In the Arena with the Eyre Sisters: Recent Episodes
Saren, Shawni, Saydi and Charity
The Eyre sisters, mothers of 18 children ages 1-25 and daughters of best-selling parenting authors, share stories and discuss how growing up in an eccentric family has impacted their lives and their own parenting journeys.
This is our last episode of the season! We're grateful you've joined us. In this episode, we chat about transitions that we go through as mothers. We talk about how our parents handled those transitions, how we handle them, what our most challenging transitions have been, and transitions we're currently going through. We'd love to hear about the transitions you're facing and how you handle them. Please also join for the Instagram lives we'll be doing this summer! Come join us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Our brother Tal has started his own podcast! In this "crossover" episode we are discussing "shadow work" and how powerful it can be as we dive into the unconscious or hidden aspects of ourselves. As we do this, we find growth and progression not only in parenting, but in life in general.
This week on In the Arena we're discussing how to have deep conversations with your kids. This can be hard, especially with certain stages and personalities, but it's also important! In this episode, we share how our parents fostered deep connections with us growing up, as well as key elements of deep conversations and ways we've found to foster those deep discussions. We hope you find this discussion helpful. We also would love to hear from you! What do you do to encourage deep conversations with your kids? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters!
Show Notes:
Father Greg Boyle
https://71toes.com/how-to-foster-deeper-discussions-with-your-family/
https://amzn.to/43AzzbQ
https://a.co/d/howyXZV
In this week's episode Saren, Shawi, and Saydi talk about the importance of letting our kids fail. This is a hard one! It's in our nature as mothers to take care of our kids, but letting them experience failure is key to growing resilience and confidence, so we have to let it happen. In this episode we discuss how it was in our home growing up, reasons we struggle to let our kids fail, and a few ideas to help you. We would love to hear your experiences with letting your kids fail! Share with us on Instagram!
Show Notes:
The Gift of Failure by Jessica Leahy
Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack
This week's episode is pretty low key, but we hope you find it as fun to listen to as we did recording it. For the episode we've chose to answer four questions we've received from listeners: 1) How do you stay close with siblings, especially when you're in different stages? (And help your kids stay close?) 2) What do you do for family scripture study and personal scripture study? 3) How do you find stillness? 4) What do you do for exercise?
We've shared our answers, but we'd also love to hear yours! Come share with us on Instagram!
Show Notes:
Shawni's favorite scripture study app: We Believe (https://www.thewebelievefoundation.org/) Saren's 7-Minute Workout App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.popularapp.sevenmins&hl=en_US Shawni's workout timer app Saydi's favorite online yoga: Boho Beautiful (on YouTube) Saydi's meal-planning app: Meal Lime Saren's home exchange program: homeexchange.com (use code saren-7906e to get a bonus)
Do you ever worry about what your kids will remember when you send them off into the wild world? This week, we discuss how to be intentional with your kids. They grow up so fast - it can feel like they're slipping through our fingers. In this episode, we talk about what it was like in our home growing up and then give ideas for things we're doing. How do you teach values to your kids? What intentional things are you doing in your home? Please share with us on Instagram!
New Serenity Prayer from Saydi
In this week's episode, we get to talk about one of our favorite topics - traveling! We have already done two other episodes on travel (see below), so be sure to check those out! In this episode, we dive into answering some other thoughts we have about traveling. We discuss a variety of topics, including: how to be intentional with the purpose of a trip, successes and challenges we've had on recent trips, some ideas for how to handle who pays for what as kids get older, and how to split the load with who plans what. Most importantly, we hope you feel our enthusiasm and love for all things travel!
Do you have any questions for us about traveling? Or, do you have any tips to share? Join us on Instagram and let us know your thoughts!
Previous travel episodes:
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Citizens of the World: Embracing "Different"
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Making Family Travel Happen (if you want to)
This week's topic is one we have received several requests for - making and keeping friends as moms. Whether you have good friends or you're yearning for friends, we hope you find this episode helpful! We share ideas for how to create meaningful friendships and share our own experiences. How do you make friends as a mom? Share with us on Instagram!
