This generation of parents is on the forefront of dealing with the topic of technology in a way that no previous generation has had to. Studies are only beginning to come out that show what effect smart phones actually have on children. Ken Ball is a retired school teacher, a husband, and a father who started his own company "Together Unplugged" to help families retrain their brains on how to interact and communicate with each other. He shares the latest statistics, his own personal classroom ob...
Jul 02, 2019•49 min
Mridu Parikh is a productivity speaker and coach who met with us and taught 3 easy steps to being able to focus and increase your productivity each and every day. She says that even if people are afflicted with a “distracted brain” there is still hope. Brains can be re-trained to be able to focus. Mridu created an acronym (ACT) that she uses to teach her clients some easy tools that have an incredible impact on re-training their brains and increasing their productivity! To hear all of the detail...
Jun 25, 2019•50 min
Tracey is the author of Be the Mom , in which she shares advice on how to avoid what she describes as the seven most common “mom traps.” Tracey identified the seven most common “mom traps” in an effort to help her daughter as she embarked on the journey of motherhood. The book is written in an encouraging tone that makes you feel like there is a possibility of learning to avoid these “traps” as we learn to recognize them for what they are. The problem isn’t us. It’s our attitude. To say that Tra...
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 9 min
In our society, the role of father is often demeaned as "not necessary" and VERY optional. On this fathers day we speak with Jason Kreidman from "Dad University" about the importance of fathers and the unique gifts that dads bring to the family. Jason helps us to see how moms can better appreciate the differences that dads bring and how moms can better include dads in family life.
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr
According to a 2017 survey taken of college counseling centers by Inside Higher Ed, “over the last decade, anxiety has overtaken depression as the most common reason college students seek counseling services. Not only that, but there has been “a doubling of hospital admissions for suicidal teenagers over the last 10 years.” OUR expert on this subject, for this episode, is Haylee Bladen. Haylee agrees that there is a definite rise, not only in teens being diagnosed with anxiety, but teens having ...
Jun 04, 2019•57 min
Cindy Kaplan is a certified Parenting Coach and talked with us, in this episode, about the battles that we may not need to be fighting. This interview was an eye opener in many ways for me. She talked about the idea of gaining clarity in our parenting to be able to decipher what things we needed to be solid on and what things were truly not worth the battle. According to Cindy, we become clear by deconstructing all of the societal and family beliefs and standards that we have simply drunk in wit...
May 28, 2019•54 min
Dinnertime is incredibly hard for most moms. We get that! We have done several episodes on family meal time, ways to include kids in the kitchen, and hacks for making things easier. All of these have given such terrific and incredible information, but I don’t think any of them have been as good at giving a guilt free look at the normal mom. Leigh Anne has raised her family and clearly knows the burden it is for moms. I was so impressed by her “down-to-earth” approach to making dinner, her unders...
May 21, 2019•47 min
What dreams have you had that have never been realized? Maybe you have secretly held them close to you for years, maybe not. Do you have dreams that you would like to pursue, but you don’t know where to begin? CrystaLee Beck is a business owner and business coach, she is the co-founder of The Mama Ladder International where she helps to empower mom entrepreneurs. She visited with us about moms, about dreams, and about how moms can actually take the steps to pursue and succeed in those dreams! Cr...
May 14, 2019•46 min
This Mothers Day we want to celebrate moms as they really are! We also want to LAUGH! Laughter is the greatest gift we could possibly give our Mom Squad on this special day. As we have lived the mom life we have found that all moms have FAILS every day, but having FAILS does not equal FAILURE. In fact, any woman who is willing to live life and take on mothering (no matter how it comes to her) is a SUPERHERO! This job is not for the faint of heart. It is for those who are willing to lay their hea...
May 07, 2019•58 min
If you would love to travel more with your family but just don’t know how to make it happen, then this episode is for you! Jessica from “Flying With Four” is with us this week discussing how she (a kindergarten teacher) and her husband have found ways to take their four kids (ages 9-2) on multiple trips inside and outside of the country each year without breaking the bank or their sanity! If you would like to hear her ideas on the differences between lodging such as Airbnb, VRBO, and hotels, we’...
Apr 30, 2019•51 min
Dana Suchow is an eating disorder survivor who resides in New York City. “Since overcoming Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder and exercise compulsion that resulted in permanent injuries, Dana Suchow has become an expert in the field of body image and eating disorder prevention. Offering a nonclinical and holistic approach, Dana works to teach parents how to put their child on a path towards body love, empowerment and self acceptance!” Dana essentially decided that she wanted to protect children from...
