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in Episodes on July 19, 2016 by The Mom Hour

How Do I Make Time For It All? Episode 60



“Hi Sarah and Meagan, this is Sheena from Oregon, and I have two questions that both relate to time management. I have a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old and I’m finding that I’m always behind, and I’m wondering if you have any tips for how to get ahead? Also, how do you find time in the day to play? I find that I’m always just trying to get the kids busy so I can get on to my next task, and I never have time to just sit down and play. Thanks for your advice!”

This is the question we got in our Speakpipe mailbox a couple weeks ago, and in Episode 60 we sat down to answer Sheena’s questions. Want to hear our responses? Listen now in the player below, or keep reading for more!


Links we mentioned (or should have) in Episode 60

  • Leave us a question via SpeakPipe like Sheena did!
  • Episode 10: We Hate Fun!
  • The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed (Jessica Lahey)

Related

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: mom confidence, stay at home mom, working mom

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« What We’re Watching, Reading & Listening To, Summer Edition: Episode 59
Eight Kids, Toddler to Teen: Episode 61 »

Comments

  1. Miranda Oostlander says

    July 19, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    Perfect timing as usual. Love these tips especially about making a list before sitting down at the computer. And it was so refreshing hearing you give tips instead of just saying “enjoy the mess” I can’t enjoy the mess. And the part about playing with your kids and redefining it. I loved it! Loved this whole episode! Think I’m going to go listen again and make sure to share around with other mamas. Thanks Again ladies!

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      July 20, 2016 at 12:22 pm

      So glad you loved it, Miranda! And sharing with other moms is the BEST compliment you can give us (and we hope it helps them, too!). xo

      Reply
  2. Renee P. says

    July 20, 2016 at 11:24 am

    Sarah, thanks for the tip about printing out your Google calendar one week at a time! I’m a long-time Google calendar user and I love it for so many reasons but I know there is always more I can learn about how to make it work better for me and my family. I just printed next week’s calendar and I’m going to give it a try! It’s a good week to try this because my kids are going to be at VBS the whole week and I do have a few appointments scheduled but there are lots of other things I want to do during the week but they don’t need to happen at a specific time on a specific day. Let’s see how this goes! Thanks for the tips – my kids are 6 & 8 and I still need help figuring out how to “make time for it all”!

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      July 20, 2016 at 12:24 pm

      Renee, I’m so glad you found that helpful – I hope it goes well! I’ve been doing this forever, and one time wrote a REALLY detailed post about it in case you want more info… http://www.thehappiesthome.com/calendar-planning-for-moms/. Have a great week!

      Reply
  3. Sheena says

    July 26, 2016 at 12:16 am

    Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question! I was so excited to hear you had gotten it. I loved the advice you guys gave. Thank you for not just giving the stock answer of give yourself a break. I also love the idea of reframing what I think of as playing with the kids. It helps me to think of it that was because I do so much with them that I don’t count as playtime. Felt like you guys were visiting with me at my house helping me hash out a problem. Thank you again! Love this podcast! Keep up the great work!

    Reply
  4. jennifer bertotti says

    March 24, 2017 at 3:31 pm

    I just found your podcast and wish i found it sooner!! I just listened to “HOW DO I MAKE TIME FOR IT ALL? THE MOM HOUR, EPISODE 60” and finally someone said what i have been wondering, that its ok not to play pretend, its ok to just engage, point out squirrels, etc. LOVE your show!

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      April 16, 2017 at 2:45 pm

      Pointing out squirrels TOTALLY COUNTS, Jennifer. 😉 So happy you found us! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

      Reply

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Let's go deep on the fluffiest of topics: personal adornment. In today's More Than Mom episode, Meagan and Sarah share our approaches to everyday jewelry, special gifts and heirloom pieces, jewelry trends and finding our personal styles. We also talk about where we like to buy jewelry, how motherhood seasons have intersected with accessorizing phases, and what our storage wins and woes are these days.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
Two things happened to me in the past few weeks. Two things happened to me in the past few weeks. 

First, my youngest child - my baby! - turned 14.

Second, I went on a trip with said baby (Clara) and her next-older brother Owen, who’s 17, and was reminded that few experiences are quite as humbling as being a middle-aged mother outnumbered by teenaged offspring...in public.

