Thriving In Motherhood Podcast | Productivity, Planning, Family Systems, Time Management, Survival Mode, Mental Health, Vision

Today we're talking about how to work from home with kids around. This applies to all types of work we might do from home, whether that's a side-gig, projects, or full-time (but now from home) work. We'll talk practical things about the when and how to work this into life while kids are around. Key Points from this Episode: When establishing a family routine, make sure to schedule in alone time for you. That can be before kids wake up, in the middle of the day while kids do "quiet time", or right after kids' bedtimes. Consider having an earlier bedtime for kids. It's okay if they don't go to sleep right away, but they can have quiet, unwinding time before they fall asleep and you can get TONS done during that time frame. Use Michael Hyatt's idea of "moving the needle forward." Ask yourself what tasks you can delete or delegate to others and you'll be left with tasks that you are best fit for you and will allow you to be most effective with the time you have. Plan! Choose 3-5 goals you want to accomplish in the next month (including work goals). Be honest with your situation and adjust as needed for your current situation. Look at your week and choose your Big Three (see resources) from your project list. Make sure it's the next big chunk of the monthly goal, not the actual goal. Add tasks in your context-based to-do list that allow you to move forward on your Big Three. Ask yourself "What is one thing that would help me feel successful at the end of the day?" It will help you figure out what is most important, handle a nagging task, or set the bar REALLY low so you can find something to celebrate no matter what season you're in. Ask yourself "What are the next actions for my 3 priorities for the week?" This is baby steps actions. This lets you take advantage of tiny amounts of unplanned time so you know how to best utilize it, rather than waste time figuring out what you can do when your kid naps longer than expected. Ask yourself "What is one thing I can do today to make tomorrow easier?" This can help you identify what is stressing you out or think ahead to handle situations before they become urgent. Be super open and communicating with the people around you with your goals and intentions for the week. Resources 2020 Planner Why and How to Choose a Big Three for the Week Thriving in Motherhood Journal

Today we're talking about practical tips to be able to enjoy yourself and your family during this crazy Coronavirus Quarantine time. As a homeschooling mom, I've figured out a few things along the way that can help as we all cope with the changes of being at home with our children all day, every day. Key Points from this Episode: Look to create a rhythm or routine for your household. Every day does not need to be the same, but general expectations help kids and adults alike to feel grounded. Cleaning up after meals is our "ticket to play/project" because who wouldn't want to play, but the work needs to get done too! We come together, eat together, we have some sort of intellectual stimulation/conversation/activity, then the kids have free play. Then it repeats. Build a repeatable rhythm that are tied to anchors of things like eating meals together. More time at home means more time for the kids to engage in things they love as well as being more engaged in the housework together. Have a conversation with your kids about what household work needs to get done and who can do what. Yes, there will be more work with everyone being home, but there are more people to share the load as well. Have a family council to discuss screen time to prevent the need for constant decision-making in the moment. Set a reasonable expectation. Embrace the time you have to let your kids cook with you, clean with you, etc. Don't try to recreate the public school in your home. Doing a little bit of skill work that is on level with where they are is all they need to keep those brain muscles active. Having a solid family read-aloud helps so much during a tough time. It brings everyone together and lets everyone escape into a world together. Consider having something that kids can do to have their hands busy while you read if they tend to get mischievous without guided movement. Just be curious. Just keep trying. Try something new. Each day, find things to mix it up. Do what works for your family. Remember - You probably already have a lot of these things going for you, so make sure you're doing them intentionally and consistently and it'll be great! Play games! They always help with math skills. Keep what you can do in perspective. Sometimes all you can do is keep a smile on your face and stay kind. Set the goal to be respond rather than react. Identify what is in your circle of influence vs your circle of concern. Ask yourself what unhelpful thoughts you had and prayerfully evaluate them to see how you can make adjustments in the future. Remind yourself this is temporary. Identify what you, as a parent, are looking forward to on a daily or weekly level. Pay attention to the magic moments with your children. It will help change what you see to find more of the magic. Resources This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Chronicles of Narnia The Trumpet of the Swan Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner Milly-Molly-Mandy Besty-Tacy The Boxcar Children My Father's Dragon Little House in the Big Woods - and all of the books in the Little House Series! The Long Winter is our favorite and maybe feels a bit relevant now. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey Thriving in Motherhood Journal

Rosie is a mother of three girls (ages 7, 6, and 4) and author of Congratulations! It's Cancer A Memoir. Today we talk about her personal experience with cancer, homeschooling, and learning not to yell. She was born in Utah but raised in Kansas City, Missouri. She has her bachelor's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and met her husband while getting her Cosmetology License. She loves writing, chocolate, and collecting pretty books! Key Points from this Episode: Homeschooling can give kids a voice in their own education. It allows you to follow their natural motivation. Listen to what you're kids are interested in, and then pull in curriculum that relates to what they love. They will learn so much more! You don't have to teach everything yourself, even if you homeschool! There are so many resources you can turn to and be an example of how to learn something you don't know. Rosie's molar pregnancy resisted all the regular treatments and at some point in the process of multiple D&Cs, light chemo, heavy chemo, surgery to remove 1/4 of her uterus was determined that the molar pregnancy was actually cancer. Hearing from the doctor "this isn't going to be a normal pregnancy" lead Rosie to think it might be a baby with disabilities, but she never thought they could have meant cancer. The strong marital support that came from her husband helped pull Rosie through the challenges she faced in dealing with the cancer. Rosie felt through the cancer her lack of control over aspects of her life. It's helped her to focus more on the choices she can make, rather than the circumstances that she could control. Teaching our kids to ask questions when they don't understand opens the door for teamwork in your family to face problems together. Changing how we see our kids can affect how we parent. We can let them be full participants in the family. We can control our behavior and the environment in our homes and can help teach expectations, but cannot control our children's behaviors. Your child knows where they need to be independent and it's your job to foster that independence in ways that are healthy and appropriate.

Today is Part 2 of my conversation with Madeline Casey, Phoebe Cook, Linsey Jensen, & Kristen Ruesch. from Indiana on the topic of friendship. Today's topics cover how to help our children deal with conflict and how to serve each other. Key Points from this Episode: Food is a major way to serve each other. Make enough dinner to share, or have a potluck. Everyone wins that way! Helping care for another person's kids is huge. Be willing to be inconvenienced by each other. The friendship is totally worth the sacrifice. The more you get to know someone, the more you notice what they need and can feel more comfortable expressing what you need help with. The service relationships often start small and grow as times goes on. Do your best to reciprocate service when you can. Help your kids understand what they can control in the friend settings. When all the moms and the kids talk through conflicts together, it helped everyone learn how to grow together. Allow the goal to be helping the kids solve the problem for themselves rather than just coming to the quickest solution to keep everyone quiet. If you can, get together without your kids!! You can talk without interruptions and develop deeper relationships at an adult level. Have a theme for your evening (like a favorite things night or music night) to help guide your conversations. Go on a walk - with or without kids. The kids are typically happy in strollers and you also get to talk at an adult level more. Treasure the spontaneous moments of friendship that happen. They can mean so much more than the staged/planned ones.

