Manic Mommies The Teen Years

The Teen Years Pandemic Edition of Manic Mommies is coming to a close. Our firstborns are heading off to college so it seems only appropriate for us to graduate from podcasting a second time. We are frankly exhausted by COVID and just can't talk about it anymore. If you haven't gotten a shot yet, please, do your part for humanity. We all need to protect the most vulnerable including children! To stay in touch, follow us on social. Until next time, stay healthy and take good care.

The memo has arrived. Get ready to go back. Whether you're excited, filled with dread, or anticipating the perks of a hybrid schedule, one thing's for sure—it feels different. And yet... for all the promises of how life would change post-pandemic, we're not seeing it. It's all happening so fast and for some of us it's just too much too soon.

Graduations, senior banquets, prom. The end of a very strange academic year is finally here! A listener asks for our reaction to a particularly sticky graduation situation and we've got opinions. We also announce our plans to re-retire now that we're fully vaccinated. The next chapter awaits.  3, 2, 1...Ready or not, here we come.

As kids head back to the field of play, and our schedules rapidly fill up, it's a good time to remember that we can't do it all at once. Something has got to give!

We finally have the word that defines how we're feeling. We're nearly "fully vaccinated" and ready to hang out with friends but do they want to hang out with us? And where will you continue to mask up even after you're told it's safe? We talk about this and the new way AARP is talking to Gen Xers. Hey girlfriend, reality bites.

It's been a few weeks, certainly longer than we anticipated, and the Manic Mommie have lots to catch up on with holiday entertaining (Easter snuck up on us); school going back fulltime; college selections, new jobs and vaccines. we're doing our best to keep up without getting overwhelmed.

If you are one of the many who lost family members this past year, we know your pain and sadness. Once the immediate arrangements are taken care of, there can be weeks of work ahead to settle the estate and clear out the house. This is emotional, difficult, and time-consuming. This week we're joined by Ben Soreff of House to Home Organizing who shares pro tips for how to efficiently clean out attics and basements while still honoring your loved ones. His expert tips will also help you deal with your own keepsakes and mementos including those broken sports trophies from high school.

Kristin's family finally takes a road trip for a change of scenery and encounters a strange, new world out there. And yet still there are arguments over where to stop for lunch. This week we're talking about how quickly things seem to be changing and after a year of living in limbo, we're not sure we're ready. Are you?

We're kind of hating everything right now as we try to crawl out of this pandemic well. We see the light and know it's there, and yet we're so damn tired. Somehow we pulled it together to record a show. This week we're talking about how it feels to stay in a hotel, eat in a restaurant, and take driver's ed during this long, strange time.

Pandemic screams are a thing, according to the New York Times. Have you let yours out today? We're catching up after an extra week away from the microphones due to work-life unbalance and rehashing it all.

We're all stressed. Add the dark days of January, blocked contact tracing, and violence in our halls of democracy —it's all too much. Maybe that's why we're spewing so many curse words these days. We have our favorites and in this episode, we use them. Warning: not appropriate for young kiddos.

The Manic Mommies are welcoming 2021, which may smell a little like dog poop, farts, and rotten meat (at least at Kristin's house), by catching up on holiday celebrations, college applications, volunteer hours, favorite gifts, and how to survive a winter pandemic.

This week we're talking about all the ways we are feeling older with expanding waistlines, alcohol migraines, and jowls that didn't seem to be there before we zoomed all day long. Then we ask what the long-term effects of the pandemic might be on our personality types. Can an extrovert forced to stay at home eventually become an introvert? Maybe being shut in all winter is just fine.

If ever there were three letters to describe how we're feeling these days, it's m-e-h period. Darkness falls at 4:30 p.m., the first snowstorm has arrived, and we're wondering if we should we pull out all the holiday decorations if no one can come over to see them. School is on pause in Kristin's town due to case numbers and tech challenges infiltrated Erin's virtual Thanksgiving. But we've got you covered with a few Etsy ideas.

As the number of COVID cases continue to rise everywhere, we're adjusting our holiday plans. This week we talk about virtual Thanksgiving, garage gatherings, and what a year without our favorite tradition—the cookie swap—will do to our holiday spirit. How are you changing it up this year?

It was certainly an unusual Halloween with one of the Manic Mommies spending a quiet night at home, and the other sitting outside by a fire, passing out candy by candy chute. With the weather getting colder, we talk about how to approach the coming holidays, swapping ideas for safely socializing. With the election nearing the end, the Manic Mommies also talk about early voting, stress, and our gratitude for patient poll workers and election officials.How do you plan on celebrating the holidays? Leave a comment with your ideas and we will share on a future episode.

Fevers take on a whole new meaning in the time of COVID. First, you lock your teen in their room. Then you pull out your mask, gloves, only can of Lysol, and precious Clorox wipes. Once the house has been sufficiently disinfected, you start the process of trying to get a COVID test. This is where the real work begins. You cross your fingers and wait. Or pray. Later in the show, we discuss a new Atlantic article about America's obsession with niche youth sports. Squash anyone?

SATs are canceled, again. Tours are held virtually. Visitors are discouraged from visiting. Erin and Kristin start their new podcasting schedule, look for new shows every other week, talking about searching for college in the time of COVID. We also discuss how a rapidly changing news cycle that could break even the most enthusiastic news junkie made this week, to quote someone on Twitter, the longest year ever.

