Register for kindergarten, or wait another year? Scrap the distance learning and opt into a homeschool program, or stick it out and hope campus opens in the fall? Stick with what your friends and neighbors are doing, or blaze your own trail when it comes to kids’ education? There is no end to the list of questions parents face when it comes to making school decisions – and many of them crop up around this time of year when applications and registrations come due. In Episode 298 of The Mom Hour, ...
Feb 02, 2021•54 min
Getting pregnant was relatively easy for Dani Kilgore and her husband William, who looked forward to growing a family after getting married in 2009. But for Dani, a former teacher and soccer coach who now serves as a pastor in a church, staying pregnant proved challenging. Through miscarriage and preterm labor, a premature birth and devastating infant loss, Dani and William leaned on one another, their faith, and their community even as they navigated a healthcare system that didn’t always appea...
Jan 29, 2021•50 min
Whether it’s a medical emergency, a surprise diagnosis, upheaval at school, or a mental health situation, most moms will at some point be called to fight hard for their kid’s health, safety, and best interests. And when that moment comes, you might be surprised at what’s most challenging and what’s most helpful. In Episode 297 Meagan shares publicly for the first time a recent family crisis that put her in a position where she had to quickly and fiercely advocate for one of her kids. She shares ...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr
Containing our kids’ chaos is one thing; keeping track of our OWN stuff is another altogether. To round out our recent series of episodes about where to put all the STUFF of family life, Meagan and Sarah chat about how we store and organize all the things that fall under “mom’s domain.” From our bathroom counters to our nightstand drawers, the kitchen “drop zone” to mask and mitten management, we’re here to share what works, what we’re working on, and where we need serious help. Join us! This ro...
Jan 24, 2021•52 min
We love all of our kids – but does each of them FEEL our love in the same way? In Episode 296 Meagan and Sarah take on the famous five love languages as a framework for talking about how we most naturally show love to our kids–and also how they receive it. We talk about our own primary love languages and how they shape the ways we tend to show affection, and also look at the changing dynamics of parent-kid love through the growing-up years. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: We referenced the books The 5...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 7 min
With nearly a year of “everything’s cancelled!” behind us, and facing down an early 2021 of “Who knows?” , we’ve all learned a couple things: Truth #1: We all need to set goals and make plans to stay on course and keep working toward our deepest priorities, especially when life is unpredictable. Truth #2: When life is unpredictable, it feels really hard to set goals. How do we make these two realities jive? The solution: goal setting with a big dose of self-awareness and self-empathy. As 2020 ta...
Jan 15, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Art supplies taking over your shared space? Losing library books under piles of what-even-IS-this-stuff? Ready for a January re-set of your home’s organization systems? You’re not alone. This week Meagan and Sarah continue the conversation about where to put all the STUFF of family life, covering arts and crafts, board games and puzzles, super-sized play stuff, and all those wonderful books. We also touch on ways to know if an organizational system will work for you and your family – because, as...
Jan 12, 2021•1 hr 2 min
The holidays are behind us, but they’ve left their mark on our homes: mostly in the form of more STUFF to store. Meagan and Sarah have logged decades of toy sorting and stuff-storing and in this week’s episode share our experience finding just the right spot for all that brightly colored plastic. We talk about LEGO, we talk about stuffies and dolls; we remember the days of itty bitty sets and giant toddler ride-on toys. By the end of this episode we hope you’ll feel like you already have the spa...
Jan 05, 2021•57 min
For those who love to plan ahead, the past year has been a huge challenge–and the shiny promise of a brand new year feels a little lackluster as we look toward 2021. Is planning and goal-setting permanently on hold, shuttered just like schools and gyms and concerts? Sarah Hart-Unger says no. Our first Voices interview episode of 2021 features two Sarahs: host Sarah Powers chats with guest Sarah Hart-Unger about how to approach planning and goal-setting this year. We talk about the importance of ...
Jan 01, 2021•55 min
Meagan and Sarah tiptoe very cautiously into the waters of futurecasting in today’s episode, still through the hazy, cheese-filled lens of that strange week between Christmas and New Year’s. We talk about where our kids and home lives will be one year from now and what that means for the evolution of our family units. We meditate on all that was stripped away in 2020, and when and how it may start to return in the coming year. And we also share the things we’re MOST excited to return to post-pan...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Last week the ghost of holidays past took us on a tour of our past lives as moms of littles during the Christmas season. This week, as we continue the loosest of adaptations of A Christmas Carol , Meagan and Sarah sit with the reality of the present moment. We talk about how this holiday season will differ from the 2020-that-could-have-been, and about how things have changed as our kids have grown, with or without a global crisis. As we head into the final few days before Christmas, we also shar...
