Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 077.
I’m sad to announce that this is the last episode of the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide for the forseeable future. I’ve been thinking and praying about this decision for a while and with Jim’s help, I’ve decided that I need to stop podcasting for now.  It’s my hope that by stopping the podcast, I can free up some time to catch up on some projects (for myself, for the family, and for Goat Milk Stuff) that have been needing my attention for quite a while now.

During this episode, I share ten recurring themes that I found myself repeating during many of my podcast episodes.  They are not in any particular order, they are just some thoughts that I think all busy moms (including me) need to be reminded of periodically.

10 Thoughts

1. Say No – to outsiders, to yourself, and to your children.
2. Don’t be afraid – don’t live in fear of the unknown or of bad things happening.
3. Don’t judge other moms or feel the need to compete with other moms.
4. Enjoy your kids.
5. Stay in the moment.
6. Don’t expect perfection – from your kids, from your spouse if you have one, and especially not from yourself.
7. Take care of yourself and don’t feel guilty for doing it.
8. Live below your means and make sure you have enough margin.
9. Train your children – it takes more time, but it’s worth the investment.
10. Create systems for your life.

And most of all, remember to dream big!

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has ever listened to this podcast and reached out to me.  It is a huge encouragement to me when something I share in this podcast makes a difference in someone’s life.  And remember, although I am not currently podcasting, you can still reach out to me!

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 076.
Last week we discussed the important role friends play in our lives. Today I’m going to continue my discussion on the importance of friendships with Carlin Flora, author of the book Friendfluence*.

Last week we talked about how important friendships are for our children and teens.  Today Carlin and I discuss the role of friendships for busy moms and dads.  We also discuss how friendships can impact your health and the role that online friendships can play in our lives.

Episodes Resources

• Friendfluence by Carlin Flora*

Episodes In This Series

• The Importance of Friends I
• The Importance of Friends II

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next weeks episode.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 075.
During today’s episode, I’m going to talk about the importance of friendships with Carlin Flora, author of the book Friendfluence*.

I read an article a few weeks ago that surprised me.  It said that research has shown that if you don’t have enough friends, your risk of dying is the same as if you smoked 15 cigarettes a day.

I wanted to understand better the roles that friendships play in our lives, so I read the book Friendfluence by Carlin Flora*.  She was kind enough to join me for this podcast episode so we could discuss what the research and leading psychologists say about the Importance of Friendships.

Episodes Resources

• Friendfluence by Carlin Flora*

Episodes In This Series

• The Importance of Friends I
• The Importance of Friends II

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next weeks episode as I finish the discussion with Carlin Flora about The Importance of Friends.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 074.

How often have you found yourself embarrassed by your children’s behavior?  I know for me, with 8 children, there have been many times that I have wanted to hang my head in shame over something my children have done.  But I know that good parenting means that instead of yelling at my kids for embarrassing me, I need to train them on what the appropriate behavior is.

I talked about this and other issues with Hal Runkel, author of the book Scream Free Parenting* during today’s podcast episode.

Episodes Resources

• Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool*
• Screamfree.com

Episodes In This Series

• Scream Free Parenting I
• Scream Free Parenting II

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next weeks episode as I talk about The Importance of Friends.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 073.

I have always said that God gives us children not JUST so that we can raise them, but so that we can finish growing up ourselves.  Have you ever found yourself saying, “My children make me want to scream!?”  I admit, I’ve said that.  And while our children may instigate that feeling in us, they aren’t the ones that make us scream.  We do that all on our own.  The truth is, becoming a scream-free parent actually has very little to do with our children’s behavior, and everything to do with our own.

Because this is such a huge issue for so many parents, I’m very excited to talk with Hal Runkel today, author of Scream Free Parenting*. I hope that it encourages you that you can gain control over the way you react to your children.

Episodes Resources

• Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool*
• Screamfree.com

Episodes In This Series

• Scream Free Parenting I
• Scream Free Parenting II

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next weeks episode as I continue the discussion with Hal about Scream Free Parenting.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 072.

During today’s episode, I’m going to finish the discussion about sibling rivalry with Dr. Todd Cartmell, author of the book, Keep the Siblings, Lose the Rivalry*.

A lot of parents are tempted to think that siblings fighting is normal and that there is nothing they can do about it.  While sibling rivalry may be common, and your children may bicker and squabble, it is something you can definitely do something about.

In his book, Keep the Siblings, Lose the Rivalry*, Dr. Todd Cartmell gives 10 specific steps that you can follow that will help you to improve the sibling rivalry in your home.