Just when it seemed 2020 couldn't get any worse, we learned about the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Then one of our recorders went on the fritz, requiring us to record this episode over Zoom. Join us for a vodka tonic or a beer as we mourn the passing of an icon.

School is starting, both online, remote, and somewhere in between. This week we talk about going back to school in the time of COVID

Recording together Is always better! Erin hits the road for a solo trip to Massachusetts and swings by the old neighborhood for a recording session in Kristin's backyard. We're talking about what it takes to make friends, why some friendships last for years and others seem to drift away. We also talk about the new song "WAP" and our potentially misplaced optimism about the upcoming school year.

Why is it so hard to talk about race and racism? This week, we welcome Stacey Grant-Lewis, MS, PMP®️, founder of Culture x Co., a site dedicated to providing resources for anti-racism and cultural education for individuals and families. She and Kristin address the discomfort while discussing raising "culturally curious" kids, as well as practical ways to create space for open and respectful dialogue with your friends and family. We also share some of the questions, concerns, and conversations we are having within our own families and communities.

While Erin nurses a surprise hangover, and Kristin basks in the silence of an empty house, we talk about COVID tests, family camp, awkward conversations, and back to school plans.

A listener asks for advice about her teen working and we have thoughts. We wonder why our sons can’t seem to do anything else on the days they are scheduled to work. One of us is losing control of her household while the other is deep cleaning. And of course, we’re talking about fall plans.

With September fast approaching, parents are considering when, if and how our children will be going back to school. We discuss how the decision is being handled in each town, as well as the choice (and expense) faced by college-age students. We also talk about the recent spate of sign thefts in Massachusetts.

What's the opposite of toxic positivity? Erin and Kristin discuss the growing "mom rage," what life in Massachusetts and New York looks like as we re-open, and how COVID-19 has made us forget how to make plans.

Working from home is starting to feel more like living at work and there's no end in sight. We discuss why it is that you can have a job or a kid during COVID, but not both. Mean people without masks are taking over our social media feeds and the teens are testing the limits of our graciousness. Grub Hub deliveries past midnight? Did Mom say you could do that?

This week we chat about how things are changing as our teens officially become adults. Kristin makes her first trip to the mall since COVID and we wonder why is it so hard for young teens to make plans with friends following months of isolation.

There comes a point in every relationship when too much together time is just too much. Do you need a vacation from your family? As we approach nearly three months of intense family togetherness, we're comparing notes on the ways our spouses and teens can drive us to drink. Literally.

This week we're living life in different reopening phases and we're searching for clarity. We talk about the challenges of creating a trusted small social circle of friends and we miss the days when advance prep wasn't required to do seemingly simple, straightforward errands. Then we turn our attention to more serious matters in our country and share suggested resources for families.

As America reopens, we’re struggling with our decision-making capabilities. Can you safely swim in your neighbor’s pool on a hot, sunny day? BYOB to a gathering with a few friends? What about getting a haircut? Or eating at a restaurant? This week we discuss what’s considered low to high risk and debate what we’re most comfortable with. Later, we talk about mothers who are quitting their jobs because of coronavirus.

As we head into week #10 at home—and things are slowly starting to reopen in some states—the manic mommies are starting to crack. Little annoyances that we used to brush off pre-COVID are becoming big frustrations. Dirty dishes on the counter. Toilet paper rolls that never make it on the holder. Video games 24/7. We recognize these inconveniences are minor compared to the pandemic, but sometimes a mom just needs to vent. If you're feeling exasperated by the little things, listen in, and immediately feel better knowing you are not alone.

Listen up moms of high school juniors: coronavirus is likely to have a big impact on the college application process this fall and winter. In this episode, we talk to long-time listener Amy, a high school college and career counselor from Virginia, about what students should do now to get ready. And as we enter week #8 of lockdown in our states, the weather is finally getting warm which has us wondering what summer would look like with or without our beloved camps.

Ozark. Little Fires Everywhere. Leaf Shave. City Lips. This week we talk about the beauty products, entertainment, and cleaning supplies that help make staying home for weeks on end bearable. Like you, we're shopping online and we've fallen for quite a few ads on our social feeds. Find out which ones bring us joy! We also chat with Sophie about turning 15 in quarantine, and what she thinks about growing up with the Manic Mommies.

The world has turned upside down for everyone including our high school students. Seniors are losing their final celebrations and juniors are wondering what this pass/fail grading might mean for their college applications. In this episode, we talk directly to our teens—Tommy and Anders—about all this uncertainty. Later, we're joined by Shawn, a long-time listener and teacher from Atlanta who shares what she considers essential during isolation (Hint: it's not Xbox limits!).

If the new abnormal has you feeling down, this episode is your cure! We call comedian Dena Blizzard, comedian, and creator of the "One Funny Mother" Off-Broadway show and many hilarious videos including Chardonnay Go!, that famous back to school rant from inside Target, and now her Quarantine Diaries. Dena was a guest on the original Manic Mommies years ago, and we are so happy to have her back for some much needed comic relief. Grab a glass of wine for this one and be prepared to laugh out loud!

Another week of staying home is behind us and we're hopeful it's making a difference. In this episode, we talk about what's essential and what's not, how teen boys and girls cope differently, and the myths and realities of grocery shopping.

The Manic Mommies are back! The threat of coronavirus is here, and the moms need a sanity saver. Join us as we talk about our new normal, online learning, working from home, and how we're trying to keeping it together.