Show Notes:
- Mayo Clinic about Friendships
- The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- How to Know a Person by David Brooks
- Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote: The only way to have a friend is to be one
- Power of Families Learning Circles, Discount Code: FRIENDSHIP
This week we talk about how much or how little we should try to control various aspects of our kids' lives. It can be tough! We want to protect and guide them but we also want to help them become confident and independent as they make their own decisions. Join us as we discuss our parents' approach to control in our family growing up examine the approach we each take in our mothering. Do you lean more towards helicopter or lawnmower parenting? Or do you tend to be more permissive? What tips do you have for striking the balance? Hop onto Instagram and let us know your thoughts!
References:
Country Bunny and the Golden Shoes
Destiny of the Republic - Candice Millard
Parents.com - Why the Best Parenting Style isn’t one style at all, but many
In this episode, we share a variety of ideas for how you can focus on renewal and realistic change, discuss the goal-setting culture of our family as we grew up, and also how we approach goals in our personal and family lives now. We would love to hear your thoughts on renewal, change, and resolutions! Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters!
Show Notes:
- The Stages of Change
- Shawni's One Word List
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything by BJ Fogg
- Victor Hugo Quote: "Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."
Do you have adult kids? If so, today's episode is for you! We are focusing on how to foster enduring relationships with our adult kids. We focus specifically on how to help our adult kids feel seen, safe, and free. How do you foster enduring relationships with your adult kids? We'd love to have you share with us on Instagram! Join us @eyresisters.
Show Notes: The previous episode that goes with this episode: Parenting Adult Kids (This link is for Spotify, but you can find this episode on any app you use for podcast listening!) Joseph Grenny: The Honest Truth About Our Messy Families Saren's Group Coaching Program (recent session all about parenting adult kids and individual help with parenting older kids and adults)
Enjoy a fan-favorite we pulled from the archives!
This week, we dive into a discussion about family intimacy. By family intimacy, we don't mean the physical intimacy you share with your partner. Instead, we mean intimacy in the sense of closeness, connections, and a sense of being seen. We discuss things that get in the way of intimate relationships, and we also give some ideas for building intimacy. We would love to hear from you! What's worked well in your family? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Mentioned in the Show:
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber
We're back! It's Season 5 and we are so excited to be on the air again! This week we discuss back-to-school ideas - everything from morning routines and after-school routines to ideas for every-day connectione with our kids. We would love to hear from you as well! Come and share your back-to-school tips with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Mentioned in the Episode:
Best Nine Minutes https://poweroffamilies.com/the-nine-minutes-that-have-the-greatest-impact/ Morning Routines https://poweroffamilies.com/morning-routines/ After School Routine Video https://poweroffamilies.com/after-school-routine/
This week, Charity leads us in a really fantastic and needed discussion on practical ways to find joy in motherhood. There are a lot of reasons it can be hard to find joy as a mom. But there are also a lot of ways to help us change up that narrative and soak in the good things. What tactics do you use to help you find joy in your mothering journey? We'd love to hear! Come share with us on Instagram: @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
Flecks of Gold - Rachel Nielson Don't Carpe Diem - Glennon Doyle Brooke Romney Instagram Post Hardwiring Happiness Enjoy It. Because it's happening. - blog post
We are so excited that we got to interview our brother, Tal, about his upcoming book Dad Mode: 25 Ways to Connect with Your Child. Join us as we talk with Tal about specific, tangible ways dads can connect with their children. We'd love to hear what you think about what Tal shared - come let us know on Instagram!
Notes:
Dad Mode by Tal Eyre
Episode 25. Positive Parenting
Episode 42. Really Seeing
Egg by C.G. Hanzlicek
Tal's Website
This week's topic is very dear to our hearts. We discuss what it means to mother with faith, and specific ways we try to do this. We also expand what we mean by faith - not just a strict religious definition. We know faith within families is so personal, and we know it looks different for everyone. What we hope is that you can glean some ideas on how to mother with your faith. We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Hop on Instagram and let us know your stories @eyresisters.
