The Mom Hour

Meagan has big news. Sarah has alllll the questions. Join us for a fun dive into all the plans and details!LINKS MENTIONED:We mentioned other episodes where we share personal news while couching it in a larger context, such as:Self Care As Self-Preservation: Episode 104Talking About Our Own Kids. Or Not.: Episode 364Eric found a vintage wedding ring set from Gesner Estate Jewelry on EtsyFollow @meaganfrancis on Instagram or sign up for email updates at meaganfrancis.com to stay in the loop!Episodes from the archives about Meagan’s journey to finding love after divorce:More Than Mom: Finding Love After DivorceDating & Romance (For Single Moms & Married Ones, Too!): Voices 45More Than Mom: Dating As A Divorced MomMeagan’s Divorce Update (One Year Later): Episode 150Managing Stress and Uncertainty with Divorce Coach Jessica Ashley: Voices 15Meagan’s writings about finding love after divorceWhy I Bought A Camper Last Week (On Moving On After Divorce)MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our we

Deciding where to go on a family vacation with littles can be overwhelming. How will the kids adjust to all the changes? Will the adults enjoy their time, too? In this special episode of The Mom Hour, Meagan chats with team member Catie Parrish about her family’s spring break trip to Florida. Listen to hear all about Catie’s favorite things they did, as well as her top tips for happy travels with young kids. Catie also shares how she preps her house before a big trip, as well as how to make it easier to come home. Enjoy!About Our SponsorThank you to VISIT FLORIDA for sponsoring this episode and making Meagan’s and Catie’s trips possible.Choosing where to go on a family vacation is easier than you think. Florida is filled with experiences you and your family will never forget. From 825 miles of beaches and 700 freshwater springs to over 1,300 trails with breathing room to run and play, there are so many reasons a Florida vacation is just, the best.Start planning YOUR best-ever vacation at Visit Florida today!L

Becoming a mom as a teen or young adult years comes with unique challenges (and also some sweet memories!). In today’s episode, Meagan and regular contributor Kia compare our personal experiences as young moms and explore how young motherhood shows up in parenting our own teens and young adults. We also compare notes on fourteen-year-old girls and share our love of big families and grown sibling dynamics. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:Follow Kia on InstagramEpisodes of The Mom Hour featuring Kia:What’s New In Baby Gear & Baby Shower Registries: Voices 77 with Kia Hammond and Katherine DeVriesReal Stories About Postpartum Mental Health: Voices 74 With Emily Roark And Kia HammondPreparing Kids (Of All Ages) For A New Baby: Voices 67 With Kia HammondKia wrote the following blog posts for The Mom Hour Community:How A Postpartum Nurse And 4th-Time Pregnant Mom Packs Her Hospital Bag.Preparing Your Preschooler For Big Kid School ExperiencesHow I’m Navigating This Sports Season With LittlesMORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit

From music and timers to one-touch rules and baskets for EVERYTHING, moms are beyond creative when it comes to getting kids to help clean up. In the latest episode in our House Rules series, Meagan and Sarah share dozens of smart ways moms in our community make tidying up with kids a little easier. Join us for this grab bag of tidying up strategies you can try with your family!LINKS MENTIONED:Here’s a link to the Facebook thread where you all provided your House Rules for Tidying Up.More from our House Rules Series:House Rules For Gifting & Giving: Episode 393House Rules For After School: Episode 380House Rules for Playdates: Episode 340House Rules For Halloween: Episode 335House Rules For Kid Hygiene: Episode 332House Rules For Easier Mornings: Episode 328House Rules For Kid Birthdays: Episode 323House Rules For Travel And Vacation: Episode 319House Rules For Sibling Harmony: Episode 314Please take our 2023 Listener Survey!MORE HELPFUL LINKS:Visit our websiteCheck out deals from our partne

Spring brings with it pretty flowers, warm sunshine and fresh scents…and also bugs, rain and mud. In today’s More Than Mom, Meagan and Sarah get in the mood for spring by comparing how our different climates show up for the season, how we lean into spring in our homes, and what our outdoor spaces have to show off this time of year. We also reflect on how spring is a full sensory experience and chat about bringing the outside IN to spruce up our homes. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:We’d so appreciate it if you’d take our 2023 Listener Survey! And thanks to all who have done so already!Sarah enjoys an Organic India Tulsi Sweet Rose Tea in the springtime.Sarah mentioned the episode Getting Rid of Stuff: Episode 402.Don’t forget to listen to our episodes Do This Now; Enjoy Summer Later (Part One) and Do This Now; Enjoy Summer Later (Part Two).Below is a list of episodes from the archives you might enjoy if you liked this one!More Than Mom: Outdoor Décor & Patio StyleMore Than Mom: D