Whereas I was once the sun they orbited around, my teens are now spinning off on their own path. It’s not they don't like me (I hope, though it can feel that way at times), it’s just that the gravitational pull around which they organize their lives has changed. 
 
I was struggling to find words for this new state of affairs, when it struck me: I’m a lame-duck parent now, counting down my last days of power while adult and nearly-adult children look eagerly ahead to whatever’s coming down the line. 

Instead of ruling like the sun to their planets or some kind of benevolent monarch, as I did when they were little, I’m more akin to a city manager who must be tolerated and placated in order to get enough budget allocated for one’s pet projects. 

After twenty-five years of organizing my time, my home, my energy and my heart around small people, the emotional shift in these not-quite-empty-nest years has been surprisingly disorienting. 

There’s a self-protective urge to rush these last four years or so of parenting minors - to check out of all this confusion and skip to the part where I claim a whole new life for myself as an empty nester and they seem to value my wisdom again (as a mom to 20-somethings I know this is also a real thing.)

But I can’t abdicate my throne just yet, friends. 

Even though my subjects often don’t see things my way, I’m still their leader…and I still have a job to do. -M

(Friends, if you like these glimpses of my life as a mom of older kids, I'd love for you to follow my personal account at @meaganfrancis! I write there regularly about midlife motherhood, raising teens, and reinventing your life after 40.) 

#parentingteens #raisingteens #lameduckparent #motherofreinvention #midlifemom #midlifemotherhood #raisingadults #parentingbigkids #momlife
I (Sarah) have been pleasantly surprised at how lo I (Sarah) have been pleasantly surprised at how long my kids have hung in when it comes to decorating Easter eggs. Not only that, but as fine motor skills and - ahem - frustration-management skills have improved for my three, the sophistication level of our egg-dyeing adventures has increased dramatically.

Click this image at the link in our bio to read more about the egg decorating kits, products, and techniques that have worked well in our house for older kids, tweens, and teens!

#eastermom #easterfamily #eggdecoratingideas #eggdyeingideas #easterwithkids #easterwithteens #craftsforteens #craftsfortweens #eggdecorating #easter2023
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👇 For an episode! 👇 It's the first day of 👇 For an episode! 👇 

It's the first day of SPRING, which means we're already thinking about SUMMER. And, specifically, making our own lives as moms and home managers easier and more joyful for Summer 2023.

If you have a tip or hack that falls into the general bucket of "do this now; enjoy summer later", we'd love to hear it! We'll be sharing our own in an upcoming episode and hope to include some from listeners as well. Can be from any area of summer enjoyment from childcare to travel to self-care to home management to backyard gardening!
Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is stil Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is still going strong after eight years, 644 episodes, and more than 15 Million listens! Click the subscribe links in our bio or ask your smart speaker to "play the latest episode of The Mom Hour podcast".

New episodes release every Tuesday and alternating Sundays all year round. Our archives have conversations about every stage of parenting from before-baby through launching young adults - and every aspect of motherhood, too.

#podcast #podcastformoms #mompodcast #parentingpodcast #mommypodcast #mamapodcast #womenpodcasters #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #themomhour #motherhood
Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podv Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podversary? Birthcast? No matter how you slice it, The Mom Hour turns EIGHT years old on March 19!

Want to totally make our day? Leave a comment that tells us - in life milestones - how long you've been listening (i.e., "the baby I was pregnant with when I found you guys is now in kindergarten" OR "I have a middle schooler who was in preschool when I started listening" OR "I was on leave with my first when I discovered the podcast; now I have four kids!")

We appreciate this community so much - and we're not slowing down! Thanks for being here, friends. Talk to you Tuesday!

-M &S
Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor ro Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor roundup, where we thank our partners and remind you of their great deals. For our unique promo codes and links, just tap our saved "Sponsors" highlight or search the brand name on our website. Remember, when you check out our sponsors and use our links + codes, it helps support our show. Thank you!

We also collect ALL our active promo codes in our email newsletter - which is full of our latest episodes and blog posts, personal updates, community news, and more. Tap on this image at the link in our bio to subscribe today.