Join us this week as we discuss how to have difficult conversations with our kids. We acknowledge the messiness, discuss ways to prepare ahead of time, and give ideas to each other on how to approach these tricky conversations. We would love to hear your thoughts! How do you approach difficult topics with your kids? Hop on Instagram and let us know! @eyresisters
Show Notes:
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber
We are so excited to have our mom, Linda Eyre, join us in this week's episode as we chat about parenting through the generations. We discuss the differences and similarities between parenting when our mom had young kids, through Saren and Shawni, to Saydi, who's in the middle, and then Charity, who still has young kids. We hope you can relate as we talk about the challenges as well as the good things about our time of parenting. Hop on Instagram and let us know your thoughts! @eyresisters
Show Notes:
Our parents' free books
It's natural for moms to worry about their kids! And, if you're like most moms, you tend to worry a lot! In today's conversation, we discuss the nuances and complexities of worry, some detrimental things that happen when we worry, as well as some actionable steps to take to help move through worry and find more peace. Come join us on Instagram and share with us your thoughts about worry! @eyresisters
Show Notes:
- Arthur Somers Roche quote
- Sister Runia's talk
- Randy Armstrong quote
- Courtney Carver quote
- Alison Curfman 10 Reasons Not To Worry About Your Child
In this week's episode, we discuss the basic human need to be seen. We share ways we have felt seen or not seen. Saydi brings in her therapist wisdom to help us understand why being seen matters so much, and what some signs are that maybe our children aren't feeling seen by us. We brainstorm ways to help our kids and others around us feel seen.
We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this very important topic! Please join us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
- Glennon Doyle quote from the book Love Warrior
- Dan Seigel's quote from the book The Power of Showing Up
- Tamara W. Runia's quote from her talk Seeing God's Family through the Overview Lens
- Steve Young's quote from the book The Law of Love
This week we come together to discuss the wildernesses that we go through in life. We all face them! We talk about ways we can acknowledge the difficulties, feel all the feelings, and also find support and move through them. We would be so grateful to hear from any of you on Instagram @eyresisters. We'd be honored to hear how you manage your own personal wildernesses. We're grateful to have you as a part of our community!
Show Notes:
Bittersweet (book)
Brene Brown cartoon on empathy
Everything Sad is Untrue (book)
We are so excited to be back for Season 4 of In the Arena! Thanks for joining us. This week's episode focuses on self-care. We talk about how we define self-care, and how to care for ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. We would love to hear your thoughts! Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
- Podcast mentioned by Saydi
Merry Christmas everyone! This is our final episode in season 3, and we wanted to end by sharing how we find meaning during the busy, hectic Christmas season. We bring our parents on to discuss ways to slow down and find Jesus. We would love to hear how you do this in your home! Join us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Notes:
- Times Square Light the World
- Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck
- Other Christmas Book Ideas
- Image of Jesus holding a child's face
- Advent podcast
- A Boring Evening at Home by Gerda Klein
- Saydi's Christmas Mantra
This week, we dive into a discussion about family intimacy. By family intimacy, we don't mean the physical intimacy you share with your partner. Instead, we mean intimacy in the sense of closeness, connections, and a sense of being seen. We discuss things that get in the way of intimate relationships, and we also give some ideas for building intimacy. We would love to hear from you! What's worked well in your family? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Notes:
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber
We're getting so close to Christmas time! It can be a crazy time of year - hectic and stressful. In today's episode, we talk about how to get our kids (and ourselves!) excited about giving. We share our ideas, but we'd love to hear yours! Come share what you've done in your family with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Notes:
-
Christmas ad
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The Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
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Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck
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I Got a Robe SNL skit
Join us this week as we discuss using a village to help raise our kids in our modern age. We discuss how much of the parenting in our modern society falls to the mom and dad (and mostly the mom!), and how sad this is! There are so many great people who can contribute to our kids' lives, let's use them! We'd love to hear your thoughts about this on Instagram @eyresisters.
Notes:
Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff
We know it's Halloween today, but we wanted to kick off November a day early with a short and sweet episode focusing on the power and importance of gratitude. We're grateful for you!