Today is Part 1 of an amazing conversation with four of my great friends from Indiana on the topic of friendship. How to have meaningful conversations, how to serve each other, how to become friends with people who are different than you are all topics we discuss. Key Points from this Episode: Meaningful friendships can come from all age groups, not just people who are the same age as you! Be on the lookout for new people moving in and be ready to welcome them and invite them into the fold of your friendship. Sharing your heart with your friends allows you to get to know each other's souls and develop a deeper connection. Recognize that your friends are different from you. That acceptance of each other's differences can allow you to be inspired without becoming overwhelmed with expectations. Do things for yourself like reading books or listening to podcasts and that gives you material to bring up in discussions with others. Sometimes it is easier to be vulnerable and develop deeper relationships in one-on-one situations rather than large groups. A good question to ask is "What are you excited about?" It opens the door for them to tell you about anything that makes them happy at the time. You don't have to spend money in order to spend time together! Try nature walks, potluck picnics, parks, in each others' homes, etc. When you have somebody over, think through what toys you want available and what doors you want open and closed to set the boundaries and keep the cleanup from becoming overwhelming. Stay to help clean up when you've played at someone else's house. Play together and clean together!

Today we are talking about how to ask for help and some of the principles about why and assurance that it's okay to ask for help! We all need it. Key Points from this Episode: Asking for help can be hard, and that's okay! Helping others feels wonderful, so remember it's okay to be on both sides of the helping. If we love helping others, it can be a huge blessing to others to let them help us. The bar for getting help and asking for help is way, way, WAY lower than we think it is. Interdependence helps lift everyone involved way farther than independence can. Allowing the interdependent relationships to develop allows everyone to get help even when things aren't in pure survival, but even have help with the lesser, but still hard times. We have to fight that lie that independence is the end-all be-all. Especially in motherhood. Sometimes we have to be brave and ask for help so we can start cracking down our walls of independence and open the door for them to feel comfortable asking for help from you. In some times of your life, there will be not be as much give and take and you will just need to be served. Know that in another season, you will get to serve when you are capable. When you need A LOT of help, ask a lot of different people so you don't strain friendships. It's scary to ask more people, but spread it around when the help that is needed is ongoing. Be specific with what you need help with. Notice what lifts you up and practice doing that more in your daily life. Resources Thriving in Motherhood Podcast Episode 5 with Chelsea Homer

Theresa is a mother of two and owner of Montessori In Real Life blog and Instagram. Today we're talking about how to take principles of the Montessori philosophy and applying them into our home. There are a lot of practical ideas as well as Theresa's own story of growth. Key Points from this Episode: Montessori is providing an environment that allows children to be self-motivated, curious, and confident in their own abilities. They are respected for who they are individually, and, in return, learn to respect others. Having an open floor plan can allow family members to be together without needing to be doing the exact same thing. Having a kid-friendly house does not mean it cannot be beautiful and enjoyable for adults too. Montessori and home can be quite different from Montessori in the classroom. Foster the natural desire toddlers can have to want to clean up. You can arrange a closet in your home similar to how a classroom would store their materials to make for easy rotation. How we show up for our kids really affects how the kids show up for the day. Making time to refresh ourselves away from our kids weekly makes a big difference in being able to give of ourselves to our children. Connect with Theresa Instagram: @montessoriinreallife Website: montessoriinreallife.com Resources Montessori Home Tour The Power of Showing Up by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (affl link) The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (affl link) Montessori From The Start by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen (affl link) No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (affl link)

Today we talk about how to embrace our kids having a normal, messy childhood and what we can do as parents to make things easier on us as parents. Don't forget to join our free Love Your Life Challenge! Key Points from this Episode: Being in nature and being messy is important to our kids' development. Buying clothes from thrift stores or Walmart makes all clothes play clothes and takes the stress off keeping things stain-free. Having a rain suit and rain boots keeps the kids from getting cold and wet while still enjoying the water play. They will play longer and happier and be able to just come in and strip off the top layer and be ready to keep playing inside without a total wardrobe change. A waterproof art smock works wonders on art projects, but also daily needs like helping with dishes. It takes the stress out of letting your kids help! Resources Tuffo Muddy Buddy Rain Suit Waterproof Art Smock

Rhonda Steed is a mother of five (ages 7-17) and a woman of many talents. We talk about setting up a craft room for your kids, how to make sourdough bread, and life as a mother as our children grow from the toddler to the teenage years. Key Points from this Episode: When you are going through a difficult circumstance like Medical School, find a mom friend in the same situation. They will get you and be able to understand the trials you are dealing with. Learn to carry on with your family even if your busy spouse is unable to be home. Learn to be happy when they do get to come, but don't bemoan your situation when they can't. Taking care of your body really matters. It allows us to mother better and do our best. To parent different personality types, set a goal to pray and think about one thing you can do for each child each day. Start with construction paper and water with a paintbrush if you are nervous about introducing art supplies to your kids. To keep the clutter down with so many creative expressions of our children, you can keep a new project for about a week and see if your child brings it up. If they don't, it's okay to toss it! If you're worried about it, take a picture and then throw it away. Baking bread can be a soothing activity, like yoga. Making bread feels like an accomplishment that can't be undone. So much of motherhood is cyclical but this is a creation that can't be un-created. Take a breath and pause before you react when you're in stressful situations with your teenagers (and others). You might find the magic in the intentions of an action you didn't understand. Connect with Rhonda Instagram: @justrhondalee Website: rhondasteed.com Resources @sourdoughschool - Instagram for how to make bread The Kitchn - sourdough basics

Today I'm talking about how I taught my kids to play, which leads into why we homeschool. If you feel like you always needs to entertain your kids and are looking for how to build the independent play skills in your children, this episode is for you! Key Points from this Episode: There is no one right way to do anything, schooling included! Even if you don't homeschool, you can take away ideas about how to run your household that can help your home life. Enabling kids to have the space to play out real life things (like kitchen sets) gives them so much imagination and freedom!) Recognizing kids' capabilities to feed themselves, wash themselves and dress themselves requires us to relinquish some control of our control, but opens the door to have the kids be able to be contributing members of our households. Charlotte Mason teaches that children are born persons. They have their own personalities and ambitions. Teach children to be a part of a family and a community. Resources You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy (affiliate link) A Delectable Education Podcast - The Early Years Home Education by Charlotte Mason (affiliate link) A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola (affiliate link) The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies (affiliate link)

