Rebekah struggles with a culture of “husband bashing” and negativity in her local mom circles. Ainsley wonders how she and her husband will handle being outnumbered once their third child arrives. Candice wants to feel seen in all she does for her family – prompting Meagan and Sarah to explore different kinds of invisible labor and unpack the work we sometimes assign ourselves. And Amanda asks us to give an update on our current food values. In Episode 461, Meagan and Sarah take these...

Baseball, Scouts, soccer, basketball….you name it, our kids are doing it! In this episode, Catie and Katie are back to discuss all the stuff, processes, and mindsets that help get our families through a busy season. Join us for some of our favorite products, meal strategies, plus where and how we delegate responsibilities out to family members. Plus, it’ll be summer before we know it, and have some thoughts on how to tackle that, too. Enjoy! Meagan and Sarah are off for the first two weeks...

With the cost of EVERYTHING at near record highs, many families want to be mindful about where all their hard-earned dollars go. In this episode, Catie Parrish and Katie Gouldner share some of their best tips and tricks for stretching those dollars (and even saving in the process!). While groceries and eating out are easy targets for slashing your monthly spending, you might be surprised at a few other tips for saving big – plus, Katie shares how her recent no-spend month went, and how much...

Nine years on the mic together and almost thirteen collaborating in some capacity: today we’re reflecting and celebrating! Whether you’re a longtime listener who feels like a friend (we see you!) or a newer community member still learning which one of us is blonde (it’s Meagan), this episode will bring fresh stories and familiar reminders of who we are and why we’re here. We hope you’ll join us! HELPFUL LINKSEpisodes from the archives that pair well with this one:How We’re The Same (And Also...

We’re revisiting a classic from the archives today: a ridiculous game of Would You Rather…? Meagan and Sarah recorded this one in person together on a hot summer day back in 2018 (almost six years ago!), and in it we challenge each other to pick between wildly impossible scenarios. Which one of us would rather deal with an insane diaper blowout while in public and which would rather have an end-of-the-world public tantrum? You’ll have to listen to find out! HELPFUL LINKSA follow-up...

Whether it’s a sick day, a snow day, or something else entirely, being stuck at home with kids is a natural opportunity to bend or flex your house rules to keep the kids entertained (and retain your sanity). In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah share our community’s genius ideas for getting through long days spent at home. Join us for smart hacks for sick kids (and moms!), easy activities that help full long hours, and ways to make being stuck inside a little less awful. Enjoy! HELPFUL...

Today we’re sharing an episode of another podcast we think you might love: Pop Culture Moms. Hosts Andie and Sabrina are toddler moms and best friends of 20 years. In this new podcast they’re taking their obsession with TV and movies to the next level by talking to celebrities, writers and fellow “scholars” of pop culture about what they can learn from the fictional moms they love most. In the excerpt you’ll hear today, former MTV News correspondent SuChin Pak talks about reparenting...

Is it time to break up with Instagram? Or just hit pause on the relationship? Today Meagan and Sarah dive in to some of the reasons behind our personal absences from the social platform lately. Without judgment about anybody else’s online behavior, we reflect on what’s working and not working about our own. We own up to some icky-feeling habits, share observations about what it takes to change said habits, and how we envision our futures on the platform. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS:We started to...

Parents of teens, listen up! (And parents of littles, join us for a preview!) Helping your teen figure out what’s next after graduation – and how to cover the cost – is a delicate dance. Today Meagan shares her current struggles navigating the parenting waters of college-bound teens; she reflects on how her fourth kid’s journey looks a bit different than that of his older brothers, what role she plays in the process, and ways it has challenged her as a mom – all while Sarah takes notes for...

Join Meagan and Sarah for a peek behind the scenes of our writerly lives and an update on what we’re working on lately. We share how we got started (including our tips for others wanting to explore writing), how our writing has looked quite different over the years (including where and how we write) and what we’re currently working on. We also bring listeners up to speed on an exciting new collaboration that we’ve only hinted at in the past… Tune in to find out more! HELPFUL LINKS:Preorder...

New recipes can shake up cooking routines, but there’s something to be said for the tried-and-true meals, too. Today Meagan and Sarah share the family dinners that always make it into our current cooking rotations. They’re the meals we know how to shop for, prepare, and that the kids are comfortable eating as is (or know how to put their own twist on it). We also touch on “always in rotation” dinners from bygone eras, and what new recipes we’re hoping to try this year. Join us! LINKS...

Whether you have puppy fever or are overwhelmed by the idea of getting a dog, this episode will meet you where you are. Join regular contributors Joanna and Joanne as they check in about recent adventures adding furry family members to their homes. They offer advice for things to consider before getting a dog, chat about how a dog can impact your lifestyle, your budget, and your mental load, and offer tips for introducing a dog to a new baby and getting kids involved in pet care....