Notes:
Gratitude Meditation
We love reading! But not all of us have always loved reading, and not all of our kids love reading. Join us this week as we discuss ways to help our children discover the magic of reading. We talk about connecting with our kids through books, modeling a love of reading, and being patient with kids who are slower to find that love. What are some ways you help instill a love for reading in your home? We'd love to hear on Instagram, @eyresisters!
Notes:
Books Lists -
https://71toes.com/favorite-books-for-young-readers/ https://71toes.com/best-book-club-books/ https://71toes.com/favorite-books/ Books Mentioned in this episode, plus a few extras we threw in: Some favorite picture books: The Happy Lion Leonardo the Terrible Monster The Little Brute Family The monster at the end of this book Where the wild things are Favorite read alouds for pre-k up: Education of Little Tree The one and only Ivan Little house books Boxcar Children Ms. Piggle Wiggle Roald Dahl Narnia series Pippi Long Stocking King Matt Heidi The Little Princess Little Women Little Men Harry Potter The Mixed Up Files Wonder Jonny Tremain (older kids) The Giver (older kids) The Bronze Bow Under the Egg The Terrible Two The Hobbit The Hundred Dresses Ida B Charlotte Web All of a Kind Family Some Kind of Courage Books we love as women: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Jane Eyre A Tale of Two Cities The Good Earth A Place For Us Tattoos on the Heart And there was Light
Come listen in this week as we talk with our brother, Eli, about the difficulty of parenting not-so-easy kids. We all have a kid who is trickier to parent - or a kid who's in a tricky stage, and it can be draining and frustrating! We talk with Eli about how we keep our cool, how we remember the kind of parent we want to be, and how we keep on loving them. What do you do when parenting gets tricky? Let us know on Instagram @eyresisters!
Notes:
-
Good Inside by Dr. Becky
-
Seeing God's Family Through the Overview Lens by Sister Tamara W. Runia
We could talk about how much we love nature for hours! Growing up, our parents were very intentional about pointing out the beauties in the world. All of us have taken that appreciation for nature and woven it into the fabric of our own families. Join us as we discuss why nature is so important and share some ideas for getting your kids outside. How do you bring the benefits of nature into your family? Come share with us on Instagram! @eyresisters
Notes:
-
Oregon episode
-
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
-
How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art & Science of Falling in Love with Nature by Scott D. Sampson
-
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams
-
National Wildlife Federation - Health Benefits & Tips
-
Lost Connections: Why You're Really Depressed and How to Find Hope by Johann Hari
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Huberman Lab - Light, sleep, and circadian rhythm
-
Stephen Moss quote
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Amanda Morgan quote
-
David Sobel quote
-
Penny Whitehouse quote
-
Forcing a Good Memory blog post
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Alfred Wainwright quote
Join us this week as we talk about the difference between seeing our children as growing seeds with inherent complex, internal personalities and traits, or as lumps of clay that we can mold into what we want. We discuss how hard it is to relenquish our desire to push our kids towards what we think would be great for them and share times when we've failed as well as times when we have done a pretty good job. We'd love to hear your thoughts about this - we'd love to know how you nurture your little seedlings. Come join the conversation @eyresisters on Instagram.
Show Notes:
-
Dr. Russell Barkley on Parent as Shepherds
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Ross Green, The Explosive Child
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"We don't see things as they are" Quote
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Episode 25 where we talk about control with Tal
This week's episode features our amazing sister-in-law, Anita. Anita is a life coach and she offered us some simple but powerful principles that can help transform our parenting thoughts and actions. We learned about managing our expectations, being our word, paying attention to our train of thought, and more. Anita generously offered a free hour of coaching to all our listeners so head to her website to schedule your free session right away!
Show Notes:
-
Byron Katie, 4 Liberating Questions
-
The Power of Words (Maya Angelou Quote)
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Share Your Story (Brene Brown Quote #1)
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Stand Your Sacred Ground (Brown Brown Quote #2)
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Anita's Instagram Feed
-
- Anita's Life Coaching Website
Welcome back for Season 3! We are so excited to be starting off another season with you. In this episode, recorded at the tail end of our annual Bear Lake reunion, we share how we do reunions and talk about the things we love and the challenges we face.
