The Mom Hour

How do the things get done? Where does the time go? These are the questions we look at in today’s podcast episode. We’ve got tips for making the most of your time and prioritizing well so you feel your most productive (yes, even in those early baby days where it seems like NOTHING gets done). Whether you’re staying home full time, working outside the home, or somewhere in between, these tips are meant to encourage you. PLUS Katie Addiss joins Sarah at the end of the show for an update on toddler eczema, a donut discovery, and a good samaritan story. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:The tips we discuss came from Meagan’s 2010 blog post on The Happiest Home: 10 Ways To Manage Your TimeThe Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too) by Gretchen Rubin (affiliate link)Take a quiz to find out your tendency hereOur episode about Calendar Tips & To-Do List Strategies (Episode 83)How Do I Make Time For It All? Th

By listener-request we’re taking you behind the scenes! We discuss the making of The Mom Hour, our recording quirks, tips for aspiring podcasters, how we work with brands, and more. We also give a little back-story on how the show has grown, how the Life, Listened network started, evolved, and continues to change, and what our goals are for the podcast in the coming months. PLUS you’ll get to hear a couple of fun bloopers, including the now-classic line, “my dog is playing a maraca”. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:For aspiring podcasters, we have all our gear recommendations on this pageMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah has one week left of summer and Meagan has a MONTH. We chat about late-summer malaise, seasonal energy slumps in general, how to (or whether to) get back to healthier habits and routines, and what (if anything) we’re doing to gear up for the impending school year. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:PickupPlease.org is the donation pickup service that Sarah is really happy with (they even took the car seat, guys!)Sarah’s accordion-style portfolios for kid-art are from Lakeshore LearningMeagan made this Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds from Epicurious.comMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happiness in parenting doesn’t mean mean skipping through fields of daisies with a brood of clean, cheerful, never-whining children who eat their veggies and always put their dirty clothes in the hamper. In reality, it’s a much messier–but totally attainable–thing.In this episode of The Mom Hour Voices, Sarah talks with writer KJ Dell’Antonia about cultivating happiness as a mom in the midst of sibling fighting, grumpy mornings, and endless screen-time negotiations. KJ’s new book, How To Be A Happier Parent, offers specific strategies from both parenting experts and real-life moms and dads for tackling some of the most common pain points that accompany modern parenting. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Sarah mentioned Episode 167 of The Mom Hour, where she and Meagan talked about laundryhowtobeahappierparent.com is the place to go to find out more about KJ and her bookBooks KJ used in her research that were mentioned in the interviewHow To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk (by 

We’ve yet to meet a mom at any stage of parenthood who didn’t have to deal with laundry–it’s one of the great equalizers of the mothering experience, no? Today on The Mom Hour Meagan and Sarah take you inside their homes and laundry rooms for a look at how we keep up with the piles, what our routines and rituals are, and how the whole clothes cycle works. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:On love, laundry, and finding satisfaction in the work of nurturing (Meagan for The Happiest Home)MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

High school bedrooms, college dorm rooms, first apartments, first homes. Meagan and Sarah describe their home décor style through the years in this More Than Mom episode. Join us!HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The last day of preschool is one thing–poignant, and easy to see coming–but what about the last time your toddler uses your favorite adorable mispronunciation? The last time you step on a LEGO? The last time a kid needs your help in the bath, crawls into your bed in the wee hours, or reaches for your hand on the sidewalk? Those lasts happen without our knowing, and motherhood his filled with them.LINKS MENTIONED:Listeners contributed so many great “lasts” that helped us shape this episode! Here are the Facebook post and the Instagram post where you can read all their comments.You Probably Won’t Remember This Later…And That’s OK (Meagan for The Happiest Home)The Last First Birthday (Sarah for Raising Arizona Kids magazine)MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Calif

Navigating decisions as a mom is hard enough; feeling judged, criticized, or shamed for those decisions? That feels like garbage. After years of practice, Meagan and Sarah have words of encouragement for dealing with criticism, including six things to keep in mind when you’re feeling judged by others about your parenting. PLUS Katie Addiss joins Sarah for an update on her life as a mom of two littles. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:Dealing With Criticism (The Mom Hour, Episode 26)What’s your parenting Achilles’ heel? (Meagan for The Happiest Home, 2012)Pants On Fire Podcast from Gen-Z and PRXKatie mentioned this recipe for fish taco / tuna salad sauce from Simply GourmetKatie used a bin like this for memory keeping, and Sarah uses these Lakeshore Learning keepsake portfoliosKatie wrote up her memory-keeping strategy in a post on the blog!MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer

You’re home alone on a rainy Saturday afternoon and that movie comes on that you just HAVE to watch. What is it? In this More Than Mom episode Meagan and Sarah confess the books, movies, songs, and TV that maybe don’t get points for artsy intellectualism, but that we just can’t resist. Much pop culture banter ensues… Join us!HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bianca Dottin’s second pregnancy was long-awaited and relatively drama-free. But when baby Tristan arrived at 34 weeks and was admitted to the NICU unable to breathe on his own, it was clear that her life was about to change. In this month’s Voices interview episode, Bianca shares her NICU story with Sarah, including how 6 months in the NICU inspired her to start a community and collection of resources to support other moms with babies in the NICU.A note from Sarah: This episode includes a beautiful and authentic story of infant loss, grief, and healing. We hope you’ll listen, but wanted to give a heads up so that those of you for whom hearing about traumatic birth experiences or infant loss will bring up feelings of anxiety or pain can make the decision of whether to listen or not. If you’re having feelings of anxiety about your pregnancy or your baby’s health, we recommend listening to this interview from last month, and speaking with your healthcare provider to get the support you deserve.  