Shoutout to our NEW partner:
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And welcome back . . .
⭐ @everyplate (meal kits for just $1.49 per meal!) 
⭐ @scholasticinc (books for kids of all ages!)
⭐️ @caraway_home (10% off cookware!)
⭐ @caredotcom (local, background-checked care!) 
⭐ @prepdish (2 weeks of free meal plans!)
⭐ @minted (art, bags, gifts & more!)
⭐ @chatbooks (the easiest photo books ever!)
⭐ @fabletics (2 workout bottoms for $24!)
⭐ @todoistofficial (2 mo. free of Todoist Pro!)
⭐️ @theessentialcalendar (10% off calendars!)
⭐️ @hiyahealth (50% off 1st order!)
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⭐️ @athleticgreens (1yr of Vit.D + 5 travel packs!)
⭐️ @vionicshoes (free shipping on comfy shoes!)
It can *seem* like everybody has travel plans comi It can *seem* like everybody has travel plans coming up for Spring Break, but we know that every single year, just as many families aren't going anywhere - and that's OK, too!

This week on the blog @emilyeroark offers suggestions for mixing up your same ol' same ol' when kids are off for Spring Break. Check out the post by clicking this image at the link in our bio!

#stayathomemom #springbreakathome #staycationideas #stayathomeparent #toddlermom #preschoolmom #momofthree #springbreak2023 #spring #springbreakathome #kidsactivities
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast#podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast#podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
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Check out Sandy’s ideas for themed Easter baskets by clicking this image at the link in our bio - she's got over 35 different gift ideas listed!

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New episode! Let's go deep on the fluffiest of to New episode!

Let's go deep on the fluffiest of topics: personal adornment. In today's More Than Mom episode, Meagan and Sarah share our approaches to everyday jewelry, special gifts and heirloom pieces, jewelry trends and finding our personal styles. We also talk about where we like to buy jewelry, how motherhood seasons have intersected with accessorizing phases, and what our storage wins and woes are these days.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
Two things happened to me in the past few weeks. Two things happened to me in the past few weeks. 

First, my youngest child - my baby! - turned 14.

Second, I went on a trip with said baby (Clara) and her next-older brother Owen, who’s 17, and was reminded that few experiences are quite as humbling as being a middle-aged mother outnumbered by teenaged offspring...in public.

Whereas I was once the sun they orbited around, my teens are now spinning off on their own path. It’s not they don't like me (I hope, though it can feel that way at times), it’s just that the gravitational pull around which they organize their lives has changed. 
 
I was struggling to find words for this new state of affairs, when it struck me: I’m a lame-duck parent now, counting down my last days of power while adult and nearly-adult children look eagerly ahead to whatever’s coming down the line. 

Instead of ruling like the sun to their planets or some kind of benevolent monarch, as I did when they were little, I’m more akin to a city manager who must be tolerated and placated in order to get enough budget allocated for one’s pet projects. 

After twenty-five years of organizing my time, my home, my energy and my heart around small people, the emotional shift in these not-quite-empty-nest years has been surprisingly disorienting. 

There’s a self-protective urge to rush these last four years or so of parenting minors - to check out of all this confusion and skip to the part where I claim a whole new life for myself as an empty nester and they seem to value my wisdom again (as a mom to 20-somethings I know this is also a real thing.)

But I can’t abdicate my throne just yet, friends. 

Even though my subjects often don’t see things my way, I’m still their leader…and I still have a job to do. -M

(Friends, if you like these glimpses of my life as a mom of older kids, I'd love for you to follow my personal account at @meaganfrancis! I write there regularly about midlife motherhood, raising teens, and reinventing your life after 40.) 

#parentingteens #raisingteens #lameduckparent #motherofreinvention #midlifemom #midlifemotherhood #raisingadults #parentingbigkids #momlife
I (Sarah) have been pleasantly surprised at how lo I (Sarah) have been pleasantly surprised at how long my kids have hung in when it comes to decorating Easter eggs. Not only that, but as fine motor skills and - ahem - frustration-management skills have improved for my three, the sophistication level of our egg-dyeing adventures has increased dramatically.

Click this image at the link in our bio to read more about the egg decorating kits, products, and techniques that have worked well in our house for older kids, tweens, and teens!

