The Mom Hour

Grab a warm beverage and settle in for an end-of-year books chat! Meagan and Sarah look back over our reading in 2023 to share what we’ve read, what stuck with us, and how our reading habits have continued to evolve. Meagan also shares an update about Paper Mill Books, the independent bookstore in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan that she helped open earlier this year. Join us – you may just find a new book or two to throw on your TBR pile for 2024!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan opened a bookstore in July 2023.
• Episodes from the archives about books and reading
• Sarah uses Goodreads to keep track of the books she reads (we hear great things about and The StoryGraph, too!)
• Sarah mentioned:
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (highly recommend this interview with Kingsolver on The Ezra Klein Show after you finish the book!)
• Honor by Thrity Umrigar (Sarah previously loved The Space Between Us by the same author)
• We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman (whose writing on Substack is delightful and who IS, technically, our friend)
• The Emotional Lives Of Teenagers by Dr. Lisa Damour (catch Dr. Damour’s chat with Meagan in this episode, and check out her podcast here)
• Meagan’s List of Books:
• Once Upon A River by Bonnie Jo Campbell
• Unraveling What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein
• Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy And The Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Paulson
• Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• Books We Have On Deck for 2024:
• The Art Of Gathering by Priya Parker
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Sharma Vikes
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchet
• Meagan’s hosting a book club in her private community The Tea Circle. In 2024, they are reading The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl.

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

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Is new parenthood better or worse today than it was 10 years ago? Meagan and Sarah dive deep into this question today, unpacking nuanced issues like tech solutions for age-old problems, the availability of information and solutions for every struggle, and the benefits and drawbacks of connecting online. The consensus? It’s complicted. Join us!

HELPFUL LINKS

• We referenced your comments in this Facebook Post throughout the episode
• Sarah mentioned The Girl Next Door Podcast episode Online Behavior For Grown Ups
• You might also like What’s New In Baby Gear & Baby Shower Registries: Voices 77 with Kia Hammond and Katherine DeVries
• Episodes from the archives about New Motherhood:
• Things We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About (As New Moms): Episode 19
• When Will This Get Easier?: Episode 435
• Things We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About (Breastfeeding Edition): Episode 114

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tis’ the season to….feel the insane amount of pressure to be the “perfect” holiday mom. In this classic from the archives, Meagan and Sarah offer ever-relevant gut checks on some of the biggest pressures moms feel during the holiday season, and offer concrete tips for releasing yourself from expectations of perfection to enjoy what’s left of this holiday season. Join us!

Our holiday episodes often make brief mention of magical night visitors. If you have curious ears about, you’ve been warned!

HELPFUL LINKS

• Meagan referenced her embroidery hobby. Here are her tips for getting started.
• If making homemade teacher gifts really matter to you, check out How To Incorporate Handmade Gifts Into Your Holiday Giving and 6 Easy (We Promise!) Homemade Holiday Gifts You Can Make With Your Kids blogs are great for inspiration!
• The “What if I don’t?” question comes from Sarah’s conversation with Whitney Hawthorne in Time Management & Productivity Tips For Working Moms
• Meagan talked about her interview with Ashley Brown in this Voices episode.
• We referenced Meagan’s 25 day holiday pep talk blog from 2020.
• Episodes from the archives that pair well with this one:
• December Intentions For Busy Moms
• Moms Deserve A Magical Holiday, Too
• #Influenced: Episode 436

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
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• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s no time like bedtime to institute a few house rules that help diffuse power struggles, ease negotiation tensions, and shorten that long list of stalling techniques we’ve all come to know and fear. Today’s latest House Rules episode brings together our community’s best shortcuts and hacks for easier bedtimes, along with Meagan’s and Sarah’s personal experiences with evening shenanigans at every age and stage. Enjoy!

Helpful Links

• Click to see the Facebook Thread with all of your wonderful bedtime advice!
• Meagan uses her Hatch Clock to dim the lights before bed, helping to cue her to get sleepy.
• Did you enjoy this House Rules episode? Here are a few more from the archives:
• House Rules For Tidying Up: Episode 413
• House Rules For Gifting & Giving: Episode 393
• House Rules For After School: Episode 380
• House Rules for Playdates: Episode 340
• For more on bedtimes check out Bedtime Routines at Every Stage: Episode 80

Other Helpful Links

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feeling overwhelmed, or like the season is passing too quickly? Let today’s episode – a classic from the archives – help you pause, reflect, and reset. Meagan and Sarah offer our thoughts on how memories really “get made,” why simply changing what we notice around us can shift our mood, and what busy moms can do to capture the fleeting season to look back upon later. Join us!

