Thriving In Motherhood Podcast: Recent Episodes

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This fall has been a very busy season for our family where we are stuck tackling things that are urgent. While it has been exhausting and at times felt like survival mode (some days have been 100% survival mode), I have learned some powerful lessons that are changing how I approach my days that I discuss in this week’s episode.

I’ve found myself living on razor-thin margins lately - where there’s just enough capacity for the scheduled things, but anything else feels impossible. Throughout this season, I’ve been learning some important lessons about how to make things work better, even when we’re at capacity:

• How a simple whiteboard is changing our family communication and getting everyone moving in the same direction
• What happened when I started letting my family help instead of running faster and faster by myself
• Why acknowledging our limitations (and communicating them to our kids) actually makes everything easier
• The mindset shift that’s helping me recognize I’m more capable than I think
• How simplifying and creating systems is slowly giving us more breathing room

All these lessons from our busy season are becoming part of something bigger - The Surviving to Thriving Toolkit.

After years of hearing, “I found your podcast - where do I start?”, I realize that all roads point to this toolkit. It will walk you through each stage of the journey from surviving to thriving, with real, practical help for wherever you are right now.

I’m also including a Family Systems Playbook with video walkthroughs of how we actually make things work in our home. Not because it’s the only way or even the best way, but because having a starting point can make such a difference when you’re trying to figure things out for your own family.

Right now I’m working on Win Your Week Academy (the Thriving phase) and in January I’ll start building out the other modules. I’m hoping to release the full toolkit in early 2025. If you want to be the first to know when it’s ready, you can join the waitlist at: thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com/toolkit.

I hope this episode helps you pause and think about where you are in your own life. Whether it’s hard, fast-paced, slow, or busy, there’s always something we can learn to move us forward.

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I’ve been getting questions after the focus on how to merge effective mom planning with planning with your spouse. Andrew and I sat down after we tucked the kids into bed this week and talked about what planning looks like for us in our marriage which I hope will inspire you.

But first, let’s get some misconceptions out of the way:

Misconception #1: We Plan the Same Way

Nope! Andrew has his own style of planning that works for his work schedule and keeping his priorities in check.

Misconception #2: We are good at weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual planning together.

Also, no. We are pretty great at weekly planning (we rarely skip). We are good at doing annual reviews together. Anything beyond that is superb, but we really haven’t been consistent over the last 13 years of marriage. I hope that encourages you. You only need to be pretty good at one thing to have a huge impact in your marriage and family life.

Misconception #3: We follow a clear checklist and it’s the same every time.

Negative. We have fine-tuned what we cover and we adjust it based on how much time and energy we have and how unusual the week is.

In this week’s podcast episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on our real-life planning process.

You’ll discover:

• The story of how our weekly planning tradition began
• What actually makes it into our shared planning agenda
• Our individual prep work (and how much we actually share)
• A peek into our typical planning session
• Why these weekly check-ins matter (and what happens when we skip them)

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refresh your approach to planning with your spouse, I think you’ll find something helpful in this episode.

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Have you ever felt the need to speed up your child’s life? Like it’s some kind of race to cram in everything they need before they turn 18? Today’s conversation with Leslie Martino challenged my thinking about this in the best possible way.

Leslie has four kids (14, 12, and 10-year-old twins), and she shared something that hit home: older kids deserve a slow childhood too. We often talk about peaceful, slow living for little ones, but somewhere along the way, we forget that older kids are still kids.

In this week’s episode, we talked about some practical aspects of slow living with older kids like:

• How to say no to the right things
• Finding a community with like-minded families
• Managing the balance between activities and home life
• Creating intentional check-in times with each child

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the pace of life with older kids, or if you’re approaching the teenage years and wondering how to maintain close connections, this episode is for you. Leslie shares so much wisdom about creating a life that reflects your values, even (and especially) as your kids grow older.

Tune in to hear our full conversation, including Leslie’s insights from her new book, The Joy of Slow: Restoring Balance and Wonder to Homeschool Learning. Whether you homeschool or not, her perspective on slowing down and staying connected with older kids is something every parent needs to hear.

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When Sierra first discovered the Thriving in Motherhood planner in 2021, she was deep in survival mode. With a three-year-old and an 18-month-old, she had been battling postpartum depression for over a year. “I need something,” she recalled thinking. “I can’t just be surviving anymore.”

Like many mothers, Sierra initially hesitated about investing in a planner. But after discussing it with her husband, she took a leap - a decision that would transform not just her approach to motherhood, but her entire outlook on life.

One of Sierra’s most profound realizations through using the planner was that “goals can be accomplished in small pieces.” This simple, but powerful insight helped her break free from overwhelm. Using the Thriving in Motherhood Planner’s structured approach, she began setting and achieving goals across different areas of her life, from reading classics with her children to pursuing her passion for drawing.

What started as Sierra’s personal planning journey soon created beautiful ripple effects throughout her family life. As she invested time in her own growth and interests through the planner’s guidance, she noticed her children becoming curious and inspired by her examples. Through the planner’s guidance, Sierra found that taking time for personal growth doesn’t detract from motherhood - it enhances it.

Sierra offers this wisdom for mothers feeling overwhelmed about starting their journey with the Thriving in Motherhood Planner: “Take it a little bit at a time.” She recommends:

• Don’t try to fill everything out at once
• Give yourself time to review your year and set intentions
• Focus on one domain at a time
• Remember it’s okay to put it aside during challenging seasons

The journey from just surviving to really thriving doesn't happen overnight. But Sierra's story shows us something beautiful - when you have the right tool and give yourself grace to use it in your own way, you can build a life you're excited about.

It really can happen, one small step at a time. As Sierra discovered, you don't have to do everything at once. Start somewhere, focus on what matters most to you right now, and know it's perfectly okay to set it aside when life gets crazy. The planner will be there when you're ready to pick it back up again.

If you’re ready to get started on your own journey, order your 2025 Thriving in Motherhood Planner HERE.

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Today I’m going to walk you through the the Win Your Week planning system that’s built into the 2025 Thriving in Motherhood Planner. This system is designed to help you navigate the ups and downs of motherhood while still achieving your goals and creating a life you love.

Why Focus on Winning Your Week?

Let's face it: as moms, our days can be unpredictable. Some days are fantastic, others are challenging, and many are a mix of both. That's why I've found that focusing on "winning the week" is the sweet spot. It gives us enough time to balance productivity, self-care, and family time, even when individual days don't go as planned.