How do you handle reunions in your family? What suggestions do you have for balancing scheduled time vs. free time? We'd love to hear your experiences! Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
Shawni's blog post about Grandfather's Secrets and Grammie Camp
Shawni's blog post about Eyrealm Reunion 2023 (this episode of our podcast was recorded at the close of this reunion)
Saren's post: 3 Keys to a Great Family Reunion (from 2018)
Summer is just around the corner! Join us for our last episode of season 2 as we discuss ideas for summertime with your kids. We dive into ideas around little kids, elementary-aged kids, high school kids, and even your adult kids. What summer ideas do you have? This week's challenge is to come up with the summer plan that best fits YOUR familiy. We'd love to have you share your ideas and plans with us on Instagram! @eyresisters
Have a great summer, and we'll see you next season!
Show Notes:
Shawni's blog post for summer ideas Shawni's blog post on Claire's experience Shawni's blog post on summer goals with a plan Shawni's other blog post on summer goals The Parenting Breakthrough book
Listen in today as we discuss technology! It's a hot topic, for good reason. We discuss the good that technology brings, and we also discuss the difficulties - setting limits, keeping our kids engaged with the world, the problems with comparison & the effects on self-esteem, how technology affects our ability to focus, the waste of time... there is so much to think about. Come join us for this discussion! We also challenge you to go have a screen competition with someone to see how little you can use your phone this week! And don't forget to check in on Instagram @eyresisters and let us know how it goes.
Show Notes:
Book Saydi talked about - Stolen Focus
Technology contract from Shawni -
Book Shawni quoted from - The Tech-Wise Family
15-minute book summaries app - Blinkist or Headway
Here's another episode of us answering questions submitted by you! We had a lot of fun talking about what we do for fun, how invovled we are in our kids' relationships, homeschooling, meal planning, and more. We love your questions! Thanks for asking. Don't forget to visit us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
Shawni's blog post on Family Mottos
Saydi's list of red flags for emotional immaturity
#1 episode Saren recommends about choosing schooling for your kids
#2 episode Saren recommends about choosing schooling for your kids
Join us this week as we talk with our brother, Talmadge (Tal). He lives in Switzerland with his wife and daughter. He's a poetry-reading, basketball-playing, book-writing, deep-thinking guy, and he has a lot to share! Tal talks with us about his experience as a kid who really struggled wtih reading, the challenges that he and his wife had with infertility, and the intentional practices he's taken from his education in positive psychology, including locus of control, explanatory style, and blind spots. We're sure you will love learning from the awesome little brother we used to call "Tam the Lamb." Share what you learned with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Locus of Control Shadow Work The Writer's Almanac Mary Oliver Wild Geese The Summer Day
We get asked all the time how we are so close as siblings. In this week's episode we discuss ways we've built relationships with each as we've grown up and have our own families. We talk about how we work through differences, issues we've had with hurt feelings and tensions, the bond we have through our religion, and how we try to connect individually with each other. What do you do to build your relationship with your siblings? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
This week we answer a listener's question about what our parents did to help us deal with negativity, and how we're working to build resilience in ourselves and our kids. We loved this discussion! We share experiences that have helped us develop thick skin - from the time a guy proudly announced that he'd burned the book our dad gave him to dealing with negative blog comments. We share ideas about how our parents taught us resilience and ways we can help cultivate resilience in our kids. What do you do in your home to teach resilience? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
Brene Brown quote
Parenting adult kids is a whole new ballgame, folks! We talk about how our parents approached parenting us in our adulthood then Saren and Shawni share their experiences with adult kids as they've moved from parenting to coaching to cheerleading. Saydi chimes in with a lot of great questions she's been thinking about as her oldest is about to head off to college soon. Do you have adult kids? What works for you? Share your ideas and thoughts on Instagram @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
Grandparenting course by our parents
Shawni’s post on parenting adult kids
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (book mentioned by Shawni)
Quote shared by Saydi about having a child is like having your heart walking around outside of your body
In this episode, we focus on a specific age group - little kids! In answer to listener questions, we share our experiences and tips on sleeping, eating, emotional disregulation (temper tantrums!), promoting cooperation, and the joys of little kids. These years can be exhausting, but they are also full of so much fun! Please share your favorite little kid ideas on our Instagram page @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
Joy School
Still face
Early Childhood Development Class
Don’t Carpe Diem
Hand Brain Model
Lava Concept
Documentary on Babies
Zones of Regulation
Book on Cooperation
In this episode, we focus on a specific age group - little kids! In answer to listener questions, we share our experiences and tips on sleeping, eating, emotional disregulation (temper tantrums!), promoting cooperation, and the joys of little kids. These years can be exhausting, but they are also full of so much fun! Please share your favorite little kid ideas on our Instagram page @eyresisters.
