The Mom Hour

We’ve talked a lot about how little kids (and their parents) experienced schooling disruptions over the past year. But college students, their families, and their instructors also went through a major shift in how higher education is delivered and experienced. Today’s special bonus episode features a conversation with Hsiao-Yun Chu, Ph.D., a college professor, mom of two young children, and longtime listener of the podcast. She shares her thoughts with Sarah on how virtual learning and virtual teaching created some real positives in higher education this year, and even what she hopes will continue after the pandemic is behind us. Enjoy!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Interested in contributing your Voice to a future episode? Email us at [email protected]. We read every pitch we receive, and we love getting pitches from listeners. We cannot respond to every one, but if we’re interested we’ll be in touch! 
• Sarah mentioned her conversation with kindergarten teacher Kelly Hiltz in last week’s Voices interviewepisode
• All our episodes about school and education can be found here

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Having a functional kitchen relies on a number of factors, many of which are outside our control (funny floor plans, small spaces, or that weird area between where the open dishwasher blocks off access to that one cabinet? yeah, things like that). But as moms of many kids who have occupied at least as many kitchens in our combined histories, we’ve also realized there are some things we can do to use the space we have in ways that helps us enjoy being in the kitchen more. Today’s episode looks at what’s currently frustrating us about kitchen storage and organization (as always, we love your solutions sent by email or as comments on our social pages!), and also what’s working well. Come inside our kitchens, friends!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• We recently did a More Than Mom episode on our Fantasy Kitchens
• Sarah’s under sink wire basket for linens is similar to this one (affiliate link)
• Sarah mentioned a stair step cabinet storage like this (affiliate link)
• We both love the OXO POP brand pop-top pantry storage (affiliate link)

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As this incredibly strange and stressful school year winds to a close, parents are looking ahead to next fall and wondering: Should I send my 5-year-old to kindergarten, or wait a year? Will my first grader remember how to make friends since she’s been behind a screen all year? Will the struggle that was virtual learning mean my kid never learns to love school again? These are understandable worries, especially for those who are in the middle of their own first experience as school parents. This month’s Voices interview guest is Kelly Hiltz, kindergarten teacher who has seen it all this year – remote, hybrid, in-person – and mom to two boys in preschool and early elementary. Sarah and Kelly address the concerns parents have about kindergarten specifically, COVID learning loss generally, and what a 2021-2022 school year might look like for families. We also touch on “red-shirting” younger kinders, how to know what decision is right for your child, and what specific things families can do this summer to best prepare incoming kindergarteners for the fall. Join us!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Kelly’s first appearance on The Mom Hour is a deep-dive on kindergarten readiness – a must-listen if you haven’t already heard it!
• Find Kelly on Instagram @askateachermom, or at her blog, As A Teacher Mom
• All our school-related episodes are here

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If you have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day, you’re not alone. For some, it’s a reminder of loss or grief, unmet expectations or missing people we love. For others, the social media buildup and commercialized clichés create expectations that can lead to disappointment. And even for those who don’t completely dread Mother’s Day, it can be hard to articulate what we really want to the ones who want to spoil us. In short: it’s a lot. In this week’s Episode 311, Meagan and Sarah validate why Mother’s Day can be complicated, reflect on our own celebrations during different seasons of life, and offer ideas for how to celebrate in a way that feels right to you this year. Join us! 

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Celebrate sisterhood in motherhood with the Coffee + Crumbs Mother’s Day Brunch

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Are we “car people”? Turns out, yes and no. After 25+ years of driving, Meagan and Sarah have many stories and a few opinions on what we want in our four-wheeled rides. From first cars to true lemons, minivans to post-divorce pre-mid-life-crisis splurges, this More Than Mom episode is an ode to our vehicles. We also chat about the process of procuring a new car, how much haggling at the dealer is a sport we do NOT enjoy, and what we hope for in our future cars. Join us!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• We last talked about our cars way back in Episode 97 from 2017 (reminder: old episodes may no longer show up in your podcast apps because they limit archives to 300 episodes, but you can always listen from our website!)
• Meagan learned so much from this episode of This American Life, all about car dealership sales
• Meagan is very happy with this after-market Bluetooth adapter for her pre-Bluetooth car

