The Mom Hour

By Mom Hour MediaParenting Kids & Family

The Mom Hour episodes

April 01, 2022Real Talk About High School (With A Real Teen!): Voices 71 With Meagan’s Son Will
We know what it’s like to be a teen because we were all teenagers once, right? Well, not quite. In this month’s Voices episode, Meagan is joined by her son, affectionately nicknamed “Good Ol’ Reliable William” to discuss life as a teenager. As a 18-year-old wrapping up his senior year, Will walks us through the nuances of 9th-12th grade, shares some high school memories, and reveals what he’s looking forward to. He also schools us all on what adults don’t get about being a teen . . . and Meagan explains what balancing a checkbook is. Together, we bond over the universality of struggling to appreciate where you are in the moment. Listen ’til the end to hear Will’s message for moms who are (and will be!) raising teenagers. Enjoy!
LINKS MENTIONED:
Listen to the other episodes in this series about Ages 2-8 and Ages 9-17
Meagan’s IG essay on momming young adults
Read Will’s blog
Check out this related content: Managing Kids’ Extracurriculars, Winning, Losing, and That Moment When Your Kid Shows You The Door (an essay Meagan wrote about Will), and Raising Lifelong Learners

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1 hr 1 min
March 29, 2022 Growing Kids, Year By Year (Ages 9-17): Episode 358
Tweens, teens, (and the parents who love them!) go through a lot between the ages of 9 through 17. There's growing societal pressure, shifting friendships, mounting responsibility, and body changes. Fun, right?! In Episode 358, Meagan and Sarah pick up where we left off last week's conversation, but this time it's all about the older kids. While acknowledging every child is different and being sensitive to our kids' privacy, we remember the sweetness of kids just-on-the-cusp of growing up and tell stories about adolescent awkwardness and attitudes. It can be a bit of a rocky journey, but every teen eventually comes into their own. Whether you're in the thick of it with us or want a fun peek ahead, this episode is a great reminder that kids--and motherhood--are ever-evolving.
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50 min
March 27, 2022 More Than Mom: Reflections On A Two-Year Time Warp
Shutdowns, re-openings, surges, and guidelines . . . so much has changed since the COVID-19 Pandemic crashed into our lives two years ago. And it's bringing up all feelings. In this More Than Mom episode, Meagan and Sarah have a lighter (but still honest!) look back on things like our final outings, strongest pandemic memories, and shared experiences. What do we really remember, and are our recollections even accurate? We also share what we're eager to get back to and what will never be the same. We'll all be processing these squiggly feelings for a long time, and we think this reflection--on both the surreal and the sweet--is a good start.
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1 hr
March 22, 2022Growing Kids, Year By Year (Ages 2-8): Episode 357
Language leaps, school milestones, growing bodies . . . a lot happens on the journey from toddler to big kid! Join Meagan and Sarah as we try to capture the true essence of ages two through eight. We’ll talk through each year, sharing memories of our own kids and observations from all the little ones we’ve known. There are ages that feel like major transition points and many times where kids’ skills don’t quite match up with their wants. If you’re parenting in the trenches, looking ahead at what’s to come, OR looking back with us, we think you’ll love this one. Enjoy!
LINKS MENTIONED:
We remembered this Brain, Child essay series-turned book when we were planning this episode – and we were able to dig up online versions of the essays from ages 2-8!
“This Is Two”
“This Is Three”
“This Is Four”
“This Is Five”
“This Is Six”
“This Is Seven”
“This Is Eight”
Email us if you’d like the idea of a The Mom Hour Magazine!
Here is Sarah’s Voices interview with Meghan Leahy
Read the intro to Now We Are Six
We’ve had some really fun Instagram takeovers by our Contributors, and there are more to come!
Listen to these related episodes: Never Thought The Day Would Come, Things We Shouldn’t Have Stressed Out About, and Last Firsts & First Lasts
Check out our Family Travel Hub

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42 min
March 18, 2022Preparing Kids (And Ourselves!) For Summer Independence
From day camps to sleep-away camps, playdates with new friends to sleepovers with grandparents, summer vacation can be a great time for your child to hone their independence skills. But it can be scary, too. Sometimes a health issue, disability or allergy can make our kids seem especially vulnerable. Sometimes we’re just not sure they’re ready to take that next significant step in self-sufficiency. So how do we balance guarding them from harm with encouraging their growth?
In this special episode of The Mom Hour, we’ll talk about the tools you can use to help everyone feel ready for summer plans and the big adjustments that come along with the season. Meagan and Sarah share stories about times our kids seemed especially vulnerable, how those fears or nerves showed up in our kids (and us!), what we did to feel calm and confident, and how we plan for major milestones with kids who are content to stay tucked under our wings – or the ones we’d like to keep there longer than they want to stay.
LINKS MENTIONED:
For more resources about bee stings, check out our sponsor
BeeAware Allergy
Sarah has found the books The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey and How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims very motivating to encourage kids to get outside their comfort zones.
Sarah heard Martha Beck talking about brain science on Glennon Doyle’s podcast We Can Do Hard Things
Read our Contributor Joanne’s blog post, “This Is Too Hard!”: How I’m Showing My Kids The Importance Of Doing Hard Things