Your kid shows an aptitude for something…now what? Meagan and Sarah discuss the sometimes tricky topic of how to nurture our kids’ natural abilities without pressuring or pushing. We also talk about when to support kids through an activity they may not be particularly talented at, the importance of dabbling, and when it’s OK to let kids quit. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED: Other episodes on kids’ sports and activities, or nurturing kids’ talents:How To Be A Happier Sports Parent (Episode 117)Let’s Discuss Sports Parenting (Episode 18)Raising Lifelong Learners (Episode 95) MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today is pure fun–a game of Would You Rather…?, in which Meagan and Sarah challenge each other with choices between wildly impossible scenarios. Which one of us would rather have a permanent three-year-old and which would rather have a permanent 18-month old? You’ll have to listen to find out!LINKS MENTIONED:Last summer’s episode where we also played Would You Rather…Follow us on Instagram @TheMomHour and play along!MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Helping a toddler with nighttime fears, the logistics of taking a baby to the beach, the ideal age-spacing between siblings, and helping a two-year-old feel special when a new baby arrives. These are the listener questions we answer in this week’s episode of The Mom Hour. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Dr. Laura Markham of Aha! Parenting responds to a similar question to Laura’s about toddler sleep separation anxiety–long but worth the readMeagan’s beautiful essay at HuffPost Parents about older kids with nighttime fearsThe Opposite of Worry, by Lawrence J. Cohen (the book Sarah talked about)MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Teaching social graces to a shy preschooler, saving money on groceries and household supplies, and helping school-aged kids learn to deal with feelings of frustration. These are three topics brought to us by listeners that Meagan and Sarah tackle on this week’s episode of The Mom Hour. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Teaching Manners To Kids (Episode 5)Saving Money on Groceries & Household Supplies (Episode)MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You can learn a lot about a person by taking a peek inside their purse. (Also: it’s time we cleaned out our purses!) In this episode of More Than Mom from The Mom Hour, Meagan and Sarah do a deep dive into their bags, laughing as they go. We also challenge listeners to share the contents of their bags with US–leave us a comment or send us an email if you unearthed something more random than the top two finds from this episode (you have to listen to find out what they are!).LINKS MENTIONED:The More Than Mom episode where we talked about what kind of purses we likeAll the More Than Mom episodes are hereMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No one mom “does it all”–or so we’re told. But what exactly DON’T we do? In Episode 161 Meagan and Sarah share our experience finding ways to opt out of the little (and sometimes not-so-little) tasks and obligations that aren’t meaningful to us as moms, making room for more of what is. PLUS resident new mom Katie Addiss joins Sarah at the end of the show to talk about a great swimsuit-saving strategy and other tales from the trenches. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Katie’s blog post about making rash guard swim suits more long-lastingBoon Pulp Silicone Feeder, the silicon baby feeder Sarah’s sister hasMagical Night Visitors (Bunnies, Elves, Fairies, and Jolly Fat Dudes) (Episode 96)MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Summer fun isn’t just for kids! Meagan and Sarah chat about their hopes, dreams, and plans for this summer–everything from their favorite indulgent magazines to read to what kind of outdoor adventures their families are ready for. It’s a More Than Mom episode all about SUMMER. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Other summertime episodes you might enjoy:Getting Organized for SummerSummer Shortcuts: (Yes, We’re THAT Lazy)Travel With Kids (Or, How To Enjoy Your Own Vacation)Smart Tech & Family TravelCamping With Kids (And Other Outdoor Adventures)Summer Fashion Trends We Just Don’t Get (And A Few We Like)Kids’ Clothes, Shoes, and Gear for SummerOvercoming Mid-Summer MalaiseWhat We’re Watching, Reading & Listening To, Summer EditionMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht

If you struggle with meal planning or dread the grocery store, you’re not alone. Today we tackle three more challenges to dinner-making success and offer our tips and solutions for overcoming them. This is a follow-up to last week’s episode, so be sure to catch that one as well (though you can listen in any order)!LINKS MENTIONED:Meagan’s interview with Melissa D’Arabian on a really old podcast episodeListener Erin swears by this recipe for Easy Grilled Chicken on Damned DeliciousMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Having help and support is the way nature intended for us to make human beings”. So says journalist and author Kate Rope in her new book all about how moms can take better care of their mental, emotional, and physical selves from pregnancy through parenthood. Kate joins Sarah in Episode 26 in our Voices interview series to talk about her own journey through postpartum anxiety, and how moms can support each other during new motherhood. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Strong as a Mother: How to Be Happy, Healthy and (Most Importantly) Sane From Pregnancy to Parenthood: The Only Guide to Taking Care of YOU!KateRope.comPostpartum.net (Postpartum Support International)Kate recommends the LactMed app or infantrisk.com for information regarding medicines safe to take while breastfeedingMore from The Mom Hour on pregnancy, postpartum, and new motherhood:Postpartum Symptoms & SurprisesPregnancy & Birth, In HindsightGetting Ready for BabyThings We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About (As New Moms)

No time to cook? Got picky eaters? Hate the “witching hour”? We’re with you. In this episode Meagan and Sarah tackle three common dinner-making obstacles and offer solutions and tips that help us in our own lives and kitchens. We’re not experts; we’re parents who’ve been there, remember?LINKS MENTIONED:We have a blog! Other podcast episodes you might enjoyThe Picky Eater Problem, Episode 39Wait, They Want To Eat Every DAY? (Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping), Episode 23MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partnersFollow us on InstagramJoin our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)Sign up for our newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.