Anna Macfarlane, a mom of four kids and an online marketing and branding expert, joins me to break down how to build a fanbase on Instagram and TikTok: family style. Anna manages the @kidsaretheworst parenting humor account on Instagram, which has more than 500,000 followers. She also manages several other successful accounts and teaches social media marketing courses for families, businesses and bloggers. In our conversation, we talk about how to get started on Instagram and TikTok and how to g...
Mar 18, 2020•43 min
Mike Julianelle, a dad of two who writes online as Dad and Buried, joins me this week to break down the cost of parenthood. In our conversation, we cover expenses every parent faces such as child care, transportation, vacation, food, medical expenses, diapers and more. We also cover the emotional cost of parenthood, such as stress and the loss of sanity. Learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast at www.ParentNormal.com ....
Mar 11, 2020•41 min
Sara Buckley, a comedian, podcaster, social media pro and most importantly, a mom of 3, is this week’s guest. In our conversation, Sara opens up about her experience as a teenage mother and how it changed her life in high school and beyond. Sara explains how she felt when she learned she was pregnant and how friends and family responded to the news. Sara also shares her strong opinion about MTV’s Teen Mom “reality” show and how we don’t support teen moms enough. We also talk about when Sara gave...
Mar 04, 2020•46 min
Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, is this week’s guest. It’s an interview from the archive that took place a couple of years ago while Jeff was on the set of the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, which many of you have probably read or watched with your kids by now. We’ll be back with new interviews next week. Learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast on www.parentnormal.com .
Feb 26, 2020•12 min
My guest this week is one of my favorite all-time comedians Nick Thune. Now this isn’t a typical Breaking Down Parenting interview because this interview dates back to 2015 when this podcast was called The ParentNormal Comedy Podcast. I wanted to share it again not just because I’m a fan of Nick Thune and he tells a couple of funny stories, but because it was the very first podcast interview I ever did, which makes it perhaps the most memorable podcast interview I’ve ever done. And if you’re a f...
Feb 19, 2020•9 min
This week’s guest is James Breakwell, a father of four daughters and a comedy writer known to many as @XplodingUnicorn. In our conversation, we break down the parts of parenthood that send us into parent survival mode, how to survive with the stress and crazy parenting moments that James has had to survive however he can. We also talk about James’ new book How to Save Your Child from Ostrich Attacks, Accidental Time Travel, and Anything Else that Might Happen on an Average Tuesday. This is James...
Feb 12, 2020•30 min
This episode is a must-listen for parents of twins. My guest is Macgill Frutchey, a mom of three, including twins. She’s also the funny mom behind the social media account Macgyvering My Way Through Motherhood. In our conversation, we talk about how Macgill literally had dreams of having twins come true and the excitement that brought her family. We also cover recognizing different baby cries, how to tell baby twins apart, best baby shower gifts for moms of twins, synchronized milestones of twin...
Feb 05, 2020•36 min
This week’s guest is Jenna Kim Jones, a mom of two, comedian and co-host of the podcast Couple Friends. In our conversation, we break down parent friendships. Specifically, we talk about how to find friends when you're a parent, what to expect from parent friends, why parent friendships are important, what to do with parent friends and much more. Find every episode of Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast on www.ParentNormal.com .
Jan 29, 2020•27 min
This week’s guest is Jennifer Douglas, a mom of two and the creative mind behind Goldfish and Chicken Nuggets (the website and social media accounts, not the foods). After reading Jen’s blog post on The Hot Mess Mom’s Guide to Throwing Your Kid A Solid Birthday Party, I knew she would be a great guest to help break down pro tips for birthday party planning. In our conversation, we talk about when kids should start having birthday parties with friends, how long the parties should last, good locat...
Jan 22, 2020•29 min
This week, Tara Clark, the mom behind the popular social media account Modern Mom Problems, joins me to break down modern parent problems. In our conversation, we talk about how parenting today is both harder and easier than it was for previous generations of parents. We discuss technology, safety, television, helicopter parents, evolving roles for moms and dads and much more. To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.parentnormal.com ....