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55 min
March 15, 2022Real Moms Share Their Best Family Travel Advice: Episode 356
From packing and organization to sleep arrangements and laundry, there are a million little things that can make or break a family trip. This latest episode in our travel series is a collection of our community’s best tips and cleverest hacks for traveling with kids of all ages. We cover what to bring, where to put everything (including your people!), efficient strategies, and how to stress less. Sarah talks about moving hotel furniture, and Meagan shares a surprising hideaway to sneak in some alone time. Whether you’re boarding a flight or loading up for a road trip, you’ll discover some brilliant, mom-tested ideas to try here. Enjoy!
LINKS MENTIONED:
Read all our listeners’ tips in this post from our Facebook community
Right before the pandemic, we aired this episode: Planning Travel and Family Vacations
For travel parenting tips, check out our House Rules for Travel & Vacation episode
Water Wow books are the best!
Our community loves the ease of scheduling Shipt, Instacart, and other grocery pick-up/delivery services before arrival
BabyQuip is a popular baby equipment rental service
Packing cubes can be helpful for staying organized
Get more tips, how-to guides, and episodes in our Family Travel Hub

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54 min
March 13, 2022More Than Mom: Getting There Is Half The Fun (Especially When You’re Flying Solo)
Whether for work or for fun, flying is a travel experience that’s full of details, decisions, and preferences that can have a major impact on how enjoyable (or not!) it is. In today’s More Than Mom episode, we’re continuing our travel conversation to chat about how we find the perfect balance between timing, cost, stress, and comfort. We spill on our baggage preferences, security line personalities, how our small regional airports impact everything, and more. Plus Meagan tells a story about running to her gate, and we also share our favorite travel snacks and accessories. Whether you miss flying, dread flying, or have never flown before, we think you’ll find this episode (and deeper peek into our personalities!) a fun ride. Join us!
LINKS MENTIONED:
Sarah loves her carry-on and laptop backpack
Meagan has this bag in the color terracotta, as well as the Metro duffle and backpack in mahogany
Meagan also likes to travel with her Hydro Flask and travel neck pillow
Meagan dreams of traveling like George Clooney and Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
We were chatting about the show Inventing Anna
Meagan likes to read magazines, such as Vanity Fair, Vogue, Fast Company, and Inc., while flying
Check out tons of helpful travel blog posts and episodes in our Family Travel Hub at themomhour.com/travel22

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1 hr 9 min
March 08, 2022Reframing Travel FOMO: Episode 355
Does it feel like everyone else (but you) is going on fancy vacations all the time? Will your spring break look more like a staycation than a sandy beach? Social media seems to make it worse, but the envy that arises when looking at someone else’s vacay pics is as old as time! In this episode, Meagan and Sarah are busting some common travel myths and talking about how to deal with the feelings that sometimes pop up when all your people are (seemingly) jetting off to one fun destination after another. We also chat about how to make memories closer to home and how being intentional about stepping outside your normal routine can matter way more than the dollars you spend. If you need some downtime–minus the guilt or a giant price tag–this episode is for you.
LINKS MENTIONED:
This article, “Other People’s Great Vacations Don’t Have to Get to You” is still super relevant.
Sarah chatted about planning in this Voices episode with Christine Koh and Sarah Hart-Unger.
Check out tons of helpful travel blog posts and episodes in our Family Travel Hub at themomhour.com/travel22

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47 min
March 04, 2022Raising Active Kids: Voices 70 With Larissa Maloney
News flash: the babies born at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic are turning two! Their little lives have been marked with fear, stress, sadness . . . and, undeniably, also joy. In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah are joined by seven moms from our team sharing about their remarkable babies and this historic time they’ve entered the world. You’ll hear different perspectives on how real moms have handled situations like introducing their babies to other people, venturing out into the world, and the little moments that made them think, “Wow, this is a pandemic baby!” Even if you didn’t have a baby in the past two years, you’re sure to appreciate this reflective episode – the first in a two-part series – as we honor the hard and celebrate the specialness of pandemic babies. Join us!
LINKS MENTIONED:
Listen to our series on Pandemic Perspectives, and these related episodes: How Covid Complicates Parenting, Stage By Stage, and 10 Things We Love About Toddlers
Check out all our episodes and blog posts about toddlers
Read our Contributor Stacy’s birth story about having Pandemic Baby Nora on the side of a gravel road in Montana
Contributor Emily’s blog post: “She Only Knows Pandemic Mommy”
It’s almost time for a check-in on Our 2022 Intentions

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40 min
March 01, 2022 Pandemic Babies & The Moms Who Love Them, Part 2: Episode 354
Moms of new babies have been through a lot the past two years - from tough career and childcare decisions to postpartum mental health struggles, and both the general and very specific grief that goes along with things not going to plan. In Episode 354, Meagan and Sarah continue last week's discussion, honoring the voices of nine moms from our team and community who had babies during the pandemic. While Part 1 focused on the babies, this episode is more about the moms and their pregnancy and postpartum experiences. It's raw, honest, and at times, emotional; it's also an important reminder that every family's "hard" was different, and that every mom's story worth hearing. Whether you had a pandemic baby, are pregnant now, or have older kids; if you've ever felt desperate as a mom, we hope this episode will remind you're not alone.
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53 min

About The Mom Hour

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Co-hosts Meagan Francis and Sarah Powers offer practical tips and real-life encouragement for moms who want to enjoy motherhood more, and cut back on comparison, worry, and stress. We’re not…