Why Family Vacations Are Never a Vacation for Mom

Why Family Vacations Are Never a Vacation for Mom

In this episode of Hot Mom Shit, I'm taking you through the family trip to Florida that I thought was going too smoothly and then, of course, it wasn't. Matt and I had been in a rut, ships passing in the night with his travel schedule, and I went into this trip already touched out and running on empty. Then add two stepdaughters, a toddler, and an eight-month-old to a solo airport run, and somehow it still wasn't the hardest part of the week. I talk about the guilt of feeling like I couldn't enjoy myself while everyone else was catching shrimp at backyard hibachi, the moment I finally lost it in a bathroom because I just needed five minutes alone, and full on family meltdown the night before our flight home with a screaming baby, a feverish toddler, a stepdaughter in tears from an earache, and an alarm set for 3:15 AM. And I wish that was it. But, I also share about the cement pole I hit in my husband's SUV, and what my mom said to me in the car that snapped me right out of my spiral. In this episode I get real about: * Why I went into this trip already running on empty  * Traveling solo through the airport with two stepdaughters, a toddler, and an eight-month-old, and the plan I had to pull off to make it work * Crying in the bathroom because I just needed five minutes to myself, and why moms are so bad at asking for help * The resentment of holding a screaming baby through backyard hibachi while everyone else got to enjoy the night * The last night of the trip: two ear infections, a spiking fever, and a baby who would not settle until 2:30 AM * The 3 AM Uber chaos trying to get two kids, two car seats, and a mountain of luggage to the airport * Denting my husband's SUV in the parking garage, hiding it for days, and what my mom said that snapped me out of my spiral * Urgent care, amoxicillin, and the sweetest thing my toddler said about his ear drops that made the whole trip worth it If any part of this show helped you feel seen I invite you to join my community of moms who get it. Join the Snatch Chat [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_11Leah] community to get first access to new episodes, behind the scenes content and so much more. New episodes of Hot Mom Shit drop every Tuesday. Follow along wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow me on Instagram: @theleahvandale [https://www.instagram.com/theleahvandale/] Join the Snatch community: snatch.co [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_11Leah] Follow Snatch on Instagram: @snatchforher [https://www.instagram.com/snatchforher/]  "Top Tier Matriarch" — written and produced by Quantum Plectrum Episode Production by KNWN [https://theknwn.com/]

Your Mom Hat Never Comes Off with Kail Lowry

I had the best conversation with Kail Lowry over on Coffee Convos, and I loved it so much I had to bring it to the Hot Mom Shit feed. Kail had me on to catch up since my last appearance on Barely Famous, and what started as a check-in turned into one of the most honest conversations I've had about motherhood since starting this podcast. We get into everything from being a mom of two under two after three stepkids, the chaos of toddlerhood, and why I think the internet owes new moms a serious apology for the way we judge each other. We talk about the pressure to keep a perfectly curated house and body while you're drowning in sleep deprivation, why "fed is best" should be the whole conversation around breastfeeding, and the panic attack I had because I was weaning off pumping. Kail gets really real about perinatal depression during her fifth pregnancy, and we both go there on gender disappointment, postpartum body image, and the moment you realize love for a second kid doesn't divide, it multiplies. In this episode we got real about: * Living in the "and" how you can love your kids completely and still be touched out, overstimulated, and missing your old life * The guilt and pressure around breastfeeding, exclusive pumping, and why "fed is best" needs to be the whole conversation * Whether I'd ever go back to WWE, and what it would mean for my boys to actually see me out there  * Gender disappointment why it's okay to feel it and why nobody should be shamed for it * Going from zero to one kids vs. one to two, and why toddlerhood is actually the hardest stretch  * Why "your mom hat never comes off" and the therapy session that finally made that make sense to me New episodes of Hot Mom Shit drop every Tuesday. Follow along wherever you listen to podcasts.  Join the Snatch Chat [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_10Leah] community to get first access to new episodes, behind the scenes content and so much more. Follow me on Instagram: @theleahvandale [https://www.instagram.com/theleahvandale/] Join the Snatch community: snatch.co [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_10Leah] Follow Snatch on Instagram: @snatchforher [https://www.instagram.com/snatchforher/]  "Top Tier Matriarch" — written and produced by Quantum PlectrumEpisode Production by KNWN [https://theknwn.com/]

Weaning Off Exclusive Pumping at 9 Months, a Random Panic Attack & the Sleep Deprivation Nobody Warns You About