Dec 22, 2020•59 min
In our very own motherhood-inspired take on A Christmas Carol, Meagan and Sarah are visited by the ghost of holidays past for today’s episode. Join us as we peek in at our younger-mom selves by sharing moments and memories from years gone by. There are gift mishaps, angry pregnant lady meltdowns, Christmas tree disasters, and convenience store dinners–all shared to help you remember that no matter what goes down this month, someday it will be but a memory. Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONED: Be sure to chec...
Dec 15, 2020•49 min
From spiced nuts to festive cocktails, traditional meat-and-sides dinners to nostalgic or cultural throwbacks, holiday menus are wide open for interpretation. In this More Than Mom episode, Meagan and Sarah chat about the holiday food memories we carry from childhood, how those patterns changed as we formed our own families, and what a typical Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meal looks like these days. We share favorites and recipes, along with family quirks and fuzzy memories; it’s a fun one–jo...
Dec 13, 2020•53 min
When you feel the pressure to do , make , or be something this holiday season, pause and ask yourself three questions. Does this TRULY matter to me? Is the PROCESS joyful or meaningful (or is it that others make the product look so easy)? And–a big one–what if I DON’T? In Episode 290 Meagan and Sarah offer gut-checks on some of the biggest pressures moms feel during the holiday season–from magazine-worthy living rooms to the mental load of shopping for (and giving gift ideas to) a large extended...
Dec 08, 2020•58 min
Obsessive nail-painting rituals, facial hair secrets, fussy skincare routines, and blame-it-on-COVID changes to our general beauty and personal grooming habits: today’s More Than Mom episode is 9 parts confessional, 1 part helpful…but oh, we think you’ll enjoy it. Join Meagan and Sarah as we share–sometimes sheepishly–the bizarre beauty rituals and personal grooming habits we just can’t quit. Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONED: For more makeup talk, check out our episode Makeup & Mom Life We mentioned S...
Dec 06, 2020•58 min
Routines: everyone has them, whether you’ve created them intentionally or fallen into them by chance. In today’s episode, Meagan talks with Ashley Brown, a full-time working mom of two girls ages 3 and 1, enthusiastic Enneagram 1, and the creator of Routine & Things . After leaving the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom to her oldest daughter, Ashley found herself depressed and struggling to stay afloat; creating intentional routines around everything from self-care to cleaning the kitchen p...
Dec 04, 2020•42 min
A preschooler is obsessed with screen-time after some COVID-related relaxation of the rules; how can the family get back on track? Another mom wonders how to meet the very different needs of multiple kids at the same time, and still another wants to know: WHERE DO ALL THE SOCKS GO? Then we tackle indoor physical play for little kids, talking honestly about the death of a grandparent, and the weirdest holiday gifts our kids have ever asked for. It’s a jam-packed Listener Questions episode–join us...
Dec 01, 2020•56 min
When friendships are strained by politics and the pandemic, how can a lonely mom re-envision her social life? What ideas do we have for family bonding as kids get older? Can Meagan distill her best parenting advice into five minutes or less? And finally, the sibling bickering is non-stop–what’s a mom to do? Join us for Episode 288 of The Mom Hour where we take YOUR listener questions and offer our best solicited advice. Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONED: Check out our other Listener Questions episodes If y...
Nov 24, 2020•51 min
There’s plenty to debate about the holidays in 2020 – and it doesn’t ALL have to be gloomy and stressful. We’re kicking off Thanksgiving week with very lively, mostly half-baked debates about holiday controversies that bear little consequence on anything. To find out whether we think eggnog is disgusting or delightful, who among us prefers multicolored exterior illumination, whether Baby, It’s Cold Outside is CANCELLED or actually feminist, and what we actually think of Love, Actually , join us ...
Nov 22, 2020•51 min
Shopping mindfully or practicing conscious consumerism can be a powerful way to show our support to struggling or underrepresented businesses this holiday season. It can also be, to use a phrase we lean on more and more these days, A LOT . It’s a lot to think about, it can be overwhelming to navigate, and it definitely can put strain on your budget. In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah discuss where we our in our own shopping priorities, what we’d like to do more of this holiday season, and how ...
