“Hi Sarah and Meagan, this is Sheena from Oregon, and I have two questions that both relate to time management. I have a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old and I’m finding that I’m always behind, and I’m wondering if you have any tips for how to get ahead? Also, how do you find time in the day to play? I find that I’m always just trying to get the kids busy so I can get on to my next task, and I never have time to just sit down and play. Thanks for your advice!” This is the question we g...
Jul 19, 2016•38 min
It’s mid-July and time for an update on our summer travels! Join Meagan and Sarah for a fun conversation about cross-country road trips, flying solo with three kids, and what our families watched, listened to, read and played while on vacation. We also talk about what’s coming up for us, and for The Mom Hour, in the second half of the summer. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: Big Quiet Camping (where Meagan and family stayed in the teepee) The Martian by Andy Weir (audio book via Audible.com) Star Wars ...
Jul 12, 2016•49 min
Welcome to part two in our series on personality types! Last week we discussed the general appeal of personality tests and delved into the concepts of introversion and extroversion (we recommend listening to that episode first if you haven’t already. This week we reveal our Myers-Briggs and Enneagram types (drumroll….) and continue the conversation as it relates to parenting, partner relationships and more. Myers-Briggs & Enneagram Personality Tests These are the tests we took, and we’d love...
Jul 05, 2016•45 min
Welcome to our two-part show all about personality types! In Episode 57 we discuss the general appeal of self-discovery and the lure (or, for some, skepticism) of personality tests and quizzes. We also discuss the concepts of introversion and extroversion, how neither of us fit a classic mold, and how our needs change over the course of motherhood. Online Personality Tests (Take yours – it’s fun!) These are the tests we took, and we’d love you to take them too! Next week in Episode 58 we’ll reve...
Jun 28, 2016•42 min
Working outside the home brings its own set of challenges and opportunities that Meagan and Sarah don't get to speak to personally as freelancers who work from home, and we get requests from listeners all the time to address working mom life on the podcast. So we are thrilled that for our second Bonus Interview episode Sarah interviewed three moms who work full-time outside the home. Meet Elizabeth, Kelsey, and Angela. Three working moms who live in vastly different areas of the country, have di...
Jun 24, 2016•1 hr 20 min
Moving with kids – whether it’s across town or out of state – is no easy task. Meagan and Sarah have each done it several times and share their tips and experiences in Episode 56. We also expand the conversation to the broader topic of cultivating community where you live, regardless of how long you’ve been there. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: Speakpipe – Leave us an audio message and your question might make it onto the show like Amy’s did! This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving th...
Jun 21, 2016•1 hr 3 min
We aren’t extreme couponers (or couponers at all, really), but as moms of many kids and growing families, we definitely have our eyes on the grocery budget. Join Meagan and Sarah for an inside look at our shopping habits when it comes to groceries and household supplies in Episode 55. We talk about where we shop, how we keep costs down, and what we think of warehouse retailers and big box stores when it comes to saving money. LINKS MENTIONED: Episode 23 of The Mom Hour where we talk about meal p...
Jun 15, 2016•38 min
If you’ve traveled with small children, you know that “enjoy” and “vacation” don’t always belong in the same sentence. In Episode 53 Meagan and Sarah share tips for reclaiming a little bit of R & R in your family travels, even during the little years. We talk about how to making packing and getting out the door less hectic, ways to get aligned with your co-parent and make use of each other’s travel strengths, and how to structure your time away from home so that kids have fun and parents get...
May 31, 2016•59 min
Asking for help with childcare, close friends with dramatically different parenting styles, handling kids’ big emotions with elementary school friendship struggles, and how to stop apologizing for where you are in life/motherhood and embrace the chaos with confidence. It’s another Listener Q & A show! LINKS MENTIONED: How to get our Summer Shortcuts eBook for free (hint: listen to Episode 51 ) The most stressful 8 minutes of my week (and why I changed my mind about them) – Sarah for The Happ...
May 23, 2016•51 min
We’re all about laid-back, low-key summer fun – but sometimes it takes a little planning ahead to make room for all that lazing around. In Episode 51 Meagan and Sarah talk about getting organized for summer – from what to do with the avalanche of school papers that come home this time of year, to looking at the calendar and making room for the stuff (literal and figurative) that matters. Whether you’re days (yay!) or weeks (hang in there, mama) away from summer’s official start, we hope you’ll j...
