About

Welcome to Wyllz.com! I’m Meredith Kiley, a podcasting, blogging, wyllz.com, military marrying, sorta homemaking, grammatical phrase abusing mom. My husband is in the Navy, and we all live in San Diego. I could tell you more, but that’s why I have a podcast. Don’t forget to subscribe.

I listen to an obscene amount of NPR, so Wyllz.com is my attempt at what I’m calling MPR, mommy public radio. No, it’s not actually publicly funded (unless you’re offering?), so try not to overthink the term. It is both a podcast and blog, i.e. a podblog or blogpod or blogcast. This blogcast is about the mom (or dad) who thinks too much and about the way the public overthinks the role of mom.

Meredith Riley profile
In the podcasts, I ask other parents’ about their experiences, anything from infertility to life as a stay at home mom to bringing home baby. I also research and record shows on more obscure topics, such as modern day wet nursing, the history of mothering manuals, or the mother who invented Thanksgiving. Check out the archives for a list of past shows. No matter the topic, research, analysis, and, of course, Wyllz.com will make an appearance. I’ve been on a long podcasting hiatus, so I’m rethinking the format, but the general subject matter should remain the same.


In addition to podcast posts and accompanying blog elaborations, Wyllz.com is a personal look at the joys of parenting. My daughter was born after a long and rough pregnancy and a long and rough labor and delivery. To stay on theme, she was blessed with a “spirited” temperament, keeping my husband and I on our toes as we navigate new parenting. 19 months later, our more mellow baby boy joined our clan and now we are trying to figure out this two kid thing. The blog is broken into five categories, so check out a more detailed description of the format.

I’m an avid researcher, so this blog is a place where I share not only my thoughts and opinions but also the thoughts and opinions of smart people, as well as the great ideas and mommy helpers (i.e. stuff) I’ve found.

Why did a stay at home grad school dropout computer illiterate new mom start a podcast? One day, during a not particularly peaceful walk with my manic German Shepherd and screaming months old daughter, I thought “I should start a podcast.” In the early weeks, when my baby had to eat every two hours, I spent a lot of my time cuddling her as I listened to mommy podcasts on my iPod at my nursing station (Yes, I dutifully created a nursing station during my nesting days). I liked all these podcasts, but was looking for something just a little different, something that addressed mommyhood from more than a “Yesterday I went to Sam’s Club” or “What should you buy” perspective.

The only problem with my sudden desire to enter the podcasting world was my complete lack of knowledge about how to make this happen. I was a teacher in my pre -stay at home mom life, so I obviously like to hear myself talk, BUT I taught English, meaning I have no idea how to work technical equipment (I was that teacher, the one asking her 18 year old students to work the DVD player). For years I refused to join Facebook because a friend had convinced me it was “a reprehensible construct.” We English dorks are proud Luddites most of the time. Side note: Check out my Facebook page here. Although this hobby makes my brain hurt sometimes, it has been a great outlet for my overthinking tendencies.

If you would like to reach me, see my contact page