And we don't mean the delightful Disney movie here. We're talking about some very real challenges that parents may be struggling with, especially if their kids are dealing with mental health issues. It can feel very scary and isolating. It can be hard to find resources, so we're going to help you with that. On this episode, we talk with certified parent coach Andy Goldstrom, discussing everything from the stigma that prevents us from talking honestly and openly about mental health to techniques ...
Sep 20, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 33
In this episode, Allison and Jen discuss the experience of Jen and Scott taking the lead on moving Thing 1 into her sophomore year of college. Allison talks about the conscious effort she made to take a backseat and "let go" instead of spearheading the move-in process. She shares how challenging yet rewarding it was to leave space for Jen, Scott, and Thing 1 to have this experience together. They cover the practical elements like dorm shopping and negotiating rental cars, and the emotional aspec...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Get ready for some "first day of school" vibes in this episode! Like friends seeing each other for the first time in a couple months, we catch you up on all our summer highlights, including a catastrophic incident involving fake eyelashes and an errant contact lens. We talk about how it is hot as balls here in North Texas. And then Allison makes a stunning reveal. There are also some exciting changes to the EOW website and socials as well as a sneak peek of some of the great content we have for ...
Sep 06, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 31
In our Season One finale, Editor Julie and Producer Marc host Every Other Weekend Showdown. Allison, Jen, and our VERY SPECIAL GUEST Scott face off with revealing questions about each other. Hilarity ensues. Join the fun as we wrap up our very first season. Thank you for your support of Every Other Weekend! It's been quite a ride and we've enjoyed sharing our experiences with you! in a few weeks we'll return with more episodes, some fascinating guests, and the laughter, tears and swearing you've...
May 24, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Our kids are amazing, resilient creatures. They are seemingly quick to adapt to new routines and family structures. Who can blame us for thinking that they've sailed through a divorce with little to no impact? What we find is that, much like an iceberg, there can be a lot more going on beneath the surface. Their fears, their discomfort, and their desire to not burden us can keep them from sharing some of the feelings they have about our divorces. Even with "good" divorces, kids have concerns or ...
May 17, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Ah, motherhood. Historically, we've been told it's our penultimate job as women. And it brings with it ALL. THE. FEELS. It can be rewarding and exhausting and wonderful and terrible all at the same time. And how are we acknowledged for all the work we do every single day as moms? An annual brunch. And that's if we make the reservation ourselves. And what about all the women who mother people in their lives although they may not have physically given birth? We discuss the historical origins of Mo...
May 10, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth are the latest in a long line of celebrity splits that have hit the headlines. And, as many celebrities do, they've issued a statement about their impending divorce that seems unrelatable for some of us. Jen and Allison discuss an article about celebrity divorce, celebrity culture more generally, and how all of it can affect us "regular" folks when we're dealing with that life change as well. Are we being unfair to ourselves? Are we being unfair to celebrities? We ...
May 03, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 27
After a painful divorce and battle with breast cancer, Julie found love. But now she had to figure out how to blend the two families, become a stepmom, and deal with two sets of twin girls! Julie shares some of the unique challenges in her family situation and we talk about how the past may still be influencing the present. (Thanks again, intergenerational trauma!) Julie is a beautiful example of someone in the thick of it who is learning and growing and still evolving on her stepmom journey. Sh...
Apr 26, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Leo Tolstoy famously said, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” While we don’t completely agree with that sentiment, we’ve repeatedly said that every family and divorce is different. Circumstances can vary wildly, and we are well aware that our experience is not universal. So today we are going to hear from our very first guest – our editor Julie. In the first of a 2-part interview, she shares her story about her background and family history, her first...
Apr 19, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 25
We're at it again! In our first episode about mental load, Allison identified the times of year she feels it most and one is fast approaching - end of the school year. The kids are thrilled. The moms are overwhelmed. We discuss some strategies for coping with the crazy and how your mindset going in can make a big difference in how you respond to ALL. THE. THINGS. And that in turn can impact your mental and emotional well-being. We're committed to handling it differently this year. And to giving ...