Want to get ahead before the May madness sets in? Do these things now and set yourself up for a less stressful summer! In Episode 412 Meagan and Sarah return for the second in a two-part series with tips from our own lives and from The Mom Hour community, including identifying micro-seasons within your longer summer plans, anticipating shifts in kids’ sleep patterns, and saving money this summer by recognizing what you probably WON’T do this summer. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:Do This Now; Enjoy Summer Later (Part One): Episode 411Please take our Listener Survey! It’s really helpful for us to get a more holistic idea of what’s top of mind for all of you in parenting.Check out Kelly Hampton’s summer bucket lists!Episodes from the archives focused on summer:Simple Summer Rituals & Traditions: Episode 367Glad I Did / Wish I’d Done: Summer Planning: Episode 359Preparing Kids (And Ourselves!) For Summer IndependenceA Summertime Chores, Life Skills & Freedoms Reset: Episode 315(Realistic)

Summer has a funny way of sneaking up on us. Whether you’re a plan-it-all-out mom or a go-with-the-flow mama, there are things you can do now to set your summer up for more joy and less stress. Join us for the first episode in a two-part series as Meagan and Sarah share some of our well-earned experience and practical tips (plus some from The Mom Hour community!) for prepping for the upcoming summer season. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:Please take our Listener Survey which we use to plan content, find brand partnerships that match up with your lifestyle, and continue to evolve our brand Thank you in advance for your support!Here’s a link to the Facebook and Instagram threads where you all provided your “do this now; enjoy summer later” suggestionsDon’t miss what’s new on the blog: 7 Picture Books To Spring Your Family Into Climate ActionA few episodes from the archives are great companions to today’s episode:Glad I Did / Wish I’d Done: Summer Planning: Episode 359More Than Mom: 8 Calend

Taking kids to Disney should be a magical experience, right? From meeting Mickey to flying on Dumbo, memory-making abounds. But LOTS of planning and strategizing goes into all that magic, and LOTS of parenting challenges present themselves inside the park gates. Today Sarah chats with Katie Gouldner from The Mom Hour team about the weeklong Disney trip she’s planning for later this spring. From rope-drop strategies to how to land the best dining reservations–it’s a lot! Katie then looks to Sarah for her best Disney parenting tips and advice for navigating long days at the parks with littles. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:You can get to know more about Katie Gouldner on instagram at @katiegouldner.We talked about how to use Genie+ for navigating long lines at various attractions at Disney. Learn more about this service in this article.Katie mentioned a few Disney-focused podcasts that’s helped her plan her family’s first trip.Rope Drop Radio (advice for which rides to use Genie+ for and what to rope dro

Let’s go deep on the fluffiest of topics: personal adornment. In today’s More Than Mom episode, Meagan and Sarah share our approaches to everyday jewelry, special gifts and heirloom pieces, jewelry trends and finding our personal styles. We also talk about where we like to buy jewelry, how motherhood seasons have intersected with accessorizing phases, and what our storage wins and woes are these days. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Meagan referenced the movie Thoroughly Modern Millie with Julie AndrewsIf you enjoyed this episode, you may like these from the archives!Cozy Winter Style Inspiration: Episode 397More Than Mom: Fall Style UpdateMore Than Mom: The State Of Our Style, One Year Into COVIDState Of The Style Situation, Head To Toe: Episode 139Sarah typically purchases earrings from Lucky Brand and has purchased dainty style jewelry from (past podcast advertiser) Ana LuisaMeagan loves Mata Traders, whose founder Meagan interviewed on Mother of ReinventionMORE HELPFUL LINK

It’s our Podcastaversary (yep, we just made up a new word)! Today we are celebrating eight years of The Mom Hour by reflecting on some of your most-asked questions over the years. Beyond recurring queries like “should I have that third baby?” or “what’s the ideal spacing between kids?,” we’re digging into some deeper through-lines that point to the fears, insecurities, and hopes of our community. We also provide snapshots of the many places we have recorded our 640+ episodes (the floor, the bed, different states and more). Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:If you want to take it WAY back to March of 2015, you can listen to The Mom Hour’s Very First episode, Mom Meltdowns, Oh No! Episode 01.Sarah mentioned the episode Business Behind-The-Scenes & State Of The Podcast Chat: Episode 396.Sarah just finished reading Tiny, Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed which is a compilation of the author’s Dear Sugar articles over the years. Here is a great list of Dear Sugar’s quotes in one place

