Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
Being mixed race in America, with author Lauren Kung Jessen | Spawned Episode 291
As a mixed-race Chinese American, I've struggled to feel a sense of belonging. I grew up feeling more accepted by the German (white) side of my family. Then, as I got older, I learned more about the Chinese side of my family and felt a connection to the experiences of...
Preserving memories in the 21st century. Shouldn’t this be easier? | Spawned Episode 290
If you're like me, you thought that smartphones and tablets would make it a whole lot easier to grab photos and videos of your kids. But while they do make it easier to make memories, actually preserving them and being able to organize and then find them is a whole...
Spawned Parenting Podcast: The Best Advice, Tips, and Guidance of 2022
It's been an incredible 2022 for Spawned. We welcomed guests from film directors and political pundits to authors, activists, top journalists, and experts of all kinds So this week, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the best episodes of the year. Take a...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Daily Question: Which Breakfast Club Character Were You in High School
Welcome to our next daily reader question, where cool moms get to share their opinions and ideas with other cool moms. (Dads welcome too.) After our first daily question about the best 80s teen movies ever (click over for the results!) it turns out you all have a...
The Best April Fool’s Prank We Ever Pulled. Still Hilarious.
Over the years, we used to create the best April Fool's posts each April 1 until it became...well, kind of a thing everyone did and readers got savvy and started expecting them. Then we started sharing the best April Fool's pranks you could play on your kids and hey,...
Daily Question: Do you take your shoes off in the house?
Welcome to today's daily question, where cool moms get to tell other cool parents what they think. Today, we've got a question that can be a little controversial: Do you require shoes to come off at the front door? Parents have extremely strong opinions about whether...
Daily Question: Gen Z Slang
Welcome to our next daily reader question, where you get to tell other cool parents what's cool! Today, we're asking about Gen Z slang. Our kids have created so much colorful vocabulary, and they get a hard time for a lot of it. So let's turn it around a bit. We want...
Daily Question : The Best ’80s Teen Movies of All Time
Welcome to our first daily reader question, where you get to tell other cool parents what's cool! First up, a topic that's near and dear to our hearts: Pop culture. Or more specifically the pop culture from our own youth that we now get to share with our kids as they...
Bet you didn’t even know you could recycle some of these things you use every day.
If you're looking for a free recycling program for your Febreze cans, your teen's EOS lip balm containers, your kids' drink pouches, or even your teeth aligners, you're in luck. I just found the ultimate list of brands that have recycling programs for hard-to-recycle...
How to dye Easter eggs: Getting the perfect shades with tips from the food dye experts
I imagine that the McCormick's website must get more traffic this time of year than any other, considering that it's pretty the perfect starting point for anyone looking for a legit Easter egg color guide. If you want to know just how to dye Easter eggs with food...
Your kids will love these 35 affordable Easter basket ideas – all under $15!
While we're all for jellybeans, affordable chocolate bunnies, and Peeps of every color, if you're looking for creative, affordable Easter basket ideas beyond candy, we've got you covered! In fact, this year we're sharing 35 incredibly cool Easter basket ideas for...
One Cool Thing: A thoughtful gift under $10 for an avid reader, teacher, or a new grad
For years we've loved sharing personalized bookmarks, and today I'm so happy to have stumbled on a new maker, right in time for graduation, end-of-year teacher gifts, Mother's Day...any day, really. What's more, the price is incredible, especially if you have a lot...
Here are 3 eco-friendly plastic wrap alternatives we can recommend for more sustainable food storage
In an effort be more eco-friendly, we've all been using more plastic wrap alternatives. After all, being eco-friendly also means cutting back on food waste by wrapping up leftovers; and making the most of pre-made staples like pre-cooked pasta and rice or diced...
One Cool Thing: An allergy-friendly chocolate bunny
While we were putting together our Guide to Easter Gifts for Teens + Tweens, we came across this awesome Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Bunny from a longtime favorite of ours, No Whey! Foods. It's a long list of gift ideas, so I wanted to be sure it didn't get buried in...
One Cool Thing: Fiesta towels add a splash of color to your kitchen
Sometimes it's fun just sharing one cool thing I've found, and because I'm online basically all day, you know...looking for cool things, I'm excited to do more of this here. Today I stumbled on Fiesta Kitchen Towels and I couldn't wait to share them. For under $15 at...
Preppy is back, only better! Get the modern prep look for less with these hot spring deals
If you haven't heard, modern prep has taken over, reinvigorating the classic preppy staples of the 80s. So we found some incredible modern prep staples for your spring and summer wardrobe, all updated beautifully for 2024 -- and even better, they're all on sale. Like...
Easter Baskets for Teens and Tweens: Look no further than these 28 amazing ideas!
It can be hard putting together cool Easter baskets for teens and tweens. While our youngest kids may be content with a stuffed rabbit and a basket full of candy-filled plastic eggs, I'm excited to treat my three kids with some cool Easter gifts for teens that they'll...
Where to get your hands on the new Betsey Johnson x Peeps handbag
If you have a Peeps obsession like so many of us, you have to peep (sorry) the new Betsey Johnson x Peeps rhinestone bunny bag that's out just in time for Easter. In classic yellow, hot pink, or baby blue, this crossbody bag is tricked out in a bevy of rhinestones,...
Lovevery Baby: the beautifully curated developmental toy box subscription that parents adore
Pretend for a moment you have a personal shopper for your baby or young child -- who also happens to have amazing taste and a degree in developmental psychology. Well, that's basically what you get with Lovevery Baby, a wonderful subscription service that curates and...
The cant-miss women’s clothing sales to look for right now
We've been sharing plenty of sales and cool finds for updating your home for spring, but if it's your wardrobe that needs a refresh, we've got you covered there too! Here are just 9 shops you should be browsing if you want to find something you love for less. Find...
Revamp your spring decor with these 8 shops you may not have considered
Are you excited about updating your home decor for spring? You're in luck because we have a list of 8 shops that you might not have considered for beautiful, affordable, lovely things. Whenever people think about refreshing their furniture, or home decor, or adding...
The new Etsy Gift Mode: Try it, it’s fun!
Over the past few weeks, Etsy has slowly rolled out a new tool called Etsy Gift Mode. It's essentially a "gift finder" search function that lets you look for gifts for a particular person (teacher, partner, baby, coworker), select the occasion, and then choose 3 or...
The Best End of Season Sales: We found deep discounts on beauty, fashion, tech, kids, home + more
I spent the last few days digging through 5 of the biggest retailers with the best end-of-season deals, just to help you all head right to the good stuff with the best discounts. And wow -- there's a whole lot that's raising my eyebrows right now. Whether you're...
Tween sports journalist Pepper Persley won’t let the bullies win.
"The most meaningful piece of advice...never change who I am because of what others say...know that there are people who will support me for being me." Isn't that a message we want all our kids to grow up with? If it needs a little reinforcement -- which is sometimes...