The Mom Hour

Spending time with extended family can bring on parenting challenges that don’t come up as often in our day-to-day routines. If you’re anticipating some uncomfortable situations this holiday season, don’t fret! Meagan and Sarah have your back with this episode’s round-up of some of your best listener questions and our advice, focused on traveling for the holidays (or not), surviving group events with different parenting styles, handling criticism (and unwanted advice) and much more. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Listener question episodes from the archives
• If we shared your listener question today, we’d love to hear from you about how things turned out!
• Meagan mentioned this episode about handling judgement.

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.

At what age are kids ready for team sports? How do kids respond when parents volunteer to coach? (And what about the other parents?) How much is too much and what’s the deal with travel teams? The Mom Hour contributors Jayme and Jennifer share their experience as one-time competitive athletes who now have sporty kids. Listen to find out what they love, what gives them pause, and what they look forward to in the realm of youth sports. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Follow Jayme Sherrod from The Mom Hour team on Instagram
• Follow Jennifer Carrol from The Mom Hour team on Instagram
• Jennifer wrote the blog post Yes, YOU Can Coach Youth Sports! which inspired this episode.
• Listen to the Stuff, Junk & Things, an episode from the archives featuring Jayme and Jennifer in July 2023.
• Here are more episodes about Sports from the archives:
• Sports Fandom & Family Culture: Episode 225
• How To Be A Happier Sports Parent: Episode 117
• Let’s Discuss “Sports Parenting”: Episode 18
• Here is the Facebook Community post referenced in this episode about wanting to skip extracurriculars altogether.

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’s that time–the run-up to winter holidays is officially HERE! While we’re still early in the season, Meagan and Sarah offer practical, do-able ideas for taking action now to relieve stress and pressure later in the year. We also share tips from The Mom Hour listener community on everything from making holiday meals easier to getting ahead on gift ideas for kids. Join us!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Our Facebook Community shared lots of great ideas for “Do This Now, Enjoy The Holidays Later” in this facebook post
• The Mom Hour Holiday Headquarters is live for 2023! Check back often for updates and additions.
• Episodes similar to this one:
• Do This Now; Enjoy Summer Later (Part One): Episode 411
• Do This Now; Enjoy Summer Later (Part Two): Episode 412
• Sarah listened to the audiobook Calm Christmas And A Happy New Year by Beth Kempton that includes a pdf for reflecting on the past year. There’s also a Calm Christmas Podcast if you want to take a listen. Beth’s motivational style is very gentle and cozy.
• The Lazy Genius has a Holiday Docket is a workbook with 7 practical steps to help you enjoy the holidays and celebrate the season well – our community highly recommends!

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.

From wool underwear to fussy ice cubes, make-up fails to planners that don’t stick: we’ve been #Influenced and we’re hear to talk about it. (Technically, we’re talking about it again – we chatted on this topic in 2021 but these are all-new revelations!) Join Meagan and Sarah to hear what we’ve been #influenced to buy, to do, to make, and to consume recently. Plus, we touch upon what the algorithm gets right about us, AND what it gets wrong (Instagram thinks Meagan is a witch and Sarah is 70+ years old!). Enjoy!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• More Than Mom: #Influenced is an episode from the archives (2021)
• Sarah was influenced early on by bloggers who are still creating content like Kristen Howerton, Rebecca Woolf, and The Mom Edit.
• Meagan was influenced early on by bloggers who partnered with the socially-concious fashion brand ABLE
• Sarah’s loving Me Undies, thanks to podcast advertising
• We both love Olive & June (a sponsor!), and seeing everyone’s manis on Instagram influenced Sarah to consistently paint her nails
• Beth Kempton inspired Meagan to write a book and start writing on Substack
• Meagan loves her Hatch Clock (affiliate link)
• Sarah would be lost without Todoist (affiliate link)
• ThreadUp is Sarah’s favorite place to shop
• Meagan uses Bobbi Brown Miracle Balm
• Meagan is trying out Wool& dresses

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.

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Today Emily, Joanne and Lisa come together in conversation about their personal experiences with miscarriage in an effort to help moms in our community feel less alone. If this topic is heavy for you, our hearts are with you. Thank you to our team members for sharing their stories, and to each of your for listening.

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Get to know Lisa, Joanne and Emily from our contributor team.
• Follow Lisa Payne on Instagram
• Follow Joanne Ruelos Diaz on Instagram
• Follow Emily Roark on Instagram
• Click Here to find a therapist in your area. There’s a search bar that makes it really easy to search by issue and location. 
• Resources on Loss & Grief In Pregnancy and Postpartum by Postpartum Support International.
• Additional resources:
• Share Pregnancy And Infant Loss Support
• Sisters In Loss
• Return To Zero
• Episodes from the archives featuring more on this topic include:
• Loss, Hope & Healing: One Family’s Story Of Turning Grief Into Advocacy
• BONUS: A Conversation About Pregnancy Loss With Leeann Dearing

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.

People tell me ‘oh, you’re in it’ or ‘don’t worry, it gets better,’ but as a mom of a two-year-old and a six-month-old, I’m like: ‘Okay, but…WHEN? When does that actually happen?”

