As usual, this sidetracked has so much packed into it, especially as we head into Mother’s Day and the end-of-school-year May(hem). We recap my son Quade’s final high school musical performance as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast . Once again the tears are flowing as I process having a senior and all of the final milestones that come along with it. Cynthia tries to describe what her best Mother’s Day would look like and it ends up being a 1980’s party with a clean house and peaceful kids. While I...
May 03, 2024•49 min
Do you feel like you are just existing with your family instead of being intentional? Are you finding it hard to consistently spend time with the Lord as a busy mom? Do you wonder how to train your kids in Godly principles and practices that last a lifetime? Today Jennifer Pepito- author, podcaster, and homeschool curriculum writer- joins me to talk about her new book Habits for a Sacred Home . She studied the ancient practices and habits of monks and Christian women who have gone before us to s...
Apr 29, 2024•50 min
Do you often feel like you are dropping all the spinning plates? That you can’t keep up or believe the lie that you are the worst mom and wife? Do you wonder why you are not further along, why does everyone else seem to have it together? Today Joanna Weaver- author, speaker, and podcaster- joins me to discuss her new book Embracing Trust. We also spent time talking about her classic Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and how that message has stayed applicable through the years. We want to wor...
Apr 22, 2024•46 min
Do you feel like you just need more money to create a home you love? Do you want an inviting home that feels peaceful and open to your friends and family? Are you confused about your decorating style and end up buying random decor that does not work? Myquillyn Smith, author and founder of the Nesting Place, joins me to help with all of the House Rules that can be so overwhelming. She gives me advice on how to update my kitchen on a limited budget by utilizing Pinterest. Plus gives advice on ever...
Apr 15, 2024•52 min
Do you feel as if you are always measuring yourself as a mom? Do you feel like the pressure to keep up with moms around you is overwhelming? Do you feel snappy or resentful at your kids and husband? Today, author Sara Hagerty joins me to talk about her new book, The Gift Of Limitations . She is a wife and mom of seven with four adopted kids. Sara shares how we often find ourselves daydreaming about other seasons and how to recognize our limits and give ourselves grace without shame and complaini...
Apr 08, 2024•49 min
Right off the bat Cynthia and I get sidetracked by my grumpy mood. A mood I blamed on an instagram battle but probably more about my grief of having a senior who is actually going to college! There’s some rehashing of the Bachelor, Heather’s advice for renting with Turo and discussion whether audiobooks count as reading. We also get sidetracked talking about all of the end-of-school year emotions including Cynthia's current struggle over her first grader’s learning and reading challenges. She cl...
Apr 05, 2024•44 min
Earbud and Trigger warning We live on the other side of the Resurrection! If you find yourself in the middle of brokenness and ruin, we pray this episode reminds you that your heavenly Father God is in the redemption business. Today Nadia Louise joins me to share her powerful testimony. Her story is woven with so many layers of trauma and pain from a narcissistic, abusive father to the death of her brother when she was just 17 years old. That event was the catalyst that allowed Nadia to hear the...
Apr 01, 2024•54 min
Bruce joins me today to discuss 25 years of marriage and answer listener questions like- What did you learn in year 25 that you wish you knew in year 1? How do you make time for intimacy? How to handle times when your significant other is having a struggle with faith? And, What are you looking forward to when your kids are grown and flown? I discuss how I’ve grown in emotional maturity while Bruce talks about how to get out of the ruts and routines of work and family life. We also tackle differe...
Mar 25, 2024•41 min
Do you feel like you are on the hamster wheel of expectations this culture throws at your teen? Do you feel the pressure and pull of having them in every sport, activity, and tutor to excel? Is church becoming a point of struggle every Sunday? Melissa Kruger joins me to talk about all things teen and how to raise them in this culture that is pointing to everything but Jesus. Melissa is an author and Bible teacher who encourages women as they walk through life and motherhood. We talk about how to...
Mar 18, 2024•50 min
Is your home a place of peace or one of anger and frustration? Do you feel exhausted from the arguing and bickering between kids? Does the bedtime struggle make most evenings end in overwhelm? Ralphie Jacobs is here to help us understand the science and tactics behind Positive Parenting. She started her career in early childhood education and soon realized through her own parenting struggles that there was a lack of resources for behavior change through Positive Parenting. She teaches parents ho...
