What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms
Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson
When you're a parent, every day brings a "fresh hell" to deal with. In other words, there's always something. Think of us as your funny mom friends who are here to remind you: you're not alone, and it won't always be this hard.We're Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, both busy moms of three kids, but with completely different parenting styles. Margaret is a laid-back to the max; Amy never met a spreadsheet or an organizational system she didn't like.In each episode of "What Fresh Hell" we offer lots of laughs, but also practical advice, parenting strategies, and tips to empower you in your role as a mom. We explore self-help techniques, as well as ways to prioritize your own needs, combat stress, and despite the invisible workload we all deal with, find joy amidst the chaos of motherhood.If you've ever wondered "why is my kid..." then one of us has probably been there, and we're here to tell you what we've learned along the way.We unpack the behaviors and developmental stages of toddlers, tweens, and teenagers, providing insights into their actions and equipping you with effective parenting strategies.We offer our best parenting tips and skills we've learned. We debate the techniques and studies that are everywhere for parents these days, and get to the bottom of what works best to raise happy, healthy, fairly well-behaved kids, while fostering a positive parent-child relationship.If you're the default parent in your household, whether you're a busy mom juggling multiple pickups and dropoffs, or a first-time parent seeking guidance, this podcast is your trusted resource. Join our community of supportive mom friends laughing in the face of motherhood! whatfreshhellpodcast.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 12, 2020 • 51min
Letting People Into Our Mess (with guest Kristina Kuzmic)
Every mom has struggles. Every mom has dark times. Too often, those are the times when we stop showing up in our lives, thinking that our problems make us less worthy. As psychologist Dr. Susan Silver explains, “Women often don't feel that they deserve help— or they think something is wrong with them, and that they've failed in some way, if they have to go to somebody else for help.”But our personal unsolvable crisis might be perceived by a friend as a challenge. And allowing ourselves to say "I stink at this a lot of the time" opens us up to a better, richer life experience than when we only share our carefully curated selves. There are risks to being authentic. The payoffs are worth it.Our guest is Kristina Kuzmic, author of the new book HOLD ON, BUT DON’T HOLD STILL: Hope and Humor from My Seriously Flawed Life. Kristina offers hard-won wisdom to all of us who have ever struggled to feel good enough, and her book is full both of hilarity and of serious wisdom about staying in community, even when our lives are messy. Here's how Kristina puts it:“We are not meant to walk through this life alone. Name any situation you want to improve, and I guarantee you you'll get there faster and more effectively if you reach out to others.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 10, 2020 • 6min
Ask Amy- Help! There's a Biter at My Kid's Daycare
Each week Amy or Margaret answers a listener question.This week Amy tackles the question, "What can I do about a biter at my kid's daycare?"Submit your question- we might answer yours next! questions@whatfreshhellpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 5, 2020 • 46min
When to Go With Your Gut: Doing What's Right For Your Kid
We asked our listeners if there was a time in their lives when they had to make the hard or unconventional choice in order to do what was right for their kids. From potty-training to red-shirting to homeschooling to adoption, these are some of the times the moms in our tribe had to go with their guts. If there's anything we've learned as parents, it's that that "nagging feeling" is something that should usually be acknowledged. (That goes for when it's the doctor or teacher having that nagging feeling, too, even if we ourselves do not.) Whether it's with doctors, teachers, coaches, or well-meaning relatives, here's how to have the tough conversations and stand up for your kid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 3, 2020 • 7min
Ask Margaret - How Can I Increase My Child's Self-Esteem?
Each week Amy or Margaret answers a listener question.This week Margaret tackles the question, "How can I increase my child's self-esteem?"Submit your question- we might answer yours next! questions@whatfreshhellpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 29, 2020 • 49min
When Is This Going to Be Fun Again? Lighthearted Parenting
We all fall into the trap of thinking that every day with our kids has to contain a “snowglobe moment,” a social-media-worthy image of perfect joy for our entire family.And even if part of us knows that’s not realistic, another part of us thinks that it’s all supposed to be fun. That there must be something wrong with us if we don’t love every single moment of our chaotic lives with little ones.But once we kick that shame to the curb, there really are ways to make our lives as parents more fun and lighthearted. Even on a regular Tuesday.In this episode, we discuss:
How we can be lighthearted, even when things aren’t fun
How we can have fun even when things aren’t easy
How we can have fun even when our kids definitely aren’t
Our basic takeaway: parenting definitely gets a little more fun as our kids get a little bit easier… and by “easier,” we mean “not throwing themselves into mortal danger every ninety seconds because they don’t know any better.”The first step to having more fun may simply be to wish that it were so. As motivational speaker Danielle LaPorte explains: “Knowing how you want to feel is the most potent form of clarity you can have.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 27, 2020 • 6min
Ask Amy - How Can I Get My Child to Do More for Herself?
Each week Amy or Margaret answers a listener question.This week Amy tackles the question, "How can I get my daughter to do more for herself?"Submit your question- we might answer yours next! questions@whatfreshhellpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 22, 2020 • 49min
What Kind of Monster?
There are these things that you just don't understand why anybody would do. But some people do them.We aren't about judgment at the What Fresh Hell podcast, but we do sometimes have to ask: what kind of monster?What kind of monster listens to videos on speaker?Or keeps the keyboard clicks on their phone?What kind of monster takes up two parking spots?Puts empty cereal boxes back in the cabinet?Gives small children toys with one hundred tiny pieces?We went to our Facebook page and we asked people to share what kind of monsters they were encountering on a daily basis. In this episode we explore quite a few. And here's a disclaimer: we may each have been one or more of these monsters before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 15, 2020 • 50min
Toddlers: The Great Equalizer (with guest Clint Edwards)
Toddlers are the great equalizer: no matter how strong you think you are, the short fat dictator has what it takes to break you.If you're in the throes of toddlerhood, we salute you. Knowing that it won't last forever can help. Knowing that tantrums are a biological imperative also helps. Still, it's a good thing their adorable faces and fat little dimpled hands activate pleasure and reward regions in literally every human brain, cause they BETTER be cute, is what we're saying.In this episode, we commiserate and troubleshoot life with toddlers with guest Clint Edwards, author of Silence is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 13, 2020 • 6min
Ask Amy - How Can I Deal With This Fussy Baby?
Each week Amy or Margaret answers a listener's most pressing question.Today Amy answers the question, "How can I deal with this fussy baby?"Submit your parenting dilemmas to questions@whatfreshhellpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 8, 2020 • 49min
Anger Management for Kids
Take our listener survey! Here's the link: https://bit.ly/whatfreshhellsurveyThe best way to handle our children’s anger is to equip them with the tools to handle it themselves. You don’t have to smother children's emotions in order to calm them down; as your kids get older, you really can't. But you don’t need to throw up your hands and accommodate their anger and everything that comes with it, either.We talk at length in this episode about an excellent book for kids on this topic: “What To Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide To Overcoming Problems With Anger.”by Dawn Huebner. The book is aimed at grade-schoolers, but there’s much to learn in here for kids of all ages (and their parents)! Whether your kid is 4 or 14, this episode will help you stand outside their storms and get your calm house back a little sooner. If you’d like a transcript of this episode, you can find it here: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/2020/01/angermanagementtranscript/,If you’d like to do a deep-dive on anger management for parents, check out our “Sometimes We Lose It” episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