Good question. When DOES parenting start to get a little easier? Today Meagan and Sarah try our best to get specific with the above question, posed by Sarah Limberg from our contributor team. We chat about specific parenting milestones that felt like leveling-up when we were in the trenches, and offer hope and realism in equal measure to those of you in this season. Join us!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• The Mom Hour was featured in Real Simple‘s subscriber magazine Celebrate. If you subscribe to Real Simple, look for us, and check out the online version here (last page!).
• The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read is coming in 2025! Congratulations, Meagan!
• Meagan’s article about parenting teenagers was featured in The Washington Post.
• Sarah recommended following The Washington Post’s parenting section. Here’s a few episodes featuring The Washington Post parenting section experts:
• BONUS: Not Aunt Becky!? The College Scam & Parenting Culture
• Parenting Outside The Lines: Voices 66 With Meghan Leahy
• Here’s a link to Meghan Leahy’s On Parenting Advice Column with The Washington Post.
• Sarah has a piece in her local paper about family photo shoots. Link coming soon!
• Relevant Episodes From The Archives About Having More Babies (Or Not):
• Are You “Done” Having Babies?: Episode 07
• Should I Get Pregnant Again? Episode 187
• What’s One More? The Practical Realities of 3+ Kid Families: Episode 230
• A member of our team Sarah Limberg–who inspired this episode– is taking over our instagram stories this week. Follow Along!

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.

Getting kids to do chores, pick up after themselves, and help around the house is not for the faint of heart. Meagan and Sarah are decades into parenting and can still settle in for a vent-session about dirty socks left on the floor. But we’ve acquired a little bit of wisdom along the way too, and today we’re here to smooth the path for moms who want to feel less frustrated when it comes to kids and chores. Join us!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Sarah mentioned hearing Wendy Mogel talk about high-achieving kids and chores in this episode of Armchair Expert
• Sarah also mentioned learning an approach mentioned in the chores chapter KJ Dell’Antonia’s book, How to Be a Happier Parent (affiliate link)
• Episodes From The Archives That Pair Well With This One:
• A Summertime Chores, Life Skills & Freedoms Reset: Episode 315
• Chores, Life Skills, & Household Contributions: Episode 191
• Chores & Delegation: Episode 15

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.

Candy. Late bedtimes. Costumes. Halloween is a holiday that can easily throw kids’ schedules and moms’ sanity way off. Today’s episode is full of practical halloween parenting tips, including house rules for costume buying, trick-or-treating, candy consuming, and much more. Plus, Meagan and Sarah reminisce about 2021 Halloween v. today. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Check out all our episodes and blog posts about Halloween
• Meagan’s essay “Yes, That Might Be My Teen At Your Door on Halloween”
• Most of the House Rules we collected for this episode were comments from 2021 on this post in our Facebook group
• Sarah’s family had fun in 2022 marbling pumpkins with nail polish.
• Did you enjoy this House Rules episode? Here are a few more from the archives:
• House Rules For Summer: Episode 422
• 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
• House Rules For Kid Hygiene: Episode 332
• House Rules For Easier Mornings: Episode 328
• House Rules For Kid Birthdays: Episode 323

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.

As busy moms and business owners we’re often on the go – and, cliché as it is, almost always with a beverage in hand! In part two of our conversation about kitchen gadgets and gear, Meagan and Sarah go deep into all of the beverage products that keep our drinks hot, cold, room-temp, fizzy, cute, and spill-proof. We also get into kitchen-adjacent gear that helps us clean and organize the space where we feed our families. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Kitchen Gadgets & Gear Part 1: Episode 431
• Episodes that pair well with this one:
• Kitchen Storage & Organization: Episode 312
• More Than Mom: Our Fantasy Kitchens
• Small Steps Toward Sustainability In The Kitchen
• Check out more kitchen gadgets loved by our contributors in this blog post.
• Beverage products we mentioned
• Burr Coffee Grinder from KitchenAid
• The Ember Mug (affiliate link)
• Sparkel
• We both love Hydro Flask; Sarah recently upgraded to the 32-oz All Around Travel Tumbler for water drinking, and we both love their coffee tumblers for traveling with hot beverages
• Berkey Water Filters
• Organization and cleaning products we mentioned
• OXO Herb Keeper
• Bristle Brush For Cleaning Bottles
• Beeswax Wrap (affiliate link)
• One of us knew what a Salt Pig is – and the other does now! (affiliate link)
• Sarah has this Dyson Omni-Glide Cordless Vacuum and loves it (affiliate link)
• Last Call for the Reinvent Retreat (registration closes October 2)

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.

Kids are back in school and we’re back in our kitchens with a bit more pep in our steps – so let’s chat about gadets and gear! Join Meagan and Sarah today to hear about the Porch Microwave, the Mercedes-Benz of Coffee Grinders, how our partners’ personalities lead us to unwanted kitchen appliances, and more. We share our current favorite kitchen tools for food prep and cooking – with more to come next week, too. Join us!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Episodes that pair well with this one:
• Kitchen Storage & Organization: Episode 312
• More Than Mom: Our Fantasy Kitchens
• Small Steps Toward Sustainability In The Kitchen
• Check out more kitchen gadgets loved by our contributors in this blog post
• Sarah reluctantly now loves her Burr Coffee Grinder from KitchenAid
• Products we mentioned
• Mixing Bowls with Airtight Lids
• Good Grips 5 LB. Food Scale
• KitchenAid Pasta Roller
• Meater Digital Thermometer
• Rice Cooker
• Caraway Saute Pan
• Caraway Baking Sheet
• Cuisinart Immersion Blender
• Small Silicone Spatulas

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.