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What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two 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

Copyright: Copyright © 2016-2023 What Fresh Hell, LLC

Latest Episodes:

Finding Summer Camps May 07, 2025

Show notes

What are we going to do with our kids all summer? Gone are the days when kids can just play outdoors unsupervised from sunup to sundown. Now certain summer camps are sold out within a matter of minutes on January 1st.

So how can we keep our kids affordably occupied all summer long? Here are some helpful tips and resources where you can find reasonably priced camps and activities for your kids this summer.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

How they spent their own summers as kids
The most effective way to apply for scholarships and financial aid for summer programs
Which local community organizations often provide summer activities for kids

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: bit.ly/whatfreshnewsletter

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Nicole Fabian-Weber for Care.com: Summer camp cost: Breaking down the price of day, sleep-away and specialty camps

Sarah D. Wire for USA TODAY: Latest Trump cuts put summer reading, mobile libraries and local museums in jeopardy

Here is where you can view how much federal grant money is going to programs in your area

Jeff Williams for U.S. News: 8 Alternatives to Sending Your Child to a Pricey Summer Camp

Our Fresh Take with Jessica Calarco

Anne Helen Petersen for the Culture Study blog: The Past and Potential Future of the Summer Care Scramble

Nancy Chen for CBS News: Inflation has caused summer camp costs to soar. Here are tips for parents on how to save

Joel Anderson for Slate: What Happened to Kids’ Summers?

Jamie Aderski on TikTok: Send Your Kids to Camp or Quit Your Job?

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/⁠

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, cognitive labor, summer camps, summer camps for kids, camps for kids, kids camps, kids summer activities, summer activities for kids, affordable summer camps for kids

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BEST OF: What Fresh Hell Is Mother's Day? May 05, 2025

Show notes

Is one morning of runny eggs and burnt toast really fair payback for 364 days of work? Does "Mother's Day" have to mean packing the kids for a two-hour drive to see your mom and/or mother-in-law? Why does Mother's Day often feel like it's more trouble than it's worth?

Margaret and Amy discuss:

Anna Jarvis and the rather tragic origins of Mother's Day
"Minor Mother's Day" vs "Major Mother's Day," and how to deliver that message
How to ask for—and get—the Mother's Day that feels right for you

Margaret mentions"The Lanyard" by Billy Collins in this episode.

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/

Mother's Day, making mom feel special 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, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, mothers day, mother's day gift ideas

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Fresh Take: Jessica N. Turner on Rising from Grief and Disappointment May 02, 2025

Show notes

When we're faced with difficulties, how can we put them into perspective and move forward? Jessica N. Turner, author of the new book I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS, discusses the experiences that led her to look at life differently and how she has learned to make "imperfect choices."

Jessica N. Turner has spent the last two decades as a content creator and tastemaker for busy moms looking for hacks to live life with more intention and less stress.

Jessica, Amy, and Margaret discuss:

What led Jessica to write this book
What Jessica's large online audience of women taught her about grief
Strategies for processing grief and disappointment

Here's where you can find Jessica:

www.jessicanturner.com
@jessicanturner on IG
@TheMomCreative on FB
Buy I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781546006718

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, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, #betterthanthis, grief, trauma, stages of grief, disappointment

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maternal Gatekeeping: Is It a Thing? Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

"Maternal gatekeeping" usually shows up in pop culture as an overbearing, overprotective mother preventing everyone else from even touching the baby. But maternal gatekeeping is a multidimensional phenomenon that isn't as simple as anxious mothers needing complete control over their newborn's schedule. Here is what the studies on maternal gatekeeping say and how it can manifest in two-parent households.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

The three dimensions of the term "maternal gatekeeping" and what the original definition gets wrong
The best predictors of maternal gatekeeping in a couple's dynamic
The societal pressures that reinforce maternal gatekeeping

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Miss Perceived podcast with Leah Ruppanner: Are Dads Being Shut Out of Childcare? Breaking Down the "Maternal Gate"
Sarah J. Schoppe-Sullivan, et. al for Parenting Science and Practice Journal: Who are the Gatekeepers? Predictors of Maternal Gatekeeping
Sarah M. Allen and Alan J. Hawkins for the Journal of Marriage and Family: Maternal Gatekeeping: Mothers' Beliefs and Behaviors That Inhibit Greater Father Involvement in Family Work

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/

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, cognitive labor, maternal gatekeeping

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DEEP DIVE: Mom Rage Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

This Deep Dive series is all about why motherhood is so gosh darn hard. Turns out there are sociopolitical forces at play that make motherhood way harder than it needs to be. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify.

"Mom rage" is a thing, and it feels shameful because it feels so far from where we are supposed to be as mothers and as women. Writer Anne Lamott called it "a closely guarded secret, as if the myth of maternal bliss is so sacrosanct that we can't even admit these feelings to ourselves."

But it's more universal than we admit, and its triggers more predictable. There are also practical ways we can all recognize it sooner when it might be building within ourselves.

