Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
The most brilliant small space solution for kids and homework
This week, I got the most amazing tip for small space organization when it comes to kids, desk space (or lack thereof) and organization, thanks to professional organizer Laurie Palau of Simply B Organized, host of This Organized Life podcast, and author of the...
Hiding in the Bathroom: Tips for coping with a 24/7 world | Spawned ep 82 with guest Morra Aarons Mele
We've got an incredible Spawned podcast episode this week that we think so many of you will find helpful. We're chatting with the incomparable author and strategist Morra Aarons-Mele, founder of Women and Work and author of the brand new Hiding in the Bathroom: An...
Secrets, lies, and Jello shots: Confessions of a class mom | Spawned 81
We're back! After a little summer time off (we missed you all!) we're back with a new Spawned podcast episode, chatting candidly with Laurie Gelman, humor writer, mom of two, former broadcaster, and current author of the hilarious new Class Mom: A Novel. It's...
More coolness from recent weeks…
These cool scratch-off Valentine’s Day cards are an instant win.
There's no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Valentine's Day cards for kids, but I still love to see a fresh angle now and again. So I was totally charmed to find these scratch-off Valentine's Day cards from Inklings Paperie, which are taking a cue from your...
Celebrate World Read Aloud Day! Amazing resources, free printables, author videos, children’s book recos and more
Today is World Read Aloud Day (or for those of us on social media, #WorldReadAloudDay) and there are so many great ways to celebrate with your kids. And not just today, either! When you consider how essential a love of reading is to a child having success and options...
17 truly funny Valentine’s Day cards, from silly to “oh no you didn’t!”
Hooray! It's funny Valentine's Card time at Cool Mom Picks! If you're more silly than sentimental, more snarky than sappy, then each year, we have the best time tracking down the perfect Valentine's Day card for you. I think these 16 are sure to make you giggle. Or...
10 free printable classroom valentines for older kids, from unicorns to vikings to Ziggy Stardust.
This year, we've found so many fun new free printable valentines especially for older kids who have outgrown the cutesie stuff, and I'm sharing some of my favorite printables from previous years too. Thanks to so many amazing, creative makers online, there's no need...
15+ fun, affordable Valentine’s Day gifts for kids all under $15 each
Chocolatiers and florists would have us believe Valentine's Day is all about romance, but we know the truth. It's all about cutting out 8 zillion classroom valentines. (Ha.) The truth is, when you become a parents, any excuse to shower our kids with a little extra...
The online Diverse Book Finder: A must-bookmark resource for families.
As avid advocates of diverse books of all kinds, but especially diverse children's books, we work hard to share carefully curated lists of children's books. Our amazing writers have shared impressive lists of wonderful books about diverse families, notable women...
4.2 million women’s marchers in one glorious 500-piece puzzle
I've always loved the artful, fun kids' toys and gifts from eeBoo, and now I've got one more reason to love them: The 500 piece Women March! puzzle that's coming out in spring of this year. Prolific illustrator Jennifer Orkin Lewis (you may know her as August Wren)...
Meet Scough: The scarf that could protect you and your family from the flu.
Last year, I received an email about the Scough, a scarf with an activated carbon mask that fits inside, and to be honest, I thought it sounded kind of germaphobic. And silly. So I filed the email away and didn't think much about it. But when I kept getting sick after...
Take on 2018 with these 8 pieces of empowering, mood-boosting jewelry
When I saw Etsy editors recommending mood-boosting jewelry for this time of year, I was in. Let's just say, I've felt like Cinderella lately . . . pre-fairy-Godmother. I'm constantly cleaning up after my kids because it's too cold for them to play outside, grappling...
Move over, Oprah: How to make a YOUR favorite things gift box for your BFF.
We recently discovered the coolest gift idea when our friend Tina Roth Eisenberg at Swiss Miss shared a Favorite Things Gift Box she received from her friend Jessica Kausen. Jessica filled a box with a few of her own favorite things (no offense, Oprah) along with a...
12 creative Valentine’s gifts all supporting indie shops
We can't believe it's Valentine's Day gift time already! And our readers know that we always have an extra big heart (ha) when it comes to sharing handmade gifts from makers, or gifts that support indie shops and businesses. With that in mind, we hope you'll check out...
10 of the cutest first Valentine’s Day gifts for the babies we’re in love with.
We love giving Valentine's Day gifts to our babies at every age, of course, but that first year of Valentine's gifts is something we can't resist. No, the baby won't remember it, but oh, those photos! (Plus, babies are not yet old enough to ask to steal our...
You better sit down. We found Porg sneakers.
Ever since we saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi, everyone in my household has been obsessed with Porgs. Which is why I'm sort of freaking out of these Porg sneakers that just launched a few seconds ago. Related: 16 of the coolest Star Wars gifts for kids These Po-Zu lace...
13 gorgeous ways to help you rock Ultra Violet, the 2018 Pantone color of the year.
While some years have been fashion misses for us (oof, that 2017 Pantone Greenery was a tough one), we're all about Pantone's 2018 color of the year, which is a rich, royal-looking, totally wearable Pantone Ultra Violet. Whether it's a clever nod to the passion of the...
9 things parents do that deserve to be rewarded
Parenting is awesome. And really, really hard. We know, understatement of the year. That's why we think you'll appreciate the laugh you'll get from watching a few (or nine) of the crazy things we parents do every single day that deserve to be rewarded. And nope, we...
Girl toys and boy toys: Are we still doing this? Really?
Adapted from an article originally published on Mom-101.com Each year, our annual Brooklyn Fresh Air Fund trip to visit friends in suburban Massachusetts leads to our semi-annual fast food drive-thru lunch. (Oh, come and get me Sanctimommies. My kids love the Apple...
7 simple, sanity-saving tips for moving homes when you’ve got kids.
The holidays were a blur for me, and not for the usual reasons. I recently moved into a temporary 7-month rental while we do some much-needed home renovations to our home. And oh boy, after 13 years in one spot, was it a doozy of a move. Not only did I have to pack up...
Artwork honoring the diverse women whose shoulders we all stand on.
Yesterday, being able to march in the second Women's March with my mother and daughter and a group of incredible like-minded women, I feel re-energized and empowered to do what I can to help make this country the best one it can be for my kids. But as much as I'm...
14 Spawned podcast episodes you have to listen to. Because they’re our favorites too.
Whether you love podcasts or you're just getting into them, we've got 14 Spawned episodes you need to listen to. We're celebrating our 100th Spawned podcast episode by sharing our favorite Spawned episodes from over the years: the funny, the helpful, and the most...
A new magazine inspiring kids to do more than find a new lipstick color.
As a new mom, I'm excited to see a growing trend toward empowering children's books and magazines, especially ones that encourage kids to discover their own unique voices and interests. My latest favorite discovery is Bravery Magazine, a new, beautifully designed,...
Cheering for Tommy Hilfiger’s new styles of of adaptive clothing for kids and adults: WOW are they good
Getting dressed presents special challenges when you have special needs, so we love it when big-time brands recognize the need and create adaptive styles that are just as cute and affordable as the originals. Target's Cat & Jack Adaptive line for kids was launched...