Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes

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More coolness from recent weeks…

Wear it, Hang it, Anyway You Like It

Wear it, Hang it, Anyway You Like It

At the ripe old age of thirty, I’ve come to realize there’s something to spending cash on quality items–particularly bags. After going through way too many crappy sacs these past two years, I have a new mantra: It’s not expensive if younever have to replace it.

I Saw the Sign

I Saw the Sign

We tend to see certain ironic baby tees over and over, with the same cheeky quips (cranky baby! chick magnet!) repackaged with different graphics. So I had to stop and give pause when I came across the 100% organic cotton shirts created by mom Liz Murphy of Speak Clothing.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

One prerogative we all have as parents – forcing our kids to wear hats against their will. Without some way to secure it below the neck, I just don’t know a single kid that won’t toss the thing to the ground at the first opportunity.

For Moms, By Moms. But Not the Crazy Ones.

For Moms, By Moms. But Not the Crazy Ones.

New moms will agree that new mom advice is easy to come by. For example, there’s your mother-in-law and her stories about brandy in the baby bottle, or your childless cousin who’s quick to tell you about the evils of television watching. What’s hard to come by, however, is good advice.

Hanging Around the Fridge, As Always

Hanging Around the Fridge, As Always

I’ve always found something really homey about employing the fridge as a magnetic board for family photos and postcards. But with the ridiculous assortment of magnets we end up accumulating it ends up looking less like a gallery and more like a bulletin board in the college dorm.

A new twist on the coming home outfit

A new twist on the coming home outfit

Plane rides with little ones can be a challenge, particularly for those of us who actually feel a modicum of sympathy for the childless traveler who gets stuck next to us. If you weren’t able to procure an entire row to yourself on the Jet Blue flight home from grandma’s this holiday, try diffusing the situation with a little humor.

Preparing for the Flood

Preparing for the Flood

My little girl loves jumping in puddles after a good rain. She’ll get a huge grin on her face, just before her bounding through every fallen drop in her path. The only part I have issues with, however, is the post-splashing whining about wet socks.

Save Your Baggies for Veggies

Save Your Baggies for Veggies

There comes a time in every mom’s life when she realizes that that diaper bag she once spent hours (weeks? months?) choosing, is often obsolete. Sometimes you just want to grab a few diapers and wipes, stuff them in a Ziplock bag, and run out the door. But that wouldn’t be very stylish now, would it.

The Happy Head

The Happy Head

Growing up in the midwest, I endured some harsh winter mornings at the school bus stop. I gladly donned a heavy winter coat and warm mittens, but I drew the line at hats. Even though my mother was a talented knitter, she always tried to stick me in some goofy beanie. Talk about harsh.

Hey Little Thing Let Me Light Your Candle

Hey Little Thing Let Me Light Your Candle

For me, one of the few downsides to the holidays is having to smell that nasty synthetic pine tree scent wafting from candles everywhere. Or worse, the cinnamon scent. It smells less like grandma just baked a pie, and more like grandma just got back from the cheap candle booth at the flea market.

A New Spin On the Old Pirouette

A New Spin On the Old Pirouette

Mention music boxes to any mom, and undoubtedly she’ll be able to recall with vivid detail the very one she fell in love with as a child. It’s not hard, considering we all had the exact same one – it featured a spinning ballerina and played either You are the Sunshine of My Life or the theme from Love Story.

Boys Will Be Boys. Even Without Trucks On Their Shirts.

Boys Will Be Boys. Even Without Trucks On Their Shirts.

I’ve got two little girls myself. But when I’m buying gifts for the sons of friends and family, I tend to shy away from the camouflage pants and the construction-themed tees that every store seems to push on me. I suppose I feel they can still be "all boy" without dressing like miniature soldiers or welders.

Your Tree Has Competition

Your Tree Has Competition

Every year, just before Christmas the stocking debate ensues at my parents’ house: "Whose is the reindeers?" "No wait, mine is the snowflakes." "Hey, his holds more than mine!"

The One Thing You Won’t Want to Unwrap This Holiday

The One Thing You Won’t Want to Unwrap This Holiday

If you’re of the Christmas-celebrating persuasion, surely you’ve already spent months ensuring your little angel baby will be perfectly coiffed this season, with a different fabulous outfit for every party, every family dinner, every opportunity to be fawned over in public. But have you considered the diaper?

Spare Your Friends the Lame Cards This Year

Spare Your Friends the Lame Cards This Year

When I go to pick out cards for the holidays, I just keep looking and looking at all those stacks of foil boxes, hoping something will jump out at me screaming, "Pick me! I am not sappy or cutesy, I promise!" Rarely does this happen however, and some years, I admit I find myself settling.

Diaper Bag Incognito

Diaper Bag Incognito

I was one of those first-time moms who refused to register for a diaper bag. Call me practical, but I just figured I could track down a cool big totebag and I’d be fine. But then, as I discovered, there were the bibs, toys, bottles, binkies…and 4,000 other things I couldn’t leave home without. And I really could have used an actual diaper bag.

Pick Up Your Damn Coats Already!

Pick Up Your Damn Coats Already!

My house has a nice entryway with a coat closet just as you walk in the front door. So why is it that all the family’s coats and bookbags end up in one huge pile on the living room couch? Perhaps the child-sized coat hangers from Pakhuis Oost at Rose and Radish would help to keep my living room (relatively) tidy.

iPig

iPig

It’s one thing when you give in and buy your kid an iPod. It’s another when your realize that she is still at the age where everything of value ends up trashed in a matter of weeks.

Crawfish Roasting on an Open Fire

Crawfish Roasting on an Open Fire

I know there are plenty of Christmas CDs out there these days, but frankly I’m afraid to play half of them for my daughter, for fear that I’ll be stuck listening to them every single day for the rest of the year.

Santa Claws

Santa Claws

Who says that stockings have to be hand crocheted by grandmas with a penchant for pom-poms and unnatural color combinations? Apparently not the folks at Crafty Robot, who have come up with the best alterna-stockings I’ve ever seen.