This conversation originally aired as three separate mini-episodes, so you’ll hear us reference “yesterday” and “tomorrow” a few times – rest assured, that whole series has been edited into one full-length experience, all here for you today!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Sarah’s essay about noticing holiday decorations with little kids: Comet, The Red-Nosed Minivan
• Meagan mentioned dating in this episode. For an update on her love life check out More Than Mom: Weddings
• Sarah’s calendar planning essay referenced in this episode.
• How To Take Better Photos of Your Kids: Episode 81 and Family Photography & Capturing Moments with Amy Tripple: Voices 19 pair nicely with this episode
• Meagan mentioned her love of blogging. You can view her current writing on Substack
• 6 Things You Can Do To Get Dreamy Holiday Photos On Your Smartphone

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It feels good to complain once in a while – especially during the holidays. Today Meagan and Sarah laugh our way through a “vent sesh,” sharing mostly inconsequential gripes about what’s bugging us this year. While we often appreciate a positive reframe, we also know the cathartic power of airing a petty vent (or six). Plus, we share what’s new this holiday season for each of us. Join us!

Helpful Links:

• Here’s a post on Meagan’s instagram more about holiday decorating in her new home.
• If you are struggling to find a decent store-bought pumpkin pie like Sarah is this season, check out Meagan’s pie-from-scratch Substack article.
• Email Sarah if you have advice for managing mice habitants in your holiday stuff!
• Episodes you may enjoy from the archives:
• Honoring Cultural & Faith Traditions At The Holidays: Voices 82
• Home For The Holidays With Little Kids & Big Kids: Episode 341
• A Charcuterie Of Holiday Emotions
• We both welcome your petty holiday gripes at any time. Promise we will read them!

Other Helpful Links:

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Who came before us, and what can we learn from them? We think there’s a reason that ancestry research, genealogy, and discovering family stories holds a special interest for midlife women, and we’re here to talk about it. Meagan shares her journey back through time (and up to the UP!) to better understand her family’s roots. She shares what resources she used, her process for uncovering the unknowns, and what she’s discovered so far. Sarah has less direct experience but lots of curiosity. Join us!

Helpful Links

• Meagan is utilizing 23andme and Ancestry for filling in some unknowns about her family.
• Megan mentioned the start of her ancestry journey over the summer in this episode.
• www.Newspapers.com is helpful to learn about homes, buildings, and other historical data.
• Sarah had her parents preserve meaningful stories and memories in a keepsake book for her children.
• Meagan wrote a few posts about her Genealogy Journey:

I Found My Biological Grandfather. Now What?

Family history, genealogy, and the complicated concept of “cycle-breaking”

Other Helpful Links

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
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• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While we try not to kick ourselves when we’re down and generally avoid second-guessing our parenting choices, we are human. And sometimes that means we experience regret. Today Meagan and Sarah reflect on some big and small choices we’ve made (or not made) throughout our parenting journeys, and why we’d do things differently if given the chance. We also reflect on regret as an emotion, and why sharing regrets can bring about connection with others. Join us!

(You may not want to listen to this episode with little ears close by as we touch on some magic making topics.)

Helpful Links

• The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Dan Pink (affiliate link.)
• Sarah listened to this Dan Pink episode of Armchair Expert and loved it.
• This article summarizes the book and some of the research we mentioned: What Is the Power of Regret? A Conversation with Daniel Pink
• Our Worst #MomFail Moments: Episode 157

Other Helpful Links:

• Visit our website
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you have to identify as a musical person to nurture a love of music in your family? We think not. Meagan and Sarah look back at parenting babies, small kids, big kids and teens, reflecting on the role music has played in everything from bedtime to playtime, nurturing kids’ passions and finding shared interests as a family. We talk about what it means to “be musical,” how we thought our kids’ music learning would happen vs. how it actually played out, and what we’ve learned from our kids as their tastes and appreciation develop. Join us!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Sarah loved Music Together classes when her kids were babies through preschoolers
• Musical Episodes From The Archives
• More Than Mom: Musical Theater
• More Than Mom: Movie Musicals
• Stepping Into Your True Self with Musician Sarah Sample: Voices 24

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kassidi wants to become a more confident home cook and asks us where to begin. Natalie needs strategies for easing the long wind-down at bedtime for her co-sleeping toddler. Joy is considering traveling with young kids on her own but wonders what age is best to go for it, what activities to partake in and what to avoid when you’re on a mom-only trip with kids. In Episode 439, Meagan and Sarah take these questions from our community and offer tips and validation. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Listener Question episodes from the archives
• The Laundry Awards: Episode 398 was mentioned by listener Kassidy
• Cookbooks/Kitchen Books/ Podcasts mentioned (Bookshop.org links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase AND your purchases help support independent booksellers):
• The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (10th Anniversary Edition)
• Meagan and Sarah share foundational cookbooks they remember from growing up and young adulthood, which have pros and cons for the modern beginner: Joy Of Cooking and Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book
• Half Baked Harvest
• Melissa D’Arabian cookbook
• Didn’t I just Feed You (Podcast)
• The Lazy Genius Kitchen
• New York Times Cooking
• Meagan mentioned Mom Meltdowns, Oh No! Episode 01, about traveling solo with young kids.

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.