Spawned Parenting Podcast with Liz of Cool Mom Picks

Hooray! We're back with a brand new episode of Spawned with Kristen and Liz, or now, the award-winning Spawned with Kristen and Liz! Yes, we won an Iris Award for Best Parenting Podcast at the Mom 2.0 Summit and we couldn't be more thrilled. On this episode, we catch you up on everything we've been up to over the last couple of months when your podcast app was quiet, including Kristen's 40th birth...

Spring break is coming up and if you're terrified of flying with kids, we think you can do it! And hey, if you're a non-parent terrified of flying NEAR kids we can help you too. Take a listen for some funny stories, and quick tips and tricks from seasoned family travelers that will keep everyone happy. Plus, find out just what the deal is with Kristen's obsession with tape. Plus, we've got our coo...

It's one whirlwind of an election year. So we're taking on the tough topic of how to talk to kids of all ages about politics with some helpful tips. We discuss how to address the violent and hateful rhetoric making the rounds, handling family members who may have different opinions, and how to teach kids to disagree respectfully...or when to just walk away. Plus we've got our cool picks of the wee...

Today, Kristen and Liz tackle a tough parenting question: How do you and will you share about your kids online? They share their own experiences as bloggers, web publishers, and parents of tweens, plus talk about what the research says. Will it hurt kids in the long run? Does it matter why you're sharing? They tackle all those questions and give tips on how to decide what you're most comfortable w...

Liz and Kristen have a fantastic discussion with the one and only LeVar Burton, host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow (and of course, known to Trekkies everywhere). He offers some amazing tips for raising readers, what parents can do to help, and how his new Reading Rainbow Skybrary School Edition will help even more children bridge the achievement gap. Plus, we've got our cool picks of t...

We're so happy to welcome our special guest Jessica Lahey, author of the NYT best-seller, The Gift of Failure. She's got tons of helpful tips for parents that you'll want to hear. Plus she schools us on just why we need to let our kids fail more (and not bring their lunches to school when they forget them, ahem), how to get kids excited about learning for its own sake, how to identify and encourag...

Today, we've got a racy one for you, as maternity designer, parenting author and Bravo star Rosie Pope joins us for a very candid chat about sex after pregnancy: The dos, the don'ts, and the don'ts that apparently Liz and Kristen did anyway. Oops. Get the kids out of the room, pour some wine then take a listen! You'll find all the show notes at  coolmompicks.com , and feel free to tweet us with yo...

We've polled our friends, fans and followers and come up with 14 of the very best, most honest, and sometimes most hilarious tips for new parents from other parents who've BTDT. Do you agree with the advice? (And no, we don't get into sleep training or circumcision so, breathe.)  If you have your own new parent advice to share, or questions or comments for Kristen and Liz, you can email us at  spa...

What's it like to parent when your spouse or partner's job keeps them away a lot? Both Kristen and our special guest co-host Courtney Greisman share their own experiences as a single married parent (and their thoughts on that controversial moniker). And Kristen spills the beans on her 3-day juice cleanse. No potty jokes, promise.  Make sure to visit  coolmompicks.com  for all the links you hear on...

You might think we earned our explicit this week talking about Valentine's Day, but no, it was actually our lively discussion about Grease Live! and all the sexual innuendos and euphemisms that went right over our heads as kids. And possibly now too. We do also chat about all things Valentine's Day with kids -- the cards, the crafts, the mailboxes?! -- plus all the people who think it should just...

It's true! After only sixty years or so of women complaining about Barbie’s unrealistic figure, Mattel has decided to get with the 21st century zeitgeist and the changing look of the world, releasing Barbies with three new body shapes, along with new skin tones, hair colors, and facial features. And of course, Liz and Kristen had to talk about it: The good, the bad, and the curvy. But first, the c...

This week, we tackle a question from listener Shari who wanted us to talk about making friends after kids. Or as Liz added, "Or kids after friends." We share our own experiences losing and making friends as new parents, plus offer up helpful tips for new parents to meet other new parents. And we couldn't help but talk about the passings of so many rock music greats as of late. What is going on? Ar...