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Big news: Sarah is joining the Parents Of Teenagers club! In honor of Sarah’s oldest turning 13, Meagan taps into wisdom gained from over a decade of parenting teens and gives Sarah the real story. We unpack some stereotypes about teens (they’re moody! they’re smelly! they’re obsessed with their phones!) and find out what’s totally true, what’s sometimes true, and what might very much depend on the kid. We also explore some of the best and sweetest parts of parenting teens, validate that these are often very lonely years for moms, and compare teenage milestones to those reached earlier in childhood. Whether you’re a new mom or a mom of teens, we think you’ll enjoy this one!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Meagan wrote an essay for our newsletter about a conversation with her son Will, and then also wrote this Insta-essay about a different moment with Will
• Check out our episode Toddlers vs. Teenagers: Episode 192

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Whether it’s a career pivot, a creative passion, a relationship change, or just one of life’s unexpected twists, most women find themselves in a season of reinvention at least once. Today Meagan and Sarah are here with a surprise bonus episode, chatting about the idea of reinvention, how it intersects with motherhood and raising young kids, and how Meagan’s new podcast celebrates women reinventing themselves in a variety of wonderful ways. Join us for a fun conversation, followed by an extended excerpt from Season 1 of the Mother of Reinvention show. Happy Friday!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Listen to Mother of Reinvention on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen
• Find out more, and see all the episodes at motherofreinventionshow.com
• Follow @meaganfrancis on Instagram, and check out her blog at meaganfrancis.com to stay connected to Meagan’s personal reinvention

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Whether it’s pulling out the puke bucket juuuuuussst in the nick of time, or speeding across the room while pregnant to save a toddler from a toppling accident, we all know that feeling of doing what needs to be done in the moment without so much as a conscious thought. Call it quick-thinking, mom-heroics, or just another day in the life of parenting young kids, but these are moments that deserve to be celebrated. In Episode 309 Meagan and Sarah share stories from our own in-the-trenches days — some truly life-or-death and others just, well, messy — as a reminder that sometimes you have no idea just how strong, quick, clever, or brave you are until you’re called into action. Enjoy!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Listen to Meagan’s new interview show Mother of Reinvention wherever you get your podcasts
• We mentioned related episodes Our Worst #MomFail Moments: Episode 157 and Mom Milestones (By Popular Request!): Episode 257

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Hobbies outside of everyday work, life, and parenting ebb and flow as your season of life changes, but it’s fun to think about what creative pursuits you’ll add back in as time opens up. In today’s More Than Mom episode Meagan and Sarah speak from the perspective of moms whose kids are getting older, and who are pursuing hobbies in our own (often very different) ways. We talk about what hobbies we’re enjoying now, which ones we could imagine trying, in theory, without needing a total life overhaul, and then some “maybe someday” hobbies we can see ourselves enjoying much later on. It’s a fun one – enjoy!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Love hobby talk? Here are some older episodes from our archives you might enjoy.

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Conversations about friendship in motherhood often center around those ride-or-die besties that you just can’t imagine life without (which, as we discussed last week, isn’t always helpful). But as pandemic life has shown us in all kinds of ways, regular interactions with acquaintances, co-workers, fellow school parents, neighbors, and other “friendlies” are also really important to feeling rooted in a community and fulfilled in the friendship space. Today Meagan and Sarah look at these outer-circle relationships and share what 2021 looks like for us, how our listeners feel about the changes brought about by the past year, and what we hope our friendship landscape will look like a year from now. Join us!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• This episode is part of a two part series on friendships; listen to the first episode Friendships in Motherhood, Part One (Redefining “Ride Or Die”): Episode 307
• Meagan mentioned this article about friendships during the pandemic from The Atlantic
• If you want more on the topic of friendship, check out Female Friendships & Women We Admire (PLUS Picture Books with Katie): Episode 227 and Keeping Friendships Alive: Episode 78
• Check out our special Facebook Group for The Mom Hour Listeners (make sure to answer the questions to be approved!)

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