The kids are sick. Your spouse is traveling. The laundry is piling up. Motherhood can be A LOT, even in the best of times, but when normalcy is thrown off, the stakes get even higher. Today Meagan and Sarah share our best tips for surviving the day – and getting the bare minimum done – when it all just feels like too much. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS:Sarah referenced this classic replay: How Do I Make Time For It All?Sarah uses Todoist to manage not just her work, but her chores and daily...

What does loving your children actually feel like? Is it a split-second, life-altering love like we hear about, or is it a deep background hum that builds over time? Is there a difference between loving our kids and loving the motherhood experience? Today Meagan and Sarah unpack motherly love, including our specific styles of showing love to – and receiving it from – our kids. Enjoy! HELPFUL LINKS:Episodes From The Archives That Pair Well With This One:Speaking Our Kids’ Love Languages (And...

Let’s check in about clothes! As work-from-home moms in our forties, winter “fashion” is mostly about cozy comfort. Join Meagan and Sarah as we share what we’re wearing lately, including a surprising headache-related accessory, a total 180 on long-sleeved pajamas, and a bralette misfire. We also look to you, dear listener, to help us source some wardrobe pieces we’re in need of. Help us out! HELPFUL LINKS:Meagan mentioned…the Bliss Triangle Bralette from Harper Wilde (we both have this bra,...

You’ve been warned: raising teens can actually be…sort of wonderful. And also hard (but what season of motherhood isn’t?). Today Meagan and Sarah share what specific things we love about teenagers, from their thoughtful conversations to their little-kid-selves peeking out around every corner of their nearly-adult bodies. Along the way we share some recent stories about our own teenagers and what makes them great. Join us! HELPFUL LINKS:10 Things We Love…Episodes from the archives!10 Things...

Overwhelmed? Tired of people suggesting you “just relax!” or “go easy on yourself!”? Wondering if you should be playing with your kids more? This episode is for you. In this classic replay from 2016, Meagan and Sarah answer a question from Sheena (mom to a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and an infant!) about how to make time for things that need to be done around the house AND still connect with her kids. We normalize feeling overwhelmed, offer concrete tips for staying reasonably caught up,...

Sarah’s family (with kids ages 15, 13, and 10) recently returned from their first big overseas travel adventure, and today we’re reflecting on her lessons learned. Taking the family across multiple time zones and out of the comforts of routine comes with challenges, to be sure, but also with opportunities for clarifying and crystalizing family culture in a way that’s harder to do at home. Join us to get all of Meagan’s questions answered and hear Sarah’s takeaways on the parenting lessons...

Keeping schedules aligned, staying on top of basic tidying, and managing endless loads of laundry are just a few of the household systems facing modern parents. In today’s episode, regular contributors Joanna and Sarah share their best hacks for keeping the household afloat during the little years. They talk everything from calendar systems to smart speakers, laundry shortcuts to robot vacuums – plus how to get kids to help around the house and where their systems could use a New Year reset....

It’s a buzzword, and it’s not going anywhere, but what does “sustainability” even MEAN? Meagan and Sarah are here to discuss their personal interpretations, as well as the ways in which we’ve each moved toward more mindful consumption. We talk shopping, cleaner cleaning products, reducing consumables, simplifying how we eat, and more. We’re also very honest about the many ways we’re just not that sustainable – yet (or ever!). Happy New Year! HELPFUL LINKS:Shout-out to Sarah’s local...

Grab a warm beverage and settle in for an end-of-year books chat! Meagan and Sarah look back over our reading in 2023 to share what we’ve read, what stuck with us, and how our reading habits have continued to evolve. Meagan also shares an update about Paper Mill Books, the independent bookstore in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan that she helped open earlier this year. Join us – you may just find a new book or two to throw on your TBR pile for 2024! HELPFUL LINKS:Meagan opened a bookstore in...

Is new parenthood better or worse today than it was 10 years ago? Meagan and Sarah dive deep into this question today, unpacking nuanced issues like tech solutions for age-old problems, the availability of information and solutions for every struggle, and the benefits and drawbacks of connecting online. The consensus? It’s complicted. Join us! HELPFUL LINKSWe referenced your comments in this Facebook Post throughout the episodeSarah mentioned The Girl Next Door Podcast...

Tis’ the season to….feel the insane amount of pressure to be the “perfect” holiday mom. In this classic from the archives, Meagan and Sarah offer ever-relevant gut checks on some of the biggest pressures moms feel during the holiday season, and offer concrete tips for releasing yourself from expectations of perfection to enjoy what’s left of this holiday season. Join us! Our holiday episodes often make brief mention of magical night visitors. If you have curious ears about, you’ve been...

There’s no time like bedtime to institute a few house rules that help diffuse power struggles, ease negotiation tensions, and shorten that long list of stalling techniques we’ve all come to know and fear. Today’s latest House Rules episode brings together our community’s best shortcuts and hacks for easier bedtimes, along with Meagan’s and Sarah’s personal experiences with evening shenanigans at every age and stage. Enjoy! Helpful LinksClick to see the Facebook Thread with all of your...