Biz and Theresa explore the significance of the days of the week post-kids. Mondays feel like the new Fridays and it's always Friday somewhere! Plus Biz passes on some serious knowledge to Katy Belle and Theresa receives some knowledge of her own. And we listen to a stay-at-home mom have a breakdown about...staying at home Chicago! We added another LIVE show at GMan Tavern on FRIDAY, May 11th at 8:00 p.m.! Tickets on sale now! Check out our book! You're Doing A Great Job!: 100 Ways You're Winnin...
Mar 01, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 245
Biz and Theresa are in situations we'd only witnessed and judged in our pre-kid lives and are wondering, "How did we get here?" It's like the fog is clearing and once we can see everything we discover that we have no idea where we are. Are we “here” forever or is this just a stop on the road? Plus, Biz perfects her "sick kid" parenting and Theresa’s kids bring home the Gold in whining! Chicago! We added another LIVE show at GMan Tavern on FRIDAY, May 11th at 8:00 p.m.! Tickets on sale now! Check...
Feb 22, 2018•52 min•Ep. 244
Biz and Theresa check in on sleep. Why do we think “Problem solved!" when it is really always changing? Why is sleep the one issue that when our kids are having trouble, it feels like we are the ones with the problem? And how do we help older kids who suddenly won’t sleep through the night? Plus Biz works the streets, Theresa is someone, and sleep expert Dr. Jodi Mindell comes back to talk about sleep issues for older kids. Check out Dr. Mindell's book Sleeping Through the Night, Revised Edition...
Feb 15, 2018•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 243
Biz and Theresa explore the saying, "Parenting is the toughest job, but also the most rewarding." What are those rewards and why don't they feel like finding a $20 bill in the couch? Is it that the language of “rewards” is misleading? Is it a long game? Is it that there are times when we are in too deep to see them? It may be all or none of these, but what might help is a trophy that says, “Reward.” I’ll take 20. Plus, Theresa has a one-year-old and Biz tries to adopt a new pet. Chicago! One Bad...
Feb 08, 2018•50 min•Ep. 242
Biz and Theresa wonder, “Where do party favors go to die?” The answer? Your house. Kids love them, we hate them, and we admit to fully participating in the madness by buying them and giving them out at our own kids' parties. Maybe giving kids $1 when they leave the party is the cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to go! Plus, Biz lets go of something big, Theresa gives herself the silent treatment, and we talk with comedian and host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, Ophira Eisenberg, about havi...
Feb 01, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 241
Biz and Theresa are live from San Francisco Sketchfest with guest Eliza Skinner and we're talking about swear words! Our bread and butter! I guess maybe it's weird to hear a four-year-old sound like a sailor at the preschool interview? OOPS. Are some words just bad, is it more about how our kids reflect back on us, or is it just important that kids at least understand what they're saying and the effect their words might have on others? Maybe a little of all of the above. Plus, we enjoy some deli...
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 240
Biz and Theresa wonder if there is anything to birth order as a determining factor in our personalities or if it's basically as reliable as astrological horoscopes? Does being the second child mean we shouldn’t leave the house today or make new investments? Yes, yes, it does. Actually, we discover something terrible…birth order may have nothing to do with our children or how we treat our children and the expectations we have…that may be all us! AGHHHHHH!! Plus, Biz returns from the mountains and...
Jan 18, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 239
Biz and Theresa wonder why it feels like it’s all or nothing when it comes to getting things — even fun things — done as a parent. Biz thinks we’re trapped between having to commit to being interrupted on the one hand, and being unable to carry out anything (project, work, or personal fun) on the other. Either way, we’re supposed to be "cool with it" because we are "mom." Eek- we may have stumbled on some more resentment here! Plus, Biz’s vacation will solve everything and Theresa is Commander-i...
Jan 11, 2018•59 min•Ep. 238
It's the 2nd Annual HOLIDAY Genius Fail Spectacular, Plus Rants Show! Take that, 2017! This week we need to destress from the holidays and kick off the new year right with you, our special guests, as you share your genius and fails of the holidays! Tickets for One Bad Mother Live at SF Sketchfest with special guest Eliza Skinner on Sunday, January 21st 2018 are on sale now! Check out our book! You're Doing A Great Job!: 100 Ways You're Winning at Parenting! Thank you to all our listeners who sup...
Jan 04, 2018•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 237
Biz and Theresa admit that when we have those “what if I hadn’t done this or that” moments it may be tied to unrecognized guilt. Like most parenting guilt, while it isn’t true, it still feels bad, so is there any benefit to it? Plus Biz is not in a happy place, Theresa is in a happy place and we talk to James Breakwell, the exploding unicorn himself, about his new book Only Dead On The Inside: A Parents Guide For Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse. Check out James on twitter @XplodingUnicorn and yo...
