Empty your lunch box! Wash your hands! No screens before homework! What non-negotiable rule do you enforce when the kids walk through the door after school gets out? In our latest “House Rules” episode, Meagan and Sarah tackle the time between when school-age kids get home and the onset of dinner and bedtime. We asked our community for rules, systems or routines that make the after-school time just a bit easier (having a rule can be pure magic because it takes the pressure off of mom!), as well ...
Aug 30, 2022•46 min
While we WILL be talking all about motherhood today, we WON’T be talking about mothering any humans. In this one-of-a-kind episode, Meagan and Sarah talk motherhood through the lens of caring for chickens and kittens! If you’ve been following us on instagram, you know we’ve been busy welcoming 23 chickens (Meagan) and two newborn kittens plus their lactating mama (Sarah) into our lives. We share how similar (and different) animal babies and mamas are compared to our own families (and how we just...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Got any empties? You know the ones–those products that you use down to the VERY last drop. In this super fun More than Mom, Meagan and Sarah share products that we simply can’t stop adding to our cart because they’re just THAT good. We cover all of our go-to skin care and makeup products, our can’t-live-without clothing essentials, candle obsessions and much more! Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONED: Sarah mentioned watching @jamiebgolden’s Empties stories on Instagram Sarah’s List of Empties Neutrogena Hydr...
Aug 21, 2022•48 min
You’re invited to our accidentally-annual-grab-bag chat! In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah have a good-old fashioned girl chat to catch up on all the things. We share our late summer moods (one of us is very ready for school to begin; one of us likes August to linger), our planned social media breaks (we’ll be back in September, promise!), trips we’ve taken this summer, creatures living on our properties (cute kittens and chickens) and more. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: 2021’s Late Summer Grab B...
Aug 16, 2022•49 min
The back to school season brings that sense of routine that some of us crave–but it can also bring on a whole lot of anxiety (getting the right supplies, attending all the events, filling out paperwork…the list goes on!). In this Glad I Did / Wish I’d Done episode, Meagan and Sarah reflect on all the things we’re glad we did to ease the transition into this season and also some things we could have done differently (or that we plan to try this year!). We share what to do with all those school su...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr
When to get kids their first cell phone brings up all kinds of questions: How do you know when your child is ready? How to talk to kids about safety? How to help kids develop a healthy relationship with their phone? Social Media? Phone etiquette? (The list goes on!) In today’s episode, Sarah welcomes back her friend Dr. Catherine Pearlman to talk about kids and technology–specifically the learning that happens when kids start to navigate their own personal devices, like phones. Dr. Catherine Pea...
Aug 05, 2022•54 min
College decision-making is influenced by so many things–parents, peers, teachers, family members, your larger community and more. And as with everything else: all families approach this differently! While some bleed their alma mater colors, others don’t see college as the only option for helping launch kids after graduation. In this episode, Meagan and Sarah have an open-ended conversation about the role college played in our own stories, our family-of-origin culture, and the narrative we’re sha...
Aug 02, 2022•59 min
What are Meagan and Sarah’s best tips for getting kids started with their first phone? And with a new school year right around the corner, a mom asks how to prepare her child for the first day of kindergarten and looks for some fun traditions to help celebrate back to school. The “bigger kids, bigger problems” stage arrives early for one listener’s family, and she looks for strategies for maintaining her mental health and other relationships while they navigate tough times. Lastly, a mom of bick...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 2 min
What’s a mom to do when one kid feels left out of outings his younger sibling gets to do while he’s at school? A listener about to move to a new city for just one year wants tips for finding mom friends quickly, and another listener’s question about how common it is for moms to feel the need to keep spirits up in a family with moodier characters really gets Meagan and Sarah thinking about their own families. Finally, a newer listener is curious about Meagan’s backstory of young motherhood and jo...
Jul 19, 2022•44 min
Today we’re talking about advice: asking for it, giving it, and consuming it in general. Things have come a looong way since the days of Dear Abby (we’re looking at you, Facebook crowdsourcing!), and in this fun More Than Mom conversation, Meagan and Sarah share how we individually show up when it comes to receiving advice, whether we’re comfortable giving advice, and how it all has changed for us over the years. We also discuss our mutual fascination with advice-column culture and parse the dif...