Yes, perhaps it's a bit cliche' but we couldn't help but tackle organization with inside tips and tricks from five top organizational experts. Maybe you, like Liz, will find something that will finally click and magically whip your house into shape. But first, a lively discussion about rules amongst friends, and why Kristen wants you to tell her she's got food stuck in her teeth. And as always, we...

You guessed it, listeners! We're talking Star Wars. Do we still need a spoiler alert? Like the rest of the world, we're wondering where the heck all the Rey toys are, and not just for our girls, by the way. Plus, we've got the scoop on one of the hottest (and possibly most bizarre) new tech products from the big Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that's happening in Las Vegas this week. And of course...

Welcome to our last episode of 2015! Kristen and Liz are closing out the year with a discussion about New Year's Resolutions: Why those three words, when all together, completely suck. We've got some better ways to think about them so you might actually keep them this year -- we're rooting for you! Plus, family why family resolutions can be a very cool idea. We're also laughing about the "Christma...

Today, Kristen and Liz take on the Santa debate: Is it all about childhood magic and the spirit of giving? Is it a great big lie that will destroy the trust with your kids for all of eternity? And what do you say when kids ask the big question? Wow, do people have strong opinions about this and we cover them all. Including what to tell kids when they ask how he gets into a NYC apartment building....

Today Kristen and Liz are determined to help you with all the hard-to-shop-for adults on your holiday lists! From budget ideas and DIY gifts to charitable donations and great big splurges, we've got ideas for your mother-in-law, your partner, even that one person who says "don't get me a gift at all." If you have questions about the show -- including your biggest gift conundrums -- send them our w...

Today Kristen and Liz are talking holiday shopping, the hell that is Black Friday (unless you shop from home in PJs like we do), the apps that save you money, and some of our very favorite gift ideas for kids of all ages. Basically, it's like an entire cool picks of the week episode. Fun! We're so glad you joined us today! Remember to subscribe to our feed so you never miss any episode. And if you...

Okay so yeah. The Starbucks red cup controversy. We just couldn't help but weigh in on whether we approve of Satan's own minimalist design. Then Kristen and Liz talk about raising kids in a world that's so obsessed with beauty and image. How do we talk to them about makeup, retouching school photos, Instagram trickery, self-esteem and other tough questions? Plus, we've got two very cool, and very...

We've had so many emails from our awesome listeners on topics from helicopter parenting to our musical tastes (and lots in between!), we thought we'd take them on one by one in our first ever very special Spawned Listener Day episode. Whoo! Plus, we've got a special surprise with this week's Cool Picks of the week. And if you've got a question for us, email us spawned@coolmompicks.com and maybe we...

Whoo, we're legal! Well, actually we're 21 weeks but that's legal in podcasting years, so Kristen and Liz have a very funny discussion about what we were actually drinking at 21, versus now. (Uh, Kristen is mixing vodka with WHAT?) Then we have a little...okay, let's call it a vent session about Pinterest Syndrome. What's great about all those recipes and DIY photos and what makes us crazy. Becaus...

Kristen and Liz talk thank you note etiquette because wow, our Facebook fans have strong feelings about this one! Are we all doing it wrong? Will a text message thank you or an email blacklist you from parties forever? And what's with those weird thank you notes for baby gifts "from the baby?" We're also confessing all our Halloween candy sins that we hope our kids never discover. And as always, w...

After one of you awesome iTunes subscribers mentioned you'd have Liz and Kristen at your famous person dinner (aw!), Liz and Kristen discuss who would be at their own famous person dinner... well, beyond Kristen's request for a table of hot guys. Then we tackle getting your kids started on email. Wow, so many things you might not have thought about that we bet you'll appreciate hearing, whether yo...

So let's talk about kids and cursing. Kristen has some interesting rules at home that really surprised Liz! Actually, we talk about parents and cursing too -- what do you say around your kids? What do they say around you? What do they say when they think you're not listening, and how do we talk about it with them? Is a more lax media to blame? What's the surprise benefit of cursing that we recentl...

Here's hoping Emily Post doesn't roll over in her grave after hearing Liz and Kristen's discussion about kids and manners. What should kids know? How do you decide what to teach your kids? Also, Kristen and Liz talk about Halloween costumes for kids and why they seem to have gotten so sexy, or as Liz's daughters call them, sassy. And as always, we share our cool picks of the week. Catch up on all...