Jan 15, 2020•40 min
This week, Andy Herald, a father of three from How to Be a Dad, joins me to break down bath time. In our conversation, we talk about how kids hate to get in the bathtub as much as they hate to get out of a bathtub. We also talk about the floods kids make while in the bath, bath toys, how often most parents bathe kids and much more. You can even hear how Andy compares bathing a baby to mountain climbing. To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.parentnormal.c...
Jan 08, 2020•28 min
This week, Stephanie Jankowski, a teacher and mom of three, joins me to break down what teachers really think of their students. In our conversation, we talk about what parents might not realize about the job of a teacher, how teaching goes beyond what’s in a textbook, memorable stories from the classroom, parent/teacher conferences and much more. Stephanie’s new book Schooled: A Love Letter to the Exhausting, Infuriating, Occasionally Excruciating Yet Somehow Completely Wonderful Profession of ...
Dec 18, 2019•34 min
This week’s guest is Amanda Pacovsky, a mom of one, which is perfect because we break down one and done parenting in this episode. Specifically, we discuss the pros and cons of one and done parenting, how to know if being one and done is right for you, how to avoid spoiling an only child and much more. To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.ParentNormal.com .
Dec 11, 2019•29 min
This week’s guest is Rachel Sobel, a mom of two and the writer of Whine and Cheez(its). She joins me to break down clingy kids. In our conversation, we talk about when kids are the clingiest, how to be patient with clingy kids and where parents can go (or not go) to escape clingy kids. To learn more about Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast, visit www.ParentNormal.com .
Dec 04, 2019•32 min
This week’s guest is Clint Edwards, a father of three and author of the new book Silence is a Scary Sound: And Other Stories on Living Through the Terrible Twos and Threes . In our conversation, we break down Toddler Dangers: How to keep toddlers from injuring themselves and you.
Nov 27, 2019•32 min
This week, my guest is Serena Dorman, a mom of two and the hilarious voice behind the Mommy Cusses social media accounts. She joins me to break down the WTF moments of parenthood. In our conversation, we talk about memorable WTF moments, reactions to WTF moments and when the most WTF moments occur for parents. Serena also shares her advice for parents who may face a WTF moment today. Serena also shares the stories behind some of her most popular memes, which have helped her build an audience of ...
Nov 20, 2019•22 min
This week, Lisa Munn, a mom of four boys known to hundreds of thousands of followers on social media as Sarcastic Mommy, joins me to talk about the art of raising teenage boys. In our conversation, we discuss how to talk to teen boys about relationships, acceptable social media use for teens, teen driving, disciplining teen boys, searching for colleges and much more. Lisa also shares how she got her start on social media and built a huge following of parents online. To learn more about Breaking ...
Nov 13, 2019•30 min
This week Simon Holland, who I consider the funniest dad on social media, joins me to break down dad stereotypes versus reality. In our conversation, we talk about rival dads, how the role of a dad has progressed since the 1950’s and what happens when dads try to be cool. We also break down some of Simon’s (@simoncholland) most popular tweets, such as: I accidentally said skrt when I meant to say yeet in front of my daughter’s friends and they went sicko mode making fun of me. I’m afraid I’m out...
Nov 06, 2019•39 min
This week we’re talking about (cough, cough) sick kids. Just when you think kids can’t be worse to clean up after, they start sneezing in your face and throwing up in you lap. Yet, somehow their sicknesses make us want to hold them closer. Joining me to break down the topic of sick kids is Gila Pfeffer, a mom of four teenagers who has dealt with all kinds of sicknesses. In our conversation, we talk about daycare germs, kids vomiting in public, how sicknesses change as kids get older, how parents...
Oct 30, 2019•40 min
This week, I’m joined by Adrian Kulp, to break down first year milestones. In our conversation, we talk about underrated baby milestones, favorite milestones, milestones for parents and how our perceptions of milestones change when we have more kids. Adrian is a father of four and author of the new book We're Parents: The New Dad Book for Baby's First Year: Everything You Need to Know to Survive and Thrive Together . We're Parents is the follow up to Adrian's first book, We're Pregnant: The Firs...
