Moms You Meet on the Playground | Parenting in a Pandemic

It all started in the summer of 2020, we started this little podcast to process parenting in a pandemic. They've met new people, talked about a variety of topics and helped build a virtual playground for others to listen in and relate their own experiences. Our hosts take a final look back, reflect and prepare to start a new chapter. Thank you to all our listeners and see you on the real playground!Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

The hustle and bustle of the holidays are upon us. The list of “to-do's” is growing and sometimes finding the time to give back can feel like an additional list item. Alex Goodfellow, mother of three and Executive Director at Share Our Spare, shares how we can talk about and demonstrate gratitude with our growing kids and how to get them involved in giving back.Share Our Spare IGShare Our Spare WebsiteAubry mentions The Honeycomb ProjectAlex mentions the National Diaper Bank NetworkMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

A lot of parents were already turning to parenting books or sourcing out information on how to raise their children, but what works for one family may not work for another. The pandemic has made a lot of parents turn inward and shut off those outside voices to focus on what makes their family work better. Lindsay Short, mother of two, Parent Coach and Founder of The Village, is one of them. She stops by the playground to discuss the virtues of what she calls sustainable parenting.Simple Sustainable Parenting IGThe Village WebsiteMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

As parents we feel like we should have all the answers, but often times we don't. How do we discuss, teach and learn alongside our children to be active members in our communities to make meaningful change when it comes to social justice. Our special guest, La'Kita Williams, helps us learn how to show our work and learn from our children.La'Kita's WebsiteAubry mentions  Valedictorian's Mic Cut Off During Queer Identity Speech - YouTubeMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

Once that journey to motherhood begins you may find yourself slipping away and just falling into the role of mom, but how can you find your way back to doing something you love? Our special guest, Mara Measor, processes her own journey of getting back to being more than just a mom.Mara Measor IGMara Measor WebsiteMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources.

We've all seen the messaging on cups, t-shirts and memes that say things like “mommy needs wine” or “it's not coffee, it's wine” but when does the joke become a secret reality? Our special guest, Beth Bowen, LMSW, helps to identify and pull back the veil on alcohol and motherhood.Beth BowenMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

We talk a lot about parental leave and that huge transition of welcoming a child into our lives, but there are so many other transitions that happen beyond that whether it's children starting school or sick days or quarantines or caring for a loved one. We need support! Our special guest, Arianna Taboada, MSW, MSPH, mother, author and founder of The Expecting Entrepreneur, helps us to map out our support networks and find the gaps to help make those transitions a little more manageable. Arianna Taboada IGArianna mentions the EcoMap on her WebsiteThe Expecting Entrepreneur BookMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

Growing up friendships seemed to come so easily. As adults our circumstances may change whether it's moving to a new city, beginning a new career or starting a family. As our lives shift meeting new people and making new friends becomes increasingly more difficult. Our special guest, Emily Siegel, helps us to see that the journey of getting to BFF Land is much more attainable than we think.Emily Siegel IGEmily Siegel WebsiteMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

[WARNING: This episode contains content about suicide] Mother of four, Alecia Stuaan, stops by the playground to share her powerful story of her struggles with mental illness from a young age through motherhood. Alecia and Alison process their journeys of caring for their mental health whether using medication and/or therapy to help our listeners demystify the struggles of maternal mental health.Alecia StuaanSuicide Prevention LifelineMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

Food is a constant part of our lives, but what's our relationship to it? In today's health conscious society parents can struggle with trying to be the "perfect parent" by constantly curating meals and restricting certain foods for their children. Nutritionist, Terri Ney, RD, helps us process how we, as parents, can give ourselves some grace and relearn what it means to model healthy habits to our children.Terri (Tiny Bites Nutrition)Terri mentions Ellyn SatterMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

You know who else you can meet on the playground? Nannies. Unfortunately, there seems to be a societal "versus" when it comes to moms and the caregivers they hire. Why? We've invited professional nanny, Jada Rashawn, to our playground to talk honestly about this tension. Jada RashawnMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

The pandemic forced many parents, mostly women, to leave their jobs to tend to their families as work, school and life became too overwhelming, but when is the right time to start working again or start something completely new in your field? As Ms. Frizzle would say, “Take chances, make mistakes and get messy!” which is exactly the attitude of our special guest, Jeri Melo, who shares how she found the confidence to pivot her teaching career and create a new space for learning. Miss Jeri (The Classroom To Go)Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

