The new parental controls and screen time management tools coming to iOS 12. THANK YOU, APPLE.
No judgments, parents -- we too have admitted (often) that it can be hard to manage kids' screen time, especially when our kids get older and we're not attached at the hip. Well Apple gets it too, and in today's big iOS 12 announcement, we're particularly excited...
How huge changes to Spotify Free just made it even more amazing | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message from Spotify Spotify remains the world's largest global music streaming subscription service and for good reason. It's transformed the way we can all find and enjoy music for free. And now, thanks to some amazing updates -- the first big...
These Nintendo water bottles are S’well. Literally.
Aren't these water bottles such a clever collaboration from our friends at Nintendo and S'well? We love S'well bottles, and we love Nintendo, so it's no surprise we're loving these new bottles. Sure, they're fun for Father's Day, but keep them in mind for graduation,...
Science Activities for Teens and Older Kids: The Cool Mom Tech Science Guide for Kids
While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be more thrilled to bring you this...
Yes, it’s true. Amazon’s Alexa has been recording your conversations.
So, we were all a little freaked out about the story that an Amazon Echo had recorded a private conversation in a user's home, then sent that conversation to someone else. Because, oof. Beyond embarrassing, this is a major privacy breakdown on Alexa's part. Girl, that...
Why iOS apps are better than Android apps, and why we tend to review more iOS apps
Every so often, a commenter gets frustrated that we have reviewed an iOS-only app, and asks why we don't review more Android apps. We feel you. So every so often, we offer a response as to why iOS apps tend to be better than Android apps, and why iOS apps are easier...
Science Activities for Kindergarteners: The Guide to Science for Kids
While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be more thrilled to bring you this...
Science Activities for Tweens: The Cool Mom Tech Science Guide for Kids
While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be more thrilled to bring you this...
Science Activities for Grade Schoolers (Part 2): The Cool Mom Tech Science Guide for Kids
While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be more thrilled to bring you this...
Add some positivity into your news feed with the Womaze app
If your social media feeds are like mine, they're no longer places for me to find out what's going on with my friends and distant family. Instead, they're oftentimes the source of stress and anxiety for me, given the constant influx of sad news and anger. While I do...
What you need to know about Cosmo After Dark on Snapchat, parents.
I am not going to say "I told you so!" when it comes to Snapchat, but it's mighty tempting after the recent launch of Cosmopolitan's new Cosmo After Dark stories that go live every Friday at 6pm EDT. And hey, I even wrote a book about sex for parents. Let's just say...
Summer travel news: What you need to know about the smart luggage ban
With summer travel season right around the corner, and many families, including ours, planning vacations, we wanted to take a moment to talk about the smart luggage ban that came down earlier this year. While it might only affect a few of you, we think it's important...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
A clever Google Maps trick you’ll be very glad to know about if you travel
As I was prepping for our family vacation to Iceland, I found myself searching for information about cellular signals -- not so I can check my email while I'm gone, but so I can use Google Maps. While I found several posts that assured me my service provider's signal...
iPhone trick: How to lock and password-protect notes in your Notes app.
Raise your hand if you know how to lock your notes on the Notes app on your iPhone. And now...here's me not raising my hands.Honestly, I never even realized you could do it at all! So leave it to my 11-year-old daughter to show me a cool iPhone tip I hadn't ever...
5 free parental controls for cable TV that you may not know about
One of parents' biggest concerns about kids today, is the access they have to inappropriate content. Parents are often asking us for parental control devices, services and apps to help them moderate what kids' can see and keep them safe. And there are plenty! But what...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
The NES Classic is back. Back again.
So this is how the story goes. Nintendo brought back the NES Classic in November, 2016 and it sold out almost immediately. Then lots of people were sad and gnashing their teeth (okay, slight exaggeration. Maybe). Well, it's back. Again. Related: Got a Nintendo Switch?...
Science Activities for Grade Schoolers (Part 1): The Cool Mom Tech Science Guide for Kids
While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be more thrilled to bring you this...
The Pop Ups kill it with their new synth pop album Giants of Science.
Brooklyn-based kindie music geniuses The Pop Ups's new album is out today, and (thanks to a sneak-preview) my kids are already hooked. To be honest, I am too. If you're new to the kid-music scene, you might recognize The Pop Ups's psychedelic synth-pop sound from...
Target’s new AR Beauty Studio lets you try make-up on at home. But does it work?
I'm always a little hesitant to shop for make-up from home, because unless I've tried something on at a store, then waited to go home to order it, I have absolutely no idea how a certain color is going to look on me. Plus, even when I'm in the store, I'm not super...
The best way to sign-off on your emails. Hint: It’s not “best.”
Back a couple of years ago, Liz and I addressed our email pet peeves in one of our first Spawned podcast episodes. It was actually Episode 4, to be exact. Aw. Sniffle! Well, apparently, the debate about how to sign-off on your emails is back, except now, with actual...
These 3 tips can help you simplify your tech life. Try them!
We declutter our closets, and rotate our kids' toys, but what about all those apps on your phone right now? Or the notifications pinging you every few minutes? Do I even need to bring up how many photos you have on your phone? Related: 6 ways to simplify your tech...
Mother’s Day tech: 4 gadgets that make life easier and better for busy parents
Happy Mother's Day, cool techie moms! We celebrated today with fellow mom Becky Quick on CNBC's On The Money, sharing four of our favorite tech gadgets that help make our lives easier and better. We hope you love them as much as we do. Tile I can't live with my Tile,...
Poll your friends with the new Instagram emoji slider!
If you were already a big fan of the Instagram Story poll feature, but felt like it was a little limiting (why only two answers, Instagram?), they just launched a new emoji slider poll that might just give you the voting nuance you were hoping for. Related: How to...
These funny Mother’s Day cards are so 21st century
I always say that when it comes to parenting, if I wasn't laughing, I'd be crying. Maybe that's why I love these funny Mother's Day cards that you still might be able to grab before Sunday if you hurry, or in a couple of cases, download them. Yay 2018! And heck, even...
A cool Mother’s Day gift for your favorite mobile mama.
No, sorry! It's not an iPhone case with your kids' photos all over it. Though, look, we love those too. But for the tech-savvy mobile mom who's happy to show you photos of her kids from her iPhone gallery, she needs this fun, glittery Hey Mama iPhone case by Rebecca...
Carmen Sandiego meets Cooking Mama, in this cool cooking game for kids
News flash: our kids love video games. But they also love to help cook in the kitchen. So when we saw that the new Issa's Edible Adventures app teaches them to cook virtually and IRL, we knew we had to try it out. It's part Carmen Sandiego, traveling the world to...
Have a little bit of Star Wars Day fun, courtesy of your Amazon Echo.
If watching your favorite Star Wars movies on loop isn't a big enough celebration for your May the 4th, you can tap into your Amazon Echo for a little extra fun. Related: Star Wars slime recipes. Yes, they exist. According to the Daily Dot, Alexa now has a bunch of...