Oct 23, 2019•32 min
Clark Kent is Superman. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Parents are Santa and the Tooth Fairy. Our secret identities may not be as cool as superheroes, but our kids think we’re pretty super (and rich). The problem with our secret identities is that the instructions for playing these roles is apparently secret too. In this episode, Julie Burton, a hilarious writer, blogger and mother of two, joins me to try and break down tooth fairy duty. In our conversation, we talk about what happens when a kid loses a...
Oct 16, 2019•22 min
The wait is over! The first official episode of Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast has been released. Joining me on the episode is Lauren Lodder to break down the mess kids make. Lauren’s hilarious thoughts on parenthood are shared all over the internet from Scary Mommy to HuffPost to BuzzFeed. You may know her on social media as MommyOwl. There are so many different types of messes kids make. The only consistency is that kids are constantly making messes. In our break down of messe...
Oct 09, 2019•30 min
If you’re a longtime listener, you know this show began as The ParentNormal Podcast. For nearly 100 episodes, we featured celebrity interviews, parenting fails and even a few skits. All of those episodes are still available, but the best is yet to come. We have a new look, a new format and a new name. I want to introduce you to Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast. This is a show that’s for imperfect parents by imperfect parents. We are diving deeper than ever into the crazy realities...
Oct 01, 2019•2 min
Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and host of the new Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil, is this week's featured guest. During our conversation, we talk about how Phil’s love for food and travel led to Somebody Feed Phil and how he’s involved family members on the show. We also talk about creating a family sitcom like Everybody Loves Raymond and how his own family influenced the writing on the show.
Aug 02, 2018•21 min
Tommy Riles, co-founder of the Life of Dad social network for dads, is this week's featured guest. Tommy is also the audience warm-up comedian for the Ellen DeGeneres Show and has done warm up for dozens of others shows such as American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. In our conversation, we talk about how Tommy became an audience warmup comic and how that has actually helped him as a parent. We also talk about how he started Life of Dad and what it means to help lead a community of fathers....
May 11, 2018•19 min
Nicole Johnson, the lead baby sleep consultant and owner of The Baby Sleep Site, is this week's featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about how to get your baby to sleep better and how to make bedtime easier for you and your kids. We also discuss common mistakes parents make at bedtime, about the impact of naps and food on sleep, and how much sleep you and your kids actually need.
Mar 21, 2018•20 min
We've reached the end of the countdown of the best parenting fails shared on the ParentNormal Podcast in 2017. This episode features the five most memorable stories of the year. Keep in mind, we're not celebrating parenting fails. We're just recognizing every parent fails sometimes. Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past mistakes. The best thing we can do is just acknowledge our mistakes, apologize and try not to make the same mistakes again. Parents Featured in this ...
Jan 25, 2018•13 min
We're continuing our countdown of the best parenting fails shared on the ParentNormal Podcast in 2017. Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past mistakes. And that's what this countdown is all about. Every parent makes mistakes. The best thing we can do is just say sorry and try not to make the same mistakes again.
Jan 04, 2018•11 min
2017 is coming to a close, and like every other year, it was a year full of parenting fails. But if you're feeling guilty about all the things you've done wrong, take comfort knowing you aren't alone. Every parent makes mistakes. The best thing we can do is just say sorry and try not to make the same mistakes again. Parenting is stressful enough without beating yourself up for past mistakes. And that's what this episode is all about. This week we’re starting our countdown of the best parenting f...
Dec 28, 2017•9 min
Devorah Blachor, who has a brand new book out titled The Feminist’s Guide to Raising a Little Princess: How to Raise a Girl Who’s Authentic, Joyful and Fearless – Even if She Refuses to Wear Anything But a Pink Tutu , is this week's featured guest. In our conversation, we talk about how Devorah, as a committed feminist, reacted to having a daughter who loved everything pink, princess-related and classicly girlish. We also talk about how her daughter’s interests have changed her own and given he...
Nov 08, 2017•17 min