Apr 23, 2019•53 min
Would you like to learn the top 3 ways to easily start saving money today? We’ve got you covered! Melissa Blandford is with us and is here to teach us how to secure our financial future no matter where we are today ! Melissa and her husband successfully dug out of $30,000 of debt and have stayed debt free despite life continuing to happen, children being born, and Melissa starting a financial coaching business! If you would like to know how to stop living paycheck to paycheck, how to stop wonder...
Apr 16, 2019•59 min
Jessica Smartt is the author of the book “Memory-Making Mom: Building Traditions That Breathe Life Into Your Home." . Jessica wrote the book because she knows the deep importance of traditions for families and for children. Traditions give children a sense of “belonging” within their family. Jessica wanted to share this knowledge with other moms and wanted to let them know that traditions are not as hard as we sometimes make them out to be. If you want to be uplifted, and join us in laughing at ...
Apr 09, 2019•49 min
This week it's just the three of us talking about our favorite things in life right now. We hit topics ranging from favorite products, to movies, recipes, music (Beth even sings), books, to our favorite episodes of the podcast. We hope you will enjoy the episode! Check out our webpage at www.familylookingup.com for all of the links to our favorite things!
Apr 02, 2019•36 min
On this weeks episode we interviewed Stephanie Sikora about reducing stress through home organization. You may ask if organization LITERALLY reduces stress. I honestly don’t know if it does for everyone on the planet. All I can do I answer truthfully that for me, YES! IT! DOES!!!!!!!!! Stephanie explained that clutter literally triggers a stress response, and that stress seeps into all aspects of life. De-cluttering will actually lessen a persons stress response. To listen to all of Stephanie's ...
Mar 26, 2019•49 min
How does that Frank Sinatra song go? “Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention” Dr. David Schramm is a researcher and an assistant professor of Family and Life at Utah State University. As he was in the middle of raising his children, he conducted what he called a “selfish study”. As he was pondering dilemas like the one I illustrated above, he decided that the best experts on the subject of raising kids would be empty nesters who had raised their kids (and survived)! Dr. Schr...
Mar 19, 2019•54 min
One thing I could be much better at is taking family pictures more often. Either the hassle, the money, or the 20 pounds I’d like to lose always seems to get in the way. This weeks’ podcast interview with Kristen Duke @capturingjoy was enlightening to me and I think it will be for you as well. She talked with us about all the essential tips and tricks for taking amazing family pictures. She hit topics like how to choose clothes (what clothes are the most flattering on camera), how to choose a co...
Mar 12, 2019•44 min
Moms, if you could name the sinister voice inside your head that is constantly comparing yourself to other moms, who would it be? Cruella de Vil? Miranda Priestly? Ursula? Or the Wicked Witch of the West? My sister-in-law Wendy named hers Bellatrix (an evil witch in the Harry Potter series). Of course Bellatrix and her crew of dark thought-provokers don’t stop with comparisons to others, they create havoc in our mind and insecurities in our hearts that drag us down. Their specialty, though, is t...
Mar 05, 2019•42 min
If you are human it’s pretty much guaranteed that you have a list of life changes that you would like to make. Unfortunately, It is also guaranteed (due to your human-ness) that you have probably tried to make MANY changes already and a multitude of those efforts have fallen by the wayside. Any exhausted parent might say that’s why trying to change is clearly a waste of time. “You are what you are” right?!? I, for one, certainly hope not. If I am stuck forever as who I am today, I may just go ov...
Feb 26, 2019•41 min
Brenda Garrison, author of the book “ Love No Matter What: When Your Kids Make Decisions You Don’t Agree With ”, joined us this week to discuss what to do when our kids are old enough to start making BIG decisions that you don’t agree with; such as choosing the “bad boy” to be their boyfriend, using drugs, being sexually active, dropping out of school, or making poor money decisions? Things get real serious real fast when our kids are old enough to make decisions that will forever impact their l...
Feb 19, 2019•58 min
Happy Valentines to all of you who have perfect relationships! Newlyweds don’t count. They don’t even live on this planet...temporarily. Those of us with normal relationships know that life is filled with relationship highs and lows. The hope is that we create more highs than lows over time. The imperative word being create. So, you may wonder, exactly HOW do we create those bonding moments and how do we safeguard our relationships before they are in trouble? Georgia Anderson, from Know How Mom,...
