This episode is just to encourage you to remember the elderly and shut ins who are around you. In a covid safe manner, find ways to connect with them. Saturday, we have huge plans to go singing in some elderly people's yards. We are joining our friends - Jon, Mandi and my parents (Justin). We are just going to drive to their homes, keep a safe distance from them in their yard and sing some songs. We share some songs from our sing along last week that we plan to make into a CD for those who are s...
Sep 11, 2020•24 min
Awkwardness. Who enjoys it? Join us today as we talk through awkwardness and how to move through it into the growth process. But can you think of a single thing in your life that wasn't awkward at first? Learning to walk. Learning to eat with a fork. Learning to read. Learning to drive. 1st day at work. 2nd day at work. 1st date. 2nd date. We get stress out when we want to be smooth and look great at something the first or second time that we do it. We have to understand that awkwardness is part...
Sep 09, 2020•19 min
My dad and mom have an amazing gift of hospitality. We have just spent 2 days at their house recording music, eating great food and hanging out. It has been a real blessing! In this episode, we talk about the challenges of covid, but we encourage you to find a way to engage with others and practice some old school people skills as appropriate. We talk about meeting outdoors, using paper products and some other things to practice hospitality in 2020. Art Work: Shawna Intro Voice: Hosanna, Asher, ...
Sep 07, 2020•18 min•Ep. 128
This discussion comes from James Clear's Atomic Habits and it started in episode 125 about how to start the 1% improvement lifestyle. I (Justin) removed the TV from our living room because of the happiness that I felt when measuring backwards. I realized how happy I felt when I could just sit in my chair and not turn on the chaos in the world. Such a peaceful place. James Clear points out that when we set goals and plan for the future, we often set ourselves up for failure because we don't consi...
Sep 04, 2020•21 min
Food Freedom!! We struggled to find a way to eat healthy and not feel hungry. Corey and Hollie first introduced us to Trim Healthy Mama and this pattern has become the way we have judged all other meals and diet plans. We give an overview of how this way of approaching food has shifted us. We lay out the general philosophy and application. This is a great system for understanding food and you can find practitioners all over the world now. https://trimhealthymama.com/ www.lsfpodcast.com for our f...
Sep 02, 2020•21 min
Some times things just click. Things clicked for me (Justin) when I read James Clear's explanation of 1% improvements. I applied this to our family with 100 pennies laid out on the floor during our devotional time. I told them that most people do not value a penny enough to pick it up because it is only 1% of a dollar. But if they ( my kids) will improve just 1% in something every day, then they will be 37x better in that area in 1 year. James Clear lays out the British cycling team that began t...
Aug 31, 2020•18 min
If you are exhausted at the end of the day (every day), but you aren't getting what you need out of life, then you might need to reconsider your to do list. We share the story about how a lion can hunt mice all day and basically starve over time (not enough calories in vs calories out) OR the same lion can hunt the bigger game that will sustain the pride (group of lions). We talk about inputs, outputs of time, energy, and value. Obviously, evaluating your inputs correctly can take a lot of exper...
Aug 28, 2020•17 min•Ep. 124
Shawna has been working hard to practice the NOW - meaning that she has focused more and more about the present and the LORD's Presence. Some people are geared to dwell in the past which can lead to depression, regret, anger. Some people are geared to dwell in the future which can lead to rush, worry anxiety. If you can learn to live in the right now, then you can experience more peace, grounding, and joy. We read the amazing Derek Sivers story about riding his bike 43 minutes vs 45 minutes. htt...
Aug 26, 2020•17 min
Do you remember Opposite Day in elementary school with your friends? We dive into Tim Ferris' story about doing the opposite in his first sales job. He stopped calling from 9 to 5. Instead, he started calling from 7 to 8:30 in the morning and then after the 5pm work stop. Why? because the gatekeepers were not there during those hours and he could often talk to the real decision makers. Ask yourself if you can do the opposite in regards to your timing, your doing, your sourcing. We give some exam...
Aug 24, 2020•21 min
In this Part 2 = The enneagram is such a useful tool because it shows your blindspots (episodes 98, 99, 100) and it also shows your how you act in stress. I (Justin) was super blown away because the enneagram nailed my stress response tendencies. We have used these stress tendencies to become aware when we are stressing out or when our spouse is stressing out or when our kids are stressing out. We are able to give ourselves and our family members and our co-workers are lot more grace when we can...