Teru Clavel is a mother of three (ages 10-15), author, and comparative education expert. She talks about principles of education that can be applied in all of our lives. We talk about resiliency, failure, and confidence. We talk about what we can do in our own homes to support our children no matter where they go to school. Key Points from this Episode: Play-based preschool helped build children's independence and prepared them to make choices for themselves. Some moments in parenthood when we realize our kids rely on us, so we have to "wake up" and meet their needs completely. We have to choose strength in that moment. Failure is a critical part of the learning process. Most of the important lessons we learn in life come from failure. Failure builds resiliency! More technology is not the answer to teach our children. Having technology is not bad, but the learning process works better in a more tactile world. Motherhood is a great learning ground for multitasking and prioritizing. We naturally measure everything against our children and their needs.

In this episode I talk about setting appropriate expectations for ourselves in our new year and the difference between a vision and goals. I also share about my word for 2020: Connection. Key Points from this Episode: Setting goals or having a vision can keep us from drifting through our lives. A vision can keep things in perspective for what you have in your circle of influence, even when it's a hard or the future is feeling unknown. Think about the why behind your vision and goals. It needs to be realistic and compelling. In seasons where you can't do, focus on who you can be. If you are in a season where setting goals of doing is not realistic, have your vision focus on who you can be instead. Keep moving on the baby steps even when you aren't feeling it so that when you have a "wake up" moment and see your life with fresh eyes, you can enjoy the life you have created. Plan action steps for your vision (AKA goals) quarterly or even monthly if the whole year has too many moving parts to predict.

In this episode, I do a Year in Review and discuss some major lessons learned this year. I also talk about some things you might want to consider as you reflect on your year as a whole. Key Points from this Episode: Review any place you keep track of your thoughts or memories for the year. Relive the fun moments or experiences you had. If you can't plan the whole year, that's totally okay! Just take it a quarter, or even a month, at a time. When you focus on your circle of influence, it will have a positive effect on your family. That often means asking for more help! Communicating with your spouse to help make sure you are pulling your loads together, rather than pulling each your hardest but not together, will bring you strength. Recognize the successes you have had this year and find what motivates you to keep going on your goals from those experiences. Figure out what is in your circle of influence that can guide you towards things you really want in your life.

Merry Christmas!! Today, I talk about choosing to walk in the light rather than darkness during times of trial. Key Points from this Episode: Angels are helping us in our times of trial even if we don't notice them. Our thought patterns are like waking through tall grass. Our typical patterns are well-worn paths and are easy to walk through. It takes effort to try a new path, but you can do it! Read the questions to ask God. Open the scriptures and read a few verses. Then review and ponder the questions and see where the Spirit guides your thoughts. Hone in on what is in your circle of influence. Accept what phase of the Surviving to Thriving Framework you are in (Surviving, Re-Entry, Normalizing, Exploring, or Thriving). Own it and don't try to keep a foot in the door in phases you aren't really in right now! Oftentimes when our circumstances get bigger than ourselves, contentment can be the first thing to go. Peace can go out the door right with it. Accept the circumstances for what they are and remember they are temporary. It will help you find peace and contentment where you are. I can find peace and contentment right now. I can feel satisfaction and successes with what I am doing right now. I can feel gratitude and joy right now. Even when things are so so so hard. And that absolutely comes from being taught how to walk in the light. We have so much help. We have so much love. We have so much support from God and from Jesus Christ and so many others. It takes work to choose to keep fighting to stay in your circle of influences, but you can do it!

Today, I'm talking about a principle that has the ability to completely revolutionize your life. It's called the Big Three for the Week. It works wonderfully with the Thriving in Motherhood Planner, but can absolutely be applied with or without this particular planner. Key Points from this Episode: A Big Three for the Week helps add a lot of clarity, but you can optionally also have a Big Three for each Day if you have that kind of structure available to you. The Big Three are three things that help you move the needle forward on the most important tasks. Big Three should be highest priorities and we are intentionally giving space to them. You can have one of your Big Three be for one of your personal goals. You can have one of your Big Three be a goal for your family. This can be a great check to make sure things are in balance. You can have one of your Big Three be beyond your family. Look for opportunities of service or church work. It's okay to have just a Big One or Big Two if you know your top priority will take up every spare moment in your week. Resources Free Training: How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles

Sarah Molitor is a mother of five under the age of seven and today we talk about finding joy in the Lord in our every day moments and boundaries both within our families and our own lives. Sarah is a Registered Nurse who always had being a wife and mother as her goal. Her passions are raising children to be others-oriented and inspiring other mothers to find joy through her social media influence. Key Points from this Episode: It takes time to find your confidence as a mother and find your stride. Focus on what things do look like, not what you expect them to look like. In hindsight, we will get to see that what God has planned for us is way cooler than anything we could have planned. Connect to the Lord any where, any time you can. It doesn't have to be at 6 am before the kids are awake. Allow the Lord to seep in all throughout our days. Structure and boundaries can give us the freedom to have more fun because the kids know what to expect to some degree. What we do at home should mimic what we do in public. Being respectful of property and boundaries within our homes sets us up to be enjoyable to others when we are our in public. Take time to look at the good that comes from the challenges. Sharing rooms for kids can be hard, but there is a special bond that comes from sharing. Remember that as you are raising children, you are actually raising adults. One day, that 7 year old boy is going to be in his 20s and fall in love and will need to know how to treat a girl respectfully. Get to know your "Power Hours" and know how to cut them off. It's okay if you don't get up before the kids in the morning. Know when you can get stuff done and utilize that time frame. Know who you are and who you want to be in order to qualify your yeses and nos.

Today, we are talking about ways to create space in our lives. When we take the time to clear out mental space, we can make room to think ahead and prepare for the upcoming year! Key Points from this Episode: What is on your list to help you create space? Consider: Physical space Process Paperwork Setting Boundaries for Social Media Usage Reading Books that have been on your List Take a Break from Work Focus on Your Relationship with God Look for finding balance, not on a daily or weekly level, but zoom out and make sure your yearly priorities are reflected in your yearly accounting of your time. If we don't take time to empty out, then we are more likely to want to escape. Instead, work to create a life that you don't want to escape from.

