What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face...
When you're a parent, every day brings a "fresh hell" to deal with. In other words, there's always something. Think of us as your funny mom friends who are here to remind you: you're not alone, and it won't always be this hard.
We're Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, both busy moms of three kids, but with completely different parenting styles. Margaret is a laid-back to the max; Amy never met a spreadsheet or an organizational system she didn't like.
In each episode of "What Fresh Hell" we offer lots of laughs, but also practical advice, parenting strategies, and tips to empower you in your role as a mom. We explore self-help techniques, as well as ways to prioritize your own needs, combat stress, and despite the invisible workload we all deal with, find joy amidst the chaos of motherhood.
If you've ever wondered "why is my kid..." then one of us has probably been there, and we're here to tell you what we've learned along the way.
We unpack the behaviors and developmental stages of toddlers, tweens, and teenagers, providing insights into their actions and equipping you with effective parenting strategies.
We offer our best parenting tips and skills we've learned. We debate the techniques and studies that are everywhere for parents these days, and get to the bottom of what works best to raise happy, healthy, fairly well-behaved kids, while fostering a positive parent-child relationship.
If you're the default parent in your household, whether you're a busy mom juggling multiple pickups and dropoffs, or a first-time parent seeking guidance, this podcast is your trusted resource. Join our community of supportive mom friends laughing in the face of motherhood!
851
How To Be The Teacher’s Favorite Parent
We have more direct relationships with our children’s teachers than our parents could ever have imagined. But the homework, online portals, and conferences aren’t always uncomplicated topics. Here’s how teachers say we can best support what they do.
43 min
852
Self-Regulation for Kids: Helping Them (And You...
Tantrums seem to come out of nowhere. But getting curious about what lies beneath the meltdown in Aisle Six can go a long way towards taming our kids’ meltdowns in the future. Here’s how to help our kids self-regulate without losing our own cool.
41 min
853
How To Get It All Done: Time Management For Mom...
Every mom struggles with the juggle. We discuss strategies to work smarter and get more done. The best time management secret? Be more gentle with ourselves, not more demanding. Guest: Jessica N. Turner, author of the new book Stretched Too Thin.
45 min
854
Why 5 to 8 p.m. Is The Worst: How To Handle the...
5 to 8 p.m. is the worst. Nap-skipping toddlers melting down, babies in “witching hour” mode, 6th graders crying over homework— just when we’re also exhausted from our own very full days. Here’s how to make pickup-to-bedtime a little bit easier.
46 min
855
The Right Number of Kids Is…
For most of us, the right number of kids is the number of kids we have. (At least most of the time.) But there are proven, distinct benefits to each family size, from one kid to a minivan’s worth. Our listeners tell us what works for them and why.
46 min
856
Hand-Me-Downs, Keepsakes, and Too Much Stuff
The toys, keepsakes, hand-me-downs, and art projects our kids create could fill a dumpster. Weekly. Whether you’re a sentimentalist who keeps every finger-painted masterpiece or a ruthless minimalist, here’s how to create systems to tame the stuff.
43 min
857
Raising Grateful Kids
Most of us would like our kids to express — and feel— more gratitude. So how do we get our kids to say thank you like they mean it? Maybe even remember to do so unprompted? Here’s how to build a practice of gratitude with (and for) kids of all ages.
39 min
858
When Mom Struggles (with guest Janelle Hanchett)
Moms aren't supposed to struggle; we're meant to be benevolent goddesses of wisdom and Hamburger Helper. But when things get really tough, should we tell our kids? Or is that burdening them? And what happens when there's things we really can’t share?
47 min
859
Why Are Our Kids Such Total Opposites?
It’s not your imagination: kids raised in the same family push in opposite directions. Why do siblings, especially closely-spaced or same-sex ones, deidentify? We discuss the three theories out there, and whether parents need to do anything about it.