Apr 12, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 24
This episode was not at all what we had planned. As we were preparing to record, we both found ourselves struggling and frustrated with recent situations that resulted in us engaging with our healthcare system. We realized we had a lot to say about this and decided to share it with you. In the grand tradition of Seinfeld’s Festivus, welcome to Jen and Allison’s Airing of Grievances: The Medical Edition. As moms, the physical well-being of our families and of ourselves (so we can continue caring ...
Apr 05, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 23
When someone gets a big piece of pie, it by definition means someone else is getting a smaller piece. Fortunately, love isn’t pie. It’s more like your 401(k) - the more you invest, the more that comes back to you. In this episode, we talk about a time Thing 2 made a heartfelt confession to Jen and all the feelings that brought up for Jen. And how she decided to park her own crap and help him work through it. Our scarcity mindset around our kids’ love often creates competition. But what if we cha...
Mar 29, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 22
We all know how this is supposed to work. You meet, you fall in love, you get married, you enjoy some time as newlyweds and then those adorable little terrors called children come along and mess it all up. (We kid, we kid!) It can be really challenging for couples to give the time and priority to their relationship when the demands of children take up so much of our energy and focus. Sometimes looking back on fond memories of your time as a couple “before the kids” helps carry you through. So wh...
Mar 22, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We deal with it every day and most of us want more of it, but we sure hate to talk about it. For all our societal glorification of the Benjamins, most of us clam up if we have to discuss our own cold, hard cash. A recent Wells Fargo survey indicated that 44% of people polled found personal finance was the most challenging topic to discuss with others. Death came in at 38%. Yep. We’d rather talk about DEATH than money. As hard as it is to think about discussing finances with your partner, imagine...
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this episode, we talk about Jennifer’s first Spring Break trip with kids. In line with her “go big or go home” approach to life, she suggests taking the kids on cruise - out of the country. Hear how Allison got on board (see what we did there?) and agreed to this full on insanity. And learn how that bitch Karma showed up on this trip and made Jen literally fear for her life, because nothing will incite Allison’s murderous rage like you losing her baby boy on a cruise ship. More importantly, w...
Mar 08, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Ride or Die – Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Allison and Jen nurture their friendship by sharing events and activities together – a kid’s basketball tournament or band concert, trips, dinners, and COLONOSCOPIES. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month so there’s no better time to share our experiences with this life saving screening procedure. We let the shit hit the fan, so to speak, as we tell all. You may be surprised to learn it’s really not as bad as you think and may be the...
Mar 01, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Or, maybe, not-so-great expectations. We go into our relationships - with romantic partners, with our exes, with our coparents - expecting certain things. These expectations can be about them, about us, about how things are going to play out. And what we find is that when we put those expectations out in the world - good OR bad - we can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. And then we're stuck with all the feelings including a lot of hurt, anger, resentment and disappointment when those expectatio...
Feb 22, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 17
We finally found a holiday season that Allison is more invested in than Jennifer. It's Cuffing Season, that special time of year where everyone - and by everyone we mean The Hallmark Channel - tells you that you need a partner to get through the holidays. Cue ensuing panic and desperation that's as ugly as lights flickering at a bar around 2 AM. We discuss what drives our desire to pair up, some of the watchouts, and how cuffing season can lead to other relationship traps. Can we crowdsource fut...
Feb 15, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Dating. Sure, it can be all fun and games in your youth. But as you get into your 40s and 50s and especially if you are considering dating post-divorce, it's more like the dating PAIN. Things get more complicated, there's a lot more factors and people to consider, and it can be tough to figure out how to meet people - especially if internet dating makes your skin crawl. As we get older, we know ourselves better which can be a great gift when trying to find a partner. But this knowledge may mean ...
Feb 08, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Habla espanol? Parlez-vous francais? Regardless of what words you use, one of the most important ways you communicate is your love language. The five love languages identified by Gary Chapman have become a pretty trendy topic. It’s important to know how YOU give and want to receive love and just as important to know how your partner gives and receives love. A Kendra Scott delivery around Valentine’s Day demonstrates - big surprise – that Jen and Allison have very different love languages. How ha...
Feb 01, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 14
As kids, we hear all kinds of stories. Some are fairy tales, some are about other kids (where my Judy Blume fans at???) and some are stories parents, grandparents, and other relatives tell us about our own families. Jen and Allison unpack how those stories – and the ones we tell ourselves – impact our beliefs and relationships as adults, including our marriages and how we handle our divorces. Yes, it’s intergenerational trauma, the gift that keeps on giving! And what we learn is that if you can ...