Dr. Sherry Zhang is a mother and founder and CEO of Genopalate. We talk about equipping our children with tools to navigate challenges, successes, and failures. We also talk about learning and the importance of asking good questions. Key Points from this Episode: Motherhood is a learning experience from day one. Every day is going to have some sort of fantastic uncertainty. It's up to us to make it better or worse. Learning from our children, who we created, is an amazing experience. Teaching our children principles and standards sets them up to interact well with the ever-changing environment around them. Successes are a very personal thing. Your successes can look completely different than someone else's. Your genetic code can give hints to what foods work best with your body. Health is not just about weight loss. Overall health is so much more.

Oakley is a mother of three, blogger & Instagrammer. She shares her family's stories about working with their son who has down-syndrome and discusses accepting imperfect mothering during the process. Key Points from this Episode: Keeping the home simple can help keep you from feeling like you are drowning. It's okay to not be the exact mom we want to be at this exact moment in time. Raising a family is a whole-family effort. Being a more open parent with our children about the process helps it become a team effort. Parenting has become more of an open process with our children because of the transparency of the world we live in. Navigate the needs of your children by knowing your children. Notice what the need is. It's okay that the needs of the children are different. Take the time to be still with each child. Be a listener and let your children feel heard in their own home. Give your kids a few moments where you can let them feel like they are the center of your universe. Some of the surprises can be the best blessings in our life. Keeping the connection with God makes everything smoother. That makes the bumps in the road doable!

Today we are talking about the Thriving in Motherhood Planner and three actionable steps for you to take (in our planner or another one) to help you change how you feel about your motherhood and your days and how you're using your time! Key Points from this Episode: This planner grew out of really wanting to have a place for myself to be able to bring to fruition what I wanted my motherhood to look like. The planner solves two MAJOR problems: It's a place to empty out your brain so you can engage in real life. It's also a way to be intentional with your time without adding unnecessary pressure. Change how you look at your time. Look at your time at a weekly level rather than a daily level. In the next 24 hours, write down all the things you accomplished, the things you discovered, the places you went to, the books you read, what you have done with your family. You can celebrate your accomplishments and evaluate where you want your priorities to be better. Ask yourself what you are curious about trying and use that to inform your vision for next year. Separating out inflexible appointments from flexible to-do items gives you more wiggle room as life happens and feels less overwhelming. Plan your weekly to-dos and do your very best not to add any more as the week goes on unless it HAS to get done. You'll see greater progress and accomplishment.

In this episode, I introduce the Surviving to Thriving Framework and interview Megan Dilworth about how this framework has impacted her life. Megan is a wife and mother of three kids (ages 2-7) who is a member of The Thriving Team. She is a photographer, graphic designer, and lover of DIY projects. Key Points from this Episode: Surviving to Thriving Framework: All the steps are important. There is no time frame on this path. We all will repeat this path over and over throughout our lives. 1. Surviving circumstances, not mindset 2. Re-entry Uncomfortable transition between surviving and trying to get back into real life 3. Normalizing Basic routines 4. Exploring Establishing family culture and finding out what you love 5. Thriving Enjoy the beautiful moments. The seasons that feel like things are going well. Believing things are temporary will help us be more optimistic. These are temporary stages in our lives! Its okay to drop ideas that aren't serving you. It's okay to try new things, even if they don't end up lasting. The act of writing things down helps us remember.

Sometimes it feels like our kids should be our number one priority all the time. In this episode, I talk about how I think building a strong family and creating healthy relationships is the focus we should be having instead. Key Points from this Episode: Our kids are wonderful, but our priority is building strong families. We, as mothers, are part of the strong family that we need are building. Our family is only as strong as the weakest link, so we need to take care of ourselves too! When we can shift the idea from being a fire to put out to being a teaching moment, it can help us handle the situations differently. How we approach our days when we are thinking "My goal is to build a strong family. My goal is create healthy relationships" changes how we respond to our children. Supporting our children's growth is different than focusing on the results (and a whole lot less stressful!) Creating a strong family culture and atmosphere of growth is what is under our circle of influence, not our children's behavior, which often gets focused on when our kids are the priority. When we focus on building strong families and healthy relationships, our capacity for joy and experience joy right now is so much greater. Those little moments of the day of seeing glimpses of the strong family and healthy relationships happen. Recognizing them helps us find the motivation to keep going. It's so much easier to "lose ourselves" when our kids are the focus all the time. The power of friendship is so real in motherhood. It helps buoy us up! "Sisters, oh how we need each other" - Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Natalie Hixson is a wife, mother, and certified professional life coach. Her goal is helping burnt out and discouraged Christian mothers overcome destructive anger so they can enjoy being a wife and mom. She, her husband, and three girls (ages 9, 12, and 16) live in Bozeman, Montana. Key Points from this Episode: We can break the fear and yelling cycle in our lives. Remember that our children have developmentally-appropriate tantrums. We need to work on things to be able to, in turn, help our children with their struggles rather than throw our own, grown-up tantrums. Recognizing that you have destructive anger and are facing burnout is the first step to overcoming it. It's not a mindset you have to stay in. Reach out for help if you recognize you have destructive anger! What we say to ourselves becomes our beliefs. It's the story we are telling ourselves and we believe it and what we believe, we support with our actions and our thoughts. Our minds look to support our thoughts. If we focus on positive thoughts, our minds will look for supporting evidence. Circumstances do not trigger our actions. Circumstances trigger thoughts and feelings. Then we decide on our own actions. Look for what needs are not being met to diffuse situations more quickly. Work through the tough situations and MOVE ON. The current moment does not define our next moment. We can choose to highlight the good parts of motherhood to connect with others rather than the negative. Recognize the moment for what it is (positive or negative) and be grateful we are here to experience it. When you start to feel an emotion, take three deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Longer exhale than inhale. Physical reset to the nervous system. Send a prayer to God for help. I am statements: I am love. I am grateful. Write a list of things that are okay for your kids to do (even eating M&Ms or watching a show on an iPad) to give yourself the time you need to calm down. Then you can come back and work through the problem when you are no longer angry.

Jeanette Tapley, host of It's Time for Coffee Podcast all about friendship, wife, and mother of three children. We talk about her adoption journey and things she's learned from that. We also talk about tips on starting your own podcast and the art of the apology. Key Points from this Episode: Jeanette heard the whisperings of God saying, "I called you to be a mom. What are you going to do about the [children] that don't have one?" "I will always be the mom they need, but I will never be a perfect mom." Our kids learn how to be humble and apologize primarily by our example. "We are showing them how to love recklessly and, in turn, that will show us how Jesus has loved us." "Love well, love often, and love first." Checking in with our kids consistently can help let them know that open communication is there. Being honest with the people close to you about where things stands on your work or personal projects can help keep resentment from growing. If you want to start a podcast, figure out first who you want to talk to and why you want to talk to them. Then ask how you are going to execute this. Then, JUMP! Commit to a year and then figure out what you need to tweak after that. Waking up 15-20 minutes can set up your day for success. A weekly phone date with a friend can be so rejuvenating! Own your actions in your apologies. Don't say "I'm sorry I made you feel..." Instead, say "I'm sorry that I hurt you because I..." "I can't control everything, but I can surrender [my children] to the Lord" God has greater things in store for in our children than we can even imagine.