In this episode of Hot Mom Shit, I'm getting real about what’s been happening behind the scenes for this momma.   I'm talking about weaning off exclusive pumping after nine months, the panic attack that came out of nowhere, and the sleep deprivation that has me wondering if every other mom out there is secretly a zombie too or just better at hiding it than I am. In this episode I get real about: * Why I'm finally weaning off pumping after nine months of exclusively pumping for Bram, and why I wish I had stopped sooner for my own mental health * The terrifying panic attack that hit out of nowhere the day my supply started dropping, and the emergency therapy session that talked me off the ledge * Why nobody talks about weaning the way we talk about postpartum depression, anxiety, and rage * The hormone specialist inside of Snatch who helped me get back on track with nutrition and supplements * The bedtime epiphany that finally happened after eight straight months of putting two kids down solo * My official rant on sleep deprivation, the pink sock superstition, and why I need to know if other moms are walking around as zombies too New episodes of Hot Mom Shit drop every Tuesday. Follow along wherever you listen to podcasts. Join the Snatch Chat [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_9Leah] community to get first access to new episodes, behind the scenes content and so much more. Follow me on Instagram: @theleahvandale [https://www.instagram.com/theleahvandale/] Join the Snatch community: snatch.co [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_9Leah] Follow Snatch on Instagram: @snatchforher [https://www.instagram.com/snatchforher/]  "Top Tier Matriarch" — written and produced by Quantum PlectrumEpisode Production by KNWN [https://theknwn.com/]

Mom Guilt, a JFK Meltdown, & My First Vacation Since Becoming a Mom

In this episode of Hot Mom Shit, I'm catching you up on my European vacation with Matt, our first real trip away from the boys, ever. I'm talking eight nights, two countries, and the kind of mom guilt that hit me so hard at the airport I was sobbing. To add to my guilt, I get into the pumping disaster that had me standing over a sink in the Delta lounge with two broken pump sets and a true moment of panic, the text my mom sent me that I think every mom needs to read, and what it  felt like to remember who I am outside of being someone's mother for the first time in years. Also, I have a Bravo story for you. I accidentally became paparazzi in Sicily, and I have some thoughts about Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Summer House, and the Netflix show that spoiled the ending of the book I was reading on the plane home. In this episode I get real about: * The eight nights away from my kids and the anxiety attack I had at JFK before I even left the country * The text my mom sent me that made so many of you cry when I posted it on Instagram * The pumping nightmare in the airport lounge * Why the trip wasn't really about getting away from my kids, it was about remembering who I am as a whole person * The moment I accidentally went full paparazzi on a Bravo couple in Taormina * The Netflix show that spoiled my book on the flight home and why I will never forgive Kate Hudson * My Real Housewives of Rhode Island hot takes, because we are due for a reality TV catch up New episodes of Hot Mom Shit drop every Tuesday. Follow along wherever you listen to podcasts. And join the Snatch Chat [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_8Leah] community to get first access to new episodes and meet a community of women who get it. Follow me on Instagram: @theleahvandale [https://www.instagram.com/theleahvandale/] Join the Snatch community: snatch.co [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=whoami&utm_content=episode_8Leah] Follow Snatch on Instagram: @snatchforher [https://www.instagram.com/snatchforher/]  "Top Tier Matriarch" — written and produced by Quantum Plectrum Episode Production by KNWN [https://theknwn.com/]

Screen Time Guilt, Hiding in the Bathroom & Postpartum Resentment with Dr. Sanam Shamtobi

In this episode of Hot Mom Shit, Dr. S is back and this time we took questions straight from the community and went deep on three things that I think every mom is quietly carrying: screen time guilt, the permission to hide in the bathroom when you need a minute, and the mental load mothers carry.  In this episode we get real about: * Screen time and how much is too much, what content matters, and why it starts with what we're modeling ourselves * The 90s TV method that eliminated meltdowns in my house  * The mental load and why Dr. S doesn't believe equality between moms and dads will ever be achieved  * The three H's: the one tool Dr. S gave us to teach our partners how to actually support us * How becoming a mom changes every relationship in your life Momma, we're all figuring this out together. And Dr. S is proof that even the experts are navigating this in real time. Join Snatch Chat [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=guestsegment&utm_content=episode_7DrS] and meet a community of women who get it. Follow me on Instagram: @theleahvandale [https://www.instagram.com/theleahvandale/] Join the Snatch community: snatch.co [https://snatch-chat.mn.co/plans/1947758?bundle_token=fa4cf205db7d3ca29e04d2c80cac446f&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=guestsegment&utm_content=episode_7Sanam] Follow Snatch on Instagram: @snatchforher [https://www.instagram.com/snatchforher/]  "Top Tier Matriarch" — written and produced by Quantum Plectrum Episode Production by KNWN [https://theknwn.com/]