Parenting
Pride Goeth Before A Fall – Can Your Marriage Hold Up? (Episode 301)
How often has your pride stood in the way of moving forward in a relationship? Do you find yourself trying to “keep up with the Joneses” or do you get so worked up about things that it seems too big to back off of, even if you start to second-guess yourself? As a mother, wife, entrepreneur,
What To Do When You Can’t Afford A Vacation (Episode 293)
Feeling Stuck? Have you wondered what to do when you can’t afford a vacation? Do you simply just hold off and hope that “one day” you can make it happen…and that it’ll just magically materialize? I’ve shared before our “why” for taking off to Costa Rica. I asked for feedback, and over on Facebook the comments had a
Co-Creating Life As A Family…x3 (Episode 292)
When it comes to your most intimate relationship, are you living side-by-side, completely codependently, or somewhere in between? Have you looked at your life as a co-creation, where each of you have a part in where you are headed? As we wrap up the month of February and our focus on moving forward with our closest
How Can I Be Driven When I Don’t Know My Calling? (Episode 291)
This can pack a lot of depth into one question – “how can I be driven when I don’t know my calling?” Wow – how do we explore what our calling is? How do we distinguish drive, and what may drive us toward it? This week I unpack this in a way you may not expect –
The Go-Giver Marriage – 5 Secrets to Lasting Love (Episode 290)
There are a lot of marriage books out there, and there are several I could recommend as a great read. There is one in particular, however, I have found as my go-to for clients. It’s called The Go-Giver Marriage: A Little Story About The 5 Secrets To Lasting Love. Last year, as I looked at my
Exploring Gender Roles & Labels: A Guide for Navigating Family Dynamics (Episode 289)
How do you navigate gender roles in marriage? How do you explore this with your children, on how they view themselves in this life, beyond the label they may choose for who they are or what they do? How do you view yourself? Do you know your sweet spot of contribution in your home? In the
Inviting Boredom on Purpose? (Episode 288)
Boredom – that horrid mindset that enters into all our homes uninvited. What do you do when your child is bored? If you listened to our True Parent Struggles: Screentime episode, you know that boredom is a sure follower of cutting out screens in your home! So what can you do? We tackle it in today’s episode.
Popular, I Wanna Be Popular! (Episode 287)
Remember the song in the musical Wicked, “Popular?” Popularity seems to be the desire of so many tweens and teens as they try to figure out their independence – and their place – in the world. But what does it really mean to be popular? Is it sitting with a certain group at a lunch table,
The Danish Way of Parenting (Episode 286)
Have you heard of the Danish way of parenting? While I knew Denmark has ranked first or second for the happiest country in the world for the past 50 years, I hadn’t really researched their way of parenting. So when I read a random article last year that referenced a book on this, I immediately
Desire-Driven Direction (Episode 285)
We’re about halfway through January, and of course the biggie on people’s minds are all those goals and resolutions…and the obligation, dread and pressure that often roll with that. Goal-setting can be overwhelming, horrible, or…what fuels you forward. In the episode below, Nathan and I share about how we approach goals in a very different way
BetterSpeech with Lenora Edwards (Episode 284)
As we roll into a new year, I’m hanging with a bunch of little cousins who are in heaven visiting with each other. I’ve watched all six of them learn our language in their own way, some needing a bit more support than others. This episode I interviewed Lenora Edwards of BetterSpeech.com to get her take on
Creating Systems So You Stay Sane (Episode 283)
This week I’m thrilled to have a guest interview with Laura Hernandez of MamaSystems.net. As her family grew from 4 kids to 10 in a four-year span, she spent hundreds of hours reading numerous books, blogs, and articles and devouring podcasts on organizing, scheduling, and self-care.When nothing fit her family perfectly, she developed her own systems
Just Own It (Episode 282)
As we peer down less than a week before Christmas, I know those expectations and tensions can be high, or in full tilt as the festivities have already begun. Where is your joy? Can you…just own it as your own, regardless of what is around you? Can you find joy in what is, despite it
Kiss the Walls: Simple Boundaries, Simple Gratitude (Episode 279)
We moved from “kissing the walls” to a big open space. Yes, quite literally. Yesterday we rolled in to our house in Venice, Florida, to slowly unpack the past three months of living in our RV down in the Florida Keys. In “Luna”, our wonderful 5th wheel, our little queen bed is in a slide –
Meditating On Gratitude (Episode 278)
It’s the day before Thanksgiving. We don’t spend much time focusing on the traditional perspective of Thanksgiving – the story is complex and full of sadness, and isn’t quite the sugar-coated view of happy connection between peoples. That being said, we, like many others, can choose to focus on the positivity we can create moving forward,