In this episode, I discuss the concept that the work of motherhood includes rest. Real rest is so important to the work of motherhood, especially as we gear up for the upcoming holiday season. If you take time to take care of yourself, then you will have the freedom to expand your influence in a way that is healthy to you and those around you. Key Points from this Episode: You are where it starts. You are smack-dab in the middle of your circle of influence. If you don't nourish yourself, you won't be able to nourish those around you. The more you focus on bringing the best for yourself, the more power and influence you will have for others. None of us can go full speed all the time. We weren't designed to go go go without taking time to rest. Sometimes we become numb to the amount of work we are doing in our daily lives. It's okay that we feel tired! Laziness is a deception of the adversary to keep us exhausted. Beware of being distracted to the point of not getting real rest. It's not laziness to go to bed early, take a nap, read a book, write in your journal, exercise, play a game, work on a project. It's not laziness to do things that fill your heart with joy. Plan in time for real rest for yourself as we approach the upcoming busy holiday season.

You have climbed mountains! In this episode, I talk about the dialog in our own minds that can adjust our thinking to be able to shift from "I am being beat up" to "I have climbed mountains!" The skill of having a Thriving Mindset is something that we can develop with the right tools. Key Points from this Episode: Every time we reach a mountain peak, we find a beautiful view and can stop to recognize the strength we have displayed to get as far as we have. Sometimes faith alone isn't enough to keep us positive. It's one piece of the puzzle. Gratitude is one piece of the puzzle. Identifying our cognitive patterns and distortions is a piece of the puzzle. Connect with people. Celebrating our milestones and progress helps us having a Thriving Mindset. Planning for the struggles that we know will be coming our way makes the struggles easier. When we decide who we want to be ahead of time, it makes a major difference. Ask God what He wants you to do that day. Pick the section that you are struggling with the most and start with that if answering all the questions is overwhelming to you.

Today, I talk about Going on Vacation every single day. Time-blocking my day to allow for Vacation Hours has changed how I think about my days and has revolutionized my relationship with my children. Key Points from this Episode: Telling ourselves "I am being present" with our kids while our minds are swirling with all the things we want to get done does not work. Prep for vacation: Have a place to write down all your thoughts Buy a watch - do not check your phone to check the time Choose a chunk of hours to be your Vacation Time. It should be the time your children need connection the most. For us, that's the mid-morning hours when we are doing homeschool. For others, it might be between when kids get home from school and dinner or bedtime. During your vacation: Keep your phone away. In your room. Take a vacation from worrying about anything that happens with your phone. Don't worry about your own projects or to do lists Be there with your kids 100% like you would be when you're on vacation When you are on vacation, there are no "shoulds." None at all. After your vacation: Work on your projects! Don't feel guilty! Know that you've put in good, quality face-time with your kids (and not the video chat kind) Being mentally there does not mean playing with them every minute of the day. It means taking a break from our devices and tuning in to our children and their needs.

Jessica is a military mother of three boys and podcast host of the Extraordinary Moms Podcast. She talks about finding who she wants to be as a person and the joy in the moments where you can see progress in yourself. Key Points from this Episode: Night before prepping makes the next day so much smoother. When our kids lose it, we can make the choice not to lose it ourselves. We don't have to join the tantrum. We have to recognize that our children are each unique children of God and we are too. If we focus on staying calm and staying safe for our children, we can allow them to explore and figure themselves out while we adjust our parenting to each child's specific needs. Listen to our kids' feelings and let them be okay. We can coach our children to help them come up with plans for the hard times so they can do things as independently as they can. It can give them confidence to be able to work through their challenges they are faced with. We have to let our children see us problem solve our own struggles (on an age-appropriate level) or they won't know that it's normal to need to struggle. Are you cleaning the house to give you the right to complain when it gets messed up again, or cleaning because you love the feeling of a clean house. Pay attention to your motivations and evaluate what is working for you. Most of the time, it's not about what you're doing, but why you're doing it. Exhausted is not the same as depleted. Paying attention to how we are spending our energy can help keep us feeling good even as we are tired. It's okay to adjust the tasks to accomplish the value you are looking for. Look at the whys behind the activities you are doing. If the task is no longer adding the desired value to your life, make adjustments! Just because it's not working yet, doesn't mean it's not working. Play the long game. Taking the time to reflect and acknowledge our growth helps up recognize our own extraordinary lives. We are extraordinary, but a lot of times, we just don't take the time to notice. You are doing so much better than you think you are. You have grown so much more than you think you have. It is a skill to recognize that nothing lasts forever. We can live our lives more hopeful if we can remember that our challenges will be just for a moment. Close the background apps of your mind and see what's zapping your energy without your knowledge. Come back to them when you are in a better mental space and see how you can adjust your thinking for the future. Resources Extraordinary Moms Podcast Episode 26: Dealing with Childhood Anxiety with Austin

In this episode, I talk about where to start to get the house back on track after a Survival Mode season. I share my rhythms and systems that have helped me and my kids know what to expect when we are transitioning from full-blown Survival Mode back into "normal" life. Key Points from this Episode: It's OK to make intentional choices to let things like housework go when we are in survival mode, but we need to pick up the pieces when we are able to. Start with prayer. Then listen to the promptings of where to start. "Home Blessing Hour" every week for concentrated time to take care of the house. Go room by room. Garbage to the trash bag. Clothes to the laundry basket. Everything that doesn't belong into a basket. Put those items away. Sweep/vacuum the floor. Set timers for short increments to get bursts of cleaning focus from our children. Consider having some major incentives for after the house gets put back together. Talk with your children while you clean. Use it as a chance to bond as a family.

