Triggers. We all have them no matter how much we wish we didn't! How does the saying go? To trigger is human, to parent is divine. Something like that. Amber Lia, author of "Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses" and "Marriage Triggers" is with us this week helping us to identify exactly what our triggers are and giving us the tools we need to respond in more loving ways than we initially feel. We hope you enjoy (rather than feel triggered) by this episode!...
Feb 11, 2020•59 min
Motherhood is hard. We've talked openly about the fact that mothers are put through similar torturous tactics as those employed by terrorists (namely sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, and brainwashing. If you don't believe the last one you clearly have never engaged with a three year old who isn't getting their own way). We solidly believe that the surest way to get through it in one piece (probably a much bigger piece than you hoped) is to engage the art of laughter. This week we bring y...
Feb 04, 2020•54 min
At the core, every parent aims to raise a child that can self-motivate and can fly once they are old enough to leave home. No parent wants to raise a child that is either so full of anxiety that they can't bear to leave home or a child that is so apathetic to life in general that their biggest concern is their status in Fort Night. Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson are with us this week discussing their book "The Self Driven Child" and the research behind it. It is a fascinating and compelling...
Jan 28, 2020•59 min
A challenge that everyone can relate to is that one person in your life that drives you crazy no matter how much you wish otherwise. All of us have certain personalities in our friend and family sphere that we struggle with. Chantel Allen is with us this week giving us some simple tools we can use to better handle the frustrations we feel in those situations. This is a fantastic interview you won't want to miss!
Jan 21, 2020•51 min
This is the third installment of our "Ages and Stages" series. The first two were episode 90 "Helpful and Hilarious Advice For The Baby Years" and episode 105 "A Guide To Help You NOT DIE Through The Toddler Years". The school years are full of ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations. They're bumpy for your kids too. The three hosts of the Family Looking Up Podcast (with a combined 15 kids between the three of them) share their thoughts, hilarious fails, and a nugget or two of wisdom they glean...
Jan 14, 2020•50 min
John Lanza and his wife had a desire to help their kids to be money smart. John’s background was in entertainment and so they came up with the audacious idea of taking something relatively boring like financial literacy and make it fun. They wanted to teach their kids about how to use their money wisely, how to save, and how to be able and willing to be charitable toward others. The result was their company “Money Mammals” with Joe the monkey, a few friends, and some fantastic songs that help to...
Jan 07, 2020•54 min
Monica Tanner(from the "On The Brighter Side Podcast) is with us today giving us some ideas on how to strengthen our marriage. The catch is how to do it without even involving our spouse! There is some great food for thought here, perfect for the new year!
Dec 31, 2019•51 min
Beth, Andrea, and Camille talk Christmas, the best of and the worst of in Christmas Music, and best memories from Christmases past. Join us for a Merry Christmas chat!
Dec 24, 2019•36 min
Is the art of meaningful conversation dying? You bet it is. Conversation is yet another casualty of our digital world. Did you know that there is a section of Wiki How devoted to teaching the basics of creating meaningful conversation?? I’m not joking! Ellen Martin, a wife and mother of 5 boys, with a Masters of Arts in Christian Education and Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, has been troubled by this communication trend as well. As a former Children’s Pastor, she loved child...
Dec 17, 2019•55 min
Chris and Brittany Kurtz, founders of the "Do Good. Be Kind." movement joined us this week. We originally interviewed Chris in episode 13. Now, two years and 98 episodes later, we met up with Chris and Brittany to talk about the movement of “Do Good. Be Kind.”. About the takeaways they have gleaned after speaking at hundreds of assemblies and with thousands of people. Specifically, we talked about how individuals, families, and our children can benefit from this powerful message....
Dec 10, 2019•59 min
There is power in feeling gratitude. Studies have shown that your brain releases serotonin and dopamine when gratitude is felt, which leads to an immediate sense of happiness. Nancy Davis Kho, a freelance writer, podcaster on Midlife Mixtape, and author took this idea of gratitude to a whole new level. Instead of just feeling gratitude she decided to express it. She has written a book called "The Thank You Project", which is a culmination of thank you letters she wrote every week over the period...
Dec 03, 2019•54 min
Did you know that ⅓ of all college freshmen transfer to another college after just one year? For parents investing time, energy, and money into the decision of where to go to college, this statistic can be distressing. If your child is one of the 4.2 million high school seniors applying to college this year, this interview is one you won’t want to miss. Helping kids choose the right college (the first time around) will save you and them a lot of heartache and money....
Nov 26, 2019•54 min
In this week’s episode, Beth, Andrea and Camille each share a struggle that we have had in our personal life, our marriage, and in our parenting. We talk about the struggle, and then we share some of the answers and solutions that we have found to be helpful. We hope that as you listen you will be able to relate, to empathize, and to receive comfort in your struggles. We truly are all in this together. Thank you for allowing us to walk life’s journey with you!
Nov 19, 2019•50 min
Today we are focusing on teaching our kids leadership skills. It’s one of those things that some kids come with and some don’t, but if it isn’t intrinsically within them is it worth teaching it to them? At its simplest a leader is defined as the inspiration and director of the action. Perhaps we don’t care at all whether they inspire or direct other people, but what about whether they have the ability to stand on their own and not follow the crowd when they feel strongly about something? In this...
Nov 05, 2019•50 min
Ahhh the toddler years. A time when mom’s are the reason for a tiny person's supreme happiness and, moments later, the epitome of evil who has ruined said toddlers life. And all of that is within the first 30 minutes of any given day. As mom’s of MANY former and current toddlers we want to offer you some survival tips to help you NOT DIE as you navigate this ever-changing and incredibly treacherous path called the toddler years. On this week's episode Beth, Andrea, and Camille talk about all thi...
Oct 29, 2019•54 min
In many ways being a parent is the scariest occupation out there. Nevermind the teething, potty training, and tantrums (all scary in their own right), but how about the idea that every day of a childs life parents are either preparing that child to eventually launch from home or they are enabling dependence so the child fails to launch. Talk about paralyzing pressure! This week we have Lisa Bishop on our show discussing this issue of raising kids so that they can actually leave home and launch. ...
Oct 22, 2019•58 min
Mom guilt is as much of a reality to moms as dirty toilets in a house full of children. Fun fact, both of them have a lot in common! They both stink, they both make a mom feel terrible about herself, and it takes some work to get rid of each of them. However, closing our eyes to them, to pretend they don’t exist, eventually leads to hazardous mental and physical conditions. No woman ever wants or deserves a mental state that resembles a neglected bathroom, but that’s what she gets if the mom gui...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 3 min
You know those people who just seem to get you? They truly understand when you are hurting? They know how to help you? They know the right things to say? Well, I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! That is not a gift God gave me. I am ashamed to admit I am severely lacking in the empathy department. It is a skill that I truly admire in others, but seem to fall remarkably short in. If Camille were here to write this post, you would get some great advice and anecdotes about how to use the skill of empathy...
Oct 08, 2019•51 min
Do you stress about how to educate your kids about money? How young is too young? Do you give an allowance or not? How do you handle money when teens are earning some of their own? The questions never end. If parents choose to let societal norms teach for them they are guaranteeing that a steady diet of debt and instant gratification will prevail. Ericka Young is with us this week talking about how to successfully teach financial literacy to our kids. She shares 6 tips for success with our kids....
Oct 01, 2019•54 min
A celebration and thank you to our Mom Squad for sticking with us for the first 100 episodes! Beth, Andrea and Camille discuss what they have learned and how they have changed over the course of 100 episodes. They also share insights about each other, out each other on our likes and dislikes and talk about behind the scenes laughs and insights.
Sep 24, 2019•42 min
Have you ever had a friend or family member that you were worried about and just didn't know how to reach out without making matters worse? It is a terrible feeling to be worried about someone and simultaneously feel paralyzed by a lack of knowing how to help. Tawni Beardall from the podcast "Becoming For Teens" joins us today with her own incredible story and practical tips that will help us move past fear and help those we love!
Sep 17, 2019•52 min
Author and Medical Doctor, Saundra Dalton- Smith talks with us today about the 5 areas of rest that most parents are completely deficient in. -Physical Rest -Mental Rest -Emotional Rest - Social Rest - Spiritual Rest She explains each of these, the effects on our person when we are deficient in them, and how we can begin to find that rest!
Sep 10, 2019•54 min
Parenting adult kids is NOT easy. Empty nest parents are constantly faced with choices of what to say and what not to say to the “adults” who they have loved and taught from their infancy. Not to mention that even though those “adults” are of age, that doesn’t mean they have nearly as much life experience and wouldn’t benefit from some sound advice. However, when these empty nesters innocently insert their opinion into their adult children’s lives, they are often met with insult and frustration....
Aug 27, 2019•49 min
This is one of our all time favorite episodes! If you want to feel hopeful and amazed listen in to this episode. Sherrine is the mother of six whose oldest son, Dayton, is non-verbal and has severe disabilities. We covered many topics that can help YOU and YOUR FAMILY: how it feels to have a child with disabilities the benefits of inclusion for kids with disabilities how to teach our kids to be loving and kind to those not like them how to help the caregivers of kids with disabilities Sherrine’s...
Aug 20, 2019•56 min
Jenny met with us again for this episode, as we start this next season of productivity. She talked with us about how to switch gears and change habits to truly be productive. There are some major pitfalls that women, in particular, fall into. Taking on WAY too much and getting discouraged is one of those pitfalls. She shared a bank account metaphor: We only have so much time and so much energy in our account. If we overspend we are in the red and that doesn’t help us or our family. We need to be...
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Raising boys is not for the faint of heart. Boys come into this world with their own set of challenges and their own set of amazing abilities. The goal is to learn to enjoy them for who they are and to harness all of their energy for their good. Monica Swanson is the mother of 4 and the author of a blog, a podcast, and a book all about raising boys. Listen in to hear stories, tips, and tricks for raising boys into men.
Aug 06, 2019•49 min
Devrie Pettit, MS, RDN meets with us this week to discuss Intuitive Eating. Whether you have a grasp on what that terminology means or you have only heard it in passing, this episode will enlighten and make you think about how you view food, diets, and body image. We live in a society saturated by a frantic and desperate desire to lose weight. One that defines a persons value based on their pant size. One that leads its members to seeing food based on whether or not it will "make you fat" or not...
Jul 30, 2019•58 min
Getting children to sleep is one of the hardest parts of parenthood. Dr. Melisa Moore is a clinical psychologist in the sleep center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine. She sees patients, teaches, and conducts research in pediatric sleep, and is also a sleep expert on the Pediatric Sleep Council’s website which is babysleep.com. Here's What You'll Learn During the interview we covered a vast array of topics including: Normal sleeping be...
Jul 23, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Beth, Camille and Andrea give there NOT SO expert advice all about the baby years.
Jul 16, 2019•53 min
The really difficult thing about parenting is that you don’t really know if how you parent is truly effective (producing the end result you hope for) until it’s nearly too late. Not only that, but sometimes you can parent the heck out of a child (in the most effective way imaginable) and that child still decides to use his/her agency to rip your heart out and turn your life upside down. Such is the life of a parent. Dr. Goddard has worked for many years as a professor of family and human develop...
Jul 09, 2019•1 hr 3 min