Mar 11, 2024•39 min
Do you feel the pull between protecting your family and kids while having compassion on the orphan and the widow who are crossing our borders? Do you feel confused about immigration laws and sustainable immigration practices? Today Bri Stensrud, author, human dignity advocate, and the Director at Women of Welcome shares her heart on immigration. She began her career as a pro-life advocate and after going to Mexico and seeing the reality of so many women and children, compassionate care quickly b...
Mar 04, 2024•56 min
Today’s show starts with a small hiccup and then really gets going with our guest and listener Rachel Green (but not that one ;)). We discussed what we had for breakfast and it was everything from a frittata, to coconut milk yogurt with all the toppings, to a Diet Dr. Pepper with saltines. Can you guess who ate what? Rachel admits to being sidetracked by ruminating over her busy calendar, and how Cynthia’s book is helping her, “get comfortable with being uncomfortable so she can bring others in”...
Mar 01, 2024•47 min
If you need a reminder that God can redeem and restore a broken marriage, this week’s guest, Kathy Bush shares her powerful restoration testimony. Kathy and Tim have been married for 42 years, many of those years filled with hurt, pain and infidelity. Their story centers around a primary marriage challenge —bringing two stories, backgrounds, and expectations together. It took Kathy and Tim hitting rock bottom to begin a two-year process of counseling where they found a place of healing. Kathy re...
Feb 26, 2024•55 min
Did you know panic attacks can happen even when everything around you looks “perfect”? They can sneak up seemingly out of nowhere and be frightening. But a panic attack is a warning light to slow down and see what is happening in our bodies and emotions. Panic is a behavioral and physical response to anxiety locked in our bodies. So many of us can feel alone and isolated even when surrounded by people. My guest today, Kasey Van Norman, an author, counselor, and teacher, shares the neurological a...
Feb 19, 2024•55 min
Boys today are struggling more than ever with social anxiety. They feel hesitant, anxious, and struggle to take healthy risks. How do we know when to push them into uncomfortable places? Many boys are even struggling with life milestones like getting their driver's license, asking a girl to the school dance, or applying to college. OCD and ADHD are on the rise and we want to understand when to step in and get them any help that is needed. My guest David Thomas, a licensed professional counselor,...
Feb 12, 2024•52 min
Kids plus nutrition often equals a storm of thoughts and emotions. What should I serve my child? How do I get them to eat it? Is what I heard on the internet true? We don’t come to these questions with blank slates either. Words spoken to us or ideas we’ve internalized can make this area of life rife with trouble. But my guest this week is mom and registered dietician Kacie Barnes and she is here to help! She’s got broad guidelines and specific tips to help us through snacks and mealtimes. The o...
Feb 05, 2024•52 min
Where do you turn when life gets messy? Cynthia said it best, “98% of life is the messy part.” But that sentence doesn’t have to end there, with us shaking our fists at the sky. Instead, get Sidetracked with Cynthia and me as we dive right into life’s messy parts, clinging to the brilliant hope that God is still good to us, and for us. Pre-order Cynthia’s new book, Life is Messy, God is Good and enter our contest to be on a future episode of Sidetracked! Connect with Cynthia Yanof: Website: http...
Feb 02, 2024•43 min
How do you measure yourself? How do you decide if you’re succeeding or failing in life? One ruler we often reach for is comparison. Sometimes comparisons are helpful tools we can use to evaluate our processes or methods. But we’ve all seen comparisons go wrong. Who hasn’t thought, “I’m not like her. I must be less than”? Comparison isolates. It causes us to withdraw from our community or to put up perfect-looking walls that keep people out. My guest this week is recovering comparison-chaser, Jen...
Jan 22, 2024•46 min
Have you ever asked yourself, “Is what’s going on with my body normal?” So often as women, we are quiet about what’s going on with our bodies. Our concerns have been dismissed before. We’re worried about what will have to change in our lives to fix this nagging symptom. The doctor is busy. We have to leave this appointment soon to make it on time to the next thing on our lists. So we just deal. But my guest this week, Dr. Kamilia Smith, says that “quality of life issues should not be extra credi...
Jan 15, 2024•46 min
What would you do to make sure your child’s faith life is growing strong? Is this something you’re taking on yourself or getting help with? Join us this week as Ben Bevis, a passionate advocate for youth empowerment through faith, shares insights on gathering Mentor Circles around our young people. As the founder of Encircled, Ben is dedicated to helping to launch the Next Generation with sustained faith. Ben and Encircled do this by helping to equip parents, grandparents and mentors by groundin...