Valerie is a mother of two girls and creator of a Prompt and Prayer Journal and author of a book, Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday. We talk about God's will, fighting the lies about motherhood that the world gives, and how to start adjusting our thinking during our days. Key Points from this Episode: Dance to shake out the grumpiness in the mornings. We are stronger than we think we are with the help of God. "When ours [our plans] are interrupted, His are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) 'toward the goal of true maturity' (Rom 12:2)." - Elisabeth Elliot Trust that worthy things we want to do will get done, even if it's not in the time frame we expect, or we will learn it isn't what God wants us to be doing. We don't need to add extra drama to our lives. We need to be real about motherhood. We cannot do motherhood for the praise. Our challenging moments in our days are just that - moments. Rehashing the hard times just forces our minds to dwell on those negative things rather than embracing and focusing on the positive that has happened. We can give our children a safe place to grow up and don't need to share every mistake they make. Think about how that must make our children feel. The world wants to distract us from the amazing gift that motherhood is. God wants us to recognize the gift that it truly is! There is space a between stimulus and response. We can adjust our auto-pilot thinking to change how we feel about the same situations. Start by taking the time to notice your thoughts. We can take responsibility and have integrity in our lives by accepting that things are not just happening to us, but we can choose how to act.

In this episode, I talk about where to start when you feel overwhelmed with getting your physical health where you want it to be. We all go through times where we have to have our physical bodies take a backseat and this is my process that I go through every time I re-start my exercise routine. Key Points from this Episode: There are so many reasons (physical & mental) that take us back to square one with our fitness. That's OK! My big why for exercise is the endorphins. I feel better when I exercise. You don't need to do the whole workout that is designed! Start with 10 minutes, then go to 15 minutes until you find the right duration for you. Start with gently building strength (Physique 57), then add cardio (Marcy Upright Exercise Bike). I replaced my standard transportation with a cardio bucket bike. Find what you love to do to work moving into your day. Mow the lawn, swim, longboard, dance in the kitchen. Do what works for you! I gain energy from exercising, not lose it. It feels good to feel strong! Focusing on getting my green smoothie in every day helps teach my body to crave fruits and vegetables again. It helps me get out of the survival-eating mode. Whatever your body needs, feed it that!

Amy is a mother of two and co-founder of Give Her Courage, a company focused on helping young girls develop courage and confidence. We talk about the how and why and modeling that courage for our children. Key Points from this episode: Celebrate the nice things siblings do for each other to encourage the positive behaviors. The things that are worthwhile are going to be hard and challenging, but we shouldn't let that discourage us! Nothing is perfect. Just be in the moment. Try to focus on whatever you are doing in that moment and just be in it. Sitting down for (a distraction-free) dinner as a family every night opens the door for bonding and communication. Embrace your imperfections and let your children see that. Let them see you comfortable in your own skin. That will give them permission to do the same. Risk-taking is doing something where you are stepping outside your comfort zone. It is as individual as we are. Let your children know when you are feeling outside your comfort zone and are choosing to do it anyways. Guilt is just in our nature because we are trying so hard. Confidence is reminding ourselves that we are great and we are doing the best that we can do.

In this episode, I get into some of the logistics of survival mode. A few things to do during survival mode and a few things to do when you're not in survival mode to make survival mode easier. Key Points from this Episode: When we can't get off the couch, we have to adjust our expectations of parenting. We may not be able to control what or when or where the kids eat, but we can focus on the fact that the kids are eating and that is good. We can focus on keeping our one-on-one relationship with our children in a good place rather than worrying about the nitty-gritty of discipline when we can't follow through. When things are good, work hard on routines and rhythms. Then, when things go to survival mode, they take longer to fall apart. If people are fed, a lot of our behavior problems are curbed. So find ways for food to be really easy for you and the kids. Use the tough seasons to teach our children compassion and forgiveness. Survival mode part of this life's journey. Accept and embrace it. Work to over-communicate with your spouse during the hard times. It helps you equally-yolk yourselves. Have hope. Ask your questions in the morning and evening! (See resources) Resources Key Questions to Ask in the Morning - Episode 60 Key Questions to Ask in the Evening - Episode 66

Brandi is a mother of four (ages 4 - 17) who has worked with her husband to build a slow, intentional life with her family. She lives in the hills of central Texas. She shares how God's love for her and her family has guided her in her life and her parenting. Key Points from this episode: It takes different intentional actions to stay connected with our children and hold their hearts who are different ages. Changing our emphasis from behavior to relationships with our children will allow us to maintain that relationship through the teen years and beyond. Try to have eyes to see. Notice when our children are withdrawn and remember that sometimes that is when they need us to press in the most. (Adding food makes the heart-sharing easier for the kids, too!) Schedule in one-on-one time with your kids. Put some to bed early if you need to in order to make it happen. Find time to have time with God. If you can't wake up before the kids, try having 15-20 minutes for all your family to go their separate ways to have their connecting time with God. Have older kids take turns watching younger ones to help make it happen. Pause and think about what you say "yes" to and what you say "no" to in order to grow your intentionality. Then take it to the Lord and follow the direction from Him. Journaling the things you learn from books or hear that inspire you help you absorb the information and also give you something to refer back to when you need a boost. We can make the choice whether we miss the things that happen on social media, or we can miss things that are happening under our own roofs. Saying out loud what we are thankful for can help us find joy in our current moment.

Lauresa is a mother of twin preschoolers and a toddler living in Northwest Arkansas with her husband and two dogs. She grew up in a family of 11 kids and is now a registered dietitian growing her own private practice, a teacher, and an enthusiastic gardener. She is the co-founder of the blog Black Thumb Garden Club and co-author of the Black Thumb Garden Club Workbook. Key Points from this episode: Writing is one of the most important things someone can do to make progress in anything. It helps us find clarity and move forward toward goals. Finding time for creativity in small, consistent ways is a powerful way to make progress. Using projects and Next Actions help you stay focused and make the most of your time. Setting rules for yourself during nap time (like no chores, be physically comfy) can open the doorway for you to utilize that time for creative means, but still feel rejuvenated at the end of nap time. Having or being an example of having skills or contributions outside of motherhood helps others know that it's OK! Committing to a career-focused education does not stop you from also choosing to have a family. Having a family is your choice, but you can look back in the hard times and remember that you chose it! Gardening Tips: 1. Manage your Expectations - recognize that all things have times and seasons 2. Plant it Again - as soon as possible! 3. Prevent Total Devastation - use proactive measures to stop potential issues before they start Best starting point for beginner gardeners: Tomato in a 5 gallon pot Stop and remember God to help maintain balance. Ask "What do you need me to do right now?" even if you're really excited about a new idea. The answer is almost always "people, people, people!"

In this episode, I talk about Key Questions to Ask Yourself in the Evening as a bookend to the questions from Episode 60 where we talked about Key Questions to Ask in the Morning. These questions help me reflect on my day and stay connected to God. They come from top productivity, mindfulness, and spiritual leaders. I invite you to join me on Patreon with these questions and make a habit of this with me! These questions help me feel more in control of my emotions and find hope and joy to live my life more positively.

