What would you like to accomplish before your next milestone birthday? Today Meagan and Sarah share our personal “five before fifty” lists, giving ourselves the next few years to check off some aspirations both lofty and silly (think big travel goals, creative dreams, home improvements and outdoor adventures). Whether you’re approaching 30, 40, 50, or just love a good life list, this episode will get you thinking—and maybe even writing your own! HELPFUL LINKS: Listen to our new podcast, Midlife ...
Jun 17, 2025•57 min
Time is slippery—especially when you’re standing in midlife, looking both forward and back. Today Meagan and Sarah continue unpacking one of the most elusive and shape-shifting concepts we wrestle with: time. How do we imagine the future, how do we plan for it (tarot cards, anyone?), and how does our relationship to longterm planning and future-casting change in our forties? We explore the common traps we fall into when envisioning what’s next, the lessons that still haven’t quite landed, and ho...
Jun 13, 2025•59 min
After a decade of sharing the ups and downs of motherhood, we're wrapping up The Mom Hour this month—and taking one final episode to update you on the kids who’ve grown up alongside this show. From 12 to 27, our eight kids have been a background-but-constant presence on the podcast, and today we'll share where they are now and how they're each thriving in their own way. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS: What’s Great (Lately!) About Our Eight: Episode 470 What’s Great (And Less-Great) About Our Eight: Epis...
Jun 10, 2025•56 min
As kids grow up, it’s the littlest reminders that catch us off guard—like discovering a pair of toddler socks or realizing nobody needs a kid’s menu. Join Meagan and Sarah as we share some of the small-but-significant signs that time is, as ever, marching on. It’s a conversation full of warmth, nostalgia, and gentle reminders to savor the stages as they come…and go. HELPFUL LINKS: Sarah mentions Rebecca Woolf’s Substack post on the grief of downsizing when your kids grow up . Episodes from the a...
Jun 03, 2025•53 min
Honi asks how our friends are showing up for us these days. Laura wonders if we ever get recognized in public (and if it's our faces or our voices that give us away!). Aspiring writer Samm is looking for advice on getting started with writing, Lisa wants to know what we’ll miss most about The Mom Hour , and Erica prompts some reflection on what we’re most proud of as moms. And Ann? She’s eager for the scoop on what’s next—listen to find out! HELPFUL LINKS: The Evolution Of Friendships In Motherh...
May 27, 2025•55 min
Jennifer wants to hear all our old podcast intros one more time (what a fun trip down memory lane!). Contributor Sarah wonders how Meagan and Sarah’s perspectives on parenting have evolved since episode one. Tricia wonders how to get a kindergartener to open up about hard stuff, while listeners Mel and Lisa each ask how to figure out what’s next in motherhood—and life. Kim wants to know how much she really needs to play with her child—and how to balance being present while modeling healthy phone...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Modern society loves the concept of ‘saving time’ – but at what cost? There’s nothing wrong with streamlining and efficiency, but today Meagan and Sarah push back against the notion that time-saving strategies – and products – unilaterally bring more calm to our days. Instead we look at ways to think about shifting time to our advantage, batching tasks and opting out to free up schedule space, simplifying rather than optimizing, and finding our own peace with our relationship to time. This is Pa...
May 16, 2025•52 min
Some days we’re the “Sure, why not?” mom, and other days we’re the “Because I said so” mom - and often we lean more into one side than the other. Meagan and Sarah unpack what the Yes Mom / No Mom binary really means, the why behind our wiring, how it affects our kids, and how it’s not always so black and white. We look at the balance between freedom and structure, and remind you there are many ways to be yourself and be a great mom at the same time. Enjoy! HELPFUL LINKS: Episodes From The Archiv...
May 13, 2025•49 min
Meagan wrote a book—and Sarah has lots of questions. In this episode, we dive into Meagan’s journey from concept to publication. From the initial spark of an idea to the challenges of writing, editing, and getting it out into the world, join us for an inside look at the process behind bringing her book to life. Whether you’re a writer, a non-writer who likes to learn how the sausage gets made, or simply want to offer Meagan your support during launch week, we hope you’ll listen! Order Meagan’s b...
May 06, 2025•57 min
What does it mean to “launch” a kid into adulthood? How does parenting change when you’re still mom, but they’re no longer children? With Meagan’s new book just a week from launch, we’re diving into five things she’s learned about parenting young adults. Sarah asks the questions, Meagan shares the wisdom—and we both reflect on how the parenting journey keeps evolving. Enjoy! GET THE BOOK: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read – Available For Pre-Order NOW! HELPFUL LINKS: The Last Parenting Bo...