So let’s break down how this whole system fits together so you can have a winning week:

1. Vision for the Year: This is where we start. It doesn’t matter how fuzzy it is to begin - you just need to put some ideas on paper. I promise it will become more clear over time.
2. Sandbox/Someday Maybe Section: This is a great spot for ideas you’re not ready to commit to. It’s a way to preserve those ideas without cluttering up your calendar or to-do list.
3. Quarterly Vision: Your yearly vision breaks down into concrete projects, goals, and habits for each quarter.
4. Monthly Planning: Here you have a spot to write down the goals, projects, and habits you want to work on for the next 30 days, based on your quarterly plan.
5. Weekly Plan: This is where we’re really focusing. You’ll have a big three for the week, trying to take that vision and bring it into your week. You’ll also include next actions from your projects, tasks that just come up in life, appointments, and scheduled events.
6. Recurring Tasks and Routines: These feed into your weekly plan too. They’re the things that keep your household running smoothly.

Special Features to Note

• Think and Process Pages: These weekly blank pages are your catch-all for notes, ideas, and brainstorming sessions. They're perfect for corralling all the information that comes at us from different directions.
• Recurring Tasks and Routines: We've included dedicated spaces for weekly and monthly routines to help you manage household tasks more efficiently.
• Habit Tracking: There's space to track four weekly habits – enough to make progress without feeling overwhelmed.
• Looking Ahead Section: A place to jot down future plans and ideas, so you're always prepared for what's coming.
• Index: Like a bullet journal, this feature helps you quickly find important information you've written down throughout the year.

Pre-Order Your 2025 Planner

Mark your calendars! The 2025 Thriving in Motherhood Planner will be available for pre-order from October 21st to 26th. When you order during that time, it allows me to do one big bulk order, take it to a local printer, add coils, and then my kids package and ship it to you.

I hope this overview gives you a visual of how the Win Your Week planning system works. It’s designed to take you from where you are now, and help you close the gap to where you want to be with baby steps that filter powerfully through into something amazing!

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I’m thrilled to share with you the 12 major updates we’ve made to the 2025 Thriving in Motherhood Planner. These changes are based on the latest productivity research, time management strategies, and systems design. I’ve been diving deep into these topics to bring you a planner that truly supports your journey in motherhood. Let’s explore what’s new!

Getting Started Checklist

Ever felt lost staring at a brand new planner? Not anymore. I’ve created a step-by-step guide that’s like having a friendly expert by your side. Whether you’re a planning pro or a first-timer, you’ll be up and running in no time.

Enhanced Planning Sessions Checklist

The planning sessions guide includes detailed checklists for quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily planning. Each session has it’s own acronym to help you remember it’s purpose.

Separated Vision Workbook and 2025 Vision Page

I’ve split these sections to give you more flexibility in your planning process. Why? Because sometimes you need to get messy with your dreams and sometimes you need a clean snapshot. The workbook is for brainstorming, while the vision page is for your refined goals.

Leverage Task List

This new two-page spread allows you to note repetitive tasks or pain points that you can improve or automate. It’s like a “to-improve list” that will help you free up mental and physical energy over time.

Energy Map

A way to plan your tasks with your natural energy levels throughout the day, week, and month, maximizing your productivity and reducing frustration. No more beating yourself up for not being a morning person (or a night owl)!

Personal Life Philosophy Page

A dedicated space for you to collect inspiring quotes, scriptures, or ideas that resonate with who you want to be and how you want to live. This page is your personal collection of guiding lights, helping you stay true to your values and aspirations.

Quarterly Vision Pages

I’ve repositioned these pages to appear before each quarter, making it easier to plan and review your progress throughout the year. No more flipping back and forth!

Updated Project, Goal, and Habit Planning Pages

These pages now offer more white space for brainstorming and customization, allowing you to plan in a way that suits your style. Scribble, doodle, mind-map to your heart’s content.

Monthly Routine Page

Say goodbye to forgotten monthly tasks. This new page is designed to capture all those important monthly to-dos that often slip through the cracks.

Improved Monthly Planning Pages

I’ve supercharged these monthly planning pages with new sections for habits and weekly routines. Now you can see your big-picture goals, daily habits, and weekly commitments all in one place. It’s like having a birds-eye view of your month.

Weekly Reflection Questions

Two thoughtful questions at the bottom of each weekly page to celebrate wins and tweak what’s not working. Because you’re awesome and you deserve to know it!

Annual Calendars for 2025 and 2026

By popular request, I've included annual calendars for both the current and upcoming year, perfect for long-term planning

Mark your calendars for October 21st (my birthday - what better way to celebrate?) through October 26th. That’s when you can get your very own planner coil-bound by me and my family. After that planners will be perfect bound (which works great as well!).

Remember, this planner is designed to grow with you as you manage your home, pursue your dreams, and thrive in motherhood. Here’s to creating a life we’re excited to wake up to each day!

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We have had a wonderful summer and a lot going on as we get back into life at home, gardening, homeschooling, and friendships. There has also been a lot going on behind the scenes with the podcast, which is what I want to share with you in this week’s Thriving Thursday email so you can know what to expect.

Usually by now I've gotten the next year's planner edited, ordered, shipped to my home, and I've taken photos and gotten ready to share it with all of you. This year I have the draft of the 2025 planner written, but it still needs to be created.

What I've been focusing on the last few months is reading the productivity books that have come out in the last few years, taking a few productivity courses, and translating the principles that apply to us as moms into the planner and courses that go along with the planner. I am excited to share these little but effective tweaks with you soon!

I also sent an email out earlier this year to everyone who has purchased the Made to Soar: Next 90 Days program looking for feedback about what was working and what wasn't working. Two really important points emerged from that feedback.

First, 90 days is a really long time to focus on something and it led to feelings of discouragement when interruptions happened or it took longer to get through the course material. At the same time I've seen so much progress in the lives of the moms I've been working with for nearly 4 years in Soaring Mothers Society (which is the group coaching program that goes along with the Made to Soar DIY course). And the reality is that the baby steps add up to incredible change.

So the first big change I'm announcing in this email is that the Made to Soar: Next 90 Days program name is changing to Win Your Week Academy. With this focus on creating a winning week you will also experience winning months, quarters, and years. Everyone who has already purchased the Next 90 Days program will get access to this update.

Second, many moms struggled with working on the program because they were in survival mode, re-entry, or buried in the work of normalizing. Which is absolutely right because that content is really focused on the later stages of normalizing, exploring, and thriving. And this is where I realized that I had a major gap I needed to fill and where the idea of the Surviving to Thriving Toolkit came about. This is something I've been making baby steps of progress on for months and I'm looking forward to announcing the beta launch of this program soon.