#eastermom #easterfamily #eggdecoratingideas #eggdyeingideas #easterwithkids #easterwithteens #craftsforteens #craftsfortweens #eggdecorating #easter2023
New episode! It's our Podcastaversary (yep, we ju New episode!

It's our Podcastaversary (yep, we just made up a new word)! Today we are celebrating eight years of The Mom Hour by reflecting on some of your most-asked questions over the years. Beyond recurring queries like "should I have that third baby?" or "what's the ideal spacing between kids?," we're digging into some deeper through-lines that point to the fears, insecurities, and hopes of our community. We also provide snapshots of the many places we have recorded our 640+ episodes (the floor, the bed, different states and more).
👇 For an episode! 👇 It's the first day of 👇 For an episode! 👇 

It's the first day of SPRING, which means we're already thinking about SUMMER. And, specifically, making our own lives as moms and home managers easier and more joyful for Summer 2023.

If you have a tip or hack that falls into the general bucket of "do this now; enjoy summer later", we'd love to hear it! We'll be sharing our own in an upcoming episode and hope to include some from listeners as well. Can be from any area of summer enjoyment from childcare to travel to self-care to home management to backyard gardening!
Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is stil Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is still going strong after eight years, 644 episodes, and more than 15 Million listens! Click the subscribe links in our bio or ask your smart speaker to "play the latest episode of The Mom Hour podcast".

New episodes release every Tuesday and alternating Sundays all year round. Our archives have conversations about every stage of parenting from before-baby through launching young adults - and every aspect of motherhood, too.

#podcast #podcastformoms #mompodcast #parentingpodcast #mommypodcast #mamapodcast #womenpodcasters #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #themomhour #motherhood
Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podv Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podversary? Birthcast? No matter how you slice it, The Mom Hour turns EIGHT years old on March 19!

Want to totally make our day? Leave a comment that tells us - in life milestones - how long you've been listening (i.e., "the baby I was pregnant with when I found you guys is now in kindergarten" OR "I have a middle schooler who was in preschool when I started listening" OR "I was on leave with my first when I discovered the podcast; now I have four kids!")

We appreciate this community so much - and we're not slowing down! Thanks for being here, friends. Talk to you Tuesday!

-M &S
Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor ro Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor roundup, where we thank our partners and remind you of their great deals. For our unique promo codes and links, just tap our saved "Sponsors" highlight or search the brand name on our website. Remember, when you check out our sponsors and use our links + codes, it helps support our show. Thank you!

We also collect ALL our active promo codes in our email newsletter - which is full of our latest episodes and blog posts, personal updates, community news, and more. Tap on this image at the link in our bio to subscribe today.

Shoutout to our NEW partner:
💰 @fearlessfinance ($50 off your 1st meeting!)

And welcome back . . .
⭐ @everyplate (meal kits for just $1.49 per meal!) 
⭐ @scholasticinc (books for kids of all ages!)
⭐️ @caraway_home (10% off cookware!)
⭐ @caredotcom (local, background-checked care!) 
⭐ @prepdish (2 weeks of free meal plans!)
⭐ @minted (art, bags, gifts & more!)
⭐ @chatbooks (the easiest photo books ever!)
⭐ @fabletics (2 workout bottoms for $24!)
⭐ @todoistofficial (2 mo. free of Todoist Pro!)
⭐️ @theessentialcalendar (10% off calendars!)
⭐️ @hiyahealth (50% off 1st order!)
⭐️ @kiwico_inc (50% off your 1st mo!)
⭐️ @athleticgreens (1yr of Vit.D + 5 travel packs!)
⭐️ @vionicshoes (free shipping on comfy shoes!)
It can *seem* like everybody has travel plans comi It can *seem* like everybody has travel plans coming up for Spring Break, but we know that every single year, just as many families aren't going anywhere - and that's OK, too!

This week on the blog @emilyeroark offers suggestions for mixing up your same ol' same ol' when kids are off for Spring Break. Check out the post by clicking this image at the link in our bio!

#stayathomemom #springbreakathome #staycationideas #stayathomeparent #toddlermom #preschoolmom #momofthree #springbreak2023 #spring #springbreakathome #kidsactivities
New episode! Bowling. Bonfires. The mall (no, rea New episode!

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!

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast#podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast#podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts

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