Erin is a mother of three and one of the world's most sought-after sopranos. She talks about melding these two worlds of motherhood and personal success. Erin believes parenthood is the secret to life bringing a balance to life and an opportunity to care for another. She knows that being a singer is important, but being a parent is even more important than that. She takes her motherhood as a serious responsibility and career in itself. She hopes her children will have more positive memories than negative ones when they look back at their childhoods. She wants them to know and feel how much she cares for them. Erin tries to prioritize family time together despite continuing to travel to perform. One of her goals is to zero in on her children's specific needs and meet those needs as a mother. She talks about how amazing music is in enriching her children's lives and helps her create loving memories singing around the piano. She found it natural to sing to help reach and calm her babies in a way that speaking or physically holding them couldn't. This helped her to realize how much singing should always be part of her life and she shouldn't give it up simply because she became a mother. She talks about mindfulness and not wanting to wish away the negative because then we would need to wish away the good also. It's better to experience both and be aware of the differences so we can enjoy the good moments. Erin is trying to find contentment with living in the moment rather than always looking ahead and wishing our children were in the next phase. Mindfulness is like a code for gratitude; they can't live without one another. Erin describes the different types of sacrifices mothers make for their children, including physical and emotional. Comparing the physical wounds a mother suffers after childbirth to the scars of Christ helped her find meaning in the physical trials of pregnancy and child-bearing. Erin finds the moments when her children are most willing to talk and connect and tries to utilize those moments. She practices a "Sweet, Sour, Service" routine where each member of the family shares something sweet from the day, something sour from the day, and something they did to serve someone that day.

In this episode, I talk about Survival Mode and how that does not need to stop us from thriving even while we are in the midst of it. I share some of my personal life in the middle of full blown survival mode (surgery and recovery, moving, home-buying, etc.) and how the things I've discovered over the past five years adjusted my thinking and got me ready for the things I could prepare for. During this round of struggles, I tried to step away from the worry. I instead asked myself "What is in my circle of influence?" and "What is the next step?" to myself and to God in order to find focus to prep while I was able. I used friends as sounding-boards and got to work on my next actions that were within my circle of influence. I learned to walk away from a project when there was no Next Action and move on to another task - and feel totally fine about that. Recognizing our growth in the moment of struggle disarms fear, frustration, and anger. We instead can celebrate "Look how much we're learning!" Having a little bit of heads up for survival circumstances before we were in the midst of it allowed me to take some responsibility and ask for help when I knew I would need it. Gratitude has provided the power to pull myself out of any pity feelings I might feel for myself in these rough circumstances. Choosing to practice gratitude lets me offer a smile to those around me. Even when I'm "sick mom," I can still help lift spirits and find moments of joy. I'm deciding to be proud of what we have done rather than feeling guilty that I'm not at full functioning levels. Remembering that God's opinion of me is all that really matters has helped me keep perspective on the things that really matter most. Keeping prayer central to my recovery has allowed me to see God in the details of my life. We've already been through a whole lot of hard. We've already learned from a whole lot of hard. We can take the knowledge that we've gained from doing the hard to help us know that we can make it through the next hard. We don't have it all figured out. Hard is still hard. But that's okay. Hard is not wrong. That doesn't mean it's not worth it. If you are not currently in Survival Mode, great! That gives you the chance to look outward and understand how you can better serve others who might be. Prayers and paper products can lift others in ways you cannot imagine. We are all in this trying world together, and together we can help each other thrive!

Kristin is a mother of twin toddlers (1 boy and 1 girl) and host of The Progress Project Podcast. She loves reading, yoga, and baking. She talks about her struggles with infertility which guided her to be the mother she wants to be in finding the balance between being a present mother and doing some work too. Kristin speaks to trusting herself and finding momentum in her successes. Kristin felt a lot of resistance as she dealt with her infertility for five years. As she did that, she was able to come to terms with and really explore what her role could be if she wasn't meant to be a mother yet. Resistance turned into acceptance for her as she journaled and wrote her way through her thought processes. She found herself as she discovered her gifts and desires. She took time to think about the woman she sees herself as in 50 years and used that to help find her purpose. She finds the balance between motherhood and having a career as an ongoing challenge. She wants to be a present mother, but uses her work as a creative outlet and to help her be a person outside of being a mother. Kristin believes balance is the constant readjustment in the pursuit of wholeness. Something that help Kristin stay present in motherhood is not resisting what is.

Emily is a mother of two who seeks for intentional and simple living. She talks about a thought exercise to help her find her legacy and live it now. She talks about getting rid of the mental, emotional, and physical clutter in her life. She talks about the morning routine she has recently implemented (since getting to sleep through the night!) and how that has opened her mind to be able to focus. She asks herself "Am I present? Am I joyful? Am I calm?" and uses that mantra as a check for herself throughout her day. She journals in her 5 Minute Journal to focus herself on gratitude and a low-tech start to the day. Emily also uses her "Hello Emily Morning Routine" to help set her tone for the entire day. Emily's struggles with Unexplained Infertility started to define her motherhood journey by helping her to realize that she was not in control of everything no matter how hard she worked. She learned that what she can control was how she reacts to difficulties and that simplifying her life was an absolute essential part to keep her mentally and emotionally healthy. She talks about the ongoing process of finding peace with struggles and accepting that "God is God and I am not." Emily explains about how we don't like to act different than our identity, which sometimes requires us to adjust the concept of our own identity to what God has in store for us. Reminding ourselves of the identity we have (or want to have) can help us to remain present, joyful, and calm. Emily embraces minimalist in the definition that involved removing the things that distract from your purpose. She analyzes her physical items, calendar items, and mental self-talk to try to weed out what isn't serving her goals. She teaches the importance of detaching from our own thoughts and observing them from a kind bystander perspective. Emily explains her experience with beginning to meditate, just focused on breathing. She uses breathing as a reset and transition between activities and emotions and anchoring practice in her day. Success, to Emily, is knowing what she wants to accomplish in her day that are truly important (not to-dos) that allows her to be present and involved with her children. She is trying to take a step back and not worry about documenting every moment, but experience it instead. She also considers success modeling the behaviors she wants her children to value. When she focuses on what her "why" is, it brings everything else greater clarity. Emily imagines talking with her son about him asking "What did you do with your time when you weren't taking care of us?" She uses that question to help create her legacy that she wants to leave to her children, not of tangible things, but the results of her daily actions. She wants to leave more than the memory of scrolling through social media and doesn't want the excuse of being too tired to stop her from achieving her goals and dreams. Emily teaches that her legacy also reflects back to her identity and values. Emily has mastered being "Mamadexterous" which is the the ability to do a lot of things with your non-dominate hand while holding a baby on your hip. She is working on approaching new phases and skills of her children with wonder and excitement rather than dread.

