The school art is coming in from every direction. The hand-me-down clothing complicates wardrobe systems. And the overwhelming gift-giving throws toy organization out of whack. In today’s episode, regular contributors Jayme and Jennifer speak to their tips and tricks for managing all of the clutter in the house that comes with having young children. Plus, an update on Marie Kondo’s status of a tidy home with children–and how we feel about it!

If you haven’t already listened to Tuesday’s episode, we recommend starting there before hitting play on this one!

All month long we’re bringing back some beloved episodes from the early years of The Mom Hour – with fresh bonus conversations dropping every Friday on the same topic! Here’s a playlist of some of our very favorite classic oldies – and here’s a full list of every episode in chronological order.

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Follow Jayme Sherrod from The Mom Hour team on Instagram
• Follow Jennifer Carrol from The Mom Hour team on Instagram
• Listen to the Stuff, Junk & Things episode that inspired this one
• Jayme mentioned loving these magnet clips to keep kid artwork organized
• Jennifer recommends the book How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing.(This is an affiliate link)
• You may enjoy Stacy Bronec’s blog post Strategies For Sorting & Storing Kids’ School Papers & Artwork

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• Visit our website
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Goody bag treasures, generous grandparent gifts in every shade of plastic, and inexplicably precious (to someone) “junk” – it’s the stuff of motherhood! In this replay of Episode 35, Meagan and Sarah share our strategies for minimizing the intake of “all the stuff,” ideas for reasonable purging, and how to organize the things you decide to keep. Enjoy!

All month long we’re bringing back some beloved episodes from the early years of The Mom Hour – with fresh bonus conversations dropping every Friday on the same topic! Here’s a playlist of some of our very favorite classic oldies – and here’s a full list of every episode in chronological order.

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Here’s a link to the original episode
• Sarah’s Neato robot vaccuum is still going strong – 7 years later! (Here’s an affiliate link to an updated version)
• You can still read the Facebook thread Meagan talked about from 2016 about Marie Kondo’s method
• We discussed the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (affiliate link)

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.

July on The Mom Hour will look a bit different – and we’re excited to tell you about it. Meagan and Sarah pop in to share what’s ahead this month. Join us!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• We talked more about our decision to take a break from new episodes in Episode 423
• Sarah made this playlist of #ClassicTMH episodes from 2016-2017
• Follow Meagan on Instagram
• Read Meagan on Substack
• Visit Meagan’s website to learn more about REINVENT (a community for midlife moms, with a retreat coming up in October 2023!)
• Follow Sarah on Instagram

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.

When it comes to teenagers, how much do WE (as parents) matter? According to guest, parents matter A LOT (just maybe not in the way we might think). In this special bonus interview, Meagan talks with Dr. Ken Ginsburg, a professor of pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, on the importance of parents in teens’ lives. He shares how it is important to let your child make mistakes, how to be vulnerable and open about mistakes we make as parents, and to give them the space they need to learn who they are becoming. Enjoy!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Dr. Ken Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP, is a professor of pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. 
• www.parentandteen.com offers parent resources for preparing children and teens to thrive through both good and challenging times.
• Congrats–You’re Having a Teen!: Strengthen Your Family and Raise a Good Person is Dr. Ginsburg’s latest book.
• Email Dr. Ginsburg at [email protected].

OTHER 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.

Taking a break” sounds simple, but for many moms (and people) it just isn’t. Who steps in to relieve mom when she needs a break from being everybody’s go-to? Is all the prep and planning needed to take a break even WORTH it? And does returning from a break automatically mean coming back to piles of stuff that didn’t get done while we were away? Join us as we discuss how declaring breaks of all different kinds can be useful AND why taking breaks feels hard, too. Plus, we share some data from our 2023 Listener Survey showing how many of you NEED a break!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Meagan referenced the episode Business Behind-The-Scenes & State Of The Podcast Chat: Episode 396
• There’s a FEW more days yet to take our listener survey.
• Wiser Than Me podcast with Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a favorite of Meagan and Sarah!
• The Savvy Working Mom podcast shares how to build time into your daily routine for breaks (and Whitnee was a guest on our show in Voices 54).
• Sarah uses the podcast app, Pocket Casts
• Here’s a list of all The Mom Hour episodes

MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

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

As Meagan settles into her newlywed home in a house her husband designed and built for himself, questions abound. And on the West Coast, Sarah is still perplexed by some of her home’s original design (or 90s remodel) quirks. Join us as we discuss home quirks of the past and present–everything from beautiful built-ins made for square, deep tv’s from the 90’s (and collections of DVDs) to bathroom windows that leave very little to neighbors’ imagination. Enjoy!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Sarah mentioned the book The New Design Rules By Emily Henderson (This is an affiliate link).
• Here’s an article explaining The Kitchen Triangle that Meagan mentioned.
• Last call to Take our Survey!