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr 2 min
The animals in our lives have certainly had an interesting year, what with all the working and learning from home. Many families whose work/life situations previously caused them to hold off on pet-ownership took the plunge and got a pandemic puppy. And COVID or no COVID, our kids never stop asking to add to our respective menageries. Join Meagan and Sarah for a fun look at life with family pets, especially through the lens of 2020. We’ll talk about pandemic puppies, the Powers family’s adventur...
Nov 10, 2020•55 min
We know that winter 2020-2021 will require all the tips and tricks to keep us going–and it’s not even mid-November yet! Today’s More Than Mom episode is all about the concept of COZY, and how Meagan and Sarah like to bring it into our wardrobes, menus, and homes. Join us for a fun chat about cozy clothes we’re eyeing, how we manage the temperature in our homes when it’s cold out, and what food and drinks sound best for a cozy mood. Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONED: Sarah is loving crewneck pullover sweats...
Nov 08, 2020•51 min
When Whitnee Hawthorne was a new mom working a full-time corporate job she had trouble finding resources for women in her position–so she set out to create them. Now a mom of two and still working full-time for a Fortune 500 company, Whitnee helps other moms find their joy and achieve their goals. In this month’s Voices interview, Sarah chats with Whitnee about the morning and evening routines that set each day up for success, the regular practices that can help busy moms reflect and remember th...
Nov 06, 2020•48 min
We’ve all heard the terms ‘mental load’ and ’emotional labor,’ but it’s easy to toss them around without pausing to really understand what’s happening in our minds and bodies when we carry prolonged stress with us in our roles as mothers and household managers. Today Meagan and Sarah look at the different ways stress manifests in our own bodies (and psyches), and offer concrete tips for managing feelings of burnout in a particularly challenging season. This episode was inspired in part by a rece...
Nov 03, 2020•55 min
Listener Alana wrote to us recently to ask if we have a handy list of medicine cabinet must-haves for cold and flu season. We do not have such a list, but we have much to say! In Episode 284 Meagan and Sarah talk through various ages, stages, and accompanying ailments we’ve been able to treat at home–we are VERY clear that we’re not doctors, but we are moms who have seen a lot, from owies to skin troubles, fevers to congestion. And if there’s ever a year to make sure your family’s medicine cabin...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr
Meagan and Sarah have both experienced parenting in three different decades now, and it reminded us of those old magazine spreads that talked about fashion or makeup (or fill-in-the-blank ) in your 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Join us for a fun More Than Mom episode where we look at both the benefits and challenges to having had kids when we did–with full recognition that there are upsides and downsides to any decade and any motherhood timeline. Enjoy! HELPFUL LINKS: Visit our website Check out deals f...
Oct 25, 2020•49 min
This episode contains a story of pregnancy loss. October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and recently we’ve seen online and in celebrity culture a few examples of women talking must more openly about their loss experiences, even sharing very vulnerable photos with the world like Chrissy Teigan did earlier this month. Here at The Mom Hour, we are 100% on board with movements that make moms feel less alone in their experience, so we think it’s really important to continue sh...
Oct 23, 2020•39 min
Older kids and teenagers are experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime event–and they’re old enough to have thoughts about it. As moms, watching our kids miss out on social interactions and developmental rites of passage is tough, as is finding new ways to support their independence and hold boundaries when they push back. In Episode 283 Meagan and Sarah continue last week’s discussion about the very specific parenting challenges brought about by COVID-19, this time with a focus on big kids, tweens, and...
Oct 20, 2020•50 min
Separation anxiety. Potty training. Speech and language development. Socialization. These cornerstones of child development and the parenting experience can bring up questions or create bumps in the road in normal times–but we are not living in normal times, friends. We’re living in COVID times. In Episode 282 of The Mom Hour, Meagan and Sarah look at the really specific (and sometimes heartbreaking) ways that the last eight months have complicated the motherhood experience for parents of infant...
Oct 13, 2020•57 min
We’re all dreaming about getting away right now, but traditional travel and typical vacations don’t feel like they’re going to be a thing for, well, a while. So today Meagan and Sarah are dreaming BIG – stranded on a deserted island big. Join us for a silly–but somehow also theraputic in 2020?–exercise in hypothetical thinking. We discuss what we’d bring with us to an island escape, what our fantasy island dwelling would be like, and how we’d spend our time. Enjoy! PS – DESERT island or DESERTED...
Oct 11, 2020•49 min