Jan 25, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Nature abhors a vacuum and just like Mother Nature, so do most moms. So we swoop right in to do EVERYTHING for EVERYONE and then wonder why we're exhausted, frustrated, and resentful. But asking for help presents its own challenges. We have to give up control and accept that things might not be done the way we would do them or on our timeline. The first in an ongoing series about managing mental load, Allison and Jen reveal how a simple haircut led to a pretty intense discussion about dealing wi...
Jan 18, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Join Jen and Allison on the journey to find stepfamilies represented in shows and movies, only to end up - in desperation - talking about porn and a movie from 1935. There's just not a lot of us out there in pop culture, even though there's a TON of us in real life. What impact does that have on us as a society and how stepfamilies are viewed? Does it impact what people expect when they join the ranks of "step?" When do we get a toilet paper commercial featuring stepfamilies? Should Jen and Alli...
Jan 11, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Welcome to the New Year! It's time once again for fireworks, champagne and....resolutions. Are they worth it? Do they help or hurt? Do we even need to improve or are we perfect just as we are? (Spoiler alert - no, we're not.) If you are setting resolutions, are you trying to change behaviors or are you being too hard on your authentic self? Is there a new way to look at resolutions that could be more helpful? We have not figured this out, but we're working on it! Bonus content: share in real tim...
Jan 04, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Ah, the name game. What do your kids call their new stepparent? What does the new stepparent call the kids? What do the adults call each other? Whether we're quoting Beyonce or William Shakespeare ("What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"), what we call each other holds meaning and how we refer to each other to those outside the family holds power. This week Jen and Allison talk about naming conventions in blended families and how Jen became a stepmoth...
Dec 21, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 9
That time Allison and Jen understood the assignment (thanks, Producer Marc) and attempted to engage in the #BlendedFamily and #stepmom communities on Instagram. We really do complicate things in divorce. #biomom, #bonusmom, #stepmom, #HCBM....it's a #shitshow. If the parents aren't communicating and the stepparent is left to figure things out on their own with no support and no tools, nobody wins, especially not the kids. And remember: We have to stop vilifying the ex. There can't possibly be th...
Dec 14, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 8
That time Jennifer said "yes" after Scott said "no" and the only winner was Chick-Fil-A. Kids are smart and they are master manipulators. Allison and Jen talk about the balance of discipline between parents and step-parents, exes and new partners. Because if you're not all part of a united front, those kids will bring one of you to the Dark Side faster than a Sith Lord. Support the show Follow us: Website: everyotherweekendpodcast.com Instagram: @everyotherweekendpodcast Facebook: facebook.com/E...
Dec 07, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 7
(Part 2 of 2): Now that we've identified FDS (that's Fun Dad Syndrome), how do we treat it? We realize we've got unrealistic expectations and stop our binary thinking. Then we buy some donuts and take a ferry ride. Enter stage left - Fun Mom. Support the show Follow us: Website: everyotherweekendpodcast.com Instagram: @everyotherweekendpodcast Facebook: facebook.com/EveryOtherWeekendPodcast Merch available at: Every Other Weekend Shop | Printify Pop-Up...
Nov 30, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 6
(Part 1 of 2): Allison and Jen talk about "Fun Dad," one of the most common phenomena in post-divorce parenting. And it's even harder to deal with when you have control issues. After lots of discussion we realize that "Fun Dad" is an issue in lots of homes (even when there's NOT been a divorce) and that sometimes "Fun Dad" is really "Frustrated Mom." Support the show Follow us: Website: everyotherweekendpodcast.com Instagram: @everyotherweekendpodcast Facebook: facebook.com/EveryOtherWeekendPodc...
Nov 30, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Allison has aggressive Christmas Village goals and we both have VERY different approaches to the holidays. Listen to our special Thanksgiving episode for our thoughts on turkey, stuffing, sides and pie. And maybe a few other completely unrelated (and inappropriate) things! Support the show Follow us: Website: everyotherweekendpodcast.com Instagram: @everyotherweekendpodcast Facebook: facebook.com/EveryOtherWeekendPodcast Merch available at: Every Other Weekend Shop | Printify Pop-Up...
Nov 23, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 4
