What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson
What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

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!   whatfreshhellpodcast.com

  1. Fresh Take: Emily and Jason Morrow, "Really Very Crunchy"

    10 HR. AGO

    Fresh Take: Emily and Jason Morrow, "Really Very Crunchy"

    Does being a crunchy mom mean milling your own flour and sending your kids to school barefoot? Emily and Jason Morrow, creators of Really Very Crunchy, discuss what inspired them to both embrace and riff on the crunchy lifestyle. Emily Morrow is a stay-at-home mom who created the social media channel "Really Very Crunchy" with her husband Jason in 2022. Emily, Jason, and Margaret discuss: What the crunchy lifestyle entails and why it's a spectrum How Emily and Jason got the inspiration to start Really Very Crunchy How to balance your own crunchiness with the lifestyles of your friends and family Here's where you can find Emily and Jason: www.reallyverycrunchy.com @reallyverycrunchy on IG, FB, YouTube, and TikTok  Listen to the Really Very Crunchy Podcast Buy Emily's book REALLY VERY CRUNCHY: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780310367529 We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Future Fans: helping little kids become BIG fans - https://www.futurefans.com What Fresh Hell is hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, emotional labor, crunchy lifestyle, organic lifestyle, crunchy mom, crunchy life, really very crunchy podcast

    44 min
  2. Should Kids Do Chores?

    2 DAYS AGO

    Should Kids Do Chores?

    Engaging in regular household chores is a great way for kids to develop important life skills. But how can we take the time to teach kids how to do these chores while not making laundry day any more hectic than it already is? Amy and Margaret discuss: How regular chores help kids develop important skills Why "noticing" what needs to be done is just as important as actually doing it How to pick your battles when it comes to involving little kids in chores Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Our Fresh Take with Emily Rubin Persons Our Fresh Take with Michaeleen Doucleff Life Kit: Raising Kids Who Help with Chores, with Michaeleen Doucleff Morgan Music for Scary Mommy: This Mom Is Teaching Her Kids About Invisible Labor Early — Here’s How American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Chores and Children We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Future Fans: helping little kids become BIG fans: https://www.futurefans.com/ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, chores, kids and chores, teen chores, household labor,

    47 min
  3. DEEP DIVE: Are You the 'Good Parent' or the 'Bad Parent' In Your Home?

    4 DAYS AGO

    DEEP DIVE: Are You the 'Good Parent' or the 'Bad Parent' In Your Home?

    This month's Deep Dive series is all about family dynamics. Listen to the whole playlist on Spotify. Are you the “bad parent” in your home? The enforcer of bedtimes, the keeper of deadlines, the stern shusher in the church pew? Or are you the “good parent,” the authority figure more likely to agree that time is a construct and that ice cream not only can, but should, be what’s for dinner? This week we’re breaking down  how this dynamic plays out in each of our homes whether the primary caregiver has to always be stuck with the Killer of Joy role how this can play out when parents are divorced how drill sergeants can ease up on the oversight how the “good time Charlies” can become more aware  As in most things, change is possible when we watch our stories. These aren’t roles that have to harden in amber and then never change. The Carrier of the Diaper Bag and The Worrier of All Potential Outcomes deserves to kick back once in a while too.  Here are links to some of resources we discuss in the episode:  Isaac Watts’ poem “Love Between Brothers and Sisters” Julia Austin for Madame Noire: How The Good Cop/Bad Cop Parenting Dynamic Ruins Marriages James Lehman for Empowering Parents: Good Cop/Bad Cop Parenting This clip from the movie The Great Santini Our episode Parenting as a Team We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Future Fans: helping little kids become BIG fans - https://www.futurefans.com What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, preferred parent

    46 min
  4. Holiday Goals: Less Doing, More Magic

    DEC 4

    Holiday Goals: Less Doing, More Magic

    Today Parents is tackling this same topic this week—and our listeners' advice is quoted! Moms are challenging the idea that they are the sole keepers of holiday ‘magic’ It's hard not to feel like we've got to be doing ALL the things at the holidays, especially when social media tells us we should be. Here are some tips for taking perspective at the holidays and operating in "high magic, low effort" mode. Co-hosts Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables discuss: pre-gaming with your (older) kids about the preferred responses to less-preferred gifts starting with what family members really do love most about the holidays (their answers will surprise you) why you don't have to go the Nutcracker, or lights at the zoo, or Aunt Martha's house, this year, let alone every year SNL's "Christmas Morning" sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOVCtUdaMCU Read all of our listeners' great advice on the original Facebook thread... and here, as promised, is Amy's recipe for the Italian pepper cookies that seem to be unique to northeast Pennsylvania... Italian Pepper Cookies (makes about 72 cookies, more if they’re small) 1/2 cup Crisco  2 cups of milk or water (or more if needed) If dough is really sticky you can add a little bit more of milk 1/2 lb. raisins  1 cup cocoa 2 1/2 cups sugar 4 tbsp. baking powder 7 cups of flour (add more if needed) 1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon 1 1/2 tsps. cloves (not whole) 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 tsps. black pepper (if you don't want them too spicy, you can cut back on the pepper, I never do though) Optional, you can add nuts or I've seen people add chocolate chips too. We aren't big nut eaters, so I've never made them with nuts. Preheat oven to 375 Cream sugar and Crisco together in a bowl  In a different bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed sugar and Crisco alternately with milk. Mix well. It will be very sticky, it's easier to work with your hands. I usually coat my hands with some Pam to be able to work the dough. Add your raisins and mix it up more.  Using your hands, take enough dough to roll a small ball (my mom likes them big, I like them smaller) Place cookie balls on your cookie trays (I usually fit around 16 on a tray, all depends on the size of your cookie balls)  Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. Icing: 2 cups confectioner's sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon butter splash vanilla For icing: Mix together all ingredients, adding milk until achieving creamy consistency, not stiff. When cookies are slightly cooled, top with icing. Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter! Once a month you’ll get our favorite recent episodes, plus links to other things to read and watch and listen to, and upcoming special events: http://eepurl.com/h8ze3z We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Santa, Elf on the Shelf, gift exchange, holiday, holiday shopping, holiday gifts, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, toddler, holiday recipes

    52 min
  5. Fresh Take: Charles Bock on Parenting Through Loss

    NOV 29

    Fresh Take: Charles Bock on Parenting Through Loss

    How do we parent when we suddenly find ourselves doing it without our partner? Charles Bock, author of the memoir I WILL DO BETTER, discusses his experiences with fatherhood, grief, and finding strength through monumental challenges. Charles Bock is the New York Times-bestselling author of the novels Beautiful Children and Alice & Oliver, and a creative writing professor at New York University. Charles and Amy discuss: Charles's initial reluctance towards fatherhood and how his perspective changed over time The roles friends and family played in supporting him and his daughter through their first years without Charles's wife Advice for writers and individuals facing creative challenges Here's where you can find Charles: www.charlesbock.net @bockity on FB Buy I WILL DO BETTER: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781419774423 We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, single dad, single father, single mom, single mother, single parent, single parenthood, spousal loss, loss of husband, loss of wife, parenting with loss, grief, stages of grief, parenting with grief

    41 min

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About

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!   whatfreshhellpodcast.com

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