The women in Mom Matters Too have also been so patient this year as we started that new program and moved around to 3 different tech platforms until we found our home. This was a huge undertaking but I am really thrilled with the results. So much so that I am going to be switching all of the products and courses over to this platform so everything will be in one place. This is a huge project but will smooth things out for everyone moving forward.

With all of these large projects on the horizon, I have made the decision to take my first break ever since starting the podcast nearly seven years ago. This way my team and I can divert all of our energy and attention to getting the 2025 planner ready to go, creating the new Win Your Week Academy program, creating the Soaring Mothers Toolkit, and switching all other digital products to the new platform.

I already have many more episode ideas and raw footage recorded for the podcast, so there is part of me that thinks I can just keep going with both. But honestly, it is a relief to decide to go all in on one thing and create a really strong foundation with things that will truly serve you and help you in ways that I can't do through the podcast. And once we have solid footing, it will be wonderful to put energy and attention back towards bringing you great conversations and insights on the Thriving in Motherhood Podcast again.

During the break you can listen to any of the 330 previous episodes here: https://thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com/podcast/

I will continue sending emails on Thursday to give you behind the scenes progress updates and let you know when episodes will be released again as the time gets closer. I look forward to working with some of you in the Surviving to Thriving Toolkit beta program! You can get on the waitlist here to be the first to know when the doors are opening.

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I went out to harvest cucumbers and green beans with my kids early one morning. The plants looked amazing, with vines reaching everywhere. At first glance, it looked like we would come out with nothing to show for our months of effort water, picking off bugs, and weeding. But after we slowed down and searched for a while, we began to see lots of vegetables (we found 17 cucumbers and an entire colander of green beans!).

Just like the vegetables hidden in the garden, sometimes we get so caught up in the daily grind that we miss all the amazing things we're accomplishing as moms. That's why a monthly review is SO important! It is when we slow down and look for all of the fruit that we get to celebrate and enjoy our daily efforts.

You can do a monthly review on a piece of paper or journal, or use the Thriving in Motherhood Planner.

There's a page each month for doing this monthly review so you never have to remember that it's time to sit down and reflect again.

If you want a little more accountability and motherhood camaraderie we'd love to have you join us in our monthly Soaring Mothers Society Calls. These monthly calls are a fantastic way to connect with other moms, share your review progress, and get inspired.

And here's my favorite part of the whole process (and a way to battle the mom guilt that so easily creeps in): After your monthly review, share it with your kids and husband at the dinner table! Share the things you are learning and discovering. Share your accomplishments. Reflect and remember the things you've done as a family and the places you've gone. Share what you've been reading. And then ask them about their progress too! Your kids want to celebrate with you, be proud of you, and enjoy seeing your success and growth as much as you enjoy seeing theirs.

This is a powerful way to create a strong family culture of motivated, growing individuals who cheer each other on.

Grab a piece of paper, join our Soaring Mother Society Calls, or use your planner – whatever works for you. Just take that time to reflect, celebrate, and share your joy with your family.

I can't wait to hear about all the amazing things YOU'RE accomplishing!

I'm cheering you on!

Jessica

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As mothers, we often find ourselves navigating the challenging journey from merely surviving our days to truly thriving. Over the years, I've had the privilege of working with many amazing moms, and I've noticed some common pitfalls that can make this journey feel even more daunting.

Today, I'd like to share some insights to help smooth your path. In our latest podcast episode, we dive into the five biggest mistakes moms make as they transition from survival mode to thriving.

Here are the five key mistakes to consider:

1. Focusing on Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence: It’s crucial to distinguish between what you can control and what you can’t. By redirecting your focus to your circle of influence, you empower yourself to make meaningful changes. When I was pregnant with my third baby, I found myself overwhelmed by everything outside my control. A wise friend encouraged me to focus on my circle of influence rather than my circle of concern. It was a life-changing moment that taught me to concentrate on what I could truly impact. This shift in perspective enabled me to put my energy into actions that mattered, rather than getting bogged down by things I couldn't change.
2. Phone Scrolling: While it's a common escape, it can hinder your ability to think clearly, connect meaningfully with your family, and solve your problems with God. Reducing phone time can significantly improve your ability to cope and connect.
3. Getting Stuck in Phases: Whether it's survival mode, normalizing routines, or exploring new interests, it's important to recognize when it's time to move on and adapt to new phases in your motherhood journey. I go into great detail about what it looks like to get stuck in each phase.
4. Focusing on Suffering: It's easy to dwell on the hardships of motherhood, but shifting your mindset to focus on what you’re learning and how you’re growing can make a significant difference. Seeing challenges as opportunities for growth fosters resilience. This can't be rushed - it takes time to grieve or work through the emotions and realities of things being hard or different than you anticipated. But I have also learned that it is a skill set and a habit of thinking that can grow stronger with practice.
5. Limiting Strategies to Simplify Life: I spent years thinking there are only a couple of ways to make life easier, like sending kids to Grandma's or eating out. However, there are countless strategies to improve your day-to-day, even without these conveniences.

This is why I'm creating a brand new program, The Surviving to Thriving Toolkit! If you want to be the first to know any details and get on the waitlist, you can head over to https://thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com/toolkit.

Additionally, if you're seeking more support and community, consider joining Mom Matters Too {https://thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com/mom-matters-too} where we work on micro habits together. These calls are a fantastic opportunity to connect with other moms, share your progress, and gain inspiration. The price is going up at the end of July so now is the perfect time to join!

Remember, every step forward, no matter how small, is a victory. Let's celebrate these wins together. I can't wait to hear about all the amazing things you are accomplishing!

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Currently, we are in a season in our lives that could be temporary - or we could be here to stay for a long, long time. I'm very good at temporary. Moving has been my lot in life, growing up with my parents (I went to 10 schools by the time I graduated high school) and since getting married (we've lived in 6 homes). But living somewhere where staying is a possibility? Now that has been a hard thing for my mind to grasp.

In this week's episode, I'm sharing a thriving thought that has come out of this struggle for me and also how it applies to motherhood.

We love where we live. We love the smaller home that is easy to clean, the updates and DIY projects we've done to customize the space, the huge garden we've put in the backyard, the rock climbing wall we just built, and the space our kids have to roam and play outside. But as we've made each of these changes and have more ideas for the future (front yard orchard and herb garden), I've often wondered if it is even a good idea to put our time, energy, and finances into something if we aren't staying here.

After much prayer and discussion with God for years I got the new understanding that I was seeking:

Yes, embrace the current resources you have now to the fullest while you have them. Enjoy the spaces, the yard, the garden, the place to develop skills and do projects. Embrace the hours the children get to roam and create and build and picnic and imagine. Embrace all of it while you have it. And when things change, you don't need to replicate what you had here. You can embrace the new circumstances to the fullest and enjoy the differences.