Bowling. Bonfires. The mall (no, really.) And board games (maybe?). What’s fun for our families right now looks quite different than it did years ago, so today Meagan and Sarah revisit an oft-discussed hot topic on The Mom Hour: family “fun.” We share several ideas for ACTUALLY FUN family activities that work for our current seasons, as well as some gripes about things that feel like they should be fun but aren’t. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Other deep-dives on what’s fun and what’s absolutely not include:We Hate Fun! (Okay, Not All Fun) (Episode 10, which later re-ran with a fresh take as Episode 109)What We Do For Fun In 2021 (More Than Mom)“Supposed To Be Fun” Activities That Just Aren’t (And How To Have Fun On Your Terms) (Episode 342)We Love Fun Now! (Or Do We? (Episode 215)Don’t forget to check out what’s new on the blog!Fun & Practical Easter Basket Ideas Your Kids Will Love by Sandy HsuYes, YOU Can Coach Youth Sports! by Jennifer Carroll8 Activities To Make Spring Br

It isn’t always easy to appreciate the mundane tasks of our daily lives, or to see the glass half-full when something goes awry. Inspired by yet another social media trend that had us scratching our heads at first (and then reflecting in spite of our forty-something selves), today Meagan and Sarah talk about situations from our own lives where we romanticized the hard stuff to get by. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Sarah recommends reading this New York Times article to better understand the phrase “romanticize your life.”Meagan read a newsletter article by our friend Amy Clark of Mom Advice which inspired this episode.Meagan interviewed Melody Warnick about placemaking, and how making a commitment to communities helps romanticize the hard stuff. Listen to the MOR episode on this topic!Sarah is rereading the book How To Raise An Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haimes (This is an affiliate link)We’d love to hear from you about how you’re romanticizing the hard stuff in your life! Email

Worrying as a mom is a universal experience (and, spoiler alert: it never REALLY goes away). Today Meagan and Sarah look back over the years on the worries that surface most often in our community. Going by the questions we get from listeners, moms worry a lot about safety (our kids’, our own, the state of the world); and we also worry about WORRY (are we worried about the “right” things? is our worry creating anxiety in our kids?). Join us as we revisit these questions and more with that well-worn reminder: it’s (probably) all going to be okay.LINKS MENTIONED:Janine asked how to deal with anxiety around kids staying physically safe in Episode 110 (2017) .If you find yourself worrying about the physical safety of your children, you may want to check out Episode 12: What Does ‘Free-Range Parenting’ Really Look Like? It can give you another perspective!Avery’s question “What things in the beginning of motherhood did you feel were super important, but as you had more children they became less

Pitching, submitting, and financial uncertainty: the writerly life isn’t easy before kids come into the mix, but as a writer-mom it’s even trickier. In today’s episode, Meagan chats with contributor and full-time professional writer Joanne Ruelos Diaz to talk all things writing. We discuss how we each landed in this career, how we balance motherhood and writing, our hopes for the future and some advice about how to dive in to this creative outlet, whether it’s for personal or professional goals. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:Meagan mentioned the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (this is an affiliate link).Meagan mentioned the book The Way Of The Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton.Want to learn more about Joanne? Follow her on Instagram, check out the work she’s done on her website, and order her book “The Little Book of Joy.” (This is an affiliate link)Check out some of the blog posts Joanne has written for The Mom Hour:How I’m Decluttering My Brain In 2023Emergency Room Visits With Kids

Do you ever find yourself dreaming of a creative outlet or pursuit outside of your day-to-day life? Maybe you've thought about becoming an artist, opening a coffee shop, or even starting your own podcast! In this episode, Meagan and Sarah are talking about some of our dream businesses--and we include some from our team of contributors, too! Plus, Meagan gives an update on her actual new business endeavor that started as a dream and is turning into reality this year. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:You heard from our contributors Emily, Joanne and Jayme in this episode. You can learn more about them on our contributor page. Meagan mentioned the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (this is an affiliate link). You can follow along with Meagan's journey of renovating a building and opening a book store at @papermillbooks or @themillmanistique on instagram. You can support Meagan's bookstore at this link.In this episode of Mother

