SO Mama

This episode was recorded a couple of months ago, so there are a few out-of-date references, but it's still a goody! We did another sleep over question episode and this one is extra awesome because we're asking each other questions from a real, genuine Seventeen Magazine article. We love doing these episodes and we hope you enjoy our silliness as much as we do! Please feel free to message us any questions you might want to ask us for next time! You can message us on Instagram, Facebook, somamapodcast@gmail.com, or you can leave us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/somama where you can click the message button just below the title and description. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM ALL YOU LOVELY LISTENERS!!

With today's inauguration ceremony fresh in our minds, "Hope" is the word we're feeling in this episode. Hope for ourselves, Hope for our little ones and families and Hope for our country. We talk a little about our personal thoughts and plans as this New Year continues and Season reflects on her Birthday trip to Yosemite.

Hello listeners! Happy New Year! We apologize for the period of radio silence, but we're back and ready to start fresh. This episode is just a quick check-in and recap of our holidays as well as a quick look at what's coming in future episodes. Here's to 2021!

Camping! This week, Season and Olivia discuss camping with toddlers including how to effectively start a fire, how to entertain your toddler while you pitch your tent in the dark, and how to fit your mattress in with the rest of your camping gear. Also, stay with us to the end to hear Olivia and Season's SOS and SO SOLID for the week!

It’s a long one folks, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to edit it down because it was all too good. This week we talk about self-improvement and continued education and what that means with our good friend, Martina. She is an English teacher, an amazing mother of two and close friend of ours that we have had the pleasure of knowing since our boys were teeny tiny. We decided to tap into some of her amazing wisdom as we discussed how we continue to exercise our brains and build our confidence and sense of self through learning as adults and mothers.

We have our first guest and she’s a great one! Ronnie Miramontes is an amazing woman and mother that has dedicated her career to serving her community on the Monterey Peninsula. Her focus is largely advocating for families of low to mid economic backgrounds as she serves as the first Latina on the Monterey Peninsula School District Board of Trustees and works in operations at Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement (MILPA) in Salinas. We discuss working in the non-profit field, what that means to her and, of course, all things motherhood. We end our episode with some new fun segments where we discuss moments in our week that were SO Solid, or a major S.O.S. Find Ronnie at veronica4mpusd@gmail.com and on Instagram @veronica4mpusd

This week, we discuss our breastfeeding journeys! Although we both reached the end of our journey this past year, we felt it was important for us to take a quick look back and reflect on what breastfeeding was like for us- from those hazy-day beginnings to weaning. Everyone's experience is different with each of us having different joys and difficulties along the way. One thing we can agree on, though- these experiences aren't shared enough and, as new moms, we felt a little unprepared. We hope that sharing our stories is helpful to new mothers and freeing for those who are experienced.

Today we check in with everyone after our hiatus. We discuss our mental health, our boys, our current struggles and our excitement for the new season.

It has officially been 1 year since Season and Olivia started meeting and creating what is now The SO Mama Podcast! We talk a little bit about why and how we started and what lies ahead in Season 3, including new topics and some guests!

Black Lives Matter. This is important and this is our stance. Today we talk about our perspective in regards to this movement, how we are acting, how we are learning, and how we are teaching our toddlers. Race, racism, protests- all are weighty subjects that can be difficult to talk about to both toddlers and adults, but that doesn’t mean they should be left unexplained. In this episode we embrace the discomfort and open our hearts and our minds to different perspectives. We invite you to do the same!

Season sits down with her mom this week and asks a few questions about her mom’s experience with parenthood. How is parenting different today? What are some of your favorite memories? What would you do differently? Listen in to hear her answers.

Mother’s Day shenanigans, how we’re surviving as quarantine continues, new hobbies- just a collection of random topics as we check in with each other. We’re all just trying to keep our feet on the ground as the world keeps spinning!

Ok, so we aren’t actually having a sleepover (although we wish we were!). Instead, we’re pretending we’re getting some quality time together and asking each other some important personal questions. You know, like “what’s your favorite pizza topping” or “what’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had.” In this episode, you get to learn a bit more about our lives pre-baby.

Season and Olivia discuss the dilemma that all modern parents seem to encounter these days- screen time. How much, if any? What is appropriate? What specific shows, games and apps have become favorites in their households? Tune in to find out and check out our Facebook and Instagram to chime in!

This week we take a few minutes to discuss what “sheltering in place” has been like for us. How our day-to-day has changed and the thoughts and emotions that have come up as a result. We hope you find some solace in knowing you aren’t alone in this, although you may feel it. We are all having unique experiences and we’d love to hear about yours. Please reach out on Facebook and Instagram!

This week, we have a short talk on what we do during the "Golden Hour" aka Nap Time. As nap times get fewer and shorter in length, we find ourselves struggling to decide what to do with that precious alone time. We talk a little about some of the things on our list and how we choose between them. Do we take time for self-care? chores? fun projects? And finally, we talk a little about those dreaded days when nap time just doesn't happen.