Then I realized that we weren't just talking about houses.

We were also talking about my children and the seasons of motherhood. It is going so fast. My oldest is turning 11 and what felt like forever in those early years with 3 kids four and under is now moving at lightning speed.

But I don't need to focus on the inevitable changes coming. Instead, embrace the season we are in now. Invest in it fully with my time, focus, and energy. And when this season changes with the children continuing to get older, embrace that one too.

And this isn't meant to get us caught up in mom guilt and focus on the limitations we have or the things we can't do that would count as "embracing things to the fullest".

If you are in a hard season right now, it can look like just being present and sitting down and watching the same movie with your kids instead of scrolling or consuming your own content. Just BEING together counts.

In fact, each step along the five-step path from surviving to thriving will look different. This is why I'm creating the Surviving to Thriving Toolkit - to empower you to embrace where you are to the fullest with all the realities of motherhood and life coming at you. You can learn more at thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com/toolkit

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It can be so hard to feel like we are just surviving our days and see a huge list of all that needs to happen, but in reality all we need to do is focus on managing today and making tomorrow a little bit better too.

Each of the five phases along the path have a specific focus, systems, and skills so that you can dramatically shorten your to-do list and put your energy towards the specific problems you are facing right now.

In this weeks episode I'm sharing the big problems with you along each phase so you can more clearly identify where you are at along the path and what you can let go of in the season you are in.

We work on solving each of these problems in the Surviving to Thriving Toolkit. You can learn more and join the waitlist to be the first to know about it here: https://thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com/toolkit

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We have been working on a huge project to weed all of the garden pathways and lay down weed cloth to hopefully prevent future out of control weeks from taking over. One morning I got out there super early and saw all of the beautiful plants strong, but by 10am they were withering away in the hot sun.

I realized that we've had many hot, dry days and I hadn't done much watering. It was a crazy ten minutes as I had kids melting down and a garden that was on it's way to dead that we had to take care of right then. And it was this moment that I learned a powerful lesson that I'm sharing in this weeks episode.

It hit me: just like those thirsty plants, we moms can feel drained if we don't take care of ourselves regularly.

But here's the good news! Imagine if you had a drip irrigation system for your garden. No more daily watering, just consistent nourishment that lets your plants flourish. That's the power of micro-habits and systems for moms!

Think of these habits as your drip line. Maybe it's a morning routine that sets your day up for success, or a dedicated time for quiet reflection. These small but consistent actions "water" your well-being, freeing up energy for the things you truly enjoy.

Just like with that drip irrigation, once you have those systems in place, you can spend more time savoring the fruits of your labor! Imagine ENJOYING your harvest, planting a metaphorical fruit orchard of new goals, or spending more quality time with your family.

Ready to ditch the inconsistency and effort of using a watering can and create sustaining micro habits?

Join me in the Mom Matters Too program this July! We'll dive deep into creating those powerful micro-habits and systems that will allow you to have the energy, clarity, and focus to work on the things that truly matter to you. (Plus, the price goes up in August, so don't miss out!)

Head over to Mom Matters Too and get started on your journey to a more joyful, fulfilling motherhood!

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If you are looking for a fun and new activity to do with your kids I recommend making a jar of sauerkraut this summer! It took me 2 years and five failed batches before I finally figured out all of the nuances of this process, but it was well worth the wait.

Today I'm sharing 6 mistakes to avoid and what to do instead so that your first batch can be successful and a fun check on your summer bucket list.

6 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Sauerkraut

1. Not shredding finely enough: Use a cheese grater or food processor with grating attachment
2. Using not enough or too much salt: Add 2T for every 3 cabbages (2/3 T for one cabbage)
3. Filling the jars too much: Leave 2-3 inches at the top so there is room for the weight and brine
4. Not using the outside cabbage leaf to contain everything: Use the outside 2 cabbage leaves to cover the shredded cabbage and make sure all of the pieces are submerged over the brine
5. Not having adequate weight/pressure to hold things down: Rocks work but the whole process was cleaner, didn't smell or attract fruit flies when I got this weight and self burping lids/
6. Not waiting long enough: It takes a full two weeks even here in the south where it is hot for the sauerkraut to finish. It will switch from a light green to a light yellow/brown color throughout the entire jar.

Tips for Making Sauerkraut with Kids

1. Decide whether this is a good time to work with just one child or do everyone together.
2. Let everyone know what the whole process is ahead of time.
3. Prep everyone to take turns and let them know what their turn is going to be.
4. Know it doesn't have to be perfect and it can be messy.
5. Do it at a time when you aren't stressed or starving because it's not fun to cook with other people then.
6. Turn it into a science experiment and have them track the color until it is done and see how long it takes.

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If you've ever thought about gardening with kids my conversation with Tiana Woodbury is for you! She has gardened with her three young children for many years in many different types of gardens (container, community, and her own backyard) and is full of real, practical tips.

One of Tiana's superpowers is making the ordinary magical and she brings that to her gardening endeavors as well, but in very simple and doable ways. I certainly had lots of take-aways and things that I want to do a little differently and I'm sure you will too.

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Earlier this year I shared what I did to make my smartphone less “smart” (Digital Minimalism in 2024). Since then, our family has faced some unexpected challenges that pushed us into survival mode, and naturally, our screen time increased, including mine.

This experience made me realize the unique challenges we face at different stages of our journey from merely surviving to truly thriving, especially regarding phone usage.

In this week’s episode, I delve into these challenges and how becoming aware can lead to positive changes.

Challenges with Phone Usage on the 5-Step Path from Surviving to Thriving

1. Survival Mode: Increased screen time, watching more movies with the kids, zoning out with shows or scrolling.
2. Re-entry: This is when we feel the most overwhelmed and tired, so we use phones as an easy escape. But this only prolongs the process of re-entry.
3. Normalizing: Rewarding ourselves with screen time after a good day, leading to late nights and inconsistent routines.
4. Exploring: Spending excessive time on phones researching or learning, starting with good intentions, but often getting trapped in endless scrolling.

Each stage presents its own set of challenges, slowing down our progress.

Changes I’ve Made To My (Android) Phone:

• Niagara Launcher (free version)
• No Chrome/Internet
• Essential apps only: phone, texting, calendar, Google Maps, Notion (for work), church directory, scriptures, LibriVox, Libby, Marco Polo, Kajabi (for courses I've bought)
• Put my phone away instead of carrying it with me

Impact: * Increased productivity (even with insomnia) * Solving problems caused by a lack of connection by being present with my kids * Tackling household issues together with my kids because my phone is put away

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We woke up on Saturday morning and my son was staring out the back window when he realized he couldn't see the zipper on the trampoline across the yard. Upon closer inspection, he realized that one of the huge limbs on our peach tree had broken and had fallen on top of the olive tree next to it and on the ground.

