NICHOLE NORDEMAN

where I have been for about seven years now. Before that was in Dallas. But but Oklahoma is home now, and I'm very happy about that. Oklahoma is home because that's where you grew up. Or Oklahoma is home because that's where God just took you. That's kind of just where God took me. Um. You know, we're living in Dallas, and a lot of our extended family, UM aunt and uncles and grandmas and grandpa's and cousins, we're in the Oklahoma area, and we just really felt like we learned

our kids to just grow up around family. So that's what brought us here. So Nicole Nordman you have a song and now a book that every mother and many fathers, but all the moms that I know, the first time they listened to the song, they're just like reduced to the ugly cry Yeah yeah, this song. Um. It was just such an accidental saying really. Um. Of course, looking back,

I don't think it was excellent at all. But but my son was graduating from the fifth grade and the teachers um in his school asked if I would sing a song at their little graduation ceremony, and I kind of forgot that I had agreed to do it, and so at the last minute the night before, I was like, oh my goodness, what am I going to sing? What on earth would I have to say to the creators that they wouldn't think is terribly lame? And I didn't want to embarrass Charlie, of course, so let's let's let's

be honest. Mom. Yeah, anything you say do around a fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth grader is going to be terribly lame. It's absolutely lame. If you ever have any dissillusion that you might be somewhat cool, just go spend some time with middle schoolers and you will. You'll be corrected quickly, You'll quickly realize how uncool you are. Okay, So you had agreed to sing a song at your son's fifth grade graduation, and because your mom, how many kids do you have?

I have two kids. My daughter is eight, So two kids. Busy mom, recording artist and author, flying around here and there, trying to keep all the balls in the year you forgot. I forgot, and I was mad at myself for forgetting because it was such an important sort of milestone and it was important to him and of course very emotional for me just as a parent. He's sort of, you know, leaving elementary school and this milestone transition into middle school. And I was mad that I had forgotten and that

it wasn't more on my radar. So I sat down at the piano after they were in dead and I just kind of started rehearsing songs that I know performed frequently, that would be familiar or you know, might sort of sit the event. And for whatever reason, I just felt so emotional, like it sort of hit me out of nowhere, like this is like he's really graduating, you know, into this next phase of life. And so I made the grave mistake of pulling out old photo album No no, no, no,

you daster it was Adapter. I was full on, ugly crying by myself at the piano at two in the morning. I just thought, how in the world can I slow this down? And just growing up too fast and I have no control over it, and so I just started singing about the pictures that I was looking at and the memories that I had held in my heart, and then gave birth to this little song that I sang the next morning at his graduation, to your Money. And was every other mother that was there crying along with

Oh yeah, yes, I didn't. I'm sure I sing it horribly because I could barely get through it. But yeah, we were all just so emotional and it meant so much, and I really thought that would be the end of it. I thought that was my gifts to Charlie and to his classmates and to the other parents. And no one even recorded it, you know, it was just kind of a private moment. And then I had a couple of moms say to me, you've got to record that song, and I thought, there being sweet, you know, every one

sort of caught up in the moment. So I played it for some some folks at my record label with a million apologies and disclaimers, you know, for the Mom's song, And everyone was in agreement that this needed, this needed to be shared with a wider audience because it's such a universal feeling that we all just we so badly want to freeze time and we can't. And there's just

some beauty and some lament in that. And so I thought, you know what, I think I will think I'll share this with with more people than just we're in the room that day. So how old is Charlie now? He's fourteen now. So if I was uncool then I am considerably more uncool now uncool now? And does he does he give you the eye roll like constantly? Yes, it's the I roll, and it's you know, I did I

remember being that age. I really do. And I loved my parents had a great relationship with him, but you know, I also was just so embarrassed, like they tried to be cool and they were not cool, and they tried to be funny and they were not funny. And I'm that person now and it's pretty awesome. Oh yeah, I love it. Oh yeah, So tell me about the little book that has now come out to kind of partner with them, slowed down the song. Sure well, UM, the song first became a video, and again that was just

very That's when I saw it. That's when I did the ugly cry. The video that was that was my ugly cry. And we didn't expect you know. Again, it was just like, let's put together some video footage of our friends and there and their babies and these kids that I've grown up with, and UM just kind of as a little companion to the song. And then when it really went viral almost overnight, I think, everyone stop, when we've really tapped into something UM really special here

and obviously people are really connecting. So obviously all the moms are really crying, just like Delilah is right now. So out of that experience, UM came this idea for a gift book and and really what it is, Delila is just it's just a collection of essays, very personal moments from my own UM life as a mom, the not pretty moments, the messy moments, the beautiful moments. UM, and I just wanted to write those stories out as an extension of the song to share with other people.

You're really good, Nicole at at at unmasking and being real with the like you said, the not pretty moments. That's kind of that's kind of become your identity, is getting real and and encouraging people to get real. Well, thank you for saying that. I I definitely feel like the people who have encouraged me most in my life, whether they are speakers or authors or pastors or artists, are the ones who aren't afraid to sort of pull the curtain back and expose their own um brokenness and

ugliness and and just to be transparent. I think that's really how we heal each other and how we support each other is by letting ourselves really be seen and known. So, UM, thank you for that. That's a high compliment if if

you feel like my music says that as well. UM, I appreciate so much, especially when you encourage young women and young people, UM not to buy into the hype, not to um, not to feel like they have to cover up, not to feel like they have to disguise who their true nature and who their true self is, or live up to someone else's expectations. And I love that about you. Well, I think like anyone who's walked

a bit of a journey. Um, it's it's easy to talk about the miles that you yourself have traveled, and so I can I can say that to you younger women or younger audience, UM, because I have I been that false self, and I have put up that mask, and I have tried to be someone I'm not trying to be a better Christian than I am or a better mom than I really am behind the scenes, and it's, um, it's exhausting to try to maintain that kind of a facade. So anytime we can just be ourselves with each other

as a real gift. Nicole Nordeman, welcome back. We are talking about your sweet song and your new book. Uh, Embracing the everyday moments of motherhood, slow down, embracing the everyday moments of motherhood. And with all the storms of life raging around us, wildfires and hurricanes and solar flares and earthquakes, I think now is such an important time to remind people that all we have, all we have is this moment, this hour, and we need to slow down. We need to slow down and love on our kids

and bask in the joy of these moments. Yeah, Nicole Orderman, slow down, Thank you. God bless you, honey. Thanks for while you too, Slow down and love Soon we're to love