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 Hsu
• Yes, YOU Can Coach Youth Sports! by Jennifer Carroll
• 8 Activities To Make Spring Break At Home With Little Kids Bearable (And Fun!) by Emily Roark
• How To Survive (And Even Enjoy) Playing Board Games With Kids: Episode 112 pairs nicely with today’s episode as we talked a good bit about board games today!

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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 us at [email protected]

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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 important” was originally featured in Listener Questions: Episode 110.
• Sarah recommended the episode More Things We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About: Episode 265
• Theresa’s question about flying originally appeared in Listener Questions (Vol. 18): Episode 199.
• A mom who worries about her boys growing up and moving away first aired in Listener Questions (Vol. 30): Episode 303.
• April asks Meagan and Sarah how to stay updated with the news without over worrying in Listener Questions (Vol. 22): Episode 240.
• Shannon wonders how to best keep things moving along while she’s struggling with anxiety in Listener Questions (Vol. 33): Episode 318.

Continue the conversation:

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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 2023
• Emergency Room Visits With Kids: What I Wish I’d Known, Packed, Said & Done
• Fast Five: The Dinner-Table Game I Play To Connect With My Kids
• “This Is Too Hard!”: How I’m Showing My Kids The Importance Of Doing Hard Things
• Watching My Friends’ Teenagers On Instagram Led To The Stuffed Animal Olympics
• You can find more on Meagan’s writing projects below:
• Read some of Meagan’s personal writing on her website.
• Catch up on some articles from Meagan’s magazine Reinvent.
• Meagan wrote the book “The Happiest Mom: 10 Secrets To Enjoying Motherhood.”
• If you’re interested in reading more about midlife motherhood, you can purchase Meagan’s January/February Reinvent Magazine.
• If you’re looking for more information about writing, you may want to listen to More Than Mom: Writing, Motherhood & Creative Practice or read the blog post “How I Started Writing.”

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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 of Reinvention Meagan chats with her sister Kathreen about taking the leap to buy a building and open a book store (with their significant others).

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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 386
• Self-Improvement & Self-Acceptance In Motherhood: Episode 373
• 8 Truths Every Mom Needs To Hear: Episode 369
• What Are Your “Mom Superpowers”?: Episode 44

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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 45
• More Than Mom: Finding Love After Divorce
• More Than Mom: Partners & Personalities
• More Than Mom: Our Childhood Crushes
• Meagan wrote Love, dating, and healing after divorce – Sunday Morning Tea if you’re looking for more Valentine-y content this week.

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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 99
• Sarah has shared her gray hair growout progress on Insta
• Meagan 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 ease
• Meagan interviewed Zeena Dhalla (an IRL friend of Sarah’s, too) about Living in Alignment in episode two of The Mother Of Reinvention podcast

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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 381
• Meagan mentioned Burples which were popular in the 80s
• Sarah remembered coveting other kids’ Squeezitz
• Meagan and Sarah love the OXO Pop Top Containers (affiliate link) for pantry essentials
• Sarah loves her bamboo tea box organizer, similar to this one (affiliate link)
• We both have this rice cooker
• Meagan mentioned this recipe for Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds

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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 Instagram
• Joanna follows Kathryn Whitaker on Instagram for inspiration for home decluttering
• Joanna enjoyed the book Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (affiliate link)
• Sarah’s recent decluttering involved 1-800-Got-Junk
• We 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 consigning
• Sarah liked using Pickupplease.org which is available in many cities to schedule a pickup donation.
• Joanna loves to follow Kate Strickler’s Naptime Kitchen account on instagram and enjoyed The Home Reset, a practical course by Naptime Kitchen created for decluttering and organizing a home.
• Both Sarah and Joanna use Buy Nothing to get rid of stuff.

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