May 16, 2016•51 min
Parenting is hard enough - even when you've studied up on expert tips and have your diaper bag stocked and organized. But sometimes our most genius moments as moms and dads happen when we're caught off guard - when we don't have a clear-cut answer and have to rely on in-the-moment instinct and commonsense intuition. That's what Sarah discusses with author Asha Dornfest the first-ever BONUS interview episode of The Mom Hour! Join Sarah and Asha for a great discussion about learning to trust your ...
May 13, 2016•48 min
50 episodes into The Mom Hour (!!) and some things never change. We laugh. We ramble a bit. We gush about how great you guys – our listeners – are. As we gear up for a summer full of some great shows, and some new ideas and improvements we’re making to the podcast, join us for a look back at our favorite moments and most popular episodes, and a look at what’s ahead for The Mom Hour. LINKS MENTIONED: Leave us a voicemail in Speakpipe (a great way to ask a question or suggest a topic!) How to leav...
May 10, 2016•48 min
If you follow us on social media, you probably saw that Meagan and Sarah got to hang out – and record this very podcast episode – in person over the weekend at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Laguna Niguel, CA. Not only did we get to hang out with one another, we shared a makeshift recording studio (translation: one king-sized hotel bed) with some of our favorite fellow podcasters: Jessica Ashley of Single Mom Nation Radio , Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner of Spawned , and Asha Dornfest and Christine Koh ...
May 03, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Last week we talked about our ever-evolving “mom style” and what looks we’re loving at this stage of life. This week we’re moving on to hairstyles, skincare, make-up and beauty routines. Join Meagan and Sarah for much confusion and hilarity – and hopefully a little insight – on growing out short hair, going gray in our 30’s, being completely overwhelmed by skincare products, and making time in the daily routine for basic beauty and skincare. LINKS MENTIONED: Episode 47: Our Ever-Evolving “Mom St...
Apr 26, 2016•41 min
When you spend years cycling through maternity, post-partum, nursing and “oh gee I’m pregnant again!” wardrobe pieces, thinking about your personal style can take a back seat. Now that Meagan and Sarah are squarely on the other side of those years, we’re talking about clothes, shopping and style in Episode 47. Join us for a fun conversation about where we love to shop, when to buy cheap and when it makes sense to spend a little more, how our own personal styles have evolved over the years, and w...
Apr 19, 2016•41 min
There’s no shortage of movies, television, books and music geared toward kids. The tough part is, some of it is pretty terrible, some is just okay, and some is truly fantastic (making us want to be a kid again, quite frankly). In Episode 46 Meagan and Sarah discuss helping our kids follow their interests into the realms of literature, music, and screen media. We marvel over some of the differences between what’s available today and what we watched as kids, and we share some of our favorite resou...
Apr 12, 2016•53 min
There’s no question that the academic demands on kids – at school and at home – have increased since we were students. Join Meagan and Sarah for an honest, thoughtful conversation about elementary school homework and the continued pressure on our kids into their middle and high school years. As usual, we embrace the fact that we don’t have all the answers, and we do our best to stay positive and non-judgmental. We love our schools and our kids’ teachers and we’re honest about our own insecuritie...
Apr 05, 2016•56 min
Let’s face it: most of us have certain areas of motherhood that feel easy-breezy and others where we tend to struggle. And while it’s always possible to improve your parenting game, we think it’s also helpful to acknowledge that one mom’s superpower might be another’s kryptonite… and that’s okay . Join Meagan and Sarah for a frank and fun conversation about their own superpowers and kryptonite. Enjoy Episode 44 of The Mom Hour! LINKS MENTIONED: “Mom. Mum. Mommy” (Family Guy clip via YouTube) Unt...
Mar 29, 2016•53 min
It's easy to let creative pursuits and hobbies fade into the background during the hectic years of early parenting. And when the time comes to make room for them again, we're sometimes left with questions: Am I too old? Is this still something I love to do? Maybe I should pick up something new? And how do I fit it all in? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mar 15, 2016•45 min
Rough patches in (and out!) of parenthood: whether it’s a temporary crisis, a general mom funk, or full-blown depression, we’ve all been there. In this episode, Sarah and Meagan have a frank conversation about some hard times we’ve been through as moms, give advice for taking care of yourself when things aren’t going well, and offer encouragement to help you see the light at the end of the tunnel. LINKS MENTIONED: Posts from The Happiest Home Why is it so hard to say ‘This is hard’? (Sarah) You ...
Mar 07, 2016•58 min
We get so many great questions from listeners, and sometimes it doesn't work to devote a whole episode to them. So we decided to take on four questions submitted by listeners: listen as we chat about room-sharing siblings, planning first birthday parties, feeling left out when you have your kids earlier or later than your friends do, and the evolution of playdates. LINKS MENTIONED: Sarah’s essay in On Parenting from The Washington Post: My advice for today’s politicians is the same as my advice ...
