Spawned Parenting Podcast: Latest Episodes
The latest from Spawned, our award-winning parenting podcast
One-word New Year’s resolutions: The trick to making one you can finally keep. | Spawned Ep 27
This week on the Spawned Podcast, we closed out our year (or, we're opening the new one if you're listening now) with a really good talk about New Year's resolutions: The good, the bad, and the very very broken. First, don't call them resolutions I like Kristen's...
The great Santa debate: The magic of childhood or the end of trust with your children as you know it?
Each year around this time, we sit back (sometimes with popcorn) and we watch the passions ignite and the tempers flare and the tears flow as parents, psychologists, and armchair experts of all kinds debate the merits of Santa. It's amazing how many strongly held...
The dedicated holiday gift help series, Part 2 : Spawned episode 25
On this episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we were determined to help you with those hard-to-shop-for adults on your list, so we're giving out tips and dishing our our own favorite gifts from our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide. Plus, we have a good laugh about the...
More coolness from recent weeks…
The new Crayola nail polish by Sally Hansen: Sorry kids, these are just for us.
As parents, we're familiar with colorful crayon masterpieces pinned to our walls and, let's be honest, on our walls. But on our nails? Shut the front door. Sally Hansen has teamed up with Crayola to launch Crayola Insta-Dri Nail Polish in 12 of their crayon shades. So...
The Beyond Tablet: Is this cool new screen-free gaming system worth the price?
When my kids get bored over the summer, their go-to entertainment, other than the Xbox (of course), is board games. So when we got a chance to try out the new Beyond Tablet -- an electronic, but screen-free, tabletop gaming system -- in advance of its release, we were...
A BTDT mom’s guide to surviving sleepaway camp (you, not the kids!) | Spawned episode 79
Today on Spawned, guest host Stacie Billis joins Liz for a great chat that should put all you first-time sleepaway camp parents -- or future sleepaway camp parents -- at ease. Well, mostly. Tune in for tips like when to know your kid is ready for camp, how to decide...
Every kid doesn’t deserve a trophy. But they might deserve a merit badge.
This is a new take on the old idea of positively rewarding your kids. It’s 2017. It’s a new type of merit badge.
How one celeb is making Bessie Coleman’s story soar for kids.
When she decided she wanted to fly, she didn’t let anything hold her back.
The hipster baby carrier of the year, courtesy of Keith Haring
The upcoming Keith Haring special edition Ergobaby carriers are being promoted as a celebration of parenting and art. Which they are. But if you know about the vision of this now iconic pop artist, wearing these new carriers says so much more. Keith Haring’s rainbow...
23 of the coolest mermaid party ideas we adore. Fin-tastic!
Mermaids are big with kids. In other news, water is wet. So of course, mermaid parties are big with kids and honestly, with us adults too. In fact, this mermaid trend has legs. (So to speak.) And that means if you're looking for amazing mermaid party ideas for an...
Star-spangled slime: The perfect 4th of July DIY for kids.
My kids are way into slime -- and by "way into," if you're a parent, I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I mean. So of course I wanted to create a 4th of July slime recipe that would appease them. We've tried almost every safe, Borax-free slime recipes we've come...
So smart! A new board game subscription box to keep family game night fresh.
My kids' playroom has a bookshelf with piles of board games taller than me. So yeah, you could say we're fairly avid tabletop gamers at our house. But, even so, we're still always on the lookout for fun new games. If they're really affordable, even better. So you can...
The Rebel Girls are back, and they’re more badass and inspiring than ever.
It's hard to overstate how excited I was about the first volume of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. A whole book full of the biographies of stereotype-busting sheroes? Illustrated with gorgeous portraits from female artists around the world? Heck yeah, I was sold!...
Meet KOOV, a new STEM kit that lets kids build and control their own robot | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from KOOV For kids who love STEM -- and those parents who want to foster their kids' passion -- KOOV is a remarkable educational kit to help kids 8 and up create and control their own robots, bringing their own imaginative designs to life....
Should you really avoid SPF over 50? We’ve got facts, and we’ve got answers.
Growing up as a fair-skinned, redheaded kid, I'm no stranger to the intricacies of SPF labels. Or sunburns. Like lots of us, I always believed that the higher the SPF, the better the sun protection I'd get, but that's not necessarily the case. In fact, the EWG warns...
The new Ken dolls are here, some with big muscles in case you’re thinking of mocking their man buns.
In light of last year's big launch of the curvy Barbie dolls in three curvalicious body types, Mattel is following suit with a whole new series of next gen Ken dolls, A.K.A. "The Fashionistas." Let's just say, they've come a long, long way from the pale, scrawny...
The Night Sky’s custom star maps: The sweet, sentimental gift that’s modern, never sappy.
I'm a mom, you know, which means I pretty much can't help but feel sentimental about the special milestones in my family's life -- my kids' birthdays, preschool graduation, our daughter's adoption day. The thing is: I love finding ways to memorialize these moments,...
8 important tips to help families store medicines safely from the kids | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Educational Foundation While medicines help families feel better and stay well, it's important to keep those bottles safe from curious kids. Wherever you may be. Every year, about 60,000...
The sports bra solution for girls who don’t quite need a sports bra.
It's hard to believe that when we started this site, I was thinking about binkies for my daughter, and now it's like I blinked -- and I'm thinking about bras. Gah! While I wholly admit that the affordable Target made-up-brand-name bras are pretty great, especially for...
These little piggies teach the ABC’s. Awww…
We love these cool new socks because they’re not just practical; they’re also fun and educational.
Dad wisdom: Quotes from 16 of our favorite cool dads
We recently spoke to 16 of our favorite dad bloggers and put together their best Father's Day wisdom and words of advice all in one place. It's absolutely worth a read for these dads' humor, their insight, their sincerity and their wit -- especially this evergreen...
The baby book that will have you wanting to make a baby book.
So new parents in pursuit of Baby Book perfection, you’ve met your match.
A fun board game for summer that our kids can’t stop playing.
Last week, my son and I visited the Innovator's Fair here in Philadelphia and discovered our newest board game obsession: Maze Racers. It combines creativity and building with mazes in a super fun way. Let's just say, we're all addicted. Including me. Related: The...
The one surprising thing that happened when I switched to a natural deodorant.
I'm the kind of person who needs the prescription strength-type antiperspirant, so for me to make the switch to a natural deodorant is a big deal. Granted, it's not the first time I've tried, and while it was pretty successful (yay Primal Paste), I did end up getting...