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.

From when and where popsicles may be eaten to what chores must be done before screen time, summer gives many of us a near-blank slate on which to write some new house rules. Join Meagan and Sarah as we highlight our community’s summer house rules for screens and snacking, water fun and bedtimes, neighborhood play and quiet time. Not much of a “rules mom”? That works, too – and we discuss why! Join us!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Here’s a link to the Facebook thread where you all provided your House Rules for Summer.
• Shout out to Kendra at The Lazy Genius, whose podcast episode #212 A Guide To Summer House Rules would make a great pairing with this one
• A Just-Structured-Enough Summer Schedule For Kids is a post Sarah wrote almost 10 years ago and is one of our most popular posts!
• Here are a few episodes about summer, routines and fun rituals!
• (Realistic) Summer Schedule Intentions: Episode 263
• Simple Summer Rituals & Traditions: Episode 367
• More from our House Rules Series:
• House Rules For Tidying Up: Episode 413
• House Rules For Gifting & Giving: Episode 393
• House Rules For After School: Episode 380
• House Rules for Playdates: Episode 340
• House Rules For Halloween: Episode 335
• House Rules For Kid Hygiene: Episode 332
• House Rules For Easier Mornings: Episode 328
• House Rules For Kid Birthdays: Episode 323
• House Rules For Travel And Vacation: Episode 319
• House Rules For Sibling Harmony: Episode 314
• Last call for our 2023 Listener Survey!

MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
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• 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.

It’s no secret that teenagers have BIG feelings. And it can be tricky navigating this stage of parenting without taking on their emotions as our own OR downplaying them so that we feel more comfortable. In this special bonus episode Meagan talks with Dr. Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist and New York Times best-selling author, about how we can support our kids’ development during the teen years (and how to manage our own big feelings about their emotions!). Enjoy!

Links Mentioned:

• Dr. Lisa Damour is the author of three New York Times best sellers: Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. 
• Listen to Dr. Damour on her podcast Ask Lisa, The Psychology of Parenting

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

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

While darling flower girls and wee ring bearers are undeniably cute, parenting kids who are part of a wedding ceremony can be stressful. Even when kids are merely AT a wedding (versus IN it), all kinds of tricky situations crop up. Join Meagan and Sarah as we share stories from our own experiences as moms…with kids…at weddings. From breastfeeding in bridesmaid dresses to preschoolers throwing down during family photos, we’ve racked up a few harrowing tales to tell – and we also have thoughts on NOT bringing kids to weddings, either because they’re not invited or because you’ve decided to leave them home. Lots to discuss today!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Meagan wrote “On (Not)Taking My New Husband’s Name”
• If you’re not familiar with the “Isaac at a wedding” (aka “the surfboard kid”) story that became an Internet meme, listen to this episode and watch this video!
• More Than Mom: Weddings (Sunday’s companion episode to this one)
• Meagan’s Wedding Photos Are Here!

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

• Visit our website
• Check out deals from our partners
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meagan got married! On a raft! Today we talk all about it (and more)! Meagan shares the details of her Memorial Day wedding in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, including how Sarah came to the rescue (from thousands of miles away) with one of the most important details. Plus, we reminisce about planning our weddings, and share what we love the most (and least) when attending others’ nuptials. Enjoy!

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Meagan got married at Palms Book State Park in the UP. On a cool raft!
• Sarah recorded a wedding message for Meagan on this episode of The Reinvention Podcast.
• In case you missed it, Meagan shared relationship and engagement stories in More Than Mom: Special Man Friend Gets Promoted!
• Meagan and Eric’s wedding photos!

MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

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