The Mom Hour

Come run errands with Meagan and Sarah! Errands are an essential part of mom-life–but the running of them looks very different depending on where you live and your season of life. Today we chat about our preferences and personality quirks when it comes to errands, which ones we like and which ones we avoid, and how we make running around town more enjoyable. Join us as we romanticize (mostly) and...

Being a mom in 2023 means having a device connecting you to the world, wherever you go. It isn’t all bad or all good – but it does impact our parenting lives at every turn. Join Kia and Jayme, moms of kids ages toddler to teen, as they chat about the good, the bad, and the ugly of being constantly connected – plus offer some tech-positive suggestions for managing smartphone use when things start t...

Processionals, promotions, caps, gowns, and more! Today Meagan and Sarah dig into graduations of all kinds from our perspective as moms in the audience experiencing all the feels. We have some strong opinions about how promotion ceremonies can be incorporated thoughtfully (or not) into kids’ younger years, and very different experiences when it comes to high school graduations. Find out what bring...

“Done having babies” and “Sad about the end of the little years” are two completely different mom-emotions, as Meagan and Sarah get into today, with the help of a thoughtful listener question. We look at how it’s possible to be at peace with your family size and still experience grief at the identity shift that happens as your last babe gets big (and your bigs get huge). We reflect on what pangs u...

A parent of three is exhausted by dinnertime sillies and wants help steering conversation at the family table. A stay-at-home mom asks what to do when her child says, “don’t tell dad I got in trouble at school!”. And a parent of a tween who wants acrylic nails asks a bigger question about letting kids alter their appearance in general. Meagan and Sarah tackle tricky parenting challenges with our b...

Happy Mother’s Day! Meagan thought it would be fun to surprise Sarah with an episode full of lightning-round-style “this or that” questions and “would you rather” head-scratchers. Join us for lots of laughs, silly questions and tons of fun! If you’ve been listening for a while you know that we’re chronically lightning-round-challenged. Find out if we answer all the questions before the buzzer goes...

Meagan spent a soggy day helping eighth grade science students release salmon into a creek, and it inspired this conversation all about kids and field trips. From tiny toddlers at the fire station to teens on a red-eye flight to Washington, D.C., time outside the classroom requires a ton of flexibility from everyone; we're here to discuss the  both/and  nature of field trips bringing add...

SURPRISE! Popping in with a bonus episode we recorded together in real life (and, in the same bed!) on a recent trip to Dallas. Get a feel for what Meagan and Sarah are like on the road together, how we feel about various airport-adjacent accommodations in the DFW area, and what we watched on TV that made us both so happy. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: Here’s more on the  Carol Burnett 90th ...

From surfing lessons and sunset cruises, to training dolphins and learning about space…Meagan and her two teens, Clara and Owen, packed in so many unforgettable experiences during their Spring Break trip to Florida! In this episode Meagan shares more about her travels with teens to the Space Coast of Florida and St. Augustine/Florida’s Historic Coast, thanks to our sponsor VISIT FLORIDA. And while...

With warming weather, meals, snacks and cravings shift too. Today Meagan and Sarah unpack what it means to us to feed ourselves well as moms, from taking time to assemble a sandwich to paying attention to the way food makes us feel – both physically and emotionally. We share some of our personal favorite feel-good foods, and also acknowledge the often inherent conflict in feeding ourselves well AN...

Meagan has big news. Sarah has alllll the questions. Join us for a fun dive into all the plans and details! LINKS MENTIONED: We mentioned other episodes where we share personal news while couching it in a larger context, such as: Self Care As Self-Preservation: Episode 104 Talking About Our Own Kids. Or Not.: Episode 364 Eric found a vintage wedding ring set from  Gesner Estate Jewelry on Ets...

Deciding where to go on a family vacation with littles can be overwhelming. How will the kids adjust to all the changes? Will the adults enjoy their time, too? In this special episode of The Mom Hour, Meagan chats with team member Catie Parrish about her family’s spring break trip to Florida. Listen to hear all about Catie’s favorite things they did, as well as her top tips for happy travels with...

Becoming a mom as a teen or young adult years comes with unique challenges (and also some sweet memories!). In today’s episode, Meagan and regular contributor Kia compare our personal experiences as young moms and explore how young motherhood shows up in parenting our own teens and young adults. We also compare notes on fourteen-year-old girls and share our love of big families and grown sibling d...

From music and timers to one-touch rules and baskets for EVERYTHING, moms are beyond creative when it comes to getting kids to help clean up. In the latest episode in our House Rules series, Meagan and Sarah share dozens of smart ways moms in our community make tidying up with kids a little easier. Join us for this grab bag of tidying up strategies you can try with your family! LINKS MENTIONED: He...

Spring brings with it pretty flowers, warm sunshine and fresh scents…and also bugs, rain and mud. In today’s More Than Mom, Meagan and Sarah get in the mood for spring by comparing how our different climates show up for the season, how we lean into spring in our homes, and what our outdoor spaces have to show off this time of year. We also reflect on how spring is a full sensory experience and cha...

Want to get ahead before the May madness sets in? Do these things now and set yourself up for a less stressful summer! In Episode 412 Meagan and Sarah return for the second in a two-part series with tips from our own lives and from The Mom Hour community, including identifying micro-seasons within your longer summer plans, anticipating shifts in kids’ sleep patterns, and saving money this summer b...

Summer has a funny way of sneaking up on us. Whether you’re a plan-it-all-out mom or a go-with-the-flow mama, there are things you can do now to set your summer up for more joy and less stress. Join us for the first episode in a two-part series as Meagan and Sarah share some of our well-earned experience and practical tips (plus some from The Mom Hour community!) for prepping for the upcoming summ...

Taking kids to Disney should be a magical experience, right? From meeting Mickey to flying on Dumbo, memory-making abounds. But LOTS of planning and strategizing goes into all that magic, and LOTS of parenting challenges present themselves inside the park gates. Today Sarah chats with Katie Gouldner from The Mom Hour team about the weeklong Disney trip she’s planning for later this spring. From ro...

Let’s go deep on the fluffiest of topics: personal adornment. In today’s More Than Mom episode, Meagan and Sarah share our approaches to everyday jewelry, special gifts and heirloom pieces, jewelry trends and finding our personal styles. We also talk about where we like to buy jewelry, how motherhood seasons have intersected with accessorizing phases, and what our storage wins and woes are these d...

It’s our Podcastaversary (yep, we just made up a new word)! Today we are celebrating eight years of The Mom Hour by reflecting on some of your most-asked questions over the years. Beyond recurring queries like “should I have that third baby?” or “what’s the ideal spacing between kids?,” we’re digging into some deeper through-lines that point to the fears, insecurities, and hopes of our community....

Bowling. Bonfires. The mall (no, really.) And board games (maybe?). What’s fun for our families right now looks quite different than it did years ago, so today Meagan and Sarah revisit an oft-discussed hot topic on The Mom Hour: family “fun.” We share several ideas for ACTUALLY FUN family activities that work for our current seasons, as well as some gripes about things that feel like they should b...

It isn’t always easy to appreciate the mundane tasks of our daily lives, or to see the glass half-full when something goes awry. Inspired by yet another social media trend that had us scratching our heads at first (and then reflecting in spite of our forty-something selves), today Meagan and Sarah talk about situations from our own lives where we romanticized the hard stuff to get by. Join us! LIN...

Worrying as a mom is a universal experience (and, spoiler alert: it never REALLY goes away). Today Meagan and Sarah look back over the years on the worries that surface most often in our community. Going by the questions we get from listeners, moms worry a lot about safety (our kids’, our own, the state of the world); and we also worry about WORRY (are we worried about the “right” things? is our w...

Pitching, submitting, and financial uncertainty: the writerly life isn’t easy before kids come into the mix, but as a writer-mom it’s even trickier. In today’s episode, Meagan chats with contributor and full-time professional writer Joanne Ruelos Diaz to talk all things writing. We discuss how we each landed in this career, how we balance motherhood and writing, our hopes for the future and some a...

Do you ever find yourself dreaming of a creative outlet or pursuit outside of your day-to-day life? Maybe you've thought about becoming an artist, opening a coffee shop, or even starting your own podcast! In this episode, Meagan and Sarah are talking about some of our dream businesses--and we include some from our team of contributors, too! Plus, Meagan gives an update on her  actual  ne...