Feb 12, 2019•58 min
If you are anything like me you are exhausted. Parents finding rest is an impossible dream. I honestly don’t remember the last time I really had enough rest. Having said that, there is more to rest than just sleep. Shaunti Feldhahn is here to talk with us about finding rest, peace, and balance in the busy world that we live in. Shaunti received her graduate degree from Harvard University and was an analyst on Wall Street before unexpectedly becoming a social researcher, best-selling author and p...
Feb 05, 2019•51 min
Hillary Hess is the mother of seven kids. That’s as real as it gets, people! She came on the scene to help us see how to EASILY include kids in cooking in a way that won’t lead to mom having a nervous breakdown before dinner is served. Hillary graduated with a BS in Home Economics with an emphasis in Home and Family. She runs a website and podcast called “Helping of Happiness” where she shares ideas about mothering, teaching, traveling, and cooking. She is a wonderful cook and definitely NOT a “...
Jan 29, 2019•44 min
Tanya Lindquist is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a wife, and a mom. She specializes in kids with anxiety and other big emotions like depression. She runs a website called “Family Ninjas” that’s dedicated to providing families happiness and mental health tips. She is also the author of a book called “Duke’s Journey of Courage: A Children’s Picture Book for Learning Skills to Cope With Anxiety”. We talked with Tanya about what childhood anxiety looks like, how to help your kids to learn copin...
Jan 22, 2019•1 hr
If you were asked to describe an extraordinary mom, what words would you use? Patient, devoted, intentional, energetic, creative, authentic, fun ...the list could go on and on. I’d bet that the list wouldn’t include words and phrases like: flustered, hanging on to sanity by her fingernails, trying and sometimes succeeding, pretty average and utterly exhausted. Next question: Which words would you use to describe yourself? If you’re like me, 99% of the time I would be perfectly portrayed by the s...
Jan 15, 2019•45 min
When you read the words “grocery shopping” do you feel anxiety, boredom, the serious beginnings of a headache, frustration, excitement, desperation, or not really anything? Women run the gamut of emotions when it comes to this particular duty. One of the BIGGEST stresses about grocery shopping for me is the budget . 😰 The eternal struggle of how to feed my family something a step UP from dog food while not breaking the bank. Oh, yeah. Every. Single. Day. How can we eat healthy food, instead of ...
Jan 08, 2019•56 min
Pregnancy. I love you. I hate you. I think that pretty much sums up my feelings on the subject. I absolutely LOVE the end result of pregnancy… the baby, obvi. My Disclaimer If you are one of those unicorn moms who actually feels better during pregnancy, you have my serious respect, deep jealousy, and slight to moderate hostility. You must understand that you are NOT NORMAL though. You. Are. A. Unicorn. For the non-unicorn moms Growing a baby within me...not a problem. Not a problem unless I don’...
Jan 01, 2019•41 min
It's Christmas today!!!!! Merry Christmas Mom Squad! What a year it has been. If your house is like mine, we've been up since the crack of dawn (insert yawn). I look like a junkie with mascara caked under my eyes and my family room looks like a wrapping paper company exploded. Christmas breakfast has already been made and cleaned up by yours truly (Am I a saint? Why, yes. Yes I am. Thanks for pointing that out). Currently there are kids playing with toys, teens reading new books, and a husband g...
Dec 25, 2018•53 min
On todays episode we have Tracey Eyster who is the author of Be the Mom , in which she shares advice on how to avoid what she describes as the seven most common “mom traps.” Here’s what I LOVE about Tracey (other than her accent). Usually when I learn about “mom traps” I feel a LOT of guilt because it’s pretty clear that I have “stuff” that I’m dealing with. Tracey isn’t advocating perfection in motherhood. She knows it’s hard. She says that moms are too hard on themselves. They take on motherho...
Dec 18, 2018•1 hr 4 min
I just got home from traveling to hear my nephew speak in church. He is embarking on an 18 month service mission for his church and was asked to speak before he begins. As I was about to listen to this 18 year old boy speak, I expected the depth of...well, an 18 year old boy; a little life experience, definite bravado, some joking with a touch of God-loving faith mixed in...he was about to dedicate a chunk of his life to serving God, after all. What I got was something very different and very sp...
Dec 11, 2018•55 min
