The Mom Hour

When tragedy strikes and our news feeds fill with heartbreak and outrage, it’s hard enough to manage our own feelings of sadness and worry, let alone find ways to talk to kids about what’s happening and help them understand what they heard on the playground or saw on the screen.

In this special bonus interview Sarah sits down with psychologist and author Dr. Jennifer Freed to understand what’s at stake when our kids encounter scary news, how to talk to older kids about tragic events, how to promote empathy and emotional learning starting with babies and toddlers, and how to get our news without letting it dominate our state of mind.

LINKS MENTIONED:

• JenniferFreed.com
• AHA! Attitude. Harmony. Achievement.
• Dr. Freed on Facebook and Twitter
• The phrases Dr. Freed recommended searching, along with the name of your area, to find local organizations similar to hers, are “social-emotional learning” and “mindfulness education”
• CHARACTER: Empowering Yourself with Emotional Intelligence (Dr. Freed’s FREE workbook for teens, available via Amazon for Kindle)

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Are your floors dirty? So are ours, most likely. While you sweep, vacuum or mop, why not pop your earbuds in and listen to Meagan and Sarah talk about keeping a clean-enough house in Episode 64 of The Mom Hour!

We offer practical tips and advice room-by-room, talk about some of our favorite cleaning products, and discuss the sometimes-sticky topic of hiring cleaning help. Enjoy!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• The Happiest Home’s Deep-Cleaning Challenge from 2014 (a zone-by-zone approach you can do in 30 minutes a day)
• FlyLady.net (the cleaning schedule Meagan subscribed to as a new mom)
• Edit Your Life Episode 46: Should We Force Our Kids To Be Tidy?
• 10 Upgrades That Make Cleaning Less of a Chore (Meagan for The Happiest Home)
• The Help: The Truth About Hiring A Cleaning Service (Meagan for The Happiest Home)
• Sarah likes Home Ec 101 for how-to cleaning advice, and loves this list of articles by topic on their site

MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
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• 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.

After last week’s episode all about starting school we heard from listeners who wanted some insight into the middle school years. Since Sarah’s kids aren’t quite there yet, she puts Meagan in the spotlight in this week’s show, asking about everything from academic expectations to awkward physical changes. As always, we’re judgement-free and totally honest. Join us!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Episode 62: Things We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About (Starting School Edition) 
• The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed (Jessica Lahey)
• Our recent discussion about tweens and social media can be found in Episode 61 (skip to 32:50 to hear us talk about 12-year-olds)
• As promised, middle school photos of Sarah (pictured in 6th and 7th grades, side-by-side) and Meagan. Be sure to listen to the episode for the behind-the-scenes hair stories.

MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
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• 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.

When it’s your kid starting preschool or kindergarten for the first time, every detail seems mission-critical. But having sent our kids off to new classrooms year after year for quite a while now, we’re here to tell you: It’ll all be OK.

In this fun addition to our “Things We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About” series, Meagan and Sarah look back at the things we fretted over when our kids went off to school for the first time. With the benefit of hindsight we’ll help ease your mind about everything from potty training your preschooler to finding all the school supplies on that crazy list.

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Things We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About: New Mom and Toddler Editions
• The episode we did last year about Choosing The Right School For Your Kids
• Debunking The Myth of the “Good School Mom” (Episode 21)

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• Visit our website
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• 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.

How do you make your town feel more like a home?

That’s the question journalist and mom Melody Warnick set out to answer after moving her family to a new town for the sixth time. In this month’s BONUS interview episode Meagan interviews Melody about her book, This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live, and the ideas in it.

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Melody’s book, This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
• Episode 56 of The Mom Hour: Moving with Kids & Cultivating Community
• MelodyWarnick.com

MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

• 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.