The Ten Steps

1. Create a strong family bond
2. Connect with each child
3. Eliminate comparing, labeling, and competition
4. Require sibling respect
5. Improve sibling communication
6. Step toward solutions
7. Teach sibling survival skills
8. Reinforce positive sibling behavior
9. Use sibling consequences that work
10. Put them on the same team

Episodes In This Series

• How To Overcome Sibling Rivalry I
• How To Overcome Sibling Rivalry II

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next weeks episode as I talk about Scream Free Parenting.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 071.
Sibling rivalry is something I think every parent with more than one child deals with. And it can be so frustrating because of how frequently it appears and how much time we spend dealing with it.

But as frustrating as it can be, I know that for me it can also become depressing because as a parent, I truly want my children to be friends as well as siblings.  So it is something that I work very hard to ensure doesn’t get out of control.

During today’s episode, I’m going to talk about sibling rivalry with Dr. Todd Cartmell, author of the book, Keep the Siblings, Lose the Rivalry*.

His book is very straightforward with ten steps to improve the relationship between your children.  If the sibling rivalry in your family is out of control, I would definitely recommend his book, but only if you’re willing to put in the work that is needed to correct the rivalry.  There are no magical words that will fix this issue, but be encouraged that time and effort can definitely make a real improvement.

The Ten Steps

1. Create a strong family bond
2. Connect with each child
3. Eliminate comparing, labeling, and competition
4. Require sibling respect
5. Improve sibling communication
6. Step toward solutions
7. Teach sibling survival skills
8. Reinforce positive sibling behavior
9. Use sibling consequences that work
10. Put them on the same team

Episodes In This Series

• How To Overcome Sibling Rivalry I
• How To Overcome Sibling Rivalry II

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next week’s episode when we finish the discussion on sibling rivalry.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 070.
I’ve spent several months now talking about the importance of studying your children and getting to know their individual strengths and weaknesses as well as their learning styles and love languages.  During this podcast episode, I encourage you to study yourself as I talk about parenting styles.

Parenting styles are the “emotional climate” which characterizes your home and the manner in which you raise your children.  This differs from parenting practices, which are the specific steps you take to parent your child.

The Four Parenting Styles

• Authoritarian
• Authoritative
• Permissive
• Uninvolved

Episodes Resources

• Simple Parenting Style Quiz
• More in-depth Parenting Style Quiz

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next weeks episode when I discus  how to overcome sibling rivalry with Dr. Todd Cartmell, author of the book Keep the Siblings, Lose the Rivalry*.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 069.
I talk a lot on my blog and podcast about how valuable it is for busy moms to exercise and stay fit.   But it’s not important so that we can look good (that’s just a side benefit).  It’s important so that we can feel good and so that we can have the energy and stamina we need to thrive in our busy lives as we take care of our family.

During this week’s episode, Brett joins me as we talk about some of the tools that we use to stay fit, as well as our current exercise program.

I’ve always worked very hard to teach my daughter during her teenage years that it is important to exercise and stay fit.  But I don’t want her to ever feel that it is all about her outward appearance.  It is important to stay fit so that she is healthy, not so that she can look good in a bikini (if she ever chose to wear one).

I’d love to hear what types of exercises you do to stay fit or if that is one of your current struggles.

Episodes Resources

• Article – 19 Reasons To Get In Shape That Have Absolutely Nothing To Do With How You Look In A Bikini
• Fitbit Flex*
• P90X3* with Tony Horton by Beach Body
• Lose It app
• Pull-up bar*
• Pull-up assist* (shown in photo)

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next week as I talk about parenting styles.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 068.
During last weeks episode, I was joined by Kara Durbin, author of Parenting With Scripture*. We discussed how we use Bible verses as we train and raise our children, and shared verses that we use.

This week I finish the discussion with Kara about parenting your children with scripture.

Episodes Resources

• National Association of University-Model Schools – naums.net
• Parenting With Scripture* book
• Parenting With Scripture website
• Seeds of Faith CD series*
• Jonas Family Bible Verses
• Durbin Family Bible Verses

Episodes In This Series

• Parenting with Scripture Part 1
• Parenting with Scripture Part 2

Thanks for listening! Please join me for next weeks episode as I talk about fitness.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast:

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 067.
“I can barely manage my two children; how do you manage EIGHT?” is a question I hear quite often.  During last week’s podcast episode I talked about how Jim and I intentionally parent our children.  We try to spend more time as proactive parents than we do as reactive parents.

During this episode, I am joined by Kara Durbin, author of Parenting With Scripture*. We discuss how we use Bible verses as we train and raise our children.  We share some of our favorite verses and give examples of what that looks like in daily life.  

Episodes Resources

• National Association of University-Model Schools – naums.net
• Parenting With Scripture* book
• Parenting With Scripture website
• Seeds of Faith CD series*
• Jonas Family Bible Verses
• Durbin Family Bible Verses

Episodes In This Series

• Parenting with Scripture Part 1
• Parenting with Scripture Part 2

Thanks for listening! Please join me next week as I finish the discussion with Kara about parenting your children with scripture.

*Amazon Affiliate Link

You can subscribe to the Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast: