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The latest from Spawned: Our award-winning parenting podcast
Melinda Wenner Moyer’s parenting strategies to raise good kids into great adults | Spawned Episode 293
We often discuss what it takes to raise kind, generous, ambitious, resilient, wonderful kids who will become kind, generous, ambitious, resilient, wonderful adults. Which is why we wanted to bring back one of our favorite interviews -- parenting and science journalist...
Reaching your organizational goals: Sarah Hart-Unger on prioritizing, organizing, and managing time | Ep 292
Is a messy desk a sign of a messy mind? Is organization something we just have to give up for a while as parents? Is a single, perfect whiteboard the key to solving all your time management woes? Sarah Hart-Unger of the podcasts Best Laid Plans and Best of Both Worlds...
How our relationship with our mobile phones has changed (and changed us), with Emmy-winning journalist Shawna Ryan | Spawned Episode 279
Since I got my first smartphone back in 2006, my relationship with my phone has certainly changed my life. It's also changed how I function as a person in this world, for better and for worse. Turns out, I'm not the only one, which is why I was so excited to chat with...
How to get into college: Invaluable tips and fascinating insights from Ned Johnson | Spawned Ep 278
Was the college search always this overwhelming or does it just feel that way? Do my kids really need to take the SATs? Does test-optional really mean optional? How did covid impact admissions? When should I be signing up my kid for college tours? Or wait...should...
Helping kids foster positive relationships and learn effective communication, with Catherine Newman | Spawned Episode 277
After two years in a pandemic, I'm sure I'm not the only one with kids who are struggling with various aspects of their social lives. From fostering positive relationships with friends and school peers, to learning effective communication in the many awkward...
More coolness from recent weeks…
23 ways to celebrate the Fourth of July for kids (even if you don’t feel like waving a flag).
While 4th of July is a time to celebrate freedom and the best of America, lately I know so many of us are having a hard time feeling celebratory. It’s hard to feel like waving a flag when many of our rights are under attack right now, including those of us who are...
How to get into college: Invaluable tips and fascinating insights from Ned Johnson | Spawned Ep 278
Was the college search always this overwhelming or does it just feel that way? Do my kids really need to take the SATs? Does test-optional really mean optional? How did covid impact admissions? When should I be signing up my kid for college tours? Or wait...should...
Donate to an abortion fund. You’ll save a life.
To say that I am furious about an activist Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade (held up in 1992 in Planned Parenthood vs Casey) and thereby overturning 50 years of constitutionally protected rights to reproductive healthcare -- well, that would be the understatement...
The coolest lanyard pattern instructions that every camper needs.
Lanyards are a summer camp mainstay -- remember making them back in the day? But like so many things from our own childhoods, these knotted summer crafts have only gotten way cooler. Lanyards (also called scoubidous, scoobies, boondoggles, scooby doggles, gimps, and...
What is Juneteenth? 6 great children’s books (and other resources) that explain this important holiday.
If you want to learn more about Juneteenth as we approach its anniversary, or just want to be sure its history and relevance has a place on your bookshelves, we have found some terrific children's books about Juneteenth to help. After all, I know a lot of us...
Helping kids foster positive relationships and learn effective communication, with Catherine Newman | Spawned Episode 277
After two years in a pandemic, I'm sure I'm not the only one with kids who are struggling with various aspects of their social lives. From fostering positive relationships with friends and school peers, to learning effective communication in the many awkward...
Period underwear to menstrual cups: 4 tampon alternatives we’ve tried that can save you during the tampon shortage
Is there actually a tampon shortage right now? Evidently, yes. As if the recent formula shortage hasn't been hard enough on (mostly) women, now...this. Sigh. But at least there are some great alternatives, if not permanent solutions to tampons or pads. And...
Tips for keeping kids safe from online predators, from Roo Powell of Undercover Underage | Spawned 276
This week's Spawned podcast guest, Roo Powell, is the perfect person to help us with tips and advice for keeping kids safe online. She's the co-founder of SOSA (Safe from Online Sexual Abuse) and has put her child advocacy skills to use by...disguising herself as a...
