Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
What the hell is a backpack fairy? The back to school episode. | Spawned episode 47
This week on Spawned with Kristen + Liz we're talking back to school! It's awesome! And yet...it's exhausting! Take a listen as we commiserate, laugh, offer helpful tips, and gawk at the most insane first day of school traditions that we found on Pinterest. (The...
The magic art of tidying twice a year: Spawned Episode 46
If you've already watched all the Rio Olympics replays and you need a little entertainment, here's our newest Spawned episode. On this episode on Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we tackle the topic of life with mess. How do you deal with your kids' messy rooms? What do...
Controversy over little girls and bikinis, and the new summer camp debate | Spawned episodes 44 + 45
If you've already binge-watched the entirety of OITNB and you're looking for a little entertainment, we've got you covered with two episodes of Spawned! And yes, that's kind of a pun. On the recent episode of Spawned with Kristen + Liz, we're discussing our post about...
More coolness from recent weeks…
Thank you Target, for your new line of cute new sensory-friendly clothing!
Scratchy tags, raised seams, and puffy patches on shirts or pants may seem like little things to a lot of us, but they can be big deals for kids with sensory issues. So leave it to Target to create a line of new sensory-friendly kids' clothing that's as cute as it is...
15 of the best birthday gift ideas for preschoolers that are under $15. For real.
Having a preschooler means lots of classmate birthday parties to look forward to during the school year. And that means lots of birthday gifts, which can really add up. Luckily, there are lots ideas of really cool birthday gift ideas for preschoolers that are under...
23 of the absolute cutest animal school supplies | Back to School Guide 2017
Kids outgrow trends so fast, there's something wonderful about animals, which our little kids love -- and our tweens and teens too. So next up in our 2017 Back-to-School Shopping Guide, we've put together a selection of the absolutely most adorable animal themed...
Tory Burch, Billie Jean King, and women’s equality FTW
I'd imagine that any of our mothers -- and fathers -- who were around in 1973 fighting the "battle of the sexes" would be happy to see the progress we've made since then, but disheartened to know that issues of inequality are still being fought on so many fronts. As a...
#Hairgoals: 10 cool hair braiding tutorials for girls with all kinds of hair.
SMy daughter's new obsession: hair braiding videos. She's all over YouTube, checking out the coolest braid styles she can do herself, do to her friends, do to me, do to her great-grandmother...basically anyone too nice or too tired to say no. Truth is, she's actually...
23 of the coolest Wonder Woman school supplies | Back to School Guide 2017
I think it's safe to say that this is the year of Wonder Woman. Okay, so on this site, every year has been the year of Wonder Woman, but with the hit movie introducing her to a new generation, our kids are clamoring for Wonder Woman gear for back-to-school that...
NASA’s own tip for making easy, DIY solar eclipse glasses. Because no, you can’t buy them anymore.
Okay, so you missed your opportunity to buy legit solar eclipse glasses for your family and you may have even missed the opportunity to get free solar eclipse glasses in select locations. That doesn't mean you should scorch your retinas for life for a few hours of...
12 motivational back-to-school printables to send kids off with a smile.
We've been hard at work rounding up some of the absolute coolest back to school gear for the season, like unicorn school supplies, crazy cheap preschooler gear, fun space-themed supplies, with tons more still coming. And now we've found a great selection of...
How well do Inkbox semi-permanent tattoos work? | Damn You, Social Media Ads
I’ve never taken the plunge to actually get a real tattoo. While Kristen's tattoos look amazing, the pain and permanence hold me back. So, when I saw the ads for semi-permanent tattoos from Inkbox in my Facebook feed over and over, I thought I'd give one a try as...
We love these My Little Pony, Hello Kitty, Super Mario, and Disney cosmetics for adults. No apologies.
Just because we’re grown ups doesn’t mean we have to grow up. Add some magic to your makeup.
The song reminding kids of all the goodness in the world, just when they need it.
This past week has been so difficult. For me, for all of us here...and probably for you. The events in Charlottesville have shined a bright light on bigotry and hate, which can do real damage to your soul. And if we feel scared and heartbroken -- well, imagine what it...
How one little gadget is making parents’ busy lives a whole lot easier.
Technology has the amazing power to simplify the lives of parents, which is exactly the case with the our newest sponsor, Wemo Mini. This little plug can turn any small appliance -- think lamps, fans, humidifiers, coffee makers -- in a smart appliance. And so...
What’s better than safe, kid-friendly nail polish? Safe, kid-friendly nail polish you can wash off with water.
My daughter loves nail polish, but she's not so crazy about taking it off once it starts to chip. As for me, I cringe a little when I soak her little kid fingers with strong nail polish remover. Because, chemicals. Right? So I love our latest discovery:...
29 very cool, very affordable back-to-school finds for tweens and teens
Back-to-school shopping with tweens and teens is like a whooole new thing. They have pretty strong opinions about what they love and don't love. Even more than preschoolers, if you can believe that. (Though at least they don't insist on wearing their swimsuit and...
9 of the coolest, prettiest 2017-18 school year planners to get you and your family on the same page
As much as I love the convenience and ease of digital calendar apps, I'm in the market for a brand new 2017-18 school year planner, because I'm a paper planner girl at heart. I always get a little thrill when it's time to get a new one, and that time is now! Because...
The best and worst states to have a baby in 2017 | Thinking: Parent
With a lot of concern around changing health care policy, tax increases impacting the middle class, benefit cuts to struggling families, and the fact that Americans already pay the highest birthing costs in the world, I was intrigued to check out WalletHub's...
Leland Ave Studios: Quilts to make you question your crafting skills
As someone with a mom who's an incredible quilter, I've always valued the intricacies of thecraft of quilting. And then I discovered Kim Smith of Leland Ave Studios, a former attorney turned mom-of-three, who definitely takes it to the next level. Her Lincoln quilt is...
Star Wars x Sperry: A match made in a galaxy far, far away. (Or Massachusetts, really.)
Forget having the coolest shoes in school, the Star Wars x Sperry mashup that just released this week may be the coolest sneakers in the galaxy. Classic shoe styles meets classic geek culture design? Yep, we're probably going to be stealing these Star Wars sneakers...
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...
Boost your beginner eater’s diet with these 10 best superfoods for babies and toddlers.
We here on the CMP team have a lot of collective parenting experience under our belts -- or, uh, stretchy waist bands -- and one thing that we all agree on is that starting solids is one of the most exciting and overwhelming developmental stages. There's just so much...
The best, most affordable places to buy jeans for tall girls.
I'm 5'11 and while I love my height now, middle school me wasn't thrilled about the perennial challenge of buying jeans for tall girls. Especially since my parents didn't want to spend a bundle on jeans that would only last one BTS season at best. With my willowy...