Spawned Parenting Podcast with Liz of Cool Mom Picks

It can be tough to know where and when to start when it comes to kids and money. And don't even get started about the allowance question. How much? And for what? Well, we've got ALL the answers thanks to our special guest Beth Kobliner , who's a financial expert, and NYT bestselling author. We're chatting about her new book " Make Your Kid a Money Genius " and tackling our questions and yours, too...

We thought it would be fun to do an Oscars episode, but then realized we hadn't seen any of the movies (unless you count a couple of the animated feature). Ah, parenting! So instead, we're talking about all the things that change when you have kids, from sleep to finances, to exercise and yes, not seeing the Oscar-nominated movies. And of course, we've got our cool picks of the week. Got a show id...

Considering pretty much everyone had something to say about Meryl Streep's Golden Globes speech, we figured we'd jump on the bandwagon too. On today's episode, we're sharing our first reactions, our controversial tweet that got us a couple unfollows, and why Liz played it for her kids. Oh yes she did. Plus, as always, our cool picks of the week. You can find all the links we talk about on our show...

We've decided this is finally the year to actually tackle all those darn New Year's resolutions we make and just never seem to be able to keep. Whether you want to lose weight, eat better, take more time for yourself, read more, get your finances together (you get the idea), we're sharing our own advice, plus tips and tricks from the experts, on how to actually make 2017 of getting sh*t done. You...

We decided that what we needed (hey, maybe you too) was some good old fashioned almost pee-your-pants laughter, so on today's episode of Spawned, we're sharing some of the best holiday humor from around the web. From weird Pinterest hoilday crafts using things you won't believe people used to make crafts, to hilarious holiday tweets, plus funny holiday cards, blog posts that made us cry-laugh, and...

For this special extended version of Spawned, we tackle your funny, smart, challenging, and hilarious holiday questions. How do you deal with the "Is Santa real?" question? What should you do about unwelcome holiday guests, animal and human? How to you manage overly involved grandparents, disgruntled tweens, and the mother-in-law? We've got answers to all this and a whole lot more. Listen to see i...

With our big annual holiday gift guide on our site and the holiday shopping season is here, we decided it would be helpful and fun to share all our inside, expert online shopping tips that will save you money. You won't believe how easy they are and how much you could save. Seriously, even Kristen didn't know some of these! And of course, we share our cool picks of the week. Surprise, they're holi...

As much as we love Thanksgiving, it is a notoriously stressful time for lots of families. Especially this year. So, on this episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we're sharing our tips for how to survive the holiday. Whether it's coming prepared with games and activities to distract the kids, to even opting out of the celebration if you don't think your mental health can hack it, we're sharing...

We're all needing a little media respite these days and there's just something to be said about enjoying a little grown-up time once the kids are asleep to do just that. Our favorite past time: Binge watching, of course! On this episode, we play TV critics and share the 8 shows we're obsessed with right now, some because they're amazing, others because we're waiting for them to get better. Should...

After a Cool Mom Picks Facebook post about an uber-for-kids service we featured on our Cool Mom Tech site blew up with a nasty comment about working parents, we just had to talk about it. On this episode, we're sharing the comment in question, plus real things fellow working parents have actually heard. You might not believe they're real. We try to figure out why people decide to say this stuff ou...

If you're like so many people we've spoken with (including us) and are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, maybe even triggered by the current state of the election, we've got our self-care tips and tricks to help get you through the next few weeks. We're sharing what's worked for us, and we hope it helps you too. Plus, we share our Cool Picks of the Week, along with one from a listener!  You can find a...

In this episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we answer burning questions about Halloween, like how much is too much to spend on a Halloween costume? What the heck is a switch witch? Is it okay to invoke the mommy candy tax? And, we rank the worst "sexy" Halloween costumes we've ever seen. Let's just say they are quite...creative.  You can find all the links featured in this episode on our  Coo...

What's with parents who complain that their kids won't eat junk food? Or that their children speak way too many languages? On today's episode of Spawned, we're talking about humble braggarts on social media, and why it bothers us so much. Plus, we ask the question if it's ever okay to brag about your kids and if so, how to do it without making everyone else nuts.  As always, you can find all the l...

