In today’s episode I’m joined by Laura Fenton. Laura is a writer, editor, and the author of The Little Book of Living Small. She and I are chatting about the ways that small living has impacted our lives and what it looks like in practice. Find Laura on Instagram Laura’s Book, The Little Book of Living Small The post Living Small(er) appeared first on Simple Families.
As the world has grown busier, many of us have moved towards short-form content to get the knowledge and information we desire. Rather than reading a book or listening to a podcast, we want that same information in a tweet, a TikTok, or an Instagram square. That can feel like a firehose of information. But could that move toward short-form content being doing more harm than good? That’s our topic today. I’m joined by my dear friend, Eden Hyder. Get in Touch with Eden: Website Instagram Podcast...
In 10, 20, or even 50 years from now, early parenthood may feel like a blur with a few major bookends that stand out in our memories. What will those bookends be for your family? Do you have control over the bookends? Want to join us in The Mental Unload? It starts January 6th, 2021.
Are messiness and minimalism compatible? In fact, we messy people probably need minimalism the most–because we can’t handle having a lot of ‘stuff’. My guest today is Rachelle Crawford. Rachelle and I have bonded over our natural tendencies towards messiness. Rachelle is sharing her journey and introducing us to her new book, Messy Minimalism. Get in touch with Rachelle: On Instagram Rachelle’s Website On Facebook Buy her book
On the podcast I often feature the voices of parents and professionals who support children. As support people, our vantage point is unique. But what about the viewpoint from those with lived experience? Today, I’m speaking with lived experience educator Sonny Jane. Sonny (whose pronouns are they/them) is a queer, agender, physically disabled, autistic ADHDer and provides lived experience education, consulting and advocacy services to neurodivergent individuals, mental health professionals and o...
It’s that magical time of the year…you probably started to feel it back in October when the decorations hit the stores. The pressure to shop early and the FOMO has never been stronger. There’s a good chance you have kids that are excited for the holiday season due to the anticipation of the gifts that are to come. If that sounds like your kids, you aren’t alone. Today, we are talking about staying focused on what matters the most: the real reason for the season. I’m joined by Meg Nordmann, autho...
I’m thrilled to welcome our first Mother-Daughter duo to the podcast today. Quyionah Wingfield and her daughter Serenity are entrepreneurs. They’ve written books, launched online dance classes, and now their first family game app. All their ventures have a common theme–building family connection. You can find Qui and Serenity here: Cool Moms Dance Too Website Cool Moms Dance Too on Instagram Gen Connect Game Quyionah Wingfield, mother of two, founder, creator and CEO of Cool Moms Dance Too! (CMD...
Do your kids have too many toys? When it comes to toys, there is no perfect number. But in today’s episode we are talking about why children don’t need a lot of toys. Having an abundance of toys is not only unnecessary but could be harmful. Want to join Tame The Toys? Use the code NOV21 for 20% off through the end of November.
What do I do if I think something is “wrong” with my kid? How do I know if my kid is developing okay? I hear these questions a lot. Today I’m talking about how to choose a professional and how to know what the best step is to find the support your child needs. The post Diagnosis appeared first on Simple Families.
I frequently hear from women who are diagnosed with ADHD after entering motherhood. Those who are diagnosed with ADHD often struggle with executive functioning. In short, executive functioning is our ability to plan, organize, and coordinate life. And as you know, parenthood has a way of pushing our executive functioning skills to the max. In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Yakini Pierce of ADHD Love. Yakini and her two children are diagnosed with ADHD and she’s sharing her journey and work w...
I find it confusing when we are told that as parents we need to set boundaries. We need to hold our ground. But so often when we do that, we end up in power struggles. Power struggles can happen in any relationship. They are especially common in the parent-child relationship. It happens anytime the parent and child both want their way…and they refuse to back down. As a parent, I don’t want you to back down. But I want you to practice meeting your child in the middle. I would ask if power struggl...
Today, we are discussing interoception. If you don’t know what that means, you aren’t alone. You might be surprised to learn you know more about it than you realize. Interoception is sometimes called the “Eighth Sense”, it’s the sense of the entire condition of the inner body, including hunger, temperature, pain, and the need for the bathroom. I’m joined in conversation with Occupational Therapist and Interoception Expert, Kelly Mahler. Today’s Sponsor: Recess, use coupon code SIMPLE20 for 20% o...
The COVID vaccine is going to be available for younger children in the coming weeks here in the U.S.. I don’t know about you, but this has been on my mind for some time. Today, I’m sharing my decision-making process. This episode may or may not resonate with you–and that’s okay. In this chat, I’m joined by NYC pediatrician Dr. Kelly Fradin. I walk through my own decision with her and she answers questions that listeners submitted to me. Links to Get in Touch with Dr. Fradin: Instagram Facebook N...
Parenting is one of our most important jobs in life. But we also don’t get formal performance reviews like we do in the working world. Sometimes that can leave us guessing. How am I doing? You want to know, right? Since there isn’t a formal review process, we tend to look to the world around us to evaluate ourselves. One common way that we decide whether or not we are doing a good job is by looking at our kids happiness. If the kids are happy, we must be doing okay. Right? If they are unhappy, w...
Today I’m bringing you a live recording — Your simplicity questions answered!