Aug 21, 2020•19 min•Ep. 121
In this Part 1 = The enneagram is such a useful tool because it shows your blindspots (episodes 98, 99, 100) and it also shows your how you act in stress. I (Justin) was super blown away because the enneagram nailed my stress response tendencies. We have used these stress tendencies to become aware when we are stressing out or when our spouse is stressing out or when our kids are stressing out. We are able to give ourselves and our family members and our co-workers are lot more grace when we can...
Aug 19, 2020•20 min
The school year is a great to time refocus your time and energy so we talk about 6 tips that will allow you to have the best school year. 2020 is going to be a challenging year because there are so many unknowns with Covid, but if you do these things, we promise you will have a successful year. 1. Secure your Bedtime and Morning Routines 2. Choose healthy choices - diet, sleep, exercise, water, etc. 3. Ownership of school gear 4. Create learning spaces at home ( for you and your kids) 5. Very cl...
Aug 17, 2020•19 min•Ep. 119
The word Hygge (who guh) is a Danish concept that basically means feeling content and well being thru enjoying the simple thing. Denmark is one of the happiest places on the earth and there is a lot of research about why that is. We need to learn and develop "we" time with the ones we love. This takes effort and focus. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_secret_to_danish_happiness...
Aug 14, 2020•21 min•Ep. 118
We are not doctors and we do NOT give out medical advice. BUT we are tired of hearing all about illness and sickness and germs. Very few people are talking about boosting your immune system. We look at many of the simple things you can do to boost your immune system. Of course, we are not saying you won't get sick. But if your immune system is strong, you can fight illness better. https://www.evms.edu/media/evms_public/departments/internal_medicine/EVMS_Critical_Care_COVID-19_Protocol.pdf https:...
Aug 12, 2020•21 min
In today's episode, we talk about the need for people to develop depth in their spirit/soul. Just like we need to do exercises to strengthen our bodies, we need to do spiritual exercises to strengthen our spirit/soul. Some benefits of spiritual disciplines (from the link below): Delay gratification Receive insight Hear God’s voice/one’s inner voice Make better decisions Remain centered and unaffected by external events Demonstrate moral courage Detach from distractions Feel inner peace Behave un...
Aug 10, 2020•25 min
This episode is really about being kind to yourself and kind to others. I (Justin) was pretty skeptical about talking about grieving and the state of the world, but we read about what expert David Kessler says about grief and the different kinds of grief. Also, I learned that the steps of grief aren't necessarily linear. You can jump around the grieving process. This episode is just a caution to look at your own life and your spouse and kids and friends. Give yourself and others some grace as we...
Aug 07, 2020•18 min
It is time to prepare your mind and heart for the fall of 2020. We have this Covid thing, elections, potential universal homeschool, and whatever else you want to put into the blank. To reframe this in a positive manner, it is a good time to take more ownership of your life. Let's assume this is the end of the 1st quarter of this covid life. What things do you need to change? What have you done well? What do you need to improve? Here are the areas we are addressing in our home: Essentials (M&...
Aug 05, 2020•21 min•Ep. 114
Well, we needed to laugh so we just told jokes this episode. The joke we told about sodium atoms and Batman: On the periodic table, sodium is NA. So sodium is Na so Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Batman
Aug 03, 2020•15 min•Ep. 113
Obviously, we are not talking about the physical infection of the Covid 19 virus. But we are talking about the emotional and relational impact that Covid 19 is having on marriages. Solutions include: Self Care - you have to find new times for youself Get out of the Rut Actually, Pay attention to your emotions Ask questions and actually listen to your spouse Share a bigger vision with your spouse than just the day to day, week to week routine Become more aware of God's Presence...
Jul 31, 2020•16 min•Ep. 112
There are 2 kinds of stress: good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress) The purpose of this episode is to talk about how you need to start having a scale in your mind about the stress you encounter. If you only encounter bad stress, then you are going to have emotional and physical problems in the long term. You need to balance out the negative with doing something positive. We talk in this episode about how Shawna finally a breakthrough with cold showers. There are a million things you ca...