When the pandemic hit, families were forced into remote learning with their children which made a lot of parents take a step back and think – should we run with this and do homeschool full time? Our special guest, Gina Notes, discusses her family's journey and shares with us the struggles and benefits of homeschooling.Gina NotesMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

Welcome back? Our hosts are back and ready to continue processing parenting while in a pandemic… still. We catch up on the last of summer, the start of the school year and moving forward and through plus what's new on the upcoming season of Moms You Meet on the Playground!Aubry mentions Ep. 8 To Public School or Not.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources

It all started 11 months ago... a podcast was born and our hosts started an adventure processing parenting in a pandemic. They've met new people, talked about a variety of topics and helped build a virtual playground for others to listen in and relate their own experiences. Our hosts take a look back, reflect and prepare to take a breath and enjoy the rest of summer. Stay tuned for the next season starting Fall of 2021!Aubry mentions the following episodes: Ep. 9, Ep. 13, Ep. 16Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

As parents we feel like we should have all the answers, but often times we don't. How do we discuss, teach and learn alongside our children to be active members in our communities to make meaningful change when it comes to social justice. Our special guest, La'Kita Williams, helps us learn how to show our work and learn from our children.La'Kita's WebsiteAubry mentions  Valedictorian's Mic Cut Off During Queer Identity Speech - YouTubeMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

We're in that funky place of feeling a massive amount of relief from the worst of the pandemic behind us, but there are still people left vulnerable: our young kids. How do we balance trying to resocialize and establishing a normalized routine when most of our kids can't be vaccinated yet? We chat with mom and pediatrician, Nel Latronica, about processing through those thoughts and experiences.Alison mentions Emily Oster's blog.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

As the school year ends and summer approaches the onslaught of trips, camps and socialization with loved ones we haven’t seen is overwhelming. How do we prepare ourselves and our kids? What will that new normal of socialization look like? We unpack our anxieties, awkward moments and small victories with special guest Martha Shaughnessy of The Key PR. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more resocialization resources. 

Do you have a kid with a severe food allergy? You've got a friend in our guest, Meg Nohe. Even if you don't, you still have a friend in her—this is, the MYM Playground after all! Meg graciously talks us through what it was like to discover that one of her kids has a severe food allergy and how her family has been working to make sure they keep everyone safe. Meg and her team at Allergy Amulet have developed the world’s smallest & fastest consumer food allergen sensor. Sign up to receive product announcements and release dates.Mentioned in the show:LEAP study: Learning Early About Peanut Allergy.Spokin app: Spokin’s mission is to make managing food allergies and Celiac easier by connecting the community to safe foods, restaurants, bakeries, travel, recipes, and each other. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

When the pandemic hit, for better or worse our social circles were forces to shrink dramatically. As we emerge out of our homes with the warm weather, how has our approach to making and staying connected to our friends (particularly our mom friends) changed? We discuss all this and more with special guest Ilana Wiles. Ilana's website.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

Even before the pandemic, screen time was on the top of every parent's mind as devices become more and more a part of our regular lives. Thankfully, we have someone like Julie Jargon of the Wall Street Journal to talk to, who researches this as a part of her job. We really dig into what's at the core of our fears with screens and how we're navigating these uncharted parenting waters.See all of Julie's work at the WSJ here.Resources Julie mentions: Common Sense Media, The Family Online Safety Institute, Children & ScreensSign up for Julie's e-newsletter here.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

We're joined by Jenna Zaffino, wellness advocate, health coach, and movement educator, to talk about our relationships with movement and exercise.  We unpack how we typically approach this aspect of our lives, what we've been told to believe and, of course, how what we do and say has an effect on what our kids think and do.  Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

So many of us are wondering—truly—how much will the isolation from friends and remote learning for school have an effect on our kids for the rest of their lives? We have mom and early childhood development expert, Rachel Robertson, on the playground to share with us her wisdom from having older kids and to lean on her expertise as we look forward to life for our kids after the pandemic.Rachel's Children's BooksRachel's "Teach. Play. Love." podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Web.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

When you have students to teach and kids who need help with remote learning, who do you focus on? That's exactly the year that our guest, Sydney Walters has had. If she's paying attention to one, it's impossible to truly help the other. We've always known that quality work doesn't happen when multitasking, but this teacher has had that lesson reinforced over and over again this past year.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

In this episode, we're working to clear some air between moms and nannies. We're joined by professional nanny, Jada Rashawn, for an open and honest conversation about this iconic relationship—both between the parents who hired the nanny and the parents that come across nannies on the playground. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