42 min
860
How To Be a Happier Parent (with KJ Dell’Antonia)
Is a mother only as happy as her unhappiest child? Kind of, yeah. How do we find happiness in the daily slog? Our guest KJ Dell’Antonia, author of How To Be a Happier Parent, says the key is finding simple, concrete solutions for what isn’t working.
45 min
861
When Kids Talk Back
How should we respond when our kids talk back? Some experts say it’s normal child behavior; we should take a deep breath and ignore it. We say no way. But yelling “How dare you!” isn’t getting us anywhere either. Here’s what actually works.
41 min
862
Friends Without Kids
Once we become parents there’s a great divide (of perspectives, bedtimes, and tolerance of baby videos) between us and our friends without kids. Here’s how to stay connected. Guest: Candace Feit, documentary photographer, kid-free leisurely bruncher.
38 min
863
The Random Things We Can’t Live Without
The randomer the thing, the greater the love. From grapefruit LaCroix to Target bathing suits, here’s the beverages, websites, and brands that we (and our listeners) can’t live without, both for our parenting and for our daily sanity.
45 min
864
Are We Too Hard On Our Boys?
At school our sons manage to keep it together. At home, flushing the toilet is well beyond their capability. This leads to a litany of "hurry up, put that down, stop doing that, start doing this" from their mothers. But are we too hard on our boys?
46 min
865
Helping Kids Through Transitions
Whether it's moving to the big boy bed or heading off to high school - transitions are hard. We discuss ways to help kids transition and how to get underneath tough behaviors to figure out what's really going on.
52 min
866
How Not To Live Through Our Kids
Psychologists say we parents transfer our own unfulfilled ambitions onto our children. (Sing out, Louise!) Are we living through our kids? Is that bad? How do we stop? Here’s how to take a step back if you find yourself a little too over-invested.
49 min
867
The Mothers We Swore We’d Never Be
Before our kids were born we had an idea of the mothers we would be— and definitely knew the mothers we would NEVER be. (And then we became parents.) We asked our listeners to tell us the mothers they swore they’d never be— and yet somehow are.
46 min
868
Should Dads Get Graded on a Curve?
While we grade our husbands’ household contributions against our own, the world grades them against Don Draper— which means any guy with a Baby Bjorn gets a ticker tape parade. But guest Kevin Madsen of HeyDad says that’s not as good as it sounds.
43 min
869
Vacationing With Kids- What Works
Successful travel as a family doesn’t mean your choice of destination needs to revolve around your kids. But you may need to keep your expectations flexible. This episode is full of ideas for creating family vacations with appeal for all ages.
43 min
870
Stuff Our Spouses Do Way Better Than We Do
The best partnerships are symbiotic, so in this episode we give a shout-out to all the things our spouses handle way better than we do, such as: broken dishwashers. Broken bones. Successful repurposing of leftovers. Pancake-making. Thanks guys!
49 min
871
Princesses (If You Must)
The princess phase feels pretty inescapable. But does every Royal Sparkle tutu a Honey Boo Boo make? Or is our princess paranoia a bit misguided? Here’s why we say you can ease up and let your kids be anything they want. Even if it’s princesses.
45 min
872
Kid Friend Breakups
Our kids have been left behind by once-best friends. They’ve also struggled with creating space between themselves and playmates they have simply outgrown. Whatever side they’re on, here’s how to make it a little less painful for all concerned.
48 min
873
Small Changes, Big Difference- Part Two
So many good ideas, we made a Part Two! Here’s dozens of small changes parents have made that turned out to make a big difference in their lives— thanks to our listeners plus some of the top content creators for parents from the 2018 Mom 2.0 Summit.
51 min
874
Summer Plans
It takes a lot of juggling to schedule 10 weeks of summer freedom- not to mention cash. America spends about $18 billion dollars on “summer enrichment” every year. Here’s how to keep your kids the right amount of occupied without breaking the bank.
45 min
875
Tweens
We always figured “tween” was marketing speak for stuff with glitter on it. But 9-12 year olds actually have different brains than younger kids. And then sometimes they like stuffed animals still. Here’s how parents can deal with the whiplash.
46 min