Honi asks how our friends are showing up for us these days. Laura wonders if we ever get recognized in public (and if it's our faces or our voices that give us away!). Aspiring writer Samm is looking for advice on getting started with writing, Lisa wants to know what we’ll miss most about The Mom Hour, and Erica prompts some reflection on what we’re most proud of as moms. And Ann? She’s eager for the scoop on what’s next—listen to find out!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• The Evolution Of Friendships In Motherhood, Part One: Episode 474
• The Evolution Of Friendships In Motherhood, Part Two: Episode 478
• What’s Great (Lately!) About Our Eight: Episode 470
• Midlife Lady Leisure Pursuits: Episode 484
• Books Mentioned About Writing (affiliate links):
• Ann Patchett's memoir Truth & Beauty: A Friendship
• Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
• Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jennifer wants to hear all our old podcast intros one more time (what a fun trip down memory lane!). Contributor Sarah wonders how Meagan and Sarah’s perspectives on parenting have evolved since episode one. Tricia wonders how to get a kindergartener to open up about hard stuff, while listeners Mel and Lisa each ask how to figure out what’s next in motherhood—and life. Kim wants to know how much she really needs to play with her child—and how to balance being present while modeling healthy phone habits. Plus, we share a quick update on what's next for our amazing contributor team members. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Listener Question episodes from the archives
• How Do You Know What’s Next?: Episode 503
• Our team members Katie Gouldner and Catie Parrish launched a new podcast Chasing The Spark
• A list of podcast recs from The Mom Hour Listener Community on Facebook.

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Modern society loves the concept of ‘saving time’ – but at what cost? There’s nothing wrong with streamlining and efficiency, but today Meagan and Sarah push back against the notion that time-saving strategies – and products – unilaterally bring more calm to our days. Instead we look at ways to think about shifting time to our advantage, batching tasks and opting out to free up schedule space, simplifying rather than optimizing, and finding our own peace with our relationship to time.

This is Part 2 of a three-part series about Time running this spring. Check out Part 1: On Balance & Busy-ness and come back next month for Part 3.

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Episodes From The Archives Similar To This Topic:
• The Lazy Genius Helps Fix Our Time Management Troubles
• Time Management For The Season You’re In
• How Do I Make Time For It All?
• The Life-Changing Magic of Opting Out
• We both have this rice cooker

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some days we’re the “Sure, why not?” mom, and other days we’re the “Because I said so” mom - and often we lean more into one side than the other. Meagan and Sarah unpack what the Yes Mom / No Mom binary really means, the why behind our wiring, how it affects our kids, and how it’s not always so black and white. We look at the balance between freedom and structure, and remind you there are many ways to be yourself and be a great mom at the same time. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Episodes From The Archives You May Enjoy:
• Meagan Schools Sarah on Parenting Teens: Episode 310
• Nurturing Grandparent-Grandkid Relationships: Episode 390
• Giving Ourselves Credit & Compassion: Episode 506
• We Hate Fun: Episode 109

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meagan wrote a book—and Sarah has lots of questions. In this episode, we dive into Meagan’s journey from concept to publication. From the initial spark of an idea to the challenges of writing, editing, and getting it out into the world, join us for an inside look at the process behind bringing her book to life. Whether you’re a writer, a non-writer who likes to learn how the sausage gets made, or simply want to offer Meagan your support during launch week, we hope you’ll listen!

Order Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next

HELPFUL LINKS:

• meaganfrancis.substack.com
• More on Meagan’s book-writing journey:
• The Kettle podcast episode Gretchen Rubin on her “open door” approach to parenting young adults
• Is it possible to plan a “slow” book launch?
• Meagan shares thoughts about gearing up for book promotion season in One month until my new book publishes!
• Sarah mentioned the podcast #amwriting
• Meagan took a book proposal writing course from Beth Kempton
• Episodes From The Archives On Writing:
• Life Of A Writer Mom: Episode 406
• Living A Writerly Life: Episode 454
• More Than Mom: Writing, Motherhood & Creative Practice

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Order Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it mean to “launch” a kid into adulthood? How does parenting change when you’re still mom, but they’re no longer children? With Meagan’s new book just a week from launch, we’re diving into five things she’s learned about parenting young adults. Sarah asks the questions, Meagan shares the wisdom—and we both reflect on how the parenting journey keeps evolving. Enjoy!