Apr 29, 2025•59 min
Raising creative kids isn’t just about paintbrushes and piano lessons—it’s also about noticing how they think, solve problems, and dream up deas. Both Meagan and Sarah come from creative backgrounds and hope to raise creative kids, but we’ve learned that creativity shows up in unexpected places—from storytelling and party planning to building weird contraptions out of couch cushions. We share what’s worked in our own families, where we’ve had to shift our thinking, and some of the misconceptions...
Apr 25, 2025•57 min
We’ve heard from so many listeners who say that The Mom Hour helped you through your early years of parenting. Your notes of gratitude got us thinking (and feeling all the feels) about what a uniquely intense and tender season “active mothering” really is—and why it inspires a certain nostalgia when viewed later from a distance. Join us as we share some of your own words as well as memories of our own, reflecting on the pop-cultural, sensory, emotional, and unexpectedly specific things that inst...
Apr 22, 2025•56 min
This week, we’re talking about busy-ness —that always-running hamster wheel we either can’t get off… or can’t seem to climb onto. Meagan and Sarah each look back on times in our lives when our relationship with productivity felt off —whether we were drowning in to-dos or floating in a weird limbo of not-enough-to-dos. Where are we at now on the busy scale? How do our personalities lend themselves to being busy – or not? And is there even such a thing as the perfect balance? Join us! This is Part...
Apr 18, 2025•54 min
From sandbox maintenance and the endless cycle of outgrown kids’ clothes to the rise of sourdough starters and evolving gardening ambitions, today's episode is about how our home management tasks have shifted as our kids have grown. We each share a few “then vs. now” snapshots, offering little insights into what domestic work looks like during different seasons of family life. Enjoy! HELPFUL LINKS: Meagan wrote the blog post Organizing Kids' Clothes: Seasonal And Hand-Me-Down Storage Made Simple...
Apr 15, 2025•51 min
Hey, book lovers! This week, Meagan and Sarah catch up on our latest reading adventures. We share some books we’ve been loving lately, our TBR lists and check in on our library habits. We also discuss how reading habits change when we’re on vacation or just shaking up our routines. Oh, and with Meagan’s book launch on the horizon, we’re giving you a peek into how she’s keeping up with all the new releases and buzz in the book world. So grab a cup of your fav beverage and let’s dive into this boo...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 10 min
No April Foolery from us today, but we ARE talking about family culture around jokes and funny stuff. We touch on Sarah’s very strong feelings about pranks and jump scares, the joy of watching our kids’ unique senses of humor evolve as they grow, whether teasing and ribbing fit in our our families’ culture, comedy styles in pop culture that catch on with our teens, and more. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS: Speaking Our Kids’ Love Languages (And Knowing Our Own): Episode 296 Staying Connected With Tweens...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Living near other families with kids is a blessing and, occasionally, a challenge. In today’s episode of House Rules, Meagan and Sarah share tips from The Mom Hour community—consider this your go-to guide for making those impromptu playdates a little smoother! From setting boundaries, providing snacks, staying safe, and keeping the peace, we've got you covered. Enjoy! HELPFUL LINKS: House Rules For Neighbor Play ideas from our Facebook Community. Did you enjoy this House Rules episode? Here are ...
Mar 25, 2025•44 min
Today we celebrate a decade of The Mom Hour! We asked listeners to tell us the phrases we say all the time – MomHour-isms, if you will – and wow, did you deliver. We own up to our quirks and vocal tics, give backstory to oft-repeated phrases we utter, and share behind-the-scenes details about making and editing the podcast. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS: Did you miss our news about the future of The Mom Hour? Listen to How Do You Know What’s Next?: Episode 503 Episodes from the archives mentioned in th...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Let’s talk travel habits! How do you settle into a rental property? Do you unpack in a hotel room? Are you a fan of rental cars, or do you rely on ride-sharing apps? These are just a few of the things Meagan and Sarah discuss in today’s episode on traveling without kids and the unique habits that come with it. Join us as we share our personal quirks (and strong feelings) on things like rental cars, tech use while on vacation, our use (or non-use) of navigation apps, and how we make accommodation...
Mar 14, 2025•59 min
Mornings set the tone for the day, so how are we spending ours lately? Today we define – and debate! – a “successful” start to the day, and dig into some of the mythology surrounding morning routines. From quiet time to busy school morning routines, we’ll share how different environments shape our mornings and talk about the little habits that help us feel grounded and ready to take on the day. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS: Last week’s episode Evening Routines Lately: Episode 507 and Morning Routines ...