The 12 Tenets of Wellness (Episode 277)
There is a lot on health and wellness. And I’m a huge advocate of your physical health being in direct relationship to your mental and emotional health. Last week we talked about who was writing your story, and how to create a life with meaning. Now, how can you focus on health and wellbeing…and truly stay
Authoring Reality: Writing Your Life with Meaning (Episode 276)
As we asked listeners and readers to share what they are tolerating in their homes, we’ve heard a common theme. Parents are tired of feeling unheard, oppressed, unworthy, and worn down. Well we can talk about an “attitude of gratitude” and changing our minds to positivity, yet it’s not that simple. I know “toxic positivity” is
You Can Sleep When You Die (Episode 275)
Are you sleeping enough? I remember a time in my life when yawning was common all throughout my day, as I guzzled coffee to keep myself running and cringed with the pain of a full yawn and TMJ issues from my clenched jaws. All that has changed. It’s rare that I yawn anymore. I’ve switched to
Eating The Elephant of Clutter (Episode 274)
You know that old saying about how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Well that’s definitely the case for clutter. It can get out of hand, and then you’re hit with way too much and not sure where to start. Well look no further. Let’s take it a “bite” at a time
The Family Trap (Episode 273)
Have you ever felt like, instead of being in a family home you’ve created, it starts to feel a bit more like a family trap? There are many characters we play in our life. Maybe it’s the role of a mama, a CEO, or “the entertainer”. Sometimes, we can get so lost in our roles and characters
How To Discipline Kids Naturally For Life (Episode 268)
In our last episode on the Mama Says Namaste podcast, I had guest Kimball Lewis of Empowering Parents come on and talk about lying. It’s a perfect opening to what, truly, is an effective consequence for our children that isn’t just punishment, but an opportunity to learn a different approach. It’s equipping our children with
Why Kids Lie…and What To Do About It (GUEST Episode 267)
At some point in parenting, it’s pretty much a given that your child is going to tell a lie. Why do kids lie? Does it mean you’ve failed them as a parent? Of course not! I talked with Kimball Lewis of Empowering Parents all about lying – this oh-so-common issue that every family deals with at
3 Screen-Free Family Activities (Episode 263)
Oh the frustrations with screen time and how quickly it can take over a household! Just like we can get into a rut of “dinner and a movie” for every date night, we can get into the same ruts in our home. And I can completely relate to “Friday Family Movie Night” trickling over to
Are You A Parent? Step Into The Spotlight (Episode 262)
There are many people who don’t care for being in the spotlight. They aren’t seeking the attention of being on center stage and all eyes on them. Yet, the truth of it is, every one of you is in the spotlight. Yes, especially you parents. Your children are watching you. They are soaking in your habits,
Get Used To Disappointment (Episode 261)
As we build on our conversation from last week about our children not being the center of the universe, we’re going to discuss another biggie: disappointment. Yes, your children will be disappointed in their lives, and it’s actually a very important part of developing their emotional resilience toolkit! When we have a change of plans, so
Your Children Are Not The Center Of The Universe! (Episode 260)
Ah, children. They believe the world revolves around them. Think about it – it only makes sense, when they are just discovering the world! As our children approach everything with first-time eyes, it’s directly related to what revolves around them. We celebrate every discovery and step forward they make, and they delight and amuse us
Experts, Expectations, and Getting What You Want In Life (Episode 259)
Let’s face it – we all do it – write stories about what we expect to happen, and get mad at those “experts” that make seem look so easy. We all have expectations for how we want life to go, and it can be hard when no one else seems to have the same idea.
A PSA For The United States (Episode 258)
This past weekend here in the US, we celebrated Independence Day. And, once again, our weekend was riddled with mass shootings and horrific anguish at all that seems to be falling apart in our country. And…unfortunately, this isn’t isolated to the USA. All across the world we are experiencing division and upheaval as we all
Who is the Author of Your Story? (Episode 257)
Have you ever gotten stuck in the “I wish…” moments, where you’re wishing for all that isn’t, versus seeing what you can create! Who is truly the author of your story? We might think we’re doing our own thing, yet we can easily get lost in reaction where our story is written by anyone but us! Listen
Do I Get My Kid a Smartphone? (Episode 256)
Should your teen – or tween – have a smartphone? How about younger? When is the “right” time to introduce devices in your home, and how do you keep them from taking over? Below we share some infographics on smartphones, and share our insights navigating screens with all three of our girls. Plus, our daughter