Show Notes:
Joy School
Still face
Early Childhood Development Class
Don’t Carpe Diem
Hand Brain Model
Lava Concept
Documentary on Babies
Zones of Regulation
Book on Cooperation
In this episode, we share our best tips for family travel. We talk about how to make time for travel, how to find the money to travel, how to feed your family inexpensively while traveling, how to involve your kids in the planning, how to travel with younger children, and more!
As with family life in general, traveling with your family can feel pretty un-glamorous when you're in the middle of it but when you look back, the experiences are cherished. We share some crazy stories and some beautiful memories alongside practical ideas for how you can make family travel happen if that's something you'd like to do with your family.
Our challenge for you to sit down with your spouse and make a plan for some sort of trip you'd like to take with your family.
Show Notes
Ian's post about traveling on credit card points
Saren blog post about making travel affordable
Food you can find and make in pretty much every country:
- Pasta and red sauce with cheese
- Fresh fruits and veggies (produce is typically more flavorful in other countries)
- Fresh crusty bread with cheese/salami
- No bake cookies (oatmeal, cocoa, butter, sugar (it's fine to leave out the vanilla)
- French toast (even for dinner) with honey instead of syrup
- Scrambled eggs
- Homemade pizzas (local bread topped by red sauce and cheese cooked in the oven)
- Rice and beans with garlic, onions, chili powder (with cheese on top)
- Frozen prepared meals are available in many places (especially frozen pizza)
Our brother Jonah marche to the beat of his own drum and has created a rich and beautiful life for his family while living very frugally. Join us as we interview Jonah and learn more about the unique approach to life and parenting that he and his wife, Aja, have chosen. We talk about everything from killing your own food for meat to moving to New Zealand after being inspired by Lord of the Rings to fixing up cars so they run on old vegetable oil. We hope you find Jonah as inspiring as we do! Join us on Instagram, @eyresisters, and let us know what out-of-the-norm things you've chosen for your family or what you'd like to do after listening to Jonah. We can't wait to hear from you!
Show Notes:
Wagon (Ana's award-winning film about driving cross-country in an old G-Wagon)
A blog post about Thanksgiving with Jonah & Asia
We break our normal pattern this week and bring you an episode answering the questions you've sent our way. We answer questions about our names, flops in our family growing up, how we take care of ourselves as mothers, etc. Go grab your favorite dessert and come join us for a fun chat!
Show Notes:
-
Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
-
The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack
Here it is! The episode where we talk about what our parents told us was the most wonderful, beautiful thing in the world - sex! We discuss the talk our parents had with each of us at age 8, how they followed up on that initial discussion, and what we liked and didn't like about how they handled things. We also talk about the initial and ongoing talks we've had with our own kids. How do you talk with your kids about this super important topic? How do you keep things open? What resources have been most helpful to you? Please share over on Instagram @eyresisters!
Show Notes:
How to Talk to your Child about Sex - Linda and Richard Eyre
Shawni’s blog post
Good Pictures, Bad Pictures
Protect Young Eyes
Instagram: @kristinbhodson
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we decided to discuss some of the joys and challenges of parenting alongside our Valentines. We discuss how to prioritize your spouse, how to handle the inevitable disagreements, differing ideas about parenting, and what works for us when it comes to division of labor. The challenge this week is to do something for your partner that will be really helpful for them. Hop on Instagram and let us know what you decide to do. Happy Valentine's Day!
