Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
5 top time-management techniques from the experts: Can they work for parents? | Spawned Ep 122
With a new school year here, on this episode of Spawned, we're taking a close look at 5 popular time-management techniques from experts, to compare them, debate the merits, and describe how they can work best for parents. If you've been wrangling a never-ending to-do...
How to be a Happier Parent without guilt or shame: KJ Dell’Antonia lays it out | Spawned ep 121
In case the book title How to Be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute sounds like something that's not for you...you'd be wrong. Because it's written by the hilarious, down-to-earth, wonderfully smart KJ Dell'Antonia,...
Why it’s good to ignore your kids sometimes. Yes, really. | Spawned Podcast Ep 120
While we're enjoying a little time off for summer, we're updating some of our greatest hits Spawned episodes you might have missed -- and one of our favorites is this fantastic chat with Dr. Catherine Pearlman, author of Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Dozens of the biggest and best Labor Day weekend sales, all in one place
As long as there are big Labor Day sales, we say take advantage! Online. Because personally, we're fans of spending the weekend with our families and enjoying the last (sniff) unofficial weekend of summer. So if you've got a little laptop or tablet time, check out...
Amazing Labor Day deals on 5 classic wardrobe staples you can wear all year long
Whether or not you think of Labor Day as a shopping holiday, well...it is. At least judging by the myriad pitches we're getting for all kinds of deals that are going on this weekend. And sure, you could spend your money on trendy things that will be out of style in...
5 smart ways to make busy school mornings a whole lot easier
As much as we would love to tell you how wonderful the morning routines are in our homes, complete with kids eating a healthy breakfast, packing their own lunches, and finishing up their morning chores before heading out the door (and of course, not even once playing...
Backpack bling for your junior bookworm
These days, enamel pins or uh, backpack bling has become essential accessorizing for the back-to-school crowd. So of course, mom that I am, I love the new collection of enamel pins featuring children's book characters. How many have your kids read? Related: 9 clever,...
How to discuss Dr. King’s I Have A Dream Speech – the whole speech – with your kids today, on its anniversary.
Today is the 55th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which mean it's also the anniversary of his incomparable I Have A Dream speech. We can't think of a better way to honor the day than to share his words our...
Parenting PSA: Your expired EpiPen might still be safe to use
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared a shortage of EpiPens in May due to manufacturing delays, it left a lot of parents of kids with allergies pretty freaked out. With good reason. Now that it's back-to-school season, there could be good news for...
12 creative ways to display kids’ artwork, from DIYs to clutter-saving services
One parenting conundrum that seems timeless: the search for creative ways to display kids' artwork. From the preschool doodles and finger paint portraits to the kindergarten collages, to the papier maché sculptures that would look just perfect...where, exactly? I get...
Our new hero: The police officer who breastfed a starving baby herself
I know I'm making the understatement of the year when I say that there's been a lot of difficult news lately. Which is maybe why this viral photo of on-duty police officer Celeste Ayala breastfeeding a starving child at a hospital had me weeping into the blue light of...
How to be a Happier Parent without guilt or shame: KJ Dell’Antonia lays it out | Spawned ep 121
In case the book title How to Be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute sounds like something that's not for you...you'd be wrong. Because it's written by the hilarious, down-to-earth, wonderfully smart KJ Dell'Antonia,...
Keds and Rifle Paper Co put out more gorgeous shoes, you know…for kids.
We've never been shy to share our love for Keds, nor our love for Rifle Paper Co. They teamed up in the spring to make an awesome line of flowery women's sneakers that we still adore, but now? The Keds x Rifle Paper Co. includes their trademark gorgeous floral...
Tips, tricks and recipes to help you host the coolest, gooiest, best slime party.
Who else has a kid who's dying to have a slime party? Hey, we get it! Our own kids' obsession with slime seems to be here to stay. Forever. And surely we're not the only ones with tubs of various types of goo piled high on our countertops. We figure, if you can't beat...
9 clever, cool kids’ tees for book lovers | Back to School Guide 2018
We of course love t-shirts for our kids featuring their favorite superheroes, pop culture references, rock bands, and athletes. And our kids love them too. But there's something extra special about the t-shirts that show the world who our kids are, and not just who...
The best baby gear for twins, picked by actual parents of multiples.
So, you've gotten the mind-blowing news that you're having twins. Congrats! And, OMG! Now you have to start figuring out a zillion things including the best baby gear for twins. Because trust us, you're going to want to start prepping that nursery for two. We talked...
One girl gang you’ll want your kid to run with
Last year, I was instantly taken with Wee Rascal's t-shirts for kids that turn historical figures into hip idols. From Maya Angelou to MLK, there's a hero or heroine for every kid to proudly wear on their chests. But if you can't pick a favorite? Now it's a bit...
Why it’s good to ignore your kids sometimes. Yes, really. | Spawned Podcast Ep 120
While we're enjoying a little time off for summer, we're updating some of our greatest hits Spawned episodes you might have missed -- and one of our favorites is this fantastic chat with Dr. Catherine Pearlman, author of Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other...
Can you go swimming during your period? You can with PantyProp.
Having grown up in a time that lots of girls couldn't go swimming during our periods, it's so nice to see brands taking on that issue. Even if you're wearing a tampon, lots of girls and women have a heavy enough flow that the thought of an accident at the pool or...
10 growth mindset books for kids that challenge them to try harder and think bigger
Failure is hard for kids, but it's essential to their growth. That's why teaching growth-mindset for kids has become so popular lately in parenting circles. Parents are increasingly moving away from helicoptering (yay!) and instead, giving their kids the freedom and...
How your entrepreneurial girl can star in an inspiring new novel
Kids come up with some of the most creative business ideas, and when they have the drive to actually launch their own lawn-mowing-for-seniors company, not-embarrassing-at-all-first-bras or nothing-but-organic lemonade stand? Truly inspirational. If that's the case...
Beyond loveys: 11 sweet comfort items to send kids to school with fewer worries | Back to School Guide 2018
Lately I've been thinking about the kinds of comfort items I can pack to help relieve some of my son's back-to-school anxiety. He's starting preschool for the first time (wow!) which means I'm expecting knots in the stomach, sweaty hands, and separation anxiety -- and...
11 incredibly creative ideas for first day of school photos | Back to School Guide 2018
I'll be honest, I don't have a whole lot of time for planning creative' first day of school photos for my kids. Between making sure everyone remembers to put on shoes after a no-shoe summer and packing up 47 pounds of school supplies, our first day of school photos...
Wha-aa? A pool float made just for pregnant women. And our bellies.
We'll be honest, we are completely flipping out over this new pregnancy pool float. HOW HAS NO ONE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE? When you're pregnant, nothing is comfortable. It's like all the regular things in the world start actively conspiring against your growing girth,...