Episode description

Have you ever felt like it’s too late to be the mom you hope to be and you’ll be a good grandma instead? In this week’s video, Stephanie Stutznegger shares how she has radically changed her life in the last year as she got clear with her vision, took lots of baby steps, and celebrated each month in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner and Soaring Mothers Society.

Stephanie lives in Northern California with her husband, Jeff, and their four kids. They love being outside together and doing woodworking projects. They have a backyard full of chickens, ducks, a beehive, a newly finished treehouse, and a suspension bridge over their creek, connecting them to her brother and sister-in-law’s house.

Stephanie loves being a wife and mother, and she’s grateful to be part of the Thriving in Motherhood community. Stephanie’s favorite type of day is dishes piled high from cooking three meals, children laughing in the backyard, the doors and windows open, and fresh cookies in the oven.

Last fall, Stephanie shared that she was feeling discouraged and like she had missed her opportunity to be the mom she wanted to be. As she watched two of her children play in the backyard, absolutely overwhelmed by the spaces inside and outside her home, she decided if she couldn’t be the mom she wanted, she would be a good grandma.

Stephanie began thinking about what makes a good grandma’s house: curated rooms of meaningful, special things, favorite blankets, and books to read to make it cozy, and good smells from food baking. 

She realized that she didn’t have to wait to be a grandma to give her family this life now, and a fire lit that carried her through a year of massive decluttering and baby steps, including building family systems to support their goals.

It’s easy to get caught up comparing our houses to the best of what we see online or the “right way” to declutter, organize, or decorate our homes. But as Stephanie worked through the spaces in her home, she carried the mantra, “Think like a grandma,” and let her home become its own unique space with the goal to make space for relationships.

She changed her thinking from what her space should be to what it could be.

Stephanie shows up at our monthly Soaring Mother Society meetings with progress and renewed momentum to keep going as she continues to take action in making her vision for her life a reality.

This week’s conversation includes so many amazing stories and learning moments in Stephanie’s life - from her oldest child speaking late and going on a 10-year learning journey of working on speech to lessons learned in raising chickens to her specialties of budgeting and making chocolate chip cookies.

It’s a refreshing chat with a mom going through the realities of everyday mom life, too!