Do you ever feel so proud of your kid for stepping out and doing brave things, but at the same time feel nervous that over-exposure could have negative ramifications down the road? Our guest, Callie Glorioso-Mays, talks with us about letting our kids lead through their developmental stages and her experience in raising a non-binary child.If you'd like to know about the pending teacher's strike in Chicago that Aubry and Alison talked about, you can read about it here.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

It's safe to say we loved our special guest this episode—Melissa Love.  This pediatrics trauma nurse, who is also studying to become a nurse practitioner while tag-teaming remote schooling and pre-school entertainment with her husband, shares what life has been like for her digesting the latest updates and making decisions that are best for her family.Melissa mentions a vaccine calculator. Here's one by the NYTimes and one by ABC.Melissa recommends this for COVID-19 and child care safety. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

It's a new year and we've done a lot of processing and reflecting on the pandemic with each other and with our guests. So how about we ask the kids? We've brought in our kids to kick of the year with a fun, but sweet conversation to hear how things are going from their perspective.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources. 

We're grateful for our guest, Shazmin, who was willing to share some of her most tough and vulnerable moments of 2020. Her perspective on parenting through grief helped us take stock of what we've learned from the challenges of the year and what unexpected gifts we discovered in the process.Trigger Warning: We discuss death and the loss of loved ones from cancer.To see the Thriving/Surviving graphic Aubry mentions, click here. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources.  All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

We know this is "Moms" You Meet on the Playground, but that doesn't mean we're exclusive when it comes to our guests. Thank you Luke Chitwood for being our first dad on the show!Both of his daughters are still too young for school—but that doesn't mean that he and his spouse aren't thinking about it. He and our hosts discuss the thought process that goes into deciding the right school environment for their kids and all of the responsibilities that come with it. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources.  All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

We have another guest! Krista joins us to talk about her whirlwind of a pandemic (so far), as she gave birth to her second child one week before they had to go into lockdown. And per usual, the time of maternity leave instigates dizzying thoughts about staying at home with the kids or going back to work. Add in a global pandemic, and it's hard to tell where one issue starts and another one ends.To read the article about laundry that Krista and Alison mentioned, click here.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity. Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources.  All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

It all started with a simple email: can we set up a virtual playdate with our kids? But these days, nothing is ever simple. The subsequent correspondence between our hosts is what has inspired their conversation today. They open up about what their fears during the pandemic have been so far and talk through how those fears have driven the choices each of their families have made. Everybody is wrestling with this, it just may look different from person to person.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity. Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for helpful family COVID-19 support resources.  All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

This week we are incredibly grateful to have, Kristen, another mom on as a guest to lend a new voice to our conversations and share her perspective on voting. After all, she has been an election judge for a few years now! We get into what voting has meant for all of us, how things have changed now that we have kids, and how we're trying to teach our kids about civic duty.If you haven't registered to vote yet, or unsure of the rules in your jurisdiction, click here.To read more about the remote learning/working from home survey Alison + Aubry mentioned, click here for the People article and click here for more details of the survey. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity. Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more helpful Back-to-School resources.  All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

This week we're talking about how it feels impossible to try and keep up with what's going on in the world and give ourselves time to process it—not to mention trying to talk about it with our kids in a way that they'll understand. We also have a hotline call! Thanks, Anne from Ohio for sharing! Leave your message at 312-477-7111.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity. Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more helpful Back-to-School resources.  All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

We've had to adjust so many things in our lives already. Being a parent with remote schooling kids is strange and to top it off—we need to get creative again with how to celebrate Halloween.How are you adjusting to school and the fall season? Call our hotline, 312-477-7111, and tell us about it!Halloween website referenced by Aubry: https://www.halloween2020.orgMoms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity. Our theme music is composed by Arne Parrot.Click here for more helpful Back-to-School resources.  All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

Well, we've survived the first day of fully-remote school. It didn't necessarily go as we expected it to, but there were definitely wins throughout the day. It's all still just a roller coaster of feeling hopeful and feeling utter frustration. Let's process this day together.What was your first day of school experience? Call our hotline and tell us all about it: 312-477-7111.Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Click here for more helpful Back-to-School resources. All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.

Meet Aubry and Alison. These two moms realized that since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they miss the regular, informal conversations they would find themselves in with other parents—at places like the playground. With the impending school year that will be unlike any other, there's SO much to process and these parents just aren't sure how it's all going to work. Let's talk it out. Moms You Meet on the Playground is a podcast by Sittercity.Click here for more helpful Back-to-School resources. All views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not represent the views of Sittercity.