Spawned With Kristen And Liz Of Coolmompicks

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 Dell'Antonia. We discuss why everyone on our Facebook page got so upset (the comments might really surprise you), plus talk about the other issue about parents not being able to afford summer camp that you might not have thought about. And as always, we share our Cool Picks of the Week. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic and our show! Tweet us @CoolMomPicks #SpawnedShow, catch us on Facebook, and email us: spawned@coolmompicks.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 to keep your relationship alive during those newborn months to how to survive your parenting fails (and learn from them), we bet you'll fall in love with these two cool parents. And, lucky us, both Jenna and Bodhi share their own Cool Picks of the Week. You can find all the links we chat about on coolmompicks.com, or reach us on Twitter @coolmompicks with #spawnedshow, or drop us an email spawned@coolmompicks.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 moms, book recommendations, and our own personal anecdotes that we hope help. Or at least, make you feel like you're not alone. And of course, our Cool Picks of the Week, one of which you will want to get your weekend started off right! As always, we love hearing from you! Find us on our site Cool Mom Picks, on Twitter (#spawnedshow), or drop us an email spawned@coolmompicks.com. Thanks for listening and subscribing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 birthday which had us thinking about the whole young moms vs. old moms war. Is it easier being a younger mom? Are later-in-life moms more prepared? Why can't all moms just get along? We tackle those questions, as well as share our Cool Picks of the Week.  If you want to join in on the conversation (and we hope you do), head over to our Cool Mom Picks podcast page to get all the links from our show, plus catch us on Twitter (use #SpawnedShow). And please send us a letter (as Liz calls them): spawned@coolmompicks.com. Thanks for listening!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 cool picks of the week that we think you'll love. Find links mentioned here at coolmompicks.com, follow us on social media @coolmompicks or email spawned@coolmompicks.com with your own suggestions, comments, and parenting conundrums. Thanks for joining us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 week -- which both might help you in an election year too! You can find the all the links we mention today at coolmompicks.com, and if you have something to add or your own questions, find us on social media @coolmompicks with hashtag #spawnedshow or email spawned@coolmompicks.com. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 with when it comes to your own kids. If you've got an opinion or want to weigh in, find us on Twitter @coolmompicks with the #spawnedshow, visit our podcast page on CoolMomPicks.com, or drop us an email at spawned@coolmompicks.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 the week, including two of LeVar's own favorite books for children.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 encourage your kids' strengths, and why quitting activities isn't the worst thing in the world. We'd love to know if you agree! Find us at @coolmompicks on social media with hashtag #spawned show or email Kristen and Liz at spawnedshow@coolmompicks.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 your own questions or comments using #spawned show.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 spawned@coolmompicks.com, or find us on Twitter and Facebook @coolmompicks using the hashtag #SpawnedShow. You can also find show notes on CoolMomPicks.com. Thanks for joining us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 the show, find us on Twitter @coolmompicks, on Facebook, or send us an email at spawned@coolmompicks.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 be an adult holiday. Join the conversation by tweeting us @CoolMomPicks with the hashtag #SpawnedShow, email us spawned@coolmompicks.com, and make sure to visit our site CoolMomPicks.com for all the links we mention on our show. Thanks for listening!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 crazy winter storm Jonas that brought out the sanctimommies.  Catch all the links from our show over on CoolMomPicks.com, and find us on Twitter @CoolMomPicks #SpawnedShow. Got a question? Want to suggest a show idea? Email us spawned@coolmompicks.com. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? Are you freaking out about it too? Plus, we've got our own cool picks of week, one just in time for the first big storm of the season if you're on the East Coast like we are.   Catch all the links from our show over on CoolMomPicks.com, and catch us on Twitter @CoolMomPicks #SpawnedShow. Got a question? Want to suggest a show idea? Email us spawned@coolmompicks.com. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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're sharing our cool picks of the week.  For all the links we mention on our show, be sure to head over to our podcast page on CoolMomPicks.com, and feel free to connect with us on Twitter (@CoolMomPicks #SpawnedShow), Facebook (@CoolMomPicks), and via email: spawned@coolmompicks.com. Thanks for listening! Today’s show is brought to you by the new Middle grade novel The Terribble Two Get Worse, the hilarious sequel to The Terrible Two, which spent over 10 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, our cool picks of the week, one of which might help you tackle that Christmas 15 we talked about. Visit coolmompicks.com to get all the links mentioned on our show, also find us on Twitter (@CoolMomPicks) and use #spawnedshow or drop us an email spawned@coolmompicks.com. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 "Christmas 15" and all the absurd weight loss tips we've seen in magazines lately. Plus, our cool picks of the week, which gets Liz a little emotional this time around. If you have questions, comments, show ideas, catch us on Twitter or Facebook at @coolmompick using hashtag #SpawnedShow or email @spawned@coolmompicks.com. And don't forget to subscribe to our feed so you don't miss an episode in 2016, which will be our best full year of episodes yet, guaranteed. Happy new year everyone! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. (Hint: Liz did not a do a good job with this one.) We're also talking about holiday cards and whether they've jumped the shark, and of course we've got our cool picks of the week, which both happen to make really great last minute gifts. If you have any questions, comments, strong feeling about Santa to share, or last-minute gift conundrums, catch us @coolmompicks on Twitter or Facebook with hashtag #spawnedshow or pop us an email to spawned@coolmompicks.com. We love hearing from you so keep them coming! And don't forget to subscribe to our feed, which would be a nice, free holiday gift for us. Thanks so much for lis

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 way! We love listener questions. Reach us at spawned@coolmompicks.com, or find us on Facebook or Twitter @coolmompicks using the hashtag #SpawnedShow. And don't forget to subscribe to our feed so you don't miss an episode. And if you love the show, we love you back! Even more so if you leave us a kind review on iTunes. Think of it as your holiday gift to us. And, it's free! Thanks so much for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices