The Mom Hour

Separation anxiety. Potty training. Speech and language development. Socialization. These cornerstones of child development and the parenting experience can bring up questions or create bumps in the road in normal times–but we are not living in normal times, friends. We’re living in COVID times. In Episode 282 of The Mom Hour, Meagan and Sarah look at the really specific (and sometimes heartbreaking) ways that the last eight months have complicated the motherhood experience for parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Join us!Note: Part 2 in this series continues the conversation with big kids, tweens and teens, and young adults. Listen to Episode 283 here.LINKS MENTIONED:New York Times article about parents and mental health right nowNew York Times article about whether kids will be socially behind after all thisDo you have ways COVID is complicating your parenting life or making normal developmental hiccups harder on your kids? Send us an email to hello@themomhour.comMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re all dreaming about getting away right now, but traditional travel and typical vacations don’t feel like they’re going to be a thing for, well, a while. So today Meagan and Sarah are dreaming BIG – stranded on a deserted island big. Join us for a silly–but somehow also theraputic in 2020?–exercise in hypothetical thinking. We discuss what we’d bring with us to an island escape, what our fantasy island dwelling would be like, and how we’d spend our time. Enjoy!PS – DESERT island or DESERTED island? We discuss in the episode and, after recording, learned this.LINKS MENTIONED:We mentioned a couple of related More Than Mom episodes, Being Alone (September 2019),Would You Rather…? (July 2018) and Would You Rather…? (July 2019)Check out the details for our Virtual Retreat!MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This month kicks off the fall holiday season in the strangest year of all of our lives, and moms everywhere seem to be asking the same thing: what do we do about Halloween? From helping older kids deal with expectations-vs-COVID-reality, to finding safe ways for littler kids to celebrate, Meagan and Sarah unpack it all in Episode 281. We also touch on some tips for dealing with our own holiday disappointment as moms, and share some insight about holiday traditions in general to set the tone for the next few months. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:This episode was inspired by the comments on this post in our Facebook groupThis post in the Facebook group also goes into listeners’ thoughts on trick-or-treating specificallyWe mentioned our episode Supporting Kids’ Behavioral Health As The Pandemic Stretches On: Voices 50Sarah used Primary.com as the base for Violet’s mostly-homemade deer costume last yearSarah’s family reads Pumpkin Soup (affiliate link) by Helen Cooper every year, and then makes this recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Apple & BacontSarah mentioned that Oriental Trading is a great place for getting small toys kids loveMeagan mentioned an old (!!) episode about moms and pressure and holiday traditionsA listener suggested these skull eggs for a fun Halloween egg huntMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“I’ve been looking through my closet and I just want to burn it all down and start over.” (Meagan, recently to Sarah)As moms, our bodies change a lot and we don’t always feel like we have permission to invest in our personal style, but what we wear makes a huge difference in how we feel. After Meagan said this to Sarah recently, she decided to call on personal stylist Dacy Gillespie for help…and you get to listen in!Dacy is creator of The Mindful Closet, where she offers both one-on-one personal styling and shopping services, as well as courses and information on editing your closet, shopping more mindfully and creating a look that is really you. And, as Dacy shows us in this episode, we don’t have to spend a lot of money to pare down our wardrobes and add new pieces more mindfully. Dacy also teaches us how to shop online more successfully and offers closet organization tips to make getting dressed easier.LINKS MENTIONED:mindfulcloset.com, Dacy’s website@mindfulcloset on InstagramDacy’s courses on Stress-Free Shopping, Finding Your Authentic Style, and Making SpaceMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve covered the hard stuff: leaky everything, blinding exhaustion, night sweats. But the fourth trimester, or postpartum period, has its perks as well. In Episode 280 Meagan and Sarah take turns sharing their favorite memories of postpartum life with a newborn–without glossing over what we ALL know to be true: it’s not easy. Join us for the latest in our “10 Things We Love About…” series! LINKS MENTIONED:Like this format? Check out 10 Things We Love About Toddlers and 10 Things We Love About Raising SiblingsMeagan originated the idea for the series in a holiday episode where she talked about very specific gratitude journaling about being single in DecemberOur episode Strong As A Mother with Kate Rope: Voices 26, all about postpartum mental health, is one of our most popular Voices interview episodes to dateWe talked about our episode Postpartum Symptoms & SurprisesYou might also like our LIVE Episode about how to REALLY help a new momMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We challenged you to ask us your most burning questions–but not about parenting for once! And wow, did you deliver. Join Meagan and Sarah for a fun, silly, and sometimes serious More Than Mom episode featuring your questions about our perfect day, favorite Hamilton songs, thoughts on dating after divorce, and whether we consider ourselves religious. PLUS a big announcement at the top of the show that you won’t want to miss. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Listener Allison is blogging about her BRCA2 journey at brca2mama.com (here’s a post about the great nipple debate!)Meagan talks about faith sometimes on her InstagramMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Zoom school” is in session in both our homes, although the programs and schedules are very different for our six school-aged kids, grades two through eleven. In this week’s episode we check in about how remote learning is going for our elementary, middle, and high schoolers, giving an honest assessment of the areas that are going better than expected (or worse…or just about the same). We also pool our experience to share some strategies for keeping kids motivated and engaged, and recommend some purchases to set up your home as a learning environment. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Our School Decisions for Fall 2020 series aired back in July – here’s Part 1 and Part 2Sarah did a blog post roundup of some of her recent home-learning must-have purchasesHere are all the products we mentioned in the second half of the episode, in the order we talked about them:Meagan’s whiteboardSarah’s laptop standMeagan’s new printerSarah’s desk padsMeagan’s WiFi extender (Sarah’s family uses this system)Sarah’s squishy toys for fidgetingMeagan’s Clever Fox plannersSarah’s chair cushions for comfy buttsMeagan’s fun markers, pens and more pensSarah’s kids have headphones like theseSarah’s pencil sharpenerWant more ideas for school supply purchases to support home learning? Kelsey and Erica from The Girl Next Door podcast have you COVERED.MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s not if but when: losing your cool with your kids is part of motherhood (especially during a global pandemic). Sometimes we yell, sometimes we cry, and sometimes we stomp our feet like a toddler or sass-talk like a tween. If you do any of these things too, we can assure you you’re not alone–and it’s not too late to practice the art of recovery. In Episode 278 of The Mom Hour Meagan and Sarah talk about the different types of mom-meltdowns we’re prone to, and what repair and recovery can look like when we’ve lost it with our families. Join us!Links Mentioned:Sarah mentioned the article by Tara Haelle Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel AwfulIf you like this episode, you might also enjoy our episode Our worst #MomFail Moments, and other episodes in our Mom Confidence topicMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nothing feels the same as it did six months ago, and in today’s return of our More Than Mom series, Meagan and Sarah are looking at the weirdest ways we’ve changed since March. From some out-of-character purchases to new routines and habits, we’re here to discuss some of more idiosyncratic details of our strange new normal. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Email us or send a voicemail with a question for our Ask Us Anything episode coming up later this month!Both Meagan and Sarah use the Revlon Root Erase Hair Color (affiliate link)Sarah bought this Scotch Thermal Laminator (affiliate link)Sarah is getting back into reading with I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown and The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (affiliate links)Meagan likes the Belvoir Fruit Farms Elderflower and Rose Lemonade (affiliate link)MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meagan and Sarah are both refocusing on personal spending this fall, after a strange pandemic spring and summer brought about changes to the family budget. In today’s episode we look at the areas of our spending that have changed since March, and talk through tips and strategies we’re using to save money right now. From working with a financial planner to buying secondhand, reevaluating dinner delivery and doing an audit on those pesky auto-renew subscriptions, we’re here with seven strategies make a difference to our families’ bottom lines this fall. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Our interview from 2019 with Natalie Taylor has a ton of helpful information about hiring a personal financial plannerMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.