Jan 08, 2024•48 min
Happy New Year! We’re starting the year off right with mile-long to-do lists and a complex highlighting system so we don’t forget to wash the dog in the midst of crocheting that giant bow. JK! But we are thinking about what went well in 2023 and what we’re focusing in on 2024. Whether you make resolutions or not, evaluating how things are going is helpful and the flip of the calendar is a natural time to do just that. But because we’ve been victimized by the to-do list just as often as we’ve bee...
Jan 05, 2024•51 min
How are you handling your mental load? Are you a well-packed Sherpa able to take on any terrain or Sisyphus rolling the ball up the hill only to watch it roll back down? This is the time of year when it feels natural to look back and look forward. We can evaluate what worked and what didn’t, but more importantly we can listen to what space the Lord is asking us to occupy. Maybe things need to drop off our list. Maybe God isn’t saying “let go” but is tasking you with bringing order to your every ...
Dec 11, 2023•57 min
Have you heard the Bible verse “Women will be saved through childbearing”? (It’s part of 1 Timothy 2:15) What do you think that verse means? What do you think it means for the woman facing infertility, or singleness? My guest this week, Dr. Sandra Glahn, wants to dispel some iffy interpretations of this verse many of us grew up hearing. Dr. Glahn is Professor of Media Arts and Worship at Dallas Theological Seminary and has spent over 20 years trying to better understand what Paul meant in these ...
Dec 04, 2023•53 min
Ready or not, the holidays are upon us! What are your favorite holiday traditions? What are the ones you could leave behind? Get sidetracked with Cynthia and me as we discuss everything from trees (real, fake, and Jesse) to gift giving philosophies (more or less presents than Jesus?) to elves and shepherds and the awful name your pie might get if it doesn’t come out just right. There’s even help for the mom who just wants to help her kids see Jesus in the midst of all the holiday stuff! Connect ...
Dec 01, 2023•48 min
How are you doing? Honestly. What is the pace of your day? What do you long for and feel you are missing out on? What activities have you crammed in your life out of a “should” mentality? When do you focus on your spiritual life? Today we are getting honest about our lives. And discussing ways to deepen relationships, simplify schedules, and connect spiritually. This week’s podcast guest is the talented, Shauna Niequist. Author of several books (“Cold Tangerines”, “Bread and Wine”, etc), she has...
Nov 27, 2023•40 min
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “college tuition”? Does your heart rate speed up? Sending a child to college is the culmination of a lot of effort. It’s emotional and there are a lot of logistics to manage. In this hands-on, information-packed conversation Kristi and I cover the basics of applying for financial aid for college. We talk through deadlines and how-to’s to help relieve some of the logistical stress of sending a child to college. Connect with Kristi Steele: Website: htt...
Nov 20, 2023•58 min
What are two words to describe your mind when your head hits the pillow most nights? The quiet space before sleep can be our most vulnerable moments. Whether it’s to-do’s or dredging up memories from the past, our thoughts can feel overwhelming. If we let our mind spiral we’re sacrificing the rest God intends us to enjoy. But my guest this week, Emily Ley has some bedtime rituals that can help us stop the spiraling. Crafted to help herself with the nighttime barrage of thoughts, Emily’s simple r...
Nov 13, 2023•47 min
Do the sights and sounds and feels of parenting overwhelm you some days? Or most days? How can we parent kindly and intentionally when we desperately need a break from all the stimulation? My guest this week is Mary Van Geffen. She is a mom who has striven to cultivate good relationships with her children and husband while also navigating life as a Highly Sensitive Person with diagnosed ADHD. She knows firsthand the struggles moms face with sensory overload and she’s not trying to “fix” you - yo...
Nov 06, 2023•46 min
Pull out the petit fours and lip plumpers - it’s time to celebrate! Don’t Mom Alone has officially reached double digits!! Get Sidetracked with us as Cynthia leads us on a surprising, only mildly teary ride as we look back on 10 years of the podcast. There’s even a Cameo from Bob Ross! Jk, there isn’t. But we do have a great lineup of special guests and listeners to help us commemorate 10 years of mom-ing together. Connect with Cynthia Yanof: Website: https://cynthiayanof.com/ Facebook: https://...
Nov 03, 2023•44 min
Some moments create a “before” and “after” in life. Whether it’s a circumstance we live through or a person we encounter, we see the world and our lives differently after these experiences. In choosing the most memorable moments to go back to, I thought about, “What were the conversations that changed my own life and parenting?” Don’t forget, we are walking together down this path of motherhood! I’m sharing these conversations again because they have impacted my journey in encouraging, clarifyin...
Oct 30, 2023•46 min