We didn't have any big storms or high winds and the kids were asking if I knew what happened. Looking at the branches with peaches full of fruit it didn't take too long to realize that the weight of the peaches - still not ripe - was too much and broke the thick limb.

This image immediately brought to my mind all of the projects, habits, and goals that I am working on right now in our home, family, garden, yard, homeschool, and business. After months of just being in survival mode, it feels so good to be making progress and gaining momentum in many areas of our lives. It is exciting to be crossing things off the list, solving some big pain points, and investing in relationships and projects that will last. But as we are charging ahead at top speed, this peach tree gave me pause about all of the "fruit" I'm trying to grow right now in my life.

There was a crucial step that we missed in caring for this peach tree - pruning.

If we had pruned some of the fruit off of the tree, the weight wouldn't have been too much and the tree would be fine.

Instead of choosing to remove some of the fruit, we lost all of it (this would have been really sad, except this peach tree actually has a fungal infection so the peaches rot before they ripen and we were planning on taking it down this year anyway).

It was a great reminder that If I don't do some pruning in my own life, it can be a fast track to burnout. Then all progress comes to a halt and we lose all of the fruit instead of just choosing a few things to let go of or simplify.

What does this look like practically? How do we do some pruning in our own lives - especially when there are plenty of things we don't want to walk away from?

The secret is a quarterly review. I first learned about this concept years ago from Greg McKeown's book, Essentialism, where he recommends a quarterly offsite review. This means you leave and go somewhere away from your home and work to think about your life.

As a mom with a baby and toddler, this sounded like a fairyland ideal. However, that didn't stop me from doing an onsite review right in the walls of my own home.

This entire process is in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner every quarter so you don't even have to remember how many months have gone by - when you see it, it's time to sit down and go through the process.

You can do this in one sitting or over a week or two as you evaluate your life and figure out what matters most going forward.

I walk through the entire process step by step in episode 102.

You can also learn about quarterly reviews fit in with the entire planning system process with the Plan a Week You Can Win training

If we don't life can start to be like a snowball that you keep rolling around and acquiring more snow - getting bigger and bigger until you can't move it at all. Or like the peach tree whose limb snaps.

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What do you do with all the stuff your kids create? This is something I have struggled with for years with my four very creative children.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing what has been working for us, our current problems and what we are doing about it, and a brand new framework my children and I came up with that is changing how we think about the things they (and I) make.

Here are some of the things that have been working for us for a while:

1. Paper management: Each child has a small drawer where we can dump anything they made that is flat. Once the bin is full we go through it and take pictures of things they don’t want to forget and put things they really care about into their paper box (file folder with files from 0-18 years). Everything else gets thrown away.
2. 3-Dimensional projects: Each child has a Maker Box where they can put the things they’ve made that they don’t want to get rid of because they still want to play with it or it’s particularly cool.
3. They are keeping the majority of the projects in their bedrooms while I focus on decluttering the rest of the house and creating spaces that are super easy to reset and modeling getting rid of things. The kids desire to have their rooms match the rest of the house.

While these things have been working there are still some problems. The Maker Boxes do not contain the amount of stuff that they create and a one-in, one-out rule is pretty painful when they are things they love to play with.

It’s also painful to have messy bedrooms that are hard to navigate and find things in.

While discussing these problems over breakfast, the kids and I created The Creation Cycle:

1. You have an idea.
2. You gather supplies.
3. You make it.
4. You take a picture of it (optional but sometimes they like to do this with their important creations)
5. You put the supplies away.
6. You enjoy it – either playing with it or displaying it.
7. You find a home for it and put it away or throw it away.

As we discussed what this looks like in our home, the kids identified that we have two main points where we are having problems with the cycle.

1. There is nearly zero friction between having an idea and getting supplies to start making something. While in some ways this is fantastic, it also means there are usually LOTS of things in the first few steps of the creating cycle and rarely are those things making it all around the loop.
2. Our biggest drop-off spot is after step 3, which is why bedroom surfaces have piles and piles of things on them.

Right now, having a language to identify where the problems are happening and where every item in the room is in the Creation Cycle has been life-changing!

It changes the questions we are asking and empowers the kids to make decisions about what we do with things next. And we’re getting very close to having even the bedroom easy to reset (one down, one to go).

As you think about creativity in your home, I’d love to know if this cycle fits into what is happening with your family as well. What’s working well? Where are the breakdowns happening?

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We have four very creative kids who spend HOURS each day creating things (the most recent was an elaborate tin can phone system complete with bells and wall mounts for the cans to go between the top and bottom bunk).

In this week's episode, I'm sharing the things we've done that have made the biggest impact on raising creative children.

8 Tips For Raising Creative Kids

1. Encourage their interests.

For example, from the time our son was 18 months old, he used our couches to build vehicles. To support this, we built wooden boxes he could combine with stools, chairs, and a nugget couch. This has sparked endless imaginative constructions.

1. Expose your kids to new experiences

Anytime our kids get in a funk and don’t know what to do, we try to take them somewhere and let them experience something new. These experiences provide fresh inspiration to fuel their creative ideas.

1. Have supplies on hand

We like to have scissors, glue, cardboard, and paint on hand at our house. Think about the things your kids like to create and make those supplies accessible, easy to use, and easy to put away.

1. Teach kids basic skills

We’ve taught our kids how to knit, crochet, carve, use the sewing machine, hand sew, and weave. Giving them these basic skills has allowed them to create even more things. While we don’t force these skills on them, we support their interests by teaching them what they need to bring their ideas to life.

1. Get books from the library on a variety of topics

Borrow books from the library on various subjects. Exposing your kids to a wide range of topics is crucial for sparking their creativity and broadening their horizons.

1. Help your kids create the things they want

If our kids say they want something we help them make it. We’ve made shoe and coat racks, bows and arrows, chisels, hammers, swords, and shields. When they were little we were much more involved. As they’ve gotten older and more experienced, we’ve allowed them more independence as they create and build.

1. Allow them to listen to audiobooks while they create

Audiobooks are a fantastic way to keep kids engaged while they create We’ve found a good audiobook can extend their creative projects.

1. Model creativity

Creativity starts with us as parents. By modeling creativity, involving our kids in our projects, and providing inspiration, we set the stage for them to be more creative. We actively support their ideas and encourage them to explore and experiment.