In this episode, we discuss:

How a "sequence of provocations" can dramatically increase anger
Why lack of sleep is a major cause of mom rage
Things that work to lengthen our fuses

If you found this episode useful, here are some other episodes of ours you might listen to next:

Fresh Take: Carla Naumburg Tells Us How To Stop Losing It With Our Kids (May 2021)

Sometimes We Lose It (Dec 2018)

How to Yell Less (Dec 2024)

Here are links to some of the resources we mentioned in the episode:

@momuninterrupted on Instagram: "Nighttime Parenting"

Anne Lamott for Salon: "Mother Rage: Theory and Practice"

Pallavi Pundir for Vice: ‘It’s Like I Was Possessed’: Women Reveal the Deepest, Darkest Moments of Their ‘Mom Rage’

Minna Dubin for The New York Times: "The Rage Mothers Don’t Talk About"

Minna Dubin for The New York Times: ‘I Am Going to Physically Explode’: Mom Rage in a Pandemic

NBC Boston: What Is Mom Rage? Why Are So Many Women Feeling It?

Mairead Heffron for Image: The secret rage of motherhood: ‘I never imagined that my child could be both the trigger and target of my anger’

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, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, mom blame, mom rage

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh Take: Tamron Hall Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

How can we show kids that their neighborhoods are wonderful places to explore, learn, and grow? Tamron Hall, author of the NYT-bestselling book HARLEM HONEY, discusses why fostering hometown curiosity in kids is so important.

Tamron Hall is a two-time Emmy Award-winning television host and executive producer of syndicated talk show Tamron Hall.

Tamron and Margaret discuss:

Becoming a mom later in life
Navigating anxiety in our kids
Why Mom going off to work at the beginning of HARLEM HONEY is so important

Here's where you can find Tamron:

https://tamronhallshow.com/
Buy HARLEM HONEY: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780063244849
@tamronhall on IG, FB, Threads, TikTok, and X

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, default parent, parental stress, emotions, kids emotions, parent emotions, uncertainty,

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I Wish I'd Done This Sooner Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

What's something in your life that's made such a difference you wish you'd done it earlier? That's what we asked our listeners, and they came up with a range of excellent ideas, from big changes to tiny tweaks.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

Ideal coffee/tea temperatures
Meal planning strategies that actually work
Margaret's two recurring dreams and what they mean

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/

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, cognitive labor, meal planning, grocery delivery, scheduling, family planner, family schedule

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DEEP DIVE: Why Do Moms Get All The Blame? Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

This Deep Dive series is all about why motherhood is so gosh darn hard. Turns out there are sociopolitical forces at play that make motherhood way harder than it needs to be. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify.

Mothers have long been held at fault for anything that might occur in their children's lives, from autism ("refrigerator mothers") to colic, and everything in between. Why is there such a long history of blaming everything on Mom?

In this episode, we discuss how mom blame has manifested in both psychology and parenting advice over the years, and how we can start to push back on it in our own lives.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Joseph E. Davis, PhD for Psychology Today: "For a Moratorium on Parent Blaming"
Mitzi M. Waltz, PhD for the AMA Journal of Ethics: "Mothers and Autism: The Evolution of a Discourse of Blame"
Rosjke Hasseldine for Medium: "How Mother Blaming Harms the Mother-Daughter Bond"
Bonnie Zucker for Scary Mommy: "From a Psychologist: No, It's Not All Mom's Fault"

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, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh Take: Jessica Slice on Parenting While Disabled Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

How does disability affect parenting, and what can disabled parents teach us all about parenthood? Jessica Slice, author of the new book UNFIT PARENT, discusses her journey as a disabled parent and the incredible joy she's found along the way.

Jessica Slice is a disabled author, speaker, and essayist. She has been published in Modern Love, The New York Times and The Washington Post among many others.

Jessica and Margaret discuss:

Her journey towards accepting her disabled status
How her disability prepared her for parenthood in an unexpected way
How disabled parents are stigmatized and targeted by society

Here's where you can find Jessica:

www.jessicaslice.com
@jessicaslice on IG
Buy UNFIT PARENT: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780807013243

Rachel Fairbank for National Geographic: "What Is POTS? This Strange Disorder Has Doubled Since the Pandemic"

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, default parent, parental stress, disability, disability awareness, disabled parenting, disabled parent, parenting while disabled

#jessicaslice #unfitparent #disabledparenting #booksbydisabledauthors

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Gentle Parenting "Too" Gentle? Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

There's a reason "gentle parenting" has become synonymous in some circles—and on social media—with never ever telling a child "no," even in the most extreme circumstances. But where did "gentle parenting" begin, what does the research really say about it, and what can it actually offer parents in the way of making their lives easier?

Amy and Margaret discuss:

The original definition of "gentle parenting"—and how it leaves the door open for broad interpretations
What research has actually shown about the effects of gentle parenting—and how those who consider themselves gentle parents are faring
What the disagreements surrounding gentle parenting tells us about parenting in the modern world

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

Jessica Winter for the New Yorker: The Harsh Realm of 'Gentle Parenting'
Kathryn Watson for Oprah Daily: The Truth About Gentle Parenting
Annie Pezalla for The Conversation: Gentle parenting can be really hard on parents, new research suggests
Anne E. Pezalla, et. al for the Public Library of Science Journal: “Trying to remain calm…but I do reach my limit sometimes”: An exploration of the meaning of gentle parenting
Sarah Shemkus for the Boston Globe: ‘I’m hanging on for dear life.’ The parenting style pushing parents to the brink.

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, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, gentle parenting, permissive parenting

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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