Dec 21, 2017•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 236
Biz and Theresa discuss our kids’ budding independence…or lack thereof and wonder how much we, as parents, are to blame for it. What do you mean ignoring our children's desire to do it themselves because we have no patience could be part of it? Weird. Plus, Biz is visited by the ghost of resolutions past and thank you notes, and Theresa “wuvs" baby talk. Check out our book! You're Doing A Great Job!: 100 Ways You're Winning at Parenting! Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as mon...
Dec 14, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 235
Biz and Theresa realize that our childhood memories of the holidays combined with our visions of what we want our kid’s memories to be makes for one bad tasting fruit cake of guilt. The sensation that time is fleeting is really ramped up over the holidays, and we try to take a step back to focus on what is really important…presents for us! Plus Biz knows they aren’t doing it at her and Theresa has a house check in. Check out our book! You're Doing A Great Job!: 100 Ways You're Winning at Parenti...
Dec 07, 2017•59 min•Ep. 234
Biz and Theresa explore why it feels like being inside our homes sometimes makes us worse at parenting. Do we have shorter fuses and less patience because of the clutter and the never-ending list of chores that weigh us down when we're at home? Or...is there something "Amnityville Horror" going on? It's probably the clutter. Plus, Biz can’t remember anything, Theresa gets a visit from the Sleep Deprivation Fairy, and we get some incredibly helpful information and non-judgy tips from Dr. Cyrus Ra...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 233
Biz and Theresa explore the confusing moment when things go well. How is it possible when we know it will all melt down? Well, doesn’t it always melt down and don’t we want to be be proven right that we can’t do anything nice? UHG! Be it play dates, travel, staying up late or any other set of circumstances that usually go wrong with kids, maybe we should embrace the amazing feeling of the worst not happening. Plus Biz gets a Thanksgiving surprise, Theresa has a dream and we welcome back actor, d...
Nov 22, 2017•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 232
Don’t tell your sister but you are my favorite! Biz and Theresa talk about favoritism in our homes growing up and how we are trying to steer clear of it now that we're parents. We can at least agree that screaming “why can’t you be more like your brother” is probably a bad idea, right? It gets hard when we wrestle with feeling like we have to over-do to make each child feel they are getting enough attention, especially when they have such different needs. Plus Biz is visited by the demon mom spi...
Nov 16, 2017•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 231
One Bad Mother is live from The Bell House in Brooklyn this week! Biz and Theresa wonder how cool will we be when our children begin to decorate their rooms in ways that are visually unappealing at best and personally offensive at worse? Plus Ophira Eisenberg, comedian and host of NPR's Ask Me Another joins in the conversation, Adira Amram and the Experience perform "The Mom Song", and live genius and fails! Follow Ophira on Twitter @OphiraE . You can catch new episodes of her hilarious NPR show...
Nov 09, 2017•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 230
Biz admits to Theresa that we feel like frauds when it comes to knowing how to parent. Does standing there feeling totally blank count as “knowing what to do?” Luckily, Theresa lets us know we are not the only ones. Plus Biz commits to spontaneity , Theresa says “umhum," and we talk to author James Patterson about his Jimmy Patterson collections and his two latest books for young readers. Check out James' newest releases Give Thank You a Try (Give Please a Chance) and Big Words for Little Genius...
Nov 02, 2017•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 229
One Bad Mother Halloween Bonus! The Ellis Sister’s Family Hauntings Hide under the covers listeners, Biz is joined by her sister, Helen Michelle, to share some of their family’s ghost stories. Follow Helen Michelle on twitter @WhatIDoAllDay and don't forget to pick up her book American Housewife . Check out our book! You're Doing A Great Job!: 100 Ways You're Winning at Parenting! Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of MaximumFun.org . Share your genius and fai...
Oct 31, 2017•27 min•Ep. 228
This week on a spooky Halloween One Bad Mother, Biz and Theresa discover that when our kids are out in public…being kids….everyone is watching! AHHHHH! Are our fears of being judged or that everyone is “over us already” real, or is the Jekyll to our Hyde trying to bust free and ruin everything? Plus Biz beats Halloween, Theresa is visited by a parenting ghost and we speak with Liz Sower of Ghosts in The Burbs . Ghosts In The Burbs: https://ghostsintheburbs.wordpress.com/2016/02/ Liz on Twitter: ...
Oct 26, 2017•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 227
Biz and Theresa hear our parents everywhere….and it's coming from ourselves! What is it about becoming a parent that brings out the best and worst of those who raised us in ourselves? Is it nature or nurture or just inevitable? Plus Biz has a sniffle complex and Theresa compliments her partner. Check out our book! You're Doing A Great Job!: 100 Ways You're Winning at Parenting! Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of MaximumFun.org . Our sponsors this week are R...