One of the most impactful things you can do as a parent is to develop a high tolerance for stepping back and letting your kids create. This might mean occasional disruptions, like missing kitchen chairs or dealing with creative messes. We’re currently teaching our kids to clean up after their projects, balancing creativity with responsibility.

The more we embrace their creativity, the more it flourishes. Every mess, project, and mistake all add up to a fulfilling and creative life.

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Whether you are exhausted, depressed, sick, burned out, or just want a break, in today's episode I'll be sharing my #1 tip that I've used for the last 10.5 years of motherhood to get me through the day when I need some space we still have the day to spend together.

The solution has two parts: Go outside and do something creative.

When my kids were little and we lived in an apartment, this looked like bringing things I could do with my hands to the playground: whittle spoons or animals out of sticks or scrap wood, crochet blankets, make shoes out of leather, or peel apples to make applesauce.

As my kids got older and we now live in a home, this often looks like doing house projects. Recently we've done major updates in our garden, built a retaining wall, made a bed frame, cut out wood animals for the kids to carve with friends, and we are currently building a rock climbing wall in the garage.

Always I've played instruments, often outside, for a low-energy creative option. A ukulele, guitar, or fiddle is a convenient option to grab and go to the great outdoors.

No matter what season of motherhood I'm in, the result has been the same.

Everyone was happier once we stepped outside. Fighting decreases. The kids get engaged in good play. I get some space and a break from having people touch me. And creativity brings some joy and satisfaction into my day, no matter how tired or crummy I feel.

The thing I wasn't expecting was just how creative my kids would become from watching me over the years. There is never a dull moment at our house. Someone is always making something, or playing an instrument, and they are usually outside.

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It is so easy to fall into the "all I do is.." trap.

You fill in the blank - change diapers, drive kids to school and activities, feed people, nurse the baby, chase after the toddler. No matter the season of motherhood you are in, there are things that we do over and over again. And when we start to think that it is all we do, we can start to feel miserable and resentful of the people we love the most.

The antidote is simple but incredibly powerful: do a monthly review.

Even after 7 years of this 10-minute exercise, I am still surprised at how it changes my perspective and how I feel about my life.

In this week's episode, I'm sharing my findings from my most recent review in April and show you how you can do it yourself too.

5 Questions To Ask In a Monthly Review:

1. What have I discovered or learned this month?
2. What have I accomplished?
3. Where have we gone?
4. What significant things happened in our family?
5. What books have I read or listened to (or podcasts or shows if that is the season you are in)?

When you ask these questions you can see how rich your life actually is. And you can begin to build momentum and keep the progress going.

When you see you read a book - you are a reader! What else can you read? When you see you've made progress on projects or goals you can feel motivated to take the next baby steps. When you discover or learn something you realize just how interesting this life is and wonder what else there is to learn. When you see all the places you've gone it is easier to get out of the house again.

And when you record the significant things in your family you realize why your house is in the state it's in...or maybe more accurately, how great you are really doing as you invest in these people and relationships.

And if you discover that you don't have much to write about, you will have a clearer picture of WHY which brings much more compassion, grace, and understanding as well as gives you clues on how to move forward.

You can do this in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner on the monthly review page so you don't even have to remember that a month has gone by - you just do it when the page shows up - or in a notebook or journal you already use.

If you want to do it with someone to celebrate your progress and plan what you are going to focus on for the next 30 days with some accountability, come join us in Soaring Mother's Society where we share our monthly reviews in small groups.

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With summer quickly approaching, I needed to refocus on what we are going to make our learning priorities for the next few months. We go year-round in our homeschooling so that we can have the ultimate flexibility to take breaks or just enjoy the nice days outside. And, hot weather here in the South has us indoors more than in the winter months.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the question I asked to give me the clarity I needed to decide what we are going to focus on in our schooling and home so that we can have confidence in how we are using our time and energy.

The question I asked myself is: “What do each of my kids need to be prepared for next fall?”

With this question, I was able to narrow down the few things that matter a lot and let go of the rest.

For us, we are making a family project of working through Story of the World 4 this summer so we can enjoy modern history when we start Alveary in the fall.

We are also focusing on some specific skills tailored to what each child needs, instead of keeping up with all of the subjects and curriculum. Everyone is continuing with math and a few of my kids are starting All About Spelling. We started a writing club by buying our own notebooks and writing on our own time, sharing what we write when we are ready.

We are also working on organizing bedrooms and our school space in May to have our environments set up to make it easy to do what we want to do. I’m prepping the Alveary curriculum in June while getting ready for our annual cross-country road trip.

Resources We Are Using This Summer:

Story of the World 4

Alveary (use code JJACKSON for a $25 discount)

All About Spelling

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For the last 30 days, I've been using the Thriving in Motherhood Journal. Before this personal challenge, I would use it about once a week when things were hard and noticed a nice lift to my week. But as this year has continued to surprise us I started to flounder and wanted to see what impact the journal would have in my life.

In this week's episode, I'll share some of the logistics and tips for using the journal, the impact it had on my life, and my invitation for you to give it a try for yourself.

You may be wondering what it actually took for me to stick to my 30-day challenge. Here are some things that I found helpful:

• Have a pen ready
• Have multiple windows of when you will use the journal and put it in the next likely spot (next to your bed, office, kitchen, etc.)
• Be flexible with morning or night (or both).
• Pick it back up when you miss a day.
• Don’t pressure yourself to answer every question. Pick the relevant ones for that day and leave the rest.
• Don’t worry about keeping the daily and weekly pages perfectly ordered.

When I started this challenge, I was floundering. We’ve had a hard year on lots of levels - health, jobs, lots of things going on, kids struggling with different things (including surgery), and the unexpected keeps popping up. I have felt exhausted.

Here are some of the positive impacts I noticed during my 30-day challenge:

• Using the journal has empowered me through this season. I’ve been surprised at how much joy I have felt in the last 30 days.
• I’ve been able to parent better, more consistently, and more confidently instead of pulling into myself and surviving through the hard days.
• I’ve processed some hard emotions/situations so I could truly find peace and let go.
• I did a lot more service outside of my home in 30 days than I did all year. Small ways, like helping return a grocery cart and carry food out to the car, and bigger things too.
• I captured many magic moments during the last 30 days and now my days are full of them.
• My health wasn’t great during this window but when I did my monthly review I discovered a miraculous amount of things got accomplished. I attribute this to the power of having the vision in my Thriving in Motherhood Planner and asking the daily questions in the journal about the next three steps for my priorities that week.
• I got rid of mom guilt which normally rears its ugly head during hard survival times with the question, “What would help me feel successful today?” This question allowed me to pivot to what mattered most each day.
• I have struggled with anxiety about facing the next day in the past and fret at night about what is to come, especially when I’m sleep-deprived. But this journaling process helped me live more in the moment each day and ending the day with magic moments, gratitude, big wins, and God’s involvement in my life made a big difference.
• This process led me to naturally have a better routine before bed and get rid of tech when I was journaling.