Jul 29, 2020•20 min•Ep. 111
We have seen some real breakthrough with our kids by incorporating some simple hobbies in our life. The idea of a hobby can seem overwhelming but it doesn't have to be. We talk about how we set up a corner of the basement as a no electronic area for arts, crafts and board games. Our kids have spent hours every day down there. HUGE victory for us and our daily routine. We also talk about how running (Justin and the boys) has decreased stress with the boys. We go through about 50 things that can b...
Jul 27, 2020•23 min•Ep. 110
A guy named Alex came and lived with me (Justin) in Ethiopia for a couple of months. Alex was a dynamic guy who had an awesome testimony. Alex talked with such honor about his brother who was a Navy Seal. Alex told me about a guy named Jocko and something called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Turns out, Alex's brother was one of Jocko's platoon leader. In today's episode, we go over how ego and pride will keep you from becoming a great leader. We briefly cover the 1st chapter of this great book - Extreme ...
Jul 24, 2020•20 min•Ep. 109
With Covid uncertainty everywhere, everyone needs to have a homeschool back up plan. We have a lot of years of homeschool experience so here goes: *** You as a parent care more for your child's educational success than anyone else on the planet.*** 1st, include lifeskills as part of your school. On age appropriate levels, you kids need to know how to clean, prepare food, and do laundry. Lifeskills are not on a math test, but are so important. 2nd - group your kids together when possible. History...
Jul 22, 2020•20 min•Ep. 108
This podcast is dedicated to one of my best friends - Keith Garmon. He passed away this morning after a 3 year battle with stage 4 cancer. Keith loved to worship the LORD. Keith loved his family. Keith was hilarious. With death totals continually in the news these days, we thought it was a good time to talk. We sat down with our kids this morning and talked about Keith's pass with our kids. We told them the following: 1st - knowing the LORD is the most important thing you will ever do. It is a d...
Jul 20, 2020•15 min•Ep. 107
Watch any road race from kids, high school to adults. You will watch some runners go out too fast. By the end of the race, their wheels have "fallen off". A lot of people have lost their wheels during this covid crisis because they started off going too hard and too fast. This thing is now a marathon and not a sprint. In this episode, we look at the Ziglar wheel of life and rank each category as being bored, comfortable, stretched, strained or burned out. This is a really good episode to reflect...
Jul 17, 2020•21 min
Good habits make your life and business flow so much more smoothly. On the opposite side of the spectrum, bad habits can crush your success. "The Habit Loop" is a concept presented by Charles Duhigg in his book, "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business." He sheds light on the subconscious factors (cues and rewards) that are at play when you try to break or form a habit. In this episode of the Less Stress Family Podcast, my husband and I break down the loop and offer a formu...
Jul 15, 2020•18 min•Ep. 105
So Shawna took all of Justin's notes about how he always wins the argument . . . LOL. Shawna had MULTIPLE difficult conversations with people due to COVID policies this week on the phone and even in email. NOT FUN. The current reality is that life is STRESSFUL due to COVID, economic crisis and racial and political tensions. Add in a hard conversation and you might be ready to scream. In this episode of the Less Stress Family Podcast, we discuss an article based on an interview with an FBI Hostag...
Jul 13, 2020•19 min•Ep. 104
Being Curious. Staying Curious. Curiosity is a word/idea that I keep hearing about so I found this article by Catherine Pearson about how being curious will actually lead you to great success. We discuss this article and how to adopt a curious life. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/curiosity_n_5736402
Jul 10, 2020•19 min
Setting goals is part of our culture, but maybe we need to think beyond goals. Today, we look at an article from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. Clear says that we need goals, but our main efforts should be building systems (habits, routines, and structures) in our daily lives. Hitting a bunch of goals can actually cause us to be more and more stress out if these goals are not tied to the rest of our life. He says there are 4 problems with just making goals: 1. Winners and losers all h...
Jul 08, 2020•18 min•Ep. 102
How do you see freedom in 2020? This weekend, my friend Brad, asked me about my views of freedom today. It was a simple question that really got me (Justin) thinking a lot. Freedom is not free. We have to steward and exercise our freedoms. If we don't exercise them, then they disappear - like any muscle. Walking in true freedom can become stressful because freedom comes at a high cost. We have to make some sacrifices and go through some pain to walk in freedom. Today, we use Zig Ziglar's Wheel o...
Jul 06, 2020•24 min•Ep. 101
