Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Tidying up while keeping the kids safe: Expert tips and tricks that work | Spawned Ep 158
We all would love a tidy home that's Marie Kondo approved, but let's be honest, kids definitely complicate that endeavor. With all the stuff they accumulate, and then, keeping them safe on top of it all, well, it's overwhelming to say the least. That's where our...
Working mom guilt: It’s not you, it’s the system | Talking with Katherine Goldstein | Spawned Ep 157
This episode of the Spawned Parenting Podcast is all about the new generation of working mothers in America, featuring a guest who knows a whole lot about it: Award-winning journalist, author of the viral anti-mom workplace bias article we all still talk about, and...
Why it might be time for you to break up with your phone | Spawned Episode 156
Is your phone ruling your life? Does your brain need a break? During our recent conversation with Catherine Price, science journalist and author of How To Break Up With Your Phone, we learned the science behind why our phones are so enticing, and how we can...
More coolness from recent weeks…
The custom map jewelry that has us thinking Mother’s Day gifts (hint, hint)
It's never too early to start thinking about Mother's Day gifts, in my opinion. And when I spotted the custom street map jewelry over at Talia Sari, I knew these were going straight to the top of my wish list. The minimalist style is sleek and understated, yet each...
Look closely at these new Vans: Yes, those are horses!
If you've got a horse lover in your home, I strongly suggest you click immediately over to Vans and snag a pair of these Vans x Molo horse sneakers. Yes, the design may look abstract at first, but if you look closely, you'll see that this super rad pattern created in...
The personalized handbags that are more meaningful than a monogram
We've covered lots of clever personalized gifts that we've discovered over the years, and especially personalized gifts for Mother's Day -- with more in the next few weeks, no doubt! And the new-to-us Irvine-based Etsy shop, Fontem, is a new one to add to the top of...
A Piglet Named Mercy: Kate DiCamillo’s newest picture book for young readers | Sponsored message
This is a sponsored message from Candlewick Press Tens of thousands kids are devoted fans New York Times best-selling Mercy Watson chapter book series from two-time Newbery Medal winner Kate DiCamillo, and popular children's illustrator Chris Van Dusen -- after all,...
The new Star Wars graphic novel that will get kids bargaining for more reading time
As educators and experts have told us for years, whatever your child is reading -- magazine articles, graphic novels, comics, sports bios -- it's all good, because it's all still reading. So when you combine the format of a graphic novel, the humor of the most popular...
Can astrology help you find more direction in life? It can when you look at it this way. | Spawned episode 148
Whether you're a skeptic, an astrology devotee, or just curious about the science behind it, we had the most fascinating chat with Mimi Truong, a life coach, trained lawyer by background...and an astrologer. She combines strategic coaching expertise with her extensive...
An Easter onesie your baby can wear all spring and summer long
Not everyone is down for spending a ton on a fancy baby Easter dress that may get worn once -- or even a specific Happy Easter onesie that won't quite work once we hit May. But then I found this absolutely adorable spring bunny onesie from new baby shop, Kinderbirch...
9 cool Easter egg ideas for tweens and teens who are over solid colors: Star Wars, pop art, fake cacti, and more
If your older kids are totally over PAAS kits for Easter egg decorating, I've got you covered! I've tracked down 8 cool Easter egg ideas for tweens and teens to suit all kinds of tastes. From pop art and comic inspiration, to Star Wars and retro 80's style, these are...
Why Britax BOB strollers weren’t recalled after 200 crashes. Spoiler: It’s political.
I just read the shocking new report in the Washington Post about the fight to recall the Britax BOB Jogging stroller and it's disturbing, to say the least. It is worth your time to spend a few moments reading the entire story, but the essence: between 2012 and 2018...
Are female friendships actually good for our health? Spawned Episode 147
Have you been missing time with your female friends? (Hi Laura Mayes! We miss you!) Turns out, research says they're actually good for your health and well-being. How's that for an excuse for a girl's night out or weekend away? On this episode of Spawned with Kristen...
Raise Your Hand, the empowering new children’s book written by an 11-year-old girl
I was always shy about raising my hand in class as a kid, which is why the new kids' book Raise Your Hand instantly jumped out at me. Kid author Alice Paul Tapper wrote the book after creating a Girl Scout merit badge that encouraged girls to speak up at school and to...
A peek at the irresistible baby moccasins from Toy Story x Freshly Picked
Susan Petersen's Freshly Picked has kept us busy over the years, with incredible collabs and cult-favorite designs, and their latest offering will have you Disney-Pixar lovers squeeing: Check out their incredibly adorable Toy Story moccasin designs, created in...
Is Betsy DeVos really trying to cut Special Olympics funding? Yes, yes she is.
Yesterday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos acknowledged that yes, she has proposed to cut the $17.6 million that funds the Special Olympics, from the US education budget next year. And I get it -- sometimes you see something on the news about the government that...
8 lovely children’s books to help teach our kids more about Islam
Like many parents, I've been reeling ever the New Zealand mosque shooting last week, which was just followed by yet another horrific racist attack only yesterday: a fire deliberately set at a mosque in Northern California. So as a non-Muslim myself, I've been...
Rose O’Neill, Kewpie dolls, and women’s suffrage | Women’s History Month stories to share with your kids
Next in our series of untold American Women's History Month stories our kids will love, I kind of went down an awesome rabbit hole learning about the history of women's political cartoonists and comic writers and illustrators. That's when I discovered the wonderful...
Is raising unplugged kids a terrible idea? Spawned Ep 146
Let's face it, parents: screens are here to stay. So why are we still so ambivalent about them? Maybe being unplugged isn't actually the best way to help our kids thrive in this digital world. On this week's Spawned podcast, we're chatting with speaker and author...
The new Vans x Bowie collection: Can you identify the album cover that inspired each design?
Not that I've been sitting around waiting for another hot new Vans collab, but then the Vans x Bowie sneaker collection was announced, and suddenly I'm Konmari-ing my existing sneaker collection, and setting up a calendar alert for April 5. CMP is an rstyle affiliate...
Be Kind: The message we need more of, everywhere.
As a parent who's trying to motivate my young son to be kind and behave well without the promise of copious amounts of sugar, I was so pleased to find these truly wonderful Be Kind stickers at Star Salts Etsy shop. CMP is an rstyle affiliate They caught my eye partly...
Why the new drug for postpartum depression won’t just treat it, it could destigmatize it.
When I heard that the FDA had approved the first-ever drug to treat postpartum depression, I was thrilled. Given how commonplace this serious mental health condition is, and how severe the impact can be on the entire family, I've always wished for a greater arsenal to...
Save vs Splurge: My favorite spring 2019 fashion trends to fit any budget
Spring is always my favorite season for fashion (despite the whole realizing I'm going to have to show my triceps again part) and this year's 2019 spring fashion trends are so incredibly wearable! It's so refreshing to see fun fabrics, pretty florals, shapes that...
15 great kinds of videos to watch with your kids besides toy unboxing
Video is the new TV for this generation of kids, if you hadn't quite noticed. (Ha.) When we say to our kids, "let's watch a show!' their inclination is to turn their favorite video app or video platform on their little screens, and click play. But the truth is, when...