Oct 19, 2017•1 hr•Ep. 226
Biz and Theresa share all the things that our kids take forever to do…put on shoes, eat, get out of the car, get into the car, really anything. Should we acknowledge the irony of all the times we say we wish we could slow down or that we wish the world for our kids would slow down while we complain about this? Nope! No time! Hurry up! We can’t teach you how to learn to be bored and to be patient when you are so slow! Sigh. We are getting really good at this? Plus Biz has more cake, Theresa gets ...
Oct 12, 2017•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 225
Biz and Theresa explore the importance of picture day. Are we team “clean faced/hair brushed” or team “It was picture day?” Who cares the most about it, us or our children? What do we do with those pictures…mail them to relatives, frame them, or dump them in a file drawer? No matter what you do, the real meaning of picture day is to have something to embarrass our children with in 20 years. Plus Biz is forever in blue jeans, Theresa is the sleep president and we talk to Morra Aarons-Mele about h...
Oct 05, 2017•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 224
Biz and Theresa are too tired to talk about anything deep so we pull out our tiny screw drivers and talk about batteries! Plus Biz has cake guilt, Theresa has a super brain, and we talk to Sarah Kowalski, Esq. about her new book Motherhood Reimagined: When becoming a Mother Doesn’t Go As Planned, where she discusses fertility issues and single motherhood by choice. Sarah Kowalski's new book Motherhood Reimagined: When Becoming a Mother Doesn't Go As Planned will be out on October 17th, but you c...
Sep 28, 2017•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 223
Biz and Theresa wonder which is harder, having to be the more flexible person in the family with our work and personal needs, or adjusting our attitudes to be happy about it? How do we find the energy to adjust how we feel about it if we are always spending that energy being so freaking flexible!!? Which came first, the bitter chicken or the miserable egg? Maybe just talking it to death will help. Plus the walls are talking to Biz, Theresa made it and we talk to blogger and author Lee Wind about...
Sep 21, 2017•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 222
One Bad Mother is live from the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles this week and Biz and Theresa try to answer the hardest question of all: "Why do we have to answer all these questions?” Special guest, screen writer Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect, Girlboss) joins to discuss whether curiosity is a good thing or deadly…to cats…cats who are human parents and tired of questions! Plus, live Genius and Fails! Follow Kay on twitter @KayKayCannon ! Check out Kay's latest project Girlboss on Netflix now and keep...
Sep 14, 2017•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 221
It's time for the 8th ever Genius Fail Spectacular Plus Rants where we feel less alone and possibly a bit better about the job we are doing by basking in the good and not so good moments of parenting shared by our listeners. Plus Biz makes a wish and Theresa loves a challenge. You are all doing a great job! Brooklyn: Tickets for One Bad Mother Live at The Bell House on Saturday October 14th are on sale now! Check out our book! You're Doing A Great Job!: 100 Ways You're Winning at Parenting! Than...
Sep 07, 2017•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 220
Biz and Theresa wonder why it is so hard to get out of the house with kids. Oh, thats right…because everything. You’d think that after at least a few years, all the people in your house who need to get out of the house would accept that this is an event that happens and yet, when when you ask the 3 year old to get his shoes there is a very good chance he will return with rocks. Could it be that house-leaving related stress could be the seed for all parenting stress? Plus Biz gets the facts, Ther...
Aug 31, 2017•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 219
Biz wonders if we are incapable of letting our children solve their own problems and if this is why our children can’t actually problem solve! Theresa suggests maybe its less about ability and more about personality. What’s worse, stunting our children's development or having to accept they may be totally different than you? Both seem like a reason to hide in the bathroom. Plus Biz gets thumb tacky, Theresa takes cover and we talk to Temple University professor and mother Dr. Ama Mazama about th...
Aug 24, 2017•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 218
Biz and Theresa load up our backpacks with unnecessary anxiety! School is great and the teachers are better, so what could be keeping us up at night? Will the teacher be a good fit for our kid? Is this the REAL school supply list? We gotta get kids where? WHEN?! Does it count as bad communication from the school if we don’t read any of it? Should any of this be stressing us out? Theresa rolls with it while Biz lets her sadness for her ever aging children manifest itself into an unhealthy “yes!” ...
Aug 17, 2017•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 217
Biz and Theresa spend the show convincing ourselves that when our children whine it is a good thing. If we ignore the feeling of wanting to slam our heads into a wall and scream “my ears are bleeding! BLEEDING” and focus instead on the biological and emotional science of why children whine, we might just be successful. Success means hiding in the bathroom, right? Technically you are still in the house. Success! Plus Biz wants to know what’s happening, Theresa accepts her fate and we talk to Jenn...
Aug 10, 2017•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 216