Show Notes:
Gottman institute: The Four Horsemen
Brooke Romney Post: His Yin to My Yang
Shawni’s Blog Post: Valentine's Edition
Love Languages
Little Dad painting by Brian Kershisnik
Dr. Becky, Good Inside
In this week's episode, we share some key aspects of the religious beliefs and attitudes we grew up with and how our parents' take on the gospel and our church affected the development of our faith and our desire to remain active members of our church. We discuss transactional religion vs. transformational religion and share what matters most to us about our faith. We also talk about how to nurture healthy spirituality so our children can have the capacity to really connect with God and Jesus. We would love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram. How do you nurture faith and spirituality in your home? What are the key ideas you hope your children are getting about religion and about Jesus?
Show Notes:
The Chosen Series
God's Many Voices (Michael Wilcox): Searching Foot Podcast
Richard Rohr Meditations
Patricia Holland, "A Quiet Heart"
Blog Post about Lucy
What Mother Teresa Teaches About Prayer
This week we talk about how much or how little we should try to control various aspects of our kids' lives. It can be tough! We want to protect and guide them but we also want to help them become confident and independent as they make their own decisions. Join us as we discuss our parents' approach to control in our family growing up examine the approach we each take in our mothering. Do you lean more towards helicopter or lawnmower parenting? Or do you tend to be more permissive? What tips do you have for striking the balance? Hop onto Instagram and let us know your thoughts!
References:
Country Bunny and the Golden Shoes
Destiny of the Republic - Candice Millard
Parents.com - Why the Best Parenting Style isn’t one style at all, but many
Welcome back for Season 2! This week we talk with our parents about questions that came up during Season 1 - questions like, "Mom, how did you actually feel about Dad surprising you with the land at Bear Lake?!" We also ask them questions about how they came up with their parenting approaches and if they have any regrets. Join us for an entertaining, inspiring episode that will have you laughing at stories of living in the Eyre house, as well as feeling emotional at beautiful reminders like "each child is a seedling."
Don't forget to join us on Instagram @eyresisters!
Come join us for a fun discussion on traditions as we wrap up Season 1. We really enjoyed talking about traditions we had growing up around birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We also shared evolved and new traditions we have in our homes now. Traditions don't have to be fancy or stressful - they just need to be something that connects your family. We challenge you to do a tradition inventory so you and your family can decide which traditions to keep, which to get rid of, and maybe talk about some new ones to add. We'll be doing this too! Come share with us your meaningful family traditions on our instagram account!
Resources:
Link to Saren's Simplified Easter Week Guide https://poweroffamilies.com/easter-week-ideas/ Link to Saydi's do it yourself halloween - ttp://bostonshumways.blogspot.com/2011/11/do-it-yourself-halloween.html?m=1 Link to Saren's son Ashton's post about Thanksgiving - https://poweroffamilies.com/easter-week-ideas/ Link to Shawni's post about giving on Christmas eve https://71toes.com/2010/12/christmas-eve-part-2/ Shawni's version of Christmas Eve Jerusalem supper: htps://71toes.com/2015/12/christmas-eve-2015/
It can be really tricky to know how to get our kids to listen and obey. In today's episode, we discuss ways our parents helped us to "buy in" to the family legal system, how they implemented consequences, and what overall what discipline looked like in our home growing up. We also talk about ways we discipline in our own homes. After reflecting on all of this, we all agree on the key to discipline - connection!
What ways do you build connections and create environments where kids want to behave in your homes? Head over to Instagram and share with us!
Resources Mentioned:
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Saren's "Home Environment Assessment" to help you see what more you can do to set your kids up for good behavior
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Shawni's Blog Page About Mothering Tips She Loves
Teaching our kids to manage money well is vital! Come join our discussion as we share the way we were raised within the Eyre house money system, as well as ways we've tweaked things for our own families. We've also included a special audio guest appearance! We share snippets of our Dad, Richard Eyre, and his first home video describing the money system we grew up with.