I’d like to extend an invitation to you to pull out your Thriving in Motherhood Journal (or get yours today) and commit to 30 days of journaling. Watch and see the difference it makes in your life.

If you've already been using the journal, I would really appreciate it if you left a review on Amazon to help other moms find it and see if it would be a good fit for them. And as a special bonus, if you leave a review on Amazon, you’ll be entered to win a 2024 coil-bound Thriving in Motherhood Planner!

There are some amazing bonuses you can claim when you purchase the journal to help you get the most out of it so don’t wait to get yours!

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I got a fantastic question from a mother who is using the 2024 Thriving in Motherhood Planner this year: "I get confused sometimes about the distinction between things like goals (quarterly vs. yearly) vs. projects vs. habits vs. Big 3 vs. focus vs. tracking. Should these things all be related or not necessarily?

For example, on page 31, I'm not sure what goals vs projects are. Do I choose a big goal and then break that down into projects, or are goals and projects different? Should my daily, weekly, and quarterly goals all go back to my 10-12 goals for the year? I guess I'm just not clear on how these things are different or if they should all be connected!"

In this week's episode are going to do a deep dive on the difference between Projects, Goals, and Habits and how you can practically organize your ideas to make things happen with the Thriving in Motherhood Planner.

First, use this how it works best for you! There are no grades or right or wrong answers. But, if you’re curious, here’s how I use my Thriving in Motherhood Planner in these different areas.

• Projects: Projects are things with multiple steps that need or want to happen. For example, on my list are creating a family meal binder, updating our family yearbooks, planting raspberries, planting a medicinal and culinary herb garden, and cleaning out garden pathways.
• Goals: Goals are a little more personal and stretching—definitely outside of my comfort zone. This year, I put three goals down: write a book, do community service as a family, and do a cooking camp with the kids. These are also multistep goals, but they are also about shaping who we are as people and doing things that are intentionally hard.
• Habits: Habits are also about becoming—but on a daily level. For me, I wrote about prepping for the next day and knowing what's going to happen so we get a head start, tracking finances, daily exercise, and reading with a commonplace notebook.

Could some of these be mixed in different places - absolutely.

Another way to think about it is that Goals are things I want to HAVE, projects are things I want to DO, and Habits are things I want to BECOME.

Also, I don't fill out page 33 (Goals, Habits, Projects page) for the whole year all at once. I do it quarter by quarter. Sometimes, it is in planning, and sometimes it is in review to just see an overview of what happened.

Will goals or habits have projects involved? Very possibly! Do I use the goal planning pages for a project? Sometimes! Do I not use a goal planning page for a goal? Yes!

I like to have my daily, weekly, and quarterly goals funnel down from my vision. Some years, my vision is clearly defined on page 33, and sometimes, it is NOT. But I am picking what I focus on each quarter based on my vision and my month based on the quarter. My big three for the week have at least one thing from my vision on it most weeks (and sometimes it's taken up with homeschooling, celebrating a birthday, or getting the car fixed).

Focus is usually more about who I want to be, a scripture that I want to remember, a thriving thought that is helping me navigate day-to-day life or something that is challenging me and I want to navigate it better. It is nice to have it as a reminder on my weekly page spread.

Tracking is for the daily habits I want to keep a record of accomplishing. In some seasons, it is really motivating to check them off, and other times, I think just doing the things is enough and could care less if there is a check in the checkbox.

If you have any more questions about how I use the Thriving in Motherhood Planner or whether it’s right for you, email me at jessica@thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com, and I’ll get back to you!

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Cleaning my home with my children has always been my number one priority. When they were babies this looked like using cleaning supplies that would be safe while they were in a baby carrier on me. As they were toddlers, it meant they could clean with me, and I wasn't worried about what they were touching. As they get older it means having materials I'm confident they can use safely by themselves.

But knowing that this is what I wanted and executing it were two different things. In this week's episode, I'm sharing all the things I've tried and what worked, what didn't work, and what we are doing now that has been the right fit for us.

I tried many things over the years. The first was to walk through the cleaning aisle at the store to find the products we needed. But due to overwhelm (the number of options, not knowing which products were actually safe, and calculating the expense of it all), I always walked out of there with nothing. This also meant that for years, the actual cleaning in our home was minimal because I was so worried about picking the wrong thing.

My friend Hannah (we were neighbors in grad student housing - true friendship is formed in not ideal living conditions) created a course called Simple Green Cleaning (not available right now) that taught me how to clean the majority of my house with a few basic ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap. I thoroughly enjoyed feeling confident cleaning my house and mixing up what I needed when I needed it. But when I started teaching my kids how to do it, they were so inspired by the process that they created their own cleaning supplies by mixing soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and lotions, and it made a pretty big mess. This didn't quite work with my purpose of cleaning with my kids.

A few years ago, we decided to try Force of Nature, which is completely safe for skin, disinfects, and can be used on all surfaces. It has been a game-changer. We have ONE cleaning product we use on EVERYTHING.

It makes it simple to teach our children how to use it (plus they LOVE the process of making it and never complain when I ask them to clean) and I never have to worry about what they are breathing in or is touching their skin.

While I haven't done a petri dish test to confirm how well it disinfects surfaces, but it cleans well enough to remove all smells and clean surfaces, so that is good for me! When it comes to my main priority of cleaning with my kids, this one checks all of the boxes.

If you want to try Force of Nature yourself, you can get a discount with this link:

Force of Nature

Get 40% off bundles in April with code: PLANET40

Get 60% off Cleaning and Laundry Duo Bundles with PLANET60

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When I had three kids, four and under, I learned about Charlotte Mason and her principle of spreading a wide feast of ideas. Practically, this looks like 20 different subjects in a Charlotte Mason classroom that get covered during the week.

Before we were in the formal school years, I got into the habit of discovering where all the different sections of books were at the library so I could just walk the shelves and grab some that covered a wide range of ideas without any preplanning. For years, we have had this system in place that has provided an educational cushion through all the ups and downs in our lives and given our kids a lot of learning in a very natural way.

For years, we have had this system in place that has provided an educational cushion through all the ups and downs in our lives and given our kids a lot of learning in a very natural way. I also supplement by putting books on hold at the library that deep-dive into what my kids want to learn more about so that I’m not hunting for specific books once we get there.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing practical tips for not losing the library books and keeping free books free, bringing some great books into your home, and some of our recent favorites.

