Affordable, and it works!
I was on the mad lookout for the best drugstore waterproof eyeliner or eye pencil last week. As in...I was frantic. Knowing I was heading to a beach-y press trip last week, and knowing full well that I'd end up with eyeliner down my face in the 99-degree humidity, I...
Maternal mental health: What we can do to spread the word about this important issue | Spawned Ep 153
Did you know that one out of seven women will be affected by maternal mental health? That's a staggering number and yet, women experience judgment and misdiagnosis of their maternal mental health disorder every single day. On the episode of the Spawned Parenting...
I turned off my binge shows (eek!) and tried going to bed earlier for one month. Here are 7 things that happened.
I am tired all the time. Like, I'm a parent. You are probably a parent. You get it. And yet, entertainment junkie that I am, I found myself staying up until midnight (or later!) catching up on every darn MA-rated show and movie each night, after the kids were in bed....
Lulla dolls mimic Mom’s breathing for a better night sleep for all
The first few weeks of my son's life, he refused to sleep without being cuddled up next to a parent. Since I know this is a problem for many newborns, and older babies too, I was excited to learn about the Lulla doll, which plays the sound of a mom's heartbeat and...
Here’s the allowance system that has worked for my family.
I've tried many different allowance systems and allowance apps over the years with my four kids, but it wasn't until I tried this new approach at the beginning of 2019 that I was able to stick with something for longer than a month. If you're looking to start giving...
Virago Fitness: Yoga pants for an amazing cause.
When Brittney Hogan's husband was killed in action in Afghanistan, she found herself coping in not so healthy ways. That was until a friend convinced her to go for a run and everything changed. From that experience, her 503(c) non-profit Virago Fitness was born, where...
6 fantastic new children’s and YA books to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is a great excuse to dive into some fantastic new children's books that teach kids about this rich culture -- or cultures, I should say. Because Asia and the Pacific Islands cover a lot of territory, as...
10 brilliant subscription gifts for Mother’s Day that shower her with love all year long | Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2019
Remember when book-of-the-month-club and Columbia House were pretty much the only subscription gifts around? OMG, we've come a long way. Now there are subscription gifts for pretty much any hobby or interest, and they make a wonderful gift idea for Mother's Day. Not...
Tips for travel with tweens and teens: More fun, fewer eyerolls | Spawned ep 152
We are big advocates of travel with tweens and teens as you know. And now that we have older kids of our own -- and have a new travel contributor focusing on teen travel -- we thought we'd cover some great tips for parents who travel with older kids, on this...
7 Printable teacher appreciation notes to help our kids show their love and, well, appreciation
Lately I've been sleuthing around the interwebs for great printable teacher appreciation notes for kids. After all, Teacher Appreciation Week starts today! And ever since my son started preschool, I've been been struck anew by how much educators do to shape our...
Twinning done right, with mom + me shoes from KEDS x Rifle Paper Co.
I'm not necessarily a mom-and-me-outfit kind of mom, but these new adorable mom and me shoes from Keds have me ready to go matchy-matchy with my four-year-old right tis second. Because Keds + Rifle Paper Company + twinning with my preschooler before she gets too cool...
The beauty box for mom that we all want for Mother’s Day: Birchbox x Female Founder Collective
There are a whole lot of beauty gift boxes promoted for Mother's Day, but one that I think may be calling a lot of our names is the limited edition Birchbox x Female Founder Collective beauty box. Created by Birchbox (and ahem, we were among the very first to tell you...
May the Fourth is definitely with you, with the cutest Star Wars baby and kids gifts on sale
The Pottery Barn Kids collabs have been so fantastic lately, but their ongoing Star Wars collection for kids is now a classic. And just in time for your May the Fourth celebration (in my home, that means buying Star Wars stuff), they're offering deals off all kinds of...
Hello Kitty Native Shoes just made little feet even more happy this summer
I live in Brooklyn, land of Children Who Live in Native Shoes. (Sorry Crocs.) Whether you live among us or not, if you're about to buy a pair of these fab, comfy, sneaker-water shoe hybrid shoes in time for summer, you have to check out their new collection of Hello...
Cool Mom Picks Book Club Selection 1: Under Pressure, by Lisa Damour
We're so excited to be kicking off our Cool Mom Picks Book Club with our very first title: Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls, the newest book from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Damour. (Available from our affiliate...