Feb 29, 2016•57 min
How does birth order - both our own and our children's - affect how we relate to our kids? Do stereotypes like the bossy oldest, peacemaking middle and freewheeling youngest hold up, in our experience? What do we remember about our role as oldest (Sarah) and youngest (Meagan) and how does that influence our mothering? We tackle these questions and more in Episode 40 - all about birth order. If you're fascinated by family dynamics, pop psychology, and the human experience, we think you'll love th...
Feb 23, 2016•58 min
Do you parent a picky eater? Then Episode 39 is for you. In this episode, Meagan and Sarah admit we don’t have the answers when it comes to this tricky (and oh-so-common) parenting challenge. But in lieu of solving all your problems, we share our own and talk through some of the complicated pieces of the puzzle. LINKS MENTIONED: LINKS MENTIONED: The Picky Eater (Ellyn Satter Institute) Picky Eater recipes on MOMables.com Deceptively Delicious (Jessica Seinfeld) and The Sneaky Chef (Missy Chase L...
Feb 16, 2016•49 min
One hospital birth. Two home births. Two birthing center deliveries. Three scheduled cesarean sections. Meagan and Sarah have had eight pregnancies between them (now eight kids ages 3-18!) and about as wide a cross-section of birth experiences as you can get. In Episode 38, at the request of several pregnant listeners, we travel back in time and share our pregnancy and birth stories with the benefit of hindsight. Join us as we talk about medical decision-making, finding your trusted pregnancy an...
Feb 09, 2016•55 min
Last we talked about traveling spouses; this week's episode is all about what happens when MOM is the one taking off for a trip. Whether you travel rarely or regularly, we hope you'll join us for a great discussion on the prep, the guilt (or lack therof!), and the logistics of leaving your kids. LINKS MENTIONED: Going away–without the kids? Feeling guilty or worried? Read this. Guilt? Worry? Fear? Which is it, and how to deal. On the other hand…NOT leaving your kids is not weird. 5 reasons why M...
Feb 01, 2016•38 min
If your co-parent travels - occasionally 0r all the time - you know that holding down the home front is hard work. In Episode 36 we talk about what we've learned from years of experience about how to survive - and even thrive! - when your partner is away. LINKS MENTIONED: Your advice and tips about traveling spouses on our Facebook page and Instagram post (thank you so much!) Call the Midwife – Sarah’s go-to show when she watches TV alone in bed with her glass of wine What I Make for Dinner When...
Jan 26, 2016•45 min
While we didn't set out to talk about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up in this episode, it turns out Meagan got into a bit of a Facebook debate about the so-called magic of Marie Kondo's method. We had a bit of fun with this (and we're not altogether negative about the book - in fact, Sarah shares her take-aways in this episode) before moving on to the meat of Kate's question. LINKS MENTIONED: Great minds think alike! Our friends Kristen and Liz of Cool Mom Picks and the #SpawnedShow talked...
Jan 18, 2016•51 min
Milestones tend to be something moms think a lot about in the first year or two of motherhood. But kids keep developing (at their own pace, as we all know) and moms keep celebrating, wondering, and sometimes worrying about them long after the baby years are behind us. In Episode 34 we tackle eight milestones from the preschool through teen years and share when and how our kids met them. We also talk about the importance of keeping conversations about milestones supportive, and how quickly they c...
Jan 11, 2016•59 min
Neither Meagan nor Sarah is a resolution-maker, but we both love starting fresh after the holidays with renewed energy and focus. Today we’re talking about fitness, food, and self-care – our own intentions for 2016 as well as what has worked for us (and not so much) in the past. Are you new here? Welcome! LINKS MENTIONED: Past episodes of The Mom Hour you might have missed Improving Your Media Diet (Ep 3) Creating A Life You Love When You’re Done Having Babies (Ep 11) Healthy Routines For Happy ...
Jan 05, 2016•52 min
As Christmas fast approaches, we're here to remind you that YOU too deserve great, thoughtful gifts under the tree this year! Join us as we talk about our own wish lists and favorite gifts from holidays past, and get some ideas you can drop as not-so-subtle hints this week! LINKS MENTIONED 20 Can’t-Miss Holiday Gifts For Moms (our 2012 guide at The Happiest Home – all the ideas stand the test of time!) 10 Great Gifts For Moms (our 2014 guide at The Happiest Home ) All the great tech tips and pro...
Dec 15, 2015•50 min
