Millennial Mom Thoughts

EPISODE 41: Mother’s Day for Two Millennial Moms

We recorded this episode on Mother’s Day and of course had to talk about what we did to celebrate our special day. After enjoying a delicious Dilly Bar, Helen shares how she enjoyed pancakes after sleeping in, and Jordan had a fun afternoon at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. We then celebrate Helen’s recently published article, “Becoming a Mother Runner,” in Mother’s Day Magazine. Jordan shares about the success of her first play+read event held in the park. There were many kids and families who enjoyed picking out free books. Jordan then shares about the latest school board meeting, where she provided public comment. The meeting had a long discussion about technology and personal devices. After discussing the district’s proposal to remove students’ direct access to YouTube for the next school year, Jordan shares how a recent Wall Street Journal article revealed one seventh grader watching more than 13,000 YouTube videos at school on his school device over a 3-month period. We talk about the difficulties of balancing advocacy and parenting and the importance of self-care. Helen brings up the recent data breach for Canvas, a widely used learning management system, which impacted students, professors, and teachers across the country. We close with Jordan’s recent interview for CNHI about parenting and screens. Read Helen's essay "Becoming a Mother Runner [https://mothersdaymagazine.com/2026/05/10/becoming-a-mother-runner/]" in Mother's Day Magazine and Jordan's feature in "Kids & Screens [https://www.cnhi.com/rss_feed/kids-screens-parents-kids-seek-balance-in-digital-age/⁠https://www.cnhi.com/rss_feed/kids-screens-parents-kids-seek-balance-in-digital-age/⁠]" from CHNI. Morton families, sign your 9-12 year-olds up for our ⁠Amazing Generation Summer Book Club⁠ [https://forms.gle/Ebq9sydfXG3rjVT88]. Find Helen on Substack at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Resonances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://helenplevkajones.substack.com/]. Join Jordan in ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠reConnect Morton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.fournorms.com/groups/reconnect-morton] through Four Norms.

EPISODE 40: Be Tech Wise! Summertime

What do ancient Egypt birthday parties, gas leaks, E.R. trips, movie theater date nights, and 30 dozen donuts have in common? Absolutely nothing--but they are all things covered in Episode 40! We got to see each other IRL at Jordan’s son’s ancient Egypt themed 6th birthday party that coincidentally was on the same day as Helen’s husband’s birthday! Helen is heading into finals week and reflects on some of the unexpected discussions that happened throughout the semester. Jordan is not emotionally prepared for the end of the school year because that means kindergarten is almost over. We then dive into plans for how to “be tech wise” during the summer with an exciting announcement...drum roll please...Helen and Jordan are hosting a free summer book club! Jordan decided on a whim to put together a book club to read The Amazing Generation with kids ages 9-12. After pitching the idea to Helen, Jordan then (possibly too quickly) made a public announcement inviting the community to sign up. And guess what? Multiple families have already signed up! Jordan is prepping for library and parks department programs to help maintain a routine while also allowing for plenty of outdoor summer play. It won’t be a tech-free summer, but it will be tech-intentional. Morton families, sign your 9-12 year-olds up for our Amazing Generation Summer Book Club [https://forms.gle/Ebq9sydfXG3rjVT88]. Check out the ⁠Be Tech Wise!⁠ [https://fairplayforkids.org/be-tech-wise-full-series/] series from Fairplay. Find Helen on Substack at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Resonances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://helenplevkajones.substack.com/]. Join Jordan in ⁠⁠⁠⁠reConnect Morton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.fournorms.com/groups/reconnect-morton] through Four Norms.

EPISODE 39: Be Tech Wise! Springtime

We start off by sharing some recent artistic adventures with our kids. Jordan reminds listeners about the upcoming playing & reading outdoor event on May 9th in Morton. Helen prepares for her final week of class and summer giggles. We then dig in to our main topic: Fairplay’s Be Tech Wise! resource, which shares expert advice on technology for families with children ages 0-5. Fairplay is an organization whose mission is working “to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech.” We focus most of our time discussing the tips from the Be Tech Wise with Baby! resource and share our experiences with technology as first-time moms. Helen shares how in her home, they decided to move the TV down to the basement so there was a screen-free family space in the living room. Jordan talks through regrets of phone use in the early days with a new baby and the things she would have done differently if she had different information at the time. We each talk through the pros and cons we found while using baby diapering/feeding tracking apps. Jordan then talks about how older siblings contribute to language development for younger siblings - and shares an example of how her two-year-old now repeats “six seven” thanks to her six-year-old. Check out the Be Tech Wise! [https://fairplayforkids.org/be-tech-wise-full-series/] series from Fairplay. Find Helen on Substack at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Resonances⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://helenplevkajones.substack.com/]. Join Jordan in ⁠⁠⁠reConnect Morton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.fournorms.com/groups/reconnect-morton] through Four Norms.

EPISODE 38: Preserving memories while being present

Jordan starts off by sharing an exciting community update: she was awarded a grant to place screen-free activity stations in town from the Morton Community Foundation. Jordan is preparing to celebrate National Children’s Book Week and Screen-Free Week on May 9th by organizing a local outdoor event in Morton. Helen is excited for summer after accepting a teaching position at the local community college. She will be working with high school students in the TRIO Upward Bound program. We then discuss ancestry, preserving memories and documenting the important (and the everyday) moments in our lives. We ponder what we hope to pass down to our future generations. Helen shares ideas from Ian McEwan’s What We Can Know and Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive, two novels that explore how we document the present moment and question what happens to that documentation in the future. Helen also brings pieces of her dissertation into the discussion, including the history of the personal camera and how documenting famiy life has changed over time. Jordan then divulges the total number of photos and videos currently on her phone…it’s a lot. We try to reckon with how to preserve memories while also being present in the moment. We end by putting a request out for Joey Fatone to join our podcast. Find Helen on Substack at ⁠⁠⁠Resonances⁠⁠⁠ [https://helenplevkajones.substack.com/]. Join Jordan in ⁠⁠reConnect Morton⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.fournorms.com/groups/reconnect-morton] through Four Norms.

EPISODE 37: A conversation with Deb Gangstad, retired elementary school teacher

This week we are excited to a share a conversation with an expert in elementary school teaching: Mrs. Deb Gangstad aka Jordan’s first grade teacher at College Wood Elementary. With all of the changes that have happened (and are happening) to education, it is important to share the stories of educators who have been in the field for many years and can share their wisdom, expertise, and insights. For 28 years, Deb Gangstad was an elementary school teacher in the Carmel Clay school district in Carmel, Indiana. She shares with us how education policies may change over the years, but it is important to follow what you know is best for students and learning. We talk about how the introduction of comuters and devices into education have greatly impacted things like handwriting and developing social skills. Deb shares how her journey to education began at around age 5 when her dad (Eric Clark, also a teacher) would bring home pieces of broken chalk from his classroom. We talk about the value of play, the need for recess, and the importance of knowing what students’ needs are. We discuss the difficulties of parenting (and grandparenting) in this tech-filled world. We close with memories of a first grade end-of-the-year play Jordan still thinks about! Find Helen on Substack at ⁠⁠Resonances⁠⁠ [https://helenplevkajones.substack.com/]. Join Jordan in ⁠reConnect Morton⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.fournorms.com/groups/reconnect-morton] through Four Norms.