GET THE BOOK: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read – Available For Pre-Order NOW!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read – Available For Pre-Order NOW!
• If you preordered Meagan’s book, email your receipt to [email protected] and you will get a signed bookplate later in May.
• Join Meagan on Substack for her book launch
• Find Sarah on Substack
• We mentioned this recent episode when talking about time opening up for us as moms: On Balance & Busy-Ness

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raising creative kids isn’t just about paintbrushes and piano lessons—it’s also about noticing how they think, solve problems, and dream up deas. Both Meagan and Sarah come from creative backgrounds and hope to raise creative kids, but we’ve learned that creativity shows up in unexpected places—from storytelling and party planning to building weird contraptions out of couch cushions. We share what’s worked in our own families, where we’ve had to shift our thinking, and some of the misconceptions we’ve had about what being “creative” really means. Join us!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Episodes From The Archives You May Enjoy:
• More Than Mom: Writing, Motherhood & Creative Practice
• Midlife Lady Leisure Pursuits: Episode 484
• More Than Mom: Creative Hobbies (Now … Soonish … Maybe Someday

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Pre-Order Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve heard from so many listeners who say that The Mom Hour helped you through your early years of parenting. Your notes of gratitude got us thinking (and feeling all the feels) about what a uniquely intense and tender season “active mothering” really is—and why it inspires a certain nostalgia when viewed later from a distance. Join us as we share some of your own words as well as memories of our own, reflecting on the pop-cultural, sensory, emotional, and unexpectedly specific things that instantly transport us back. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Episodes Mentioned In This One:
• The Muscle Memory Of Motherhood: Episode 363
• Giving Ourselves Credit & Compassion: Episode 506
• Magical Night Visitors (Elves, Bunnies, Fairies & Jolly Fat Dudes): Episode 96
• Last Firsts & First Lasts (Milestones We Notice, And A Bunch We Miss): Episode 166

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Pre-Order Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we’re talking about busy-ness—that always-running hamster wheel we either can’t get off… or can’t seem to climb onto. Meagan and Sarah each look back on times in our lives when our relationship with productivity felt off—whether we were drowning in to-dos or floating in a weird limbo of not-enough-to-dos. Where are we at now on the busy scale? How do our personalities lend themselves to being busy – or not? And is there even such a thing as the perfect balance? Join us!

This is Part 1 of a three-part series about Time running this spring. Check back next month for Part 2!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• The Fall Sarah Quit Everything: Episode 233
• Episodes From The Archives On Time Management:
• The Lazy Genius Helps Fix Our Time Management Troubles: Episode 485
• Time Management For The Season You’re In: Episode 483
• Time Management & Productivity Tips For Savvy Working Moms: Voices 54 With Whitnee Hawthorne
• Productivity & Time Management Tips For Moms: Episode 169

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Pre-Order Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From sandbox maintenance and the endless cycle of outgrown kids’ clothes to the rise of sourdough starters and evolving gardening ambitions, today's episode is about how our home management tasks have shifted as our kids have grown. We each share a few “then vs. now” snapshots, offering little insights into what domestic work looks like during different seasons of family life. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan wrote the blog post Organizing Kids' Clothes: Seasonal And Hand-Me-Down Storage Made Simple back in 2014 about the storage and swap-out of seasonal clothes and handmedowns that she used for her four boys for a decade.
• Meagan mentioned the book The Domestic Revolution by Ruth Goodman (affiliate link) 
• Episodes From The Archives You May Enjoy On Home/Life/Time Management.

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Pre-Order Meagan’s book: The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next
• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join our private listener group on Facebook (be sure to answer the membership questions!)
• Sign up for our newsletter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.