Jul 17, 2022•51 min
We get dueling messages from our culture: On the one hand, come as you are! Accept yourself fully, imperfections and all. On the other hand, you deserve better! Here’s what to do (and buy) to sleep better, eat better, look better, and feel better. It can be confusing to navigate a genuine desire to live your best life alongside the necessary self-acceptance it takes to feel like you’re doing enough today. Do we have this figured out? We do not, but today we’re here to talk about it. Meagan and S...
Jul 12, 2022•57 min
Meagan’s first baby shower was – wait for it – twenty-five years ago this summer. To bring her up to speed on how things are done nowadays and what’s new in baby gear, gifting, and registries, Meagan is joined by Kia and Katherine from our contributor team. Both are seasoned moms who have seen trends evolve, and both have had babies much (much) more recently. Join us as we talk about the pros and cons to today’s baby product landscape, what’s changed and what hasn’t, and what we’d do differently...
Jul 08, 2022•40 min
“How do you know when your family is complete?” is one of the most common listener questions we receive. Meagan and Sarah both now have several years of hindsight separating them from the baby and toddler years, and today we’re reflecting on the idea of a “complete” family unit. We acknowledge that it doesn’t necessarily look like what we imagined it would – and that for many moms there is uncertainty and even grief wrapped up in all of this – but we also find much to celebrate about the current...
Jul 05, 2022•46 min
Not feeling like an expert in the housework realm? Turns out, very few of feel like we know what we are doing. Last week Meagan and Sarah talked about WHAT we do to keep our households in a state of "good enough," and this week's Part Two is all about the feelings that came up as we tracked a week of real-life housework. We dive into some of our insecurities as home managers, the difference between housework and mothering, and some of the really sticky aspects of finding your identity as a mom a...
Jun 28, 2022•56 min
What we remember from childhood helps build our narrative of who we were - even if those memories are fuzzy or slightly flawed. Today Meagan and Sarah get in the way-WAY-back machine and reflect on what we were like as kids and teens. As a child, Meagan was dreamy, imaginative, chatty, and obsessed with balloons (!!), while Sarah was studious, quiet-but-sociable, responsible, and circumstantially prone to tears. We touch on how our personalities developed as we grew up, whether we were “popular”...
Jun 26, 2022•58 min
Most of us enjoy having a clean and tidy home, but have you ever kept track of how much you do throughout the week to keep it that way? In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah share what seven days of real-life housework looks like in our homes. We reflect on the tasks we knew went into running a home, and some surprising ones we never thought of as housework before (like picking plums and chasing chickens!). Whether you prioritize deep-cleaning on a regular schedule or tend to tidy as you go and h...
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr
If you travel with kids, it’s just a matter of time before a trip goes off the rails in spectacular fashion. Maybe it’s a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, or an expensive vacation spent sick in a pricey hotel room. Today Sarah is joined by Catie, Stacy, Emily and Lisa – regular contributors to the show and seasoned travelers with a combined 13 kids – who share their most memorable travel mishap stories. (Full disclaimer: there will be puke-talk.) In sharing these stories, we hope to normalize...
Jun 17, 2022•48 min
As moms, we can be hard on ourselves…and sometimes we just need to hear the simplest, oft-repeated pieces of advice and encouragement to remind us that it is all going to be OK. Join Meagan and Sarah for a reflection on eight pieces of wisdom that have carried us through motherhood struggles at every age and stage. We are offering them to you, to ourselves, and to all of our future selves in Episode 369. Enjoy! LINKS MENTIONED: Don’t miss chicken content on Meagan’s Instagram If you don’t know w...
Jun 14, 2022•50 min
Have you ever fantasized about attending a camp-like environment for grown-ups? Much about the classic summer camp experience is appealing to us (though not EVERYTHING–we could certainly do without the bugs), and the idea of simply showing up for a perfectly curated experience without any responsibility, or planning, sounds AMAZING. Listen to this fun More Than Mom to hear all of our must-have activities (like food and wine tastings, yoga, personal style consults and more!), things that would be...
Jun 12, 2022•48 min
Among parents, technology and screen time can be a loaded topic. How much is too much? Is that movie too mature? And what’s the best age for a first phone? In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah share the role technology played in our families when kids were little, and reflect on how things changed as they grew. We discuss the tech parenting choices we still stand behind today, and with hindsight, what we could have done differently. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: If you have topic suggestions for thi...