Get all shook up with Kristen’s debut novel, A Thousand Miles to Graceland
To say that I'm thrilled to share that my debut novel, A Thousand Miles to Graceland, is now available for pre-order and hitting stands on January 24, 2023 is an understatement. I've been working on this story of fun, heartfelt mother-daughter road trip from El Paso,...
21 cool subscription gifts for men…from fair trade coffee to tech toys and everything in between
For the perfect gift for a man in your life, or a special dad or grandpa, a subscription gift for men can be the perfect way to show you really really get him. Not only are subscription gifts for men available with basically every theme you can imagine—so there's one...
Pride Month: 5 simple ways to be a good LGBTQ ally
While we've shared so many resources for Pride Month over the years, we wanted to write today about ways to be a good LGBTQ ally, whether you're a parent, friend or family member of someone who is LGBTQ, or whether you just want to step up and be a more compassionate,...
feelClings: A little inspiration, right on your mirror
If you're like me, there have been a lot of days, especially as of late, where it's been hard to rally yourself, between the news, the pandemic, and just being a mom. Well, our longtime friend, author, and mom of 4 Jill Krause took her practice of hanging...
Another free download we wish we didn’t need: A Kids Book About School Shootings
The fact that a book called A Kids Book About School Shootings even exists should tell you exactly how big a problem this has become in the years since the horrific Columbine school shooting over 20 years ago. As we shared in today's post How to talk to your children...
How to talk to your children about mass shootings, bombings, and other tragedies in the news: Helpful resources
Another day, another mass shooting. And I'm not being flip. This week it's the unfathomably awful shooting at Robb Roy Elementary in Uvalde Texas. Â Just last week it was a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Â This just adds to the already unconscionable list of mass...
15 cool but practical Father’s Day gifts. Because they should still feel like gifts, ya know? | Father’s Day Gift Guide
The past few Father's Days that we've celebrated, it seems even dads who like the more frivolous stuff are seeing the joy in practical Father's Day gifts. Whether it helps him around the house, master the WAH thing (for the short-term or the long-term), enjoy cooking...
20 unique gifts (good ones!) for dads who have everything | Father’s Day Gift Guide
It can be tough each Father's Day to look for unique gifts for dads, grandpas, or stepdads, especially when you're shopping for gifts for dads who have everything already -- or worse, they say "I don't need anything." (C'mon... a little help please?) My go-to source...
If you think the answer to the formula shortage is more breastfeeding, read these perspectives first.
Though my "babies" are all old enough to drive a car, I've been following the nationwide baby formula shortages with alarm over the rhetoric being aimed at parents who are feeding their babies formula. Instead of trying to find ways to help panicked parents feed their...
RuPaul’s new Little People Collector set sashays down the runway today.
Fans of RuPaul, you'd better work on getting your hands on this new, fabulous set from Fisher Price's Little People Collector because it could sell out faster than you can say Sashay! Shante! This post contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a small...
Are moms going to be okay? Terrific insight from NY Times Parenting Editor Jessica Grose | Spawned 275
Are moms okay right now? I really want to know. So I called on the one guest I knew would have a terrific birds-eye view: Jessica Grose, author and The New York Times Parenting Editor. If you've ever had a must-read parenting article sent to you by a friend, it's...
I tried this affordable, highly-rated bathing suit from Amazon and here’s what I thought
Last year, I decided to take a peek at Amazon for an affordable bathing suit, and after reading a ton of reviews, I grabbed this one from the brand Sporlike. And let's just say, it didn't disappoint. I feel fantastic in it, and every time I wear it, I get tons of...
20 kids shared what they wish they could give their moms for Mother’s Day. Their answers are awesome.
With Mother's Day right around the corner, we thought it would be so fun to ask the kids in our lives, if you could have anything delivered to your mom, what would it be? Let's just say our kids know us very, very well! Also, who has a direct line to George Clooney,...