Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Angela Santomero’s tips for raising smart, inspired, and engaged kids in a screen-filled world | Spawned ep 116
Whatever age your kids may be, we know that managing screen time and finding the benefits (and boundaries) is a huge issue with parents. Like, a non-stop concern. So we're thrilled to chat with Angela Santomero, the successful creator of educational programs like...
Can couples work together without killing each other? Try these tips, tricks, and a lot of humor | Spawned ep 115
Have you ever looked at those always happy husband-wife work teams and think, how the bleep do they do it? Well, now we know! This week on Spawned, we have an absolutely hilarious, engaging, mildly explicit (sorry, little ones) and truly informative conversation with...
Sleepaway camp: The pros, the cons, and the tears (mostly ours)| Spawned Episode 114
With summer pretty much here, that means Liz and I are about to say good-bye to a few of our kids as they head off to summer camp, some close by, and one well, to Japan! We get asked all the time about sleepaway camp, from wanting to know how to decide when a kid is...
More coolness from recent weeks…
5 of the top back-to-school fashion trends, and where to find them for less.
I happen to love back-to-school shopping, but I know not everyone does. Especially when it comes to kids and fashion trends. Because it can be a little torturous to figure out: A) ...what your kids like that they used to not like but now suddenly do like. B) ...what...
Pajamas that pay it forward.
While it's still a billion degrees around here, soon enough our kids are going to be needing long-sleeve pajamas and extra bedding before we tuck them in each night. So before you grab a new pair on your next trip to the mall, please check out the adorable new Project...
3 clever new puzzle and activity books for kids, to keep hands busy and minds sharp
For some kids, picking up a book is pure torture in the summer. For others, well..it's not totally out of the question, provided it's a puzzle or activity book. So if you're looking for some new screen-free, paperback fun for the kids, here are a few extra-cool new...
A guide to the top video games kids are playing and watching, that parents should know about
We know it's so hard to keep up with your kids' tech when you're a parent -- there are social channels, apps of all kinds, and so many games! On Out Tech Your Kids, our private Facebook community for tech questions and answers from parents, every single day we field...
The organic kids’ mattress-in-a-box that can actually help them sleep better
A couple years ago we took an in-depth look at some of the top mattress-in-a-box companies that had blown up the market. Since then, we've had a lot of companies reach out and ask us to take a look at their products and add them to our list. To be honest, none of them...
10 things you should do before you leave for vacation, that you might be forgetting.
Whether you're hitting the road for a quick weekend getaway, or are heading out for a family vacation, getting out the door can be pretty overwhelming. Between packing lists and all those last-minute to-do-before-we-leave lists, it's so easy to get sucked into the...
6 of the best tips and tricks for cleaning kids’ sneakers. Because summer shoes stink.
My kids' shoes never smell quite as bad as they do in summer. It's the downside to me telling them to get outside and get active everyday. Muddy, sweaty, grass-stained shoes aren't easy to clean, but I'll take it over bored and inside all day long. In the meantime,...
7 great new family board games that take 30 minutes or less to play
Raise your hand if you've ever "accidentally" bumped your kid's Candyland piece toward the finish to speed up the game? Hey, I get it. I often like (or need) family board games that are fast to play, too. And it doesn't change as your kids get older; some of the games...
A Funko Marvel Collector Corps box subscription: Comic geeks rejoice!
If you're looking for the gift for the wonderfully geeky, Marvel-loving fan in your life who has everything, I found just the thing: The Funko Marvel Collector Corps box subscription, available exclusively from Amazon, looks amazing. CMP is an Amazon and rstyle...
Gorgeous feminist shirts from a woman-owned company supporting causes we love? Trifecta!
Ever since turning into the kind of a woman who wears slogan t-shirts with abandon (thanks, state of the world!) I have tried to work hard to know who the company is, and not just what the t-shirt says. That's why I adore companies like Brave New World Designs, Free...
Why we need libraries: Twitter claps back against a truly stupid op-ed
It was only a week or so ago that I was reading Carolines article about 20 free summer activities for kids, and thinking how wonderful that there were so many mentions of various events at local libraries. And then this morning, I laughed as I stumbled upon a a poorly...
The best affordable drugstore beauty products for the softest, summeriest, not-dry-at-all summer skin.
As a Black woman with darker skin, I’m constantly fighting The Ash Monster. More skin is exposed in the summer, so I take a few extra steps, and a few extra products, to make sure my skin is healthy, moisturized, and gleaming. And it doesn't have to be expensive! In...
How to put together a first aid kit for travel: Everything you need. Just in case.
Do you have a travel first aid kit to take along on all of your summer trips? As I type these words, I realized...I don’t have one! And I should. Luckily, we have the internet, online shopping, and 24-hour drugstores that make it easy for me to put a travel first aid...
Today’s 50% off Vince Camuto handbag sale is a run-don’t-walk kind of a sale
So today is clearly "test the limits of my credit card" day -- first the start of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and then a notification in my inbox that today is a one-day-only 50% off Vince Camuto handbag sale. And friends? It is GOOD. CMP is an rstyle affiliate So...
5 OMG fall shoes to buy for less today at the Nordstrom anniversary sale
The much-anticipated Nordstrom anniversary sale opened up to the public today (whoo!) and it's safe to say the next two weeks will be deal-filled doozies. What we especially love about Nordstrom's annual sale is that the items aren't just what's leftover from the...
Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Janelle Monae need your help to register new voters.
In 2014, more than 21 percent of adults who were eligible to vote, didn't, because they weren't registered. It's especially true of young adults 18-30, whose turnout is about 38 percent lower than voters over 60 in midterm election years. Wow. Yet one of the biggest...
Could these crazy glasses be the cure for motion sickness? Here’s hoping!
As a mom to kids who can get car sick -- kids who have friends and cousins who get car sick too -- I never travel anywhere without anti-nausea acupuncture wrist bands (which we recently shared on our list of 12 essentials you'll always find in our bags), some...
20 free things to do with your kids this summer when you’re all out of ideas
Anyone else searching for free things to do with your kids this summer? As the mom of a toddler who hasn't stopped moving since 2017, I know I am. And since I want to keep the whine at bay and still budget for our vacation, I've set out to find the best free...
How to deal with mean girls: Expert tips for building resilience + strength in our daughters
If you have a daughter, it's inevitable at some point that she will encounter the heartache of mean girls. It may be when she hits middle school (oh God, middle school) -- or it may be as early as kindergarten. And when it happens, it will hurt you as much as it hurts...
12 summer essentials you’ll always find in our handbags, for travel or every day
Whether we moms are hitting the road for vacation, or just shuttling the kids back and forth to camp every day, we've always got a list of essentials in our handbags that we can't live without. It's part of our summer ritual: switch the black leather bag to a bright...
The best of the Amazon Prime Day deals: We’ll be updating all day
It's here! It's Amazon Prime Day, a shopping extravaganza for Prime members that starts today, July 16 at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST and runs a full 36 hours this year. And, lest you think it's all just a lot of hoopla over crap you don't want, we hope our list of the...