Jun 07, 2022•51 min
There are big benefits to getting kids outside as much as possible. But as a mom to young kids, it can feel intimidating to curate the perfect outside experience for them (and you)! In this Voices episode, Meagan chats with regular contributors Jayme Sherrod and Jennifer Carroll about ways to weave nature into your family’s routine. Both Jennifer and Jayme love the outdoors, but their approaches to getting outside with young kids are very different; listen to get their best tips and must-have ge...
Jun 03, 2022•56 min
It’s the last day of May, which means that for many families it’s time to stow away backpacks, say ‘see ya later’ to early morning alarms, and settle in for a more laid-back (or at least DIFFERENT) routine. In this episode, Meagan and Sarah tap into the wisdom of our community and share your simple summer rituals and traditions for filling summer calendars with fun – without totally throwing structure out the window. Enjoy this mashup of sweet, family rituals along with clever house rules to hel...
May 31, 2022•43 min
Looking back at old photos is a quick way to feel ALL the feels: everything from “I can’t believe they were ever that little” to “What was I thinking with that haircut?” to “Oh riiiiiiiight, that was one exhausting season of life.” Looking back is also a great reminder of the value in documenting everyday life – whether we share it publicly or keep it tucked away for our future selves. In this episode, Meagan and Sarah take a stroll down motherhood memory lane as we look back at one day (May 24)...
May 24, 2022•49 min
Products. Just because. Yay! Meagan and Sarah pop into your Sunday feed with a light and fluffy chat about the products we are loving lately. From linen pants to fizzy beverage makers, pens for lefties and Very Many Opinions About Mugs, we cover our latest can’t-live-without products in this fun More Than Mom episode. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: The Essential Calendar is perfect to help you get organized this summer (that’s our affiliate link – and you can see what the calendar looks like here ) D...
May 22, 2022•53 min
Between the raging hormones, sleep deprivation, and overstimulation that occurs on the daily, it’s no wonder most moms feel a little “off” for a few weeks after delivery. But how do we know when the baby blues develop into something more? In this episode, Sarah chats with contributors Emily Roark and Kia Hammond, who share their personal postpartum mental health journeys, including how they recognized signs of postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, when and how they got help, and which co...
May 20, 2022•49 min
Performances. Plays. Graduations. The lusty month of May is upon us as we ditch our well-oiled, calendar-planning systems and enter our end-of-school-year survival mode. In this episode, Meagan and Sarah share strategies for tackling the extra-ness of this season (like death by a thousand emails), setting intentions for the next few weeks and the many lessons May tries to teach us year after year (maybe someday we will learn?). Enjoy this May madness roundup as you dream of the peaceful, calm da...
May 17, 2022•55 min
As moms, we are our kids’ biggest fans. But when it comes to deciding when, how and what to share about them with others, the struggle is real. In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah discuss how talking about our own kids in a public forum gets tricky as they get older (think bigger kids, bigger problems) – and not just for the reasons you might think. Join us for a real conversation about navigating the ever-changing seasons of motherhood and how we think you can be honest and authentic without s...
May 10, 2022•49 min
Moms are savvy consumers, conscientious home managers, and discerning decision-makers. So why are we so often the target of hyper-generalized and cringey marketing efforts? In today’s More Than Mom episode – airing on Mother’s Day! – Meagan and Sarah keep it light (and a bit snarky ?) as we vent about the sloppy intent, terrible puns and ridiculous stereotypes advertisers use to market to us moms. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: We’d love to hear your thoughts around opting out of Mother’s Day messagi...
May 08, 2022•50 min
Has your reading life come to a screeching halt due to the responsibilities of motherhood? In this month’s Voices interview, Meagan welcomes back blogger, podcaster, and book club leader Amy Clark, to discuss how a busy mom can take small steps to create a readerly life. We discuss all the hacks for finding the time to dive back in (think TikTok’s #sundayreset for inspiration!) and a neat tool for finding the perfect book to match your mood. Amy also shares how reading can help you “find your pe...
May 06, 2022•49 min
Crouching. Bending. Stooping. The magical, ninja-like way you lay a baby down in the crib without waking her up; the feeling of wet, sloppy gums on your knuckles as he teethes. In Episode 363, Sarah and Meagan reflect on the muscle memories associated with the repetitive motions of early motherhood. Some bring back all the warm fuzzies and others make us shudder (looking at you, nipple-biting babes), but we promise, this episode will bring the memories flooding back. Join us! LINKS MENTIONED: In...
May 03, 2022•45 min