Do you have "mom mission statements"? Pillars or values that guide your parenting and ground your confidence when its shaken? We didn't - but now we do! In Episode 405 Meagan and Sarah offer up our personal motherhood mission statements by finishing the sentence "As I mom I...". Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Sarah loves the book Catastrophic Happiness by Catherine Newman, a memoir about the middle years of motherhood (this is an affiliate link). We are open to an episode about Family Mission Statements. If you have an idea for that, or an author or idea for it, send us an email!Don't miss our LIVE episode on Instagram in our subscriber community on February 22! What’s Helping Me Put My Phone Down (And Keep It Down) by our contributor Stacy Bronec is new on the blog (and a great read!).Loving this episode? Here are a few that pair nicely with today's topic:What REALLY Matters In Parenting? Episode 386Self-Improvement & Self-Acceptance In Motherhood: Episode

UR Cute. Be Mine. XOXO. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone (and happy birthday to Sarah)! No better day than today to talk all things kids, crushes, and budding romance. Join us as we discuss parenting kids through crushes, romance, and relationships, how much our kids share with us about their love lives, what we think about adults projecting romance onto toddlers and preschoolers, and what we hope for future relationships with our kids’ partners. We also throw in a few of our childhood Valentine’s Day memories and have a VERY serious discussion about conversation hearts. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:Meagan mentioned reading L. M. Montgomery’s The Story Girl. (This is an affiliate link.)Meagan read about the history of Conversation Hearts in this article.Looking for more episodes on love, relationships and romance? Here are some of our faves from the archives:Dating & Romance (For Single Moms & Married Ones, Too!): Voices 45More Than Mom: Finding Love After DivorceMore Than Mom: Partners & P

Accepting and embracing the body changes that come with motherhood and midlife isn’t easy – and it’s a challenge that listeners write to us about a lot. While the conversation is (and must!) be nuanced, and the prevailing wisdom on this topic constantly changing, today we’re taking it on the only way we know how: from personal experience. Join Meagan and Sarah for an honest exchange about what body confidence means to us (spoiler: it’s not all about weight or size), where we feel self-conscious and what we’ve let go of, and what we appreciate about our midlife bodies. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:Meagan and Sarah first visited this topic in Body Confidence As A Mom: Episode 99Sarah has shared her gray hair growout progress on InstaMeagan mentioned a book by Donna Fahri, a yoga instructor who wrote the book Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit where she talks about the importance of being able to do everyday movement with easeMeagan interviewed Zeena Dhalla (an IRL friend of Sarah’s, too) about Liv

A peek into pantry cupboards reveals a lot about how a family lives and the season of life they’re in. Today Meagan and Sarah open our own pantry doors and chat about what we see: from dry goods staples to kid-approved snacks and some things that are “just for mom,” we’ve got small joys and pesky frustrations in the pantry – just like any other area of the house! We also discuss the “ingredient household” TikTok trend that has moms reflecting on how they grew up and how they’re feeding their families. Join us!LINKS MENTIONED:This viral TikTok video made its way to Instagram and inspired this episode. Do you live in a snack household or an ingredient household?A great companion to this episode is What’s In Our Fridge and Freezer Right Now: Episode 381Meagan mentioned Burples which were popular in the 80sSarah remembered coveting other kids’ SqueezitzMeagan and Sarah love the OXO Pop Top Containers (affiliate link) for pantry essentialsSarah loves her bamboo tea box organ

Big black trash bag energy is in full effect over here! In this episode Sarah is joined by contributor Joanna Martin for a conversation about how, why and what we are getting rid of this January. We talk strategic home resets, major junk-hauling, and tips for ongoing clutter maintenance. And while on the surface this episode is about physical stuff, we also acknowledge the emotional complexity that surrounds getting rid of stuff. Enjoy!LINKS MENTIONED:Follow Joanna’s 2023 home reset progress in this highlight on her InstagramJoanna follows Kathryn Whitaker on Instagram for inspiration for home declutteringJoanna enjoyed the book Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (affiliate link)Sarah’s recent decluttering involved 1-800-Got-JunkWe discussed consignment stores like Once Upon A Child and Kid To Kid, which have locations in several states, as well as Thred Up for online consigningSarah liked using Pickupplease.org which is available in many ci