We're debunking the whole "Work-Life Balance" myth with best-selling author Samantha Ettus, with solid ways to help you ditch mom guilt, the best kind of multi-tasking, and why Shonda Rhimes is the queen of email management, plsu a whole lot more.  You'll find information about Samantha's new book  The Pie Life , plus all the links and cool picks we chat about on our show over on our Cool Mom Pick...

Even if you don't have tweens or teens, we think you'll get a kick out of this episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, featuring special guest Robert Wilder, an award-winning author with a new YA novel  Nickel , on bookshelves everywhere. He offers humorous stories and great tips, plus talks about his new book. And as always, we share our Cool Picks of the Week, which we think you'll find especia...

We're so thrilled to chat with singer songwriter Lisa Loeb (yes, her!), who's got lots to say about the big changes that are happening to kids' music. Sorry, Barney. Plus, we talk everything from staying hip over 40, to etsy and embroidery, plus what it's like for her kids to see as a cartoon character in the new season of  Creative Galaxy . And, as always, we all share our Cool Picks of the Week!...

On this very special 50th episode of Spawned, we chat with Anne Holton, the wife of Democratic VP nominee Tim Kaine about issues families care about, like public education, paid sick leave, and the importance of voting. But, we also got the dish on what Hillary’s really like, what Anne and Tim are currently binge watching, and how she feels being married to America’s Dad. Plus, Anne shares her own...

On this week's episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we're chatting with humorist and writer  Wendi Aarons  about one of the most popular posts she wrote on Cool Mom Picks:  The 9 worst television shows for kids . Wow, did people have a lot to say about this post. Is Wendi a "frigid witch" as one commenter called her for putting Teletubbies at the top? How did Caillou not make this list? All is...

On this week's episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we're talking about the sexist Rio Olympics coverage -- and beyond -- and how it disturbs us as parents. Also, how the heck do we talk to our kids about it? Plus, our cool picks of the week, which include a very cool back to school essential and a fantastic book you won't want to miss.  We love hearing from you! Feel free to drop us an email...

It's back to school time which is both good and...well, argh. Liz + Kristen trade grievances about getting kids out of the house on time in the morning, offer tips to help make things easier, and share fun back to school shopping finds. Plus Liz finds the world's craziest first day of school traditions on Pinterest (brace yourselves) and we share our cool picks of the week. We love hearing from ou...

We're back from our summer hiatus with all new Spawned episodes. Up first, we tackle the topic of life with mess. How do you deal with your kids' messy rooms? What do you keep clean and what do you let go? Do you have the yearly celebratory dusting schedule like Kristen and Liz? We share our tips, tricks, as well as how we prioritize in our own homes. Plus, as always, we share our cool picks of th...

Our recent Cool Mom Picks feature on modest 2-piece bathing suit choices for girls sparked a huge debate on our Facebook page and we couldn't help but chat more about it on Spawned. What's okay for girls to wear? Should there be limits and dress codes? Or are we perpetuating sexist stereotypes when we do? We discuss all of it and more, plus share our Cool Picks of the Week. If you'd like to weigh...

With summer right around the corner, parents everywhere are trying to figure out schedules and how they're going to manage the cost of summer camp. Who knew that a New York Times article about the high cost of summer camps would blow up our  Facebook page ? On this episode, we chat with the author of that piece: Writer, contributing editor and columnist at the New York Times' " Well Family " KJ De...

On today's extra special, extra long episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we've got two of the coolest parents (and married people), actors Jenna and Bodhi Elfman, who also happen to be co-hosts of one of our favorite podcasts,  Kicking and Screaming . We were blown away by their funny and very frank thoughts on love, relationships, and parenting, and we think you will be too. Whether it's how...

We all heard everyone tell us that kids grow up fast and now, here we are, with a couple of tweens and doing our best to navigate the ups and downs of parenting them. On this episode of Spawned, Liz and Kristen tackle the tough topic of parenting older kids, from how to connect with them to how to start early (yes, talking to you parents of younger kids). We've got advice from been-there-done-that...