November is Diabetes Awareness Month! In this episode of Moms of the Lou, Trina sits down with Caitlin Ladd, a contributing writer for St. Louis Mom since 2020. They discuss their shared experience with type one diabetes. Caitlin’s husband was diagnosed with type one diabetes at 17, and their son, Harrison, was diagnosed at 2.5 years old. Caitlin emphasizes the importance of mental health and community support, particularly through organizations like JDRF. She details the daily challenges of managing Harrison's diabetes, including balancing blood sugars, packing supplies, and dealing with the anxiety and responsibility it brings. Check out Caitlin’s blog post to learn more about type one diabetes.

Caitlin Ladd is mom to two boys, Harrison (2014) and Anderson (2019) and wife to George living in St. Charles, Mo. A St. Louis transplant who came to the area for college and never left, Caitlin is continuously busy exploring community philanthropic and cultural diversity efforts which has truly made St. Louis her hometown. As a working mom, she’s eager to discuss balance, embracing a full life in this mommin’ season and what it means to “have it all.” With that, she tries to layer in opportunities for self-care, sanity checks, some Shiraz and most importantly, SLEEP as a mom of two littles.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in!

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

Get ready for Halloween! In this episode, Trina sits down with Kristi Denner, the sales director of St. Louis Mom and they chat about all the fun Halloween activities in St. Louis. Kristi talks about her family’s low-key Halloween traditions, such as making chili, s'mores, and doing fun Halloween STEM activities. Trina and Kristi mention local Halloween events like Boo at the Zoo and Union Station's Halloween activities. Kristi explains the local tradition of telling a joke to get candy while trick-or-treating. Trina and Kristi both share their favorite jokes to get ready for Halloween. Check out St. Louis Mom’s Fall Season Guide for all the fun Halloween activities!

Kristi, a small-town IL farm girl, finally feels she can call St. Louis “home” after 12 years. She and her husband Dan have four boys – Carson, Harrison (who happens to be rocking an extra chromosome), Nelson, and Dawson. A former Parkway teacher, Kristi now stays home with her boys and leads a local MOPS group. A ripple of life changes quickly taught her that adapting and pivoting is the name of the game: starting over in a new state, full-time working mom to stay-at-home mom, battling PPD, navigating Down syndrome and Autism diagnoses, and most recently walking the painful road of grief after the loss of her brother. Her faith roots have been her lifeline, and she always seeks to be a voice of truth, compassion and hope, especially in the messy.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in!

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.

Trina Harger, podcast manager of the Moms of the Lou Podcast, sits down with Anna Beck to discuss the importance of getting to know neighbors. Anna, a part-time attorney and blogger, shares her experiences of connecting with her neighborhood through casual conversations, spontaneous gatherings, and creating a private Facebook group for local women to connect. She emphasizes the value of involving children in neighborhood activities and the significance of intergenerational connections. Anna also highlights the challenges of busyness and the importance of making time for neighborly interactions, which can foster a sense of community and support. Check out Anna’s blog post on How to Form a Mom Community in Your Own Neighborhood for more ways to get connected.

Anna Beck lives in University City with her three young children and husband. She is an attorney and journalist and maintains the blog, urbanapronblog.com. Anna loves visiting kid-friendly spots around the city and can also be found baking in her kitchen with her toddlers. She loves connecting with other moms around St. Louis and talking about motherhood, work-life balance, and healthy living.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! To learn more about Moms of the Lou you can go to stlouismom.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in!

This episode was produced by the St. Louis Mom. It was recorded and edited by Half Coast Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. Music composed by Trina Harger.