Mar 11, 2025•58 min
Does a peaceful evening beget a better morning? Let's find out. Today Meagan and Sarah talk about our evening routines lately, and next week we'll do the same with mornings. Now that our kids are older, we try to make time for the little things that make winding down feel calm and intentional. Plus, we share how we shut down our homes and families for the night, and how our loved ones—both human and animal—fit into the mix. Nighty-night! HELPFUL LINKS: Episodes from the archives on routines: Mor...
Mar 04, 2025•56 min
“I wish I’d yelled less,” “I should’ve tidied up more”—sound familiar? We’re pretty hard on ourselves as moms, especially when we’re deep in the thick of parenting. With a little distance it’s a bit easier to recognize how much we’ve actually done for our families. Today Meagan and Sarah reflect on our early parenting years and give credit where credit is due and offer compassion to our younger selves. Turns out, we were doing the best we could with what we had – just like you! HELPFUL LINKS: We...
Feb 25, 2025•56 min
From crafting the perfect window display to chatting with customers and hand-picking the best products, Meagan shares the fun (and not-so-glamorous) side of running a business. Whether it’s her specialty tea shop or her family’s bookstore, Meagan has plenty of insights on what it takes to bring a dream to life. Sarah is here to ask all the questions, so tune in for an inspiring and candid conversation about entrepreneurship, retail, and everything in between! HELPFUL LINKS: Meagan’s a partner of...
Feb 18, 2025•57 min
From tracking flight prices to snagging a hotel deal, packing your bags to prepping the home front, there’s a ton to talk about when it comes to travel planning. Join Meagan and Sarah as we discuss what works for us, how we feel about reviews on vacation rental sites, and where are strengths and weaknesses lie when it comes to packing a suitcase and preparing to leave home. Let’s get ready to travel! This is Part 2 of a three-part travel series running this winter! You can listen to Part 1 here ...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Perfectly crisped bacon with zero grease splatter, an onion diced evenly and confidently, and a sparkling clean kitchen sink. These are just a few of the kitchen confidence-boosters Meagan and Sarah have worked on over the years. Today’s episode is all about the skills we’ve developed – and even mastered – that help us enjoy home cooking more. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS: Episodes From The Archives You May Enjoy: Reclaiming Our Kitchens: Episode 490 Sipping, Steeping, Hydrating & Celebrating: Let...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 1 min
From big career pivots to giant life decisions, how do we know when it’s time to take a leap? How much dreaming and scheming comes before the moment of action? And how do you know what’s on the other side of a bend in the road? (Spoiler: you don’t.) Meagan and Sarah share a podcast-related update and explore these questions together. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS: Sarah recommends this episode of The Culture Study Podcast : Is The Golden Age Of Podcasts Over? and these episodes of 10 Things To Tell You...
Feb 04, 2025•49 min
Meagan and Sarah tackle MORE of your listener questions! From handling school emails about your kid’s behavior to accepting that you’re not the ‘fun parent’, from encouraging teens to read more to nudging a reluctant 8-year-old into extracurriculars, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in! HELPFUL LINKS: Episodes From The Archives You May Enjoy: “Fun” For The Whole Family: Episode 408 Reading & Literacy Tips by Age & Stage Emotional Labor, Burnout & Completing The Stress Cycle: Episode...
Jan 28, 2025•47 min
A preschooler with a bit of a hoarding tendency, mom-guilt related to not providing the same school experience to all three of her kids, and sadness about a firstborn child heading off to college. Meagan and Sarah offer our advice to moms with these parenting questions, PLUS we unpack the “glad I did / wish I’d done” conceit, offering our thoughts to a mom who wants to know what we’d do differently if we knew then what we know now. Join us for Listener Questions in Episode 501! Pre-Order Meagan’...
Jan 21, 2025•46 min
Where would we go if time, money, and (ahem) kids were of little consequence? Where would YOU go? In our first episode in a three-part travel series, Meagan and Sarah talk about dream destinations and what kind of travel experiences we envision as we move out of the intensive ‘family travel planning’ years. We talk about how our personalities inform the way we think about travel, whether we aim for a ‘vibe’ vs. a specific location, and how we feel about traveling with our spouses. Join us! HELPF...
Jan 17, 2025•54 min
Meagan and Sarah are back from a holiday hiatus and catching up on all the things in our 500th Tuesday episode! We’re chatting about the holiday season, the state of our homes, the latest antics from our pets, and what we’re looking forward to as parents this year. It’s been a minute, so come hang with us for some laughs, real talk, and all the fun as we dive into 2025 together! HELPFUL LINKS: Meagan shared some holiday thoughts on Substack throughout the month of December: Holiday Mothering Fro...
Jan 14, 2025•58 min