We just moved into a new house. We’ve been renting for almost a year and found a permanent spot right down the road. Even though it’s not a far move, it’s been a big move. Big life transitions like this can feel really out of control. There’s always unexpected stress. Unexpected tasks. Unexpected emotions. If it feels like you are constantly “Putting out fires”. Jumping from one crisis to the next. Like parenting is one big uphill climb—you can never find that easy, flat road. You don’t feel lik...
Back-to-school season can feel busy and stressful–especially this year. In today’s episode I’m answering some of your back-to-school questions. Heads up, next week I’ll be starting a one-week special offer on Simple Families Foundations. The post Back-to-School Q&A appeared first on Simple Families.
As adults we are accustomed to a certain type of communication. Usually, it involves spoken word and it’s fairly civilized. That’s not always the case when it comes to communicating with our kids. Our children are still developing the ability to regulate their emotions and tolerate frustrating circumstances. The result is that often they communicate with more emotion than we are used to as adults. Kids get louder and more excited. Kids often get angrier and yell more. They get sad and cry more. ...
We all need to move. But in this busy world, it doesn’t seem easy to make time and space for movement. As our culture has become more sedentary, this topic is increasingly important for all humans–but especially for parents. Our children’s brains develop through movement. My guest today is Katy Bowman of Nutritious Movement. Katy is sharing a bit about the history of movement and how changes in our society has shifted our natural tendencies. We are talking about her new book Grow Wild and how to...
Starting the day…it can feel like a lot. It can be busy and overwhelming. There are so many things that need to get done and so little time to do them all. I know in many parts of the world people are preparing to go back into the world and back to school. Maybe you’ve had a break from the morning hustle and you are about to get back into the swing of things. Or maybe the morning hustle has been just that–a hustle–for too long and you are looking for some harmony. That’s what we are talking abou...
Many of us have been decluttering our homes for some time. But what about our brains? Mental clutter is real. Parenthood can feel heavy. We are tackling the 10 reasons that parenthood feels cluttered and overwhelming. If you are committed to self-care but aren’t sure where to start, I want to invite you to join us in The Mental Unload. Visit Simplefamilies.com for more info. The post Mental Clutter in Parenthood appeared first on Simple Families.
One of the most common concerns I hear from parents is this: “My kids don’t listen to me!” Generally, what this means is that you ask your kids to do something and they don’t do it. Maybe you ask them several times. Perhaps you ask them several times with an increasing sense of urgency until you are finally screaming. Today, we are going to break down what it really means to “listen” and a two-step strategy to move forward. The post Listening appeared first on Simple Families.
Minimalism looks different for everyone. When Christine Platt found minimalism she expected it would involve moving towards an all-white, barren aesthetic. But in search of an intentional life, she has built a home and lifestyle that is unique to her individual needs and culture. Christine, also known as the Afrominimalist, encourages us to search for our “why” and create a home and life that is true to us. Find Christine Platt online: Website Instagram Books New book: The Afrominimalists Guide ...
Get dressed. Brush your teeth. Say thank you. Eat your breakfast. Sometimes we sound like a broken record. We feel like we are prompting and reminding our kids to do things all day long…and sometimes we are. It’s exhausting! That’s what we are talking about today. I’ll share my tips and tools for success. For my 7-year-old boy For my 5-year-old girl The post Reminders appeared first on Simple Families.
What if I get rid of something that I might need someday? How will my kids react? Making a big lifestyle change can feel scary. Moving towards simplicity is no exception to this. In today’s episode, we are discussing common fears around living a simpler life. The post Fears of Simplicity appeared first on Simple Families.
You should know this by now. I’ve asked you a hundred times. How could you forget? Today we are going to talk about consequences, punishment, and discipline. How do we raise kids to take ownership and care for themselves and their belongings? Today I’m going to give you some things to think about and some things to do. The post Consequences appeared first on Simple Families.
I’m going to start today off with a quote: “We’re often afraid that if we give our kids an inch, they will take a mile. Every single grain of rice in their bowl must be eaten up, every toy in its proper place, every “I” dotted and “t” crossed. We believe this is comforting to our kids, knowing that their parent will always be steady and unchanging. We mean what we say and say what we mean. Rarely will we make an exception or change direction mid-course. We are solid and dependable: like steel. U...
If you’ve tuned into the news at all in the past year, you’ll know that there’s a heck of a lot of controversy around science. Whether we are talking about climate change, masks, or vaccines you’ve probably come across disputes and wars of words on scientific topics. I think back to a generation ago, where we had to break open an encyclopedia or visit a library to look deeper into a scientific topic of interest. With the ever-growing amount of knowledge that we have available at our fingertips, ...
There are many ways in which society has constructed parenting to be far more complicated than necessary. The result is parental overwhelm. As parents, we all have the same goals. Raising happy, healthy, successful kids. In order to reach those goals, we commit ourselves to doing anything and everything possible. We want to give our children the world—even if we compromise our own well being in the process. Today, we are going to talk about the simplicity connection. In parenting, we have the be...
Summer used to be synonymous with time-off and relaxation. But times have changed and many parents now feel a sense of dread and overwhelm around the unstructured time that comes during the summer—especially after spending over a year at home. Today, we are talking about finding balance this summer. Summertime. It used to be synonymous with relaxation and time off, but the past generation has seen a shift. There are many parents who dread summer because it feels like a lot of open unstructured t...