How do you teach your kids about money management? Come share with us on Instagram!
Today's episode focuses on the teen years! Saren, Shawni, and Saydi share experiences from their growing-up years, as well as things they're implementing in their own homes now. What do you tips do you have for the teen phase? Come share with us on Instagram!
Resources We Mentioned:
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How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk
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The Miracle of Mindfulness
We all want our kids to like each other, but, as Saydi put it in this week's episode, it can often feel like we're in a true arena with all of the fighting in our homes! During this episode, we list some of the things our parents did during our growing-up years that we think might have helped foster the friendships we have as adults. What things do you do in your home to help build sibling relationships? Come share with us on Instagram!
This week we continue our discussion about our family motto: broaden and contribute. Listen in as we talk about how our parents instilled a contributing-to-the-world mindset in our family growing up, and ways we're continuing that with our children. We want our kids to feel for others and feel empowered to know they can do something to make a difference. In what ways do you help your children contribute?
Listed below are movies & books we recommend to help your family develop a desire to contribute:
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Thirst
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Kisses from Katie
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The Promise of a Pencil
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Shawni's blog has a post discussing these books here
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The Good Lie
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Queen of Katwe
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The Blind Side
Listed below are organizations we recommend if you're looking for ways to contribute:
- CharityVision (Check out Shawni's blog post here) - Rising Star in India (blog post) - OSSO, (blog post) - Family Humanitarian (blog post) - Choice Humanitarian - Care for Life Also, if you're interested in the toolkit Saydi mentioned that her daughter made for the Children for Children Concert, click here. And read more about how to do a Children for Children concert on Shawni's blog, here.
Growing up, our parents were passionate about broadening our minds - whether through travel, music and art, or setting goals. They encouraged us to push past our comfort zones and learn new things. They taught us that new people, places, and ideas are exciting!
In this week's episode, we explore how our parents instilled a thirst for learning and experiencing new things in us and also how we've chosen to implement the idea of broadening in our own homes. In what ways do you help broaden the knowledge and perspectives of your family? What can you add to your family life to encourage more broadening? Hop onto Instagram and let us know!
This week's topic is one dear to our hearts. Just as our parents did, we feel strongly about teaching our children to be citizens of the world - to love and accept differences! Join us as we talk about our adventures growing up in England, Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines. We also discuss ways to be a citizen of the world from home. The world is wonderful, and there's so much to learn and embrace. How do you plan to bring this into your home this week? Plan a trip? Eat at a different restaurant? Attend a class about a culture you don't know about? Have international night at the dinner table? There are so many options - we just need to get creative and intentional.
Today we look back on rituals we had as a family - some daily, some weekly, some not-so-consistent. We talk about morning rituals, dinner rituals, car rides, Sundays, and nighttime. Some of our family rituals were pretty common - scripture study, mommy/daddy dates, and reading books together. Some are a little quirky, like our dinner speeches, nighttime visits from The Monster Man, and our Sunday award ceremonies. Whatever the rituals, the point is that they created a space for connection. Even small things can make a big difference. They help kids feel bonded and feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. What rituals do you have in your family?
Today we discuss the summers we spent building a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. We laugh about the living conditions and the creative cooking as well as discussing how being pushed outside our comfort zones taught us important lessons and how doing something a little bit crazy created amazing memories and connections. What can you do to bring some discomfort and out-of-the box experiences into your family life?
Join us as we describe the fun history of our family's favorite place. We talk about the days of buckets for toilets and carrying rocks and how Bear Lake evolved into a beloved annual summer gathering spot for 50+ family members. Special places are an important part of building a strong family - whether that place is a bench near your house or a cabin by a lake. What places are special to your family?
Get to know the Eyre Sisters and what we hope to do with this podcast. We talk about where the name came from, introduce the unique way we were raised and how that has shaped us as parents, and give you a glimpse into the topics we'll be covering as we move forward.