This week, we are talking about meal times with our little ones. We cover it all- the when, the what, the how the heck do you cook with a toddler around and then actually get them to eat it. We even give a quick minute to our experience with meal planning. Tune in to hear about how we put food on the table... or more often, the floor. Note: We realize that recording quality isn't great in this episode. We are still trying to figure out what works best as we record remotely. Please bear with us!

Hello from quarantine! Ok, so we aren't actually quarantined, but we are "sheltering in place" this week, as are many around the world. But, that won't stop us from trying to bring a little hope and light into your world (however small it may seem)! So, pour a glass of your beverage of choice, stop stocking up on paper goods and listen in to hear what we've been doing to stay busy and grounded. We have a list of 19 activities that includes ways to keep your toddlers busy and some self-care options for adults. Stay healthy, stay calm and check in on your friends and family. Our social media is up and running, so please feel free to interact with us! Ask questions, give us suggestions for future episodes, tell us how you're surviving this week! Please be sure to rate and review this podcast... and tell your friends!

We talked about our book recommendations for our kids a few episodes back, now it's our turn! Whether you devoured books as a child, or simply snacked, reading can be a whole different world once you reach adulthood. Finding time to sit down and read a few pages can seem impossible for many reasons in the midst of adulting. Add a child to the mix and it can feel hopeless. This episode we talk about how we try our best to make time, why we thing it's important, and what books we've actually been able to finish recently. We have some book recommendations as well as a few app recommendations that we'll list below. Happy listening and happy reading! Book Recommendations: Virgil Wander by Leif Enger The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson Hermosa by Yesika Salgado Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up by Marie Kondo App Recommendations: Speechify- for dictating pdf's and other written word Library Apps (contact your local librarian about which app your library uses): RBdigital Libby OverDrive Hoopla Podcast recommendation: Levar Burton Reads

This past year both of us have been working hard to get our own businesses off the ground. We talk about what that's been like, how we manage that with our other mom duties and the sacrifices we've made to get it done. As you can guess, we talk a lot about how we find the time- whether that's staying up late, getting up early, or even starting daycare. Listen in to hear our experiences, but also please be sure to let us know if you have experience in this arena!

The Lost Episode! This episode was lost in the recesses of Olivia's computer for a few months, but it has been recovered! In this episode that took place sometime in December, we talk about some of our favorite books that we like to read to our kids while they chew on the corners. We bring up books that we have found appropriate for ages 0-2 years, including different types of books (texture books, flap books, and holiday books). We also talk a little about how we've incorporated reading to our little ones into our lives on the daily. Please excuse the delay and tune in to see what we're reading!

The holidays, family matters, and new business endeavors have been keeping us busy and away from our regular recording. This episode we're catching you up on where we've been and what's been happening with us the last couple of months. You should be seeing us start recording more regularly again and updating our social media.

This episode, Season and Olivia discuss what, why and when they do activities outside of their usual mommy duties. The parenting life is demanding and we all need a break or a chance to catch up. We were our own people before we were parents and, sometimes, getting away by yourself for a few hours is the best way to remember that. For our last segments, Olivia talks about how she's planning on keeping up with her work load in "next time it will be better" and Season talks about how her son's love of reading is bringing her joy.

Another throw-back episode to last September. Season and Olivia discuss their experience making mom friends- how they found their core group of friends and how they've maintained those relationships up to this point. In "next time it will be better," Season talks about how potty training is a big lesson in patience and a learning experience for all involved. Lastly, Olivia discusses her experience with her son's surgery and how grateful she is that all went well.

This episode is a throw-back to August. We've been busy Mama's the past few months and haven't had time to upload what we've been recording. This episode, we talk about traveling with those wiggling, squiggling, sometimes (aka always) very impatient, toddlers. Olivia talks about her annual trip to Mexico with her family and Season also had a year of various small trips. So, we draw from some recent experience as we talk trip prep, tips and tricks and the many hiccups that were encountered in our travels. Olivia laments not being prepared for her trip home from Mexico and considers how it will be better next time. Lastly, Season talks about the surprise party she threw for her Husband and how that brought her joy.

Toddlerhood gets a bad rap. Don't get us wrong- the chaos, the noise, the hitting, the biting, the endless "NO's". It can be a challenge. But, as we both hit this stage as new mothers, we're learning that it's just another transition that requires some major adjustments. And with those transitions also come some really amazing and fun changes. Then, we finish off our talk about a tantrum filled week with a little joy from Olivia and her upcoming trip to Mexico.

Stuck in a rut, down in the dumps, under the weather, we all know the feeling, but we all deal with it in different ways. This week, we discuss what puts us in "The Funk" and how we try to pull ourselves out of it. Then, Season confesses to being a poor travel planner and Olivia talks about how this podcast has brought her joy this week.

This week, for our very first podcast, we discuss toddler birthday parties! Olivia hosted her son’s second birthday party this weekend! It was dinosaur themed everything, who was invited, gifts or no gifts, why even throw it in the first place… We get to hear those details and some ways she plans to improve it next time. We also take some time to reflect on what we could have done better this week and how the US Women’s National team is bringing Season some much-needed joy.