Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Our own best tips to save you money on holiday shopping and Black Friday | Spawned 95
We love sharing tips for saving money when it comes to Black Friday and holiday shopping! Maybe because we love saving money ourselves? So this week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz we are hooking you up. These are some of the tips we've shared with national magazines,...
Can’t we all just get Along? Brutally honest answers to Thanksgiving questions | Spawned ep 93
This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz is one of our very favorite annual episodes: Answering all of our listeners' and readers' burning Thanksgiving questions! Wondering how to get the men to actually do dishes this year? Trying to feed 12 people with 14 different...
Rock n Roll Parenting: Would you take your kid to a rock concert? | Spawned ep 93
This week on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, with Kristen just back from an Imagine Dragons show, we've got kids and concerts on the brain. Join us for a lively discussion about the joy of tweens and big kids, safety concerns, tips and tricks -- we even share our own...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Porgicorns = Porgs + Unicorns. Because, of course!
We've seen purrmaids. We've seen caticorns. So of course the next logical magical creature hybrid would be a porg unicorn, right? Friends: Meet the porgicorn. The brainchild of mega Star Wars fan cum designer who goes by Leiawars at her Etsy shop, the adorable...
Something that will actually get our kids excited to take a shower? Yes, please!
Let's talk about our kids' hygiene for a second, mmkay? Because all four of my kids still prefer baths over showers, and it's kind of driving me crazy; four long consecutive children's bubble baths are simply not practical every night. So when I saw the new wild,...
5 surprising health benefits of standing desks that you might not know
If you're like lots of Americans, including us, you spend a whole lot of time sitting at a desk during your work day. (Hey, we're busy!) And while many people have heard of standing desks, when you start to check out all the health and wellness benefits they offer,...
Sales! Sales Sales! Here’s what to buy your kids right now because, ZOMG.
Just a friendly public service announcement here that OMG, you guys (that's like my favorite expression, don't judge) right now is the time to load up on kids' snow gear on sale for next year. I was actually shopping around for some good deals on rain boots and spring...
7 wonderful benefits of STEM for kids. It’s not just about coding!
Brought to you by our amazing sponsor, Play-Well TEKnologies, which has offered LEGO-inspired STEM camps for kids for the past twenty years. Wow. More than 100,000 kids each year have benefited from their terrific summer program -- maybe yours will be one of them this...
A thorough comparison of the 6 top online consignment and resale shops: Who will give you the most for that NWT handbag?
Who here has wanted to consign or resale clothes but just didn't know which service was the best, who would make it easiest, or even where to start? The Real Real? Vestiaire? Poshmark? Tradesy? threadUp? I don't know either! But it's time. Soon after reading...
The craft kit that’ll make you nostalgic for your misspent youth
If you’re like me, this DIY Pin & Flair Kit from Yellow Owl Workshop will transport you back to the carefree days of your youth. That is, the good parts, not the parts with the retainer and the bad hair. Because the pins are made with Shrinky Dinks! (Or at least...
Ayesha Curry designed your kids’ new favorite dishes to do great things for kids in need, too.
I already thought Ayesha Curry was one cool mom. Now it's doubly confirmed, since seeing the latest from the wonderful company she co-founded, Cheeky Kids. CMP is an rstyle affiliate. Starting this week at Target (online and in stores), you'll find a super cute...
These 11 free Easter printables will make your egg hunt happier, your brunch table prettier, your hair shinier. (Well, the first two for sure.)
My family loves coloring eggs, egg hunts, Easter baskets, and brunch — so do I! — but I wouldn't be sad if doing all that was about 50% easier. That's where free Easter printables can be a huge help. Anything that can eliminate another trip to the store, cut down on...
Rifle Paper x Keds = Our new sneaker must-haves for spring and summer.
In our recent post on spring fashion trends, the good, the bad, and the OMGWTF, one trend we did give a thumbs-up to are big floral patterns -- provided you know how to wear them and they don't overwhelm your wardrobe. Well ,hooray for the new partnership between...
This Disney/Pixar bracket is the only March Madness we may win
Forget March Madness -- we found a bracket for every family to invest some time in. It's the Disney/Pixar bracket. And it's a lot harder than you might think. Related: 9 fantastic girl-power movies for kids, streaming right now Twitter user @yeeitsanthonyy posted the...
40 things parents can REALLY do while the baby sleeps. (No, not sleep.)
How many times have you heard this: Sleep when the baby sleeps. Oh man, did I want to throttle everyone who gave me that TOTALLY SMART BUT UNATTAINABLE ADVICE when my kids were newborns. Mostly because I was tired. But also because there's just so much to do when...
4 ginormous inflatable sprinklers that will make you desperate for summer
For years now, there's been a big demand for summer-ready inflatables: unicorn floats, inflatable pools, even party-size floats for all your friends. And there's a new trend coming to a yard near you: Giant inflatable sprinklers, perfect for a summer party in the...
6 printables that make Easter egg decorating more fun, from Porgs to superheroes to the cutest bunnies ever.
If dyeing Easter eggs and decorating them in other crafty ways don't figure into your plans this year, here's something that might: Easter egg printables. Just print them out, pop them on eggs, and add some paint or marker faces to decorate your eggs. That's it! And...
5 versatile spring dresses for girls, with tips for dressing them up for Easter.
I'm all about finding versatile spring dresses for my girls, even when it comes to Easter dresses. Spending a ton of money on frilly, crinoline-lined dresses for Easter when my girls are unlikely to ever wear them again isn't really my thing. (Mama would much rather...
Is it okay to say “autistic?” And other things people need to know about Autism | Ep 105
With World Autism Day fast approaching, for many of us who don't have children with Autism in our family, we might let this important day slip off our radar. However, given the number of children on the Spectrum, there's a good chance that even though your child might...
Where to get the new Mister Rogers stamps. Also, yay!
If you want a simple, easy way to end your week on a high note, it has to be the fact that the much-awaited Mister Rogers USPS stamps are finally here! Featuring our favorite TV neighbor, we can't think of a better person to honor than this wonderful, wonderful man...
12 crazy-cool patterned rain boots for toddlers, all under $30. Including the new Hunter for Target boots!
In keeping with the crazy sock trend that shows no sign of waning, we're seeing super fun patterns of rain boots for toddlers this year and we love it! - Now updated to include the new Hunter for Target rain boot collection! - Yep, it's officially rain boot season,...
The perfect first Easter gifts for babies: These 11 sweet bunny gifts
Since my own one-year-old son is just old enough to start appreciating the magic of Easter for the first time,I had the best time looking for cute first Easter gifts for babies like mine. I landed on the idea of bunny gifts and accessories, because duh, bunnies -- but...
A toddler memory book: Perfect for those of us who, uh, never did our actual baby books.
Make no mistake, your baby will always be your baby, no matter how old they are. But if you've kind of missed your window to put together a baby book (hey, we're busy and sleep-deprived in those early days!) or you want to keep tracking milestones past infancy, here's...
How good are these $3 non-toxic cleaning products? We put them to the test.
I gave a thumbs-up to Brandless — the online grocery store where everything is $3 — after I tried out its line of conscientious beauty products that launched last August. The store has been steadily adding to its inventory, and just yesterday launched a collection of...