Jennifer is the homeschooling mother of seven in the foothills of California. She is the founder of The Peaceful Press, a company that is dedicated to creating wholehearted homeschooling curriculum and a podcast host for Wild + Free. She talks about the development of being able to have conversations with her older children and emotionally investing rather than feeling so physically drained in the years of early parenting. She talks about the diminished need for "mommy friends" as her children have slowly become some of her best friends. She talks about finding the time to get her alone, rejuvenating time in bits and pieces rather than the bulk of nap time or after kids go to bed. She loves to read or listen to a podcast to recharge herself. Jennifer has always felt drawn to motherhood. She had her abilities feel challenged when one of her children had a personal crisis and Jennifer took the responsibility upon herself for her child's trials. She had her awakening moment about her lack of total control of motherhood which opened the door to a greater joy as she was able to let go of her desire to control the results of her parenting efforts. She recognized the relief that comes from building relationships with the children and watching them work through problems on their own while not being solely focused on the outcomes. She talks about the importance of grieving a reality that isn't going to be or missed expectations and then welcoming in the unconditional love of God to help take the pressure off Jennifer's parenting. Jennifer talks about the grieving process helping herself to stay soft and not become a sharp or tough type of mother. She discusses realizing she did not need to perform for love, but she was loved no matter what. She was then able to extend that love to her children along their own growth journey. Jennifer covers how the scriptures and the book Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning ingrained in her the feeling of love unattached from performance. Jennifer talks about realistic expectations for our children. To recognize that they are, in fact, children. She addresses the need to find balance between offering our children grace and still maintaining solid leadership with reasonable expectations in our homes. Jennifer talks about rejecting fear and making sure you have a vision in your family and basing your decisions on that vision. She explains that make decisions or signing up for activities that do not align with our vision are a huge factor in misplaced expectations and anxiety levels growing in the home, which lead to behavioral issues with our children. She emphasizes taking time to slow down and just be at home and observe the feeling and interactions as a way to reset your own expectations for motherhood. She explains how margin plays a big role in her life. Intentional margins in finances and time help her focus her efforts and keep everyone on track. She references Gordon Neufeld's Hold on to Your Kids. Jennifer talks about the importance of taking time to forgive others around you and creating your vision for your life. Jennifer recounts her family's adventure in finding their focus on a family car trip and encourages others to find the skills and things that bring them joy to follow as a guide rather than jumping on every bandwagon that passes through to help bring the variety and color to the world around us. She talks about how her family's vision has morphed and changed as her children have grown older and developed their own interests and passions. She talks about mastering the ability to understand the need of God in her life and the guidance from God in all her decisions. Jennifer also discusses the balance between being present with your kids and maintaining the household. She talks about helping instill in them the life skills they'll need to be functioning adults.

In this episode, I talk about key questions I ask God and myself to start every day. I talk about how they help focus my mind to be the person I want to be and develop the relationship I want with God. I invite you to join me on Patreon with these questions and make a habit of this with me! I talk about my desire to handle life better during the challenging times and how these questions help me do this by taking into account what is on my "Essential List" for my life. They are questions that help us have more energy, more enthusiasm, happier, more present, and be more engaged in our lives.

April is a mother of four and founder of Power of Moms and LearnDoBecome. She lives very intentionally and helps other mothers do the same. She shares her journey of recognizing that working together is a tool to build relationships in our home and create a feeling for everyone in the family to grow. She talks about learning to love ourselves so we can love others. She shares the importance of being open and honest in every step of your motherhood journey in order to find your "person" behind the word "mother." April talks about clearing the clutter out of our homes, but also out of our minds and our hearts to then be able to love. She speaks to the feeling in the home being the focus of our efforts. She goes against culture to get our housework done so we can be a mom, but rather teaches the importance of doing the housework side-by-side with our children and finding the beauty in that housework. April talks about the impact that Scream Free Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel has affected the way she looks at loving herself and loving her children. She prioritizes self-care with bedtime for herself, exercise, taking a shower, drinking water, and eating for herself. She talks about the importance of really talking with your kids (even if it's a topic that you don't want to necessarily get into with your kids) and building true relationships with them. She encourages us to spend more time looking in our children's eyes rather than our phones. She believes that is possible by involving them in our lives and letting them help us with what we need to do. April emphasizes the need to value the moments we have, even if they don't seem Facebook-worthy.

Ashley is an intentional, homeschooling mother of four. She shares about finding inspiration and motivation to build her home life how she envisions it. She talks about making some of the major, life-changing decisions to live intentionally and really choose the joy in her motherhood journey. She owns her desire to for her children to feel seen, loved, known, and filled with wonder for the world and strives to teach that through example.

In this episode, I talk about something we all deal with: Laundry. I walk you through how to find the right system for YOUR family to make sure this necessity is as automated as possible in order to save your decision-making stamina for ones that matter.

Alissa Hankin is a curly-haired mother of a three-year-old boy living in South Hampton, England. She shares her experiences with stress, tragedy, change, and growth and how God plays a role in her life. She teaches about taking care of her body and mind and using Faith Journaling to take care of her soul.

This is our final discussion of principles from 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. We talk about the why, what, and how of creating your own personal mission statement. Join us at patreon.com/jessica_jackson for worksheets to help walk you through creating your own.

Synergizing is the culmination of all the previously discussed principles: seeking to understand, thinking win-win, being aware of and having paradigm shifts, and making deposits in the emotional bank account. We talk about what synergizing looks like in life-altering decision making as well as in every day life. We also invite you start having family councils to create an environment where you family can synergize on a consistent basis.

This week Madeline Casey and I talk about the what, the why, and then how of seeking to understand and thinking win-win. Learning to slow down and listen first and truly understand what another person is thinking, feeling, and experiencing takes a little more time up front, but it pays dividends in the long run. It builds trust and is an emotional deposit for both people when then they seek a win-win solution together.

Today we celebrate the first year of the podcast and announce what is next for the podcast! The biggest news is the launching of the membership site over at Patreon. Patreon is the place where we can come together as mothers and intentionally cultivate growth together. Each month you can gain access to printable worksheets that go along with topics in the podcast to help us slow down and make lasting change - not just be inspired for a few days and then move on. These worksheets are what I'm personally working on and talking about with my closest friends - and I want YOU to join us! At the top tier you will become part of our "motherhood mastermind"- a place where share our big wins and talk about what we are still working on. This will happen on community posts as well as a monthly video chat with me and other mastermind members. http://patreon.com/jessica_jackson