The Mom Hour

Closely spaced babies, tips on room-sharing, helping siblings get along, and dealing with super-shy toddlers. These are the topics we cover in this week’s episode–all of which are inspired by listeners’ real lives and kids. Join us as we hear from YOU and then offer our advice (which is as usual, mostly “hang in there…it gets better…that’s totally normal…you’re doing great”). Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONE...

Sarah’s the Type-A, detailed one; Meagan’s the free spirit who’s super laid-back. Right? Or is there more? In Episode 121 we share the ways in which we break type from our typical molds–go figure! we’re not two-dimensional!–and challenge the idea that any one mom is either totally chill or totally stressed. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: CTFD? Dear Parents: it’s OK to care.  (Meagan on The Happies...

How much do we pay our babysitters? (Yes, we get real about numbers.) Do we expect sitters to do the dishes? (One of us gets super weird about this.) And what’s the best way to get the potentially awkward conversations out of the way and start building great relationships with the people caring for your kids? (Early, often, and as clearly as possible.) Join Meagan and Sarah for Part 2 in our discu...

We’ve learned a lot from our own mistakes over the years about finding, hiring, and building relationships with non-family caregivers. In Episodes 119 and 120 we’ll go on a deep dive into this topic, starting with general tips today for finding great sitters and making sure your childcare needs are covered–even if you’re the primary parent at home. Next week we’ll get into the details of the paren...

Sarah sits down with fellow writer-turned-podcaster, mom of three, and California girl Lesley Miller in this month’s episode in our Mom Hour Voices series. Join them as they talk about their semi-parallel lives, the process of adjusting to life as a mom of school-aged kids, being a sorta-working/sorta-staying-home mom, and more. LINKS MENTIONED: Choosing The Right School (Not As Scary As It Seems)...

From Ma Ingalls to Claire Huxtable, Mrs. Pteranodon to Marmee March, we’re discussing our favorite moms from books, TV and movies this week on the podcast. We hope after listening you’ll be as nostalgic for classic literature as we are (and maybe that you’ll also want to binge-watch  Arrested Development ). Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONED: Blueberries For Sal  (Robert McCloskey) No, David!  ...

What’s your favorite way to help a new mom? In this very special episode–recorded LIVE at The New Mom School in Newport Beach–Meagan and Sarah offer some outside-the-box ideas for helping a new mom, PLUS our amazing live audience chimes in with stories and tips from their own new mom days. Enjoy! Links we mentioned (or should have!) in this episode: 5 Unexpected Ways To Help A New Mom  (Sarah...

Sports and activities should add fun and fulfillment to your family culture–not suck the life out of it. And yet, between keeping wiggly babies occupied in the gymnastics waiting area and driving all over town for team sports commitments, it’s easy to feel like there’s a high cost to all that “fun”. Meagan and Sarah offer concrete tips for being a happier sports parent as we head into this new sch...

Whether you have kids heading back to the classroom or not, this time of year feels like an opportunity to renew routines, set some goals, and tackle some overdue projects. Back to school is like another New Year for moms, and in this episode of The Mom Hour, Meagan and Sarah get specific about their own “resolutions” in the areas of work, creativity, health, home, food, and parenting. LINKS MENTI...

We’re looking ahead at the new school year and talking about what it means for each of our combined EIGHT kids, ages 4 through 19. Join Meagan and Sarah as we go age by age and discuss what the challenges, opportunities, and unique situations are for each grade level–everything from transitioning to middle school to hoping for a certain teacher to having to get up earlier in the morning. Enjoy! Lo...

Supply envy, pumping woes, and prop overload: These are just a few of the things that Meagan, Sarah, and resident-nursing-mom Katie realize in hindsight that we worried way too much about in our early breastfeeding days. Join us for a frank discussion about the things we wish we’d known about breastfeeding, plus our tips for worrying less and enjoying your nursing days more. LINKS MENTIONED: Other...

Dr. Catherine Pearlman has been helping parents with behavioral challenges and family dynamics for nearly 20 years through her private coaching practice and career as a social worker. Her new book is  Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction , and in this special episode of The Mom Hour Voices, Catherine sits down w...

What does “healthy” mean for your family? What are the behaviors and values around food you try to model for your kids? And what little things can we do as parents to show our kids a healthy relationship with food and eating that will (hopefully) create a lasting impression? These are the questions Meagan and Sarah take on in Episode 113 of The Mom Hour. It’s not about any one nutrition philosophy...

If one more game of Candy Land or Monopoly threatens to send you over sanity’s edge, this is the podcast episode for you. In Episode 112 of The Mom Hour, Meagan and Sarah offer practical tips for making game play as a family tolerable–and even fun. We talk about including little players who can’t quite keep up, modifying games to minimize hurt feelings, and how to help kids win and lose gracefully...

Maryanne asks if we’ve ever requested our kid change teachers at school, Danya hopes to find balance between accepting her postpartum body and sticking to a realistic fitness routine, and Janine shares that her safety worries are keeping her from getting out with her little ones. In Episode 110 of The Mom Hour, Meagan and Sarah tackle these three listener questions–listen to see what we have to sa...

Anyone who’s been through a divorce or other major life change knows that stress, uncertainty, and feeling out of control are unavoidable. But you CAN find ways to quiet the chatter in your head, take care of yourself, and take steps toward creating the kind of life you want to live – no matter what circumstances you’re in. In episode 15 of The Mom Hour Voices, Meagan chats with Jessica Ashley, ce...

What do parades, pretend play, Dr. Seuss books, and playground swings have in common? If you’re a longtime listener, you already know the answer. They’re all things Meagan and Sarah kinda-sorta hate and aren’t ashamed to admit it. Episode 109 is an encore presentation of one of our most popular episodes to date–the one where we confess to hating fun. You’ll hear an update on how things have change...

Can your preschooler unload the dishwasher? Can your 3rd grader walk the dog on her own? Can your middle schooler remember his sports gear before every practice? Or, maybe a better question:  Can ours? Join Meagan and Sarah in Episode 108 of The Mom Hour for an honest look at how competent our kids are at completing household tasks and being independent out in the world. We confess that it’s...

Where have all the shoulders gone? Meagan needs to know. Sarah can’t figure out intentionally saggy boobs and is apologetically kind of over slogan tanks that reference coffee, wine, yoga, Jesus, or mascara. Join us for a fun discussion of fashion trends we just can’t get behind–plus a few we’re loving this summer. LINKS MENTIONED: A decision tree for wearing your butt-cheek-showing shorts this su...

Going off the grid for vacation sounds great in theory, but most of us rely on technology to make family travel possible. From iPad-enabled airplane rides to road trip playlists for the whole family, both Sarah and Meagan see tech as a great enhancement to vacation parenting in the digital age. In Episode 106 we talk all things tech and travel, from how we keep devices charged and organized to how...

Jill Krause is a blogger, photographer, and digital storyteller whose busy life as a mom of four plays out in her honest writing, videos, and pictures of deliciously squishy babies every day. Until recently, the Krauses’ beautiful Texas home–and the projects and renovations they completed in it–provided the setting for these stories. In this latest episode of The Mom Hour Voices, listen to Meagan...

Are you totally satisfied with your work/mom balance? Turns out, a lot of you are. But when we asked listeners to weigh in on this question, two-thirds said they either wished they could be home more (or work in a more flexible way) OR that they were home but wished they could find some fulfillment or income outside the home. Episode 105 is about finding satisfaction in your situation, w...

There’s everyday self-care, and then there’s survival mode: when taking care of yourself isn’t just a smart thing to do but also your only means of making it through the day. We’re talking about the kind of physical, mental, and emotional self-care that becomes especially crucial in a crisis, and we’re addressing it head-on in Episode 104. Join us. LINKS MENTIONED: Sarah’s interview with Doña Bumg...

We talk about raising kids on this show all the time, but we don’t always spend time talking about OUR kids specifically. In Episode 103 Meagan and Sarah discuss why it’s sometimes hard to talk about your kids without sounding like you’re bragging, especially as they get older. We then take turns sharing a few awesome things all of our (eight!) kids are up to lately. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED:...

If you’re looking for tips and tricks for nailing the end-of-school-year parenting thing, this might not be the podcast for you. If, however, you’re looking for shared misery in that long, slow crawl to the finish that is late May, WELCOME. Let’s commiserate. In Episode 102 Meagan and Sarah share what’s worst about their end-of-school lives and calendars, plus wander down a few bonus rab...