How we avoid fines and the library to keep our books free:

• We moved all our personal books upstairs to a home library and have a separate bookshelf downstairs for the library books to create separation.
• We have ONE library card, so we don’t lose track of the books we have checked out, what’s on hold, and what we have to return.
• We try to get to the library on the same day every week so that we don’t have many different due dates to keep track of.
• I try and go to our library account after we get home from the library to renew any books that we might have missed returning.
• We have a library book bag that holds between 20-30 books, which creates some margin.

Recent Library Book Favorites That Were So Good We Would By Them

1. Professor Wooford McPaw’s History of Astronomy
2. Papa is A Poet A Story about Robert Frost
3. The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto
4. Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain
5. Hawk Rising
6. Send a Girl!: The True Story of How Women Joined the FDNY
7. Find Me! Adventures in the Forest
8. The Apartment: A Century of Russian History
9. Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground
10. Charles Dickens (Little People, Big Dreams)
11. A Walk in London
12. Cooking Class Global Feast!: 44 Recipes That Celebrate the World’s Cultures

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Synthia Simenson is a mother of five (almost six) children ages 10 and under. She went through the struggles that I think we can all relate to when we first become moms—overwhelm, unsure of where to focus her time and energy, and not even sure what she wanted life to look like. I hope you are as inspired by her journey as I am, from those survival years to making intentional changes that created space for her to dream.

Things like minimum baselines for taking care of herself and her home, weekly out-of-the-house dates with her husband (a minimum of 3 hours!), and creating a schedule so she wasn't reinventing the wheel every single day (notice the 3 pillars of thriving there?!).

She also began asking this life-changing question: "What is something you want more of?"

As she and her husband discussed this on their weekly dates, their answer was travel. They both love being in new places, connecting with people, and spending time together as a family while having new experiences and discovering things. Leaning into that dream has turned into years of trips all around the world.

Synthia's Hacks For Traveling Internationally With Kids

• Plan trips that you are excited about because it is overwhelming and stressful, and you need something to really motivate you to do it because there are so many benefits
• Each kid has a day bag and night bag (toothbrush, pajamas, night diaper, etc.)
• Pack a swim bag with everything needed for swimming or a beach day
• Church bag with everything for church - bows, snacks, activities, etc.
• Make a customized packing list on the computer, print it out, and modify it according to the trip. Then, hand the list to the older children and have them pack by a deadline. This keeps you organized and lets the kids step up.
• Bring everything into a dining room or guest bedroom so it is consolidated into one space
• If going on a two-week international trip, start packing two weeks before because there are going to be that many details and things that go into it.
• Have a babysitter come over to help with packing
• Everyone gets their own snack bag that lasts for the entire trip. They get to pack 10 healthy snacks and some candies. She never regrets packing lots of food options to help with hungry moments.
• Have a restaurant bag with diapers, wipes, and black t-shirts for little kids instead of bibs to cover their clothes, and use it all week to keep them clean
• Listen to podcasts or YouTube videos about the place you are going to (start 6 months before) to get lots of ideas about what you can do without sitting in front of the computer all the time (though there is plenty of that, too).
• When I plan trips with kids, I skip over any blog that talks about travel without kids. I only read from sources that include "...with kids."
• Have a toiletries bag that is 90% ready to go for travel with duplicates of everything
• Have bags with long handles that go over the headrest in the car to help keep the kids' things organized so things are up off of the ground
• Always have 10 empty grocery sacks with you - there is always a kid who throws up, or has an accident, or there is garbage - and it helps you feel really prepared

Traveling with your family might not be your dream, but I hope that this week's episode inspires you to ask the question, "What is something I want more of?" and see where it leads.

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Have you done those exercises where you write out your priorities or values? It is easy for me to put on paper what I care about, but where are my time and energy really going?

In this season of survival mode for our family, we have really stripped away a lot of what we usually do, and it is easy for me to say that we aren't very consistent in things that I wish we were better at.

But as I sat pondering this one morning during my scripture study, I realized that I actually AM consistent at some things, even in survival mode, and those things are my true priorities. I wrote three different lists to help me get a more realistic picture of what I care about with not just my words but my actions, and then I evaluated and made changes from there.

In this week's episode, I walk you through the entire process, using my answers as an example to get you started. Once again, I just used a Think and Process page in my Thriving in Motherhood Planner for this exercise.

3 Questions to Determine Your True Priorities:

1. What am I consistent at?
2. What am I almost consistent at but drop the ball quickly when things are hard?
3. What is done occasionally that you wish was more consistent?

Once you've written your lists, ask these follow-up questions to help you evaluate and make changes:

1. Is there anything obvious you would like to change?
2. Is there an easy swap from something that is more consistent that doesn't matter as much to something that is less consistent and matters more?
3. What needs more accountability?
4. What could you create a system around so that it doesn't require as much from you?

I realized that a lot of the things that I drop in a hard season, I am pretty good at picking up again once I have available energy. But there are some things that are done more occasionally that I realized I need to create systems around to give my kids more responsibility to be consistent in certain areas.

After going through this process, it clarified to me where I need to devote more time, energy, and resources to make the biggest impact on consistently living out our priorities.

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When you’ve lost momentum in every area of your life, and it feels overwhelming because there is so much to do, what do you do? Often, the answer is to do a brain dump—write everything you can possibly think of on a piece of paper to clear your head.

The problem is, what do you do after that? How do you actually gain the clarity you need to move forward?

This last week, I sat down and prayerfully asked that question, and a new process unfolded that made it very clear where to put my time and energy to start making progress on the things that really mattered most to me, even though we were still sliding between survival mode and re-entry.

I thought about making it fancy, but in the end, I just used a Think and Process page in the Thriving in Motherhood planner to complete this entire process.

Steps For Clarity When There is Too Much to Do:

1. Brain Dump
2. Cross anything off the list that isn’t actually really important right now
3. What on your list has a next action step that is 5 minutes or less?
4. What on your list is urgent?
5. What progress have you made on each item (one box for started, two boxes for progress has been made, and three boxes for nearly done)?
6. Transfer the 5-minute or less next action steps, urgent items, and nearly done items from your list onto your weekly plan.

For me, there were two next action steps, two urgent items, and two things I was nearly done with. This allowed me to get some quick wins and start to build momentum and bring excitement and joy back into everyday life.

Watch this week's episode of the podcast for an in-depth walkthrough of this process and what made my list.

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Last week, we spent a week in Memphis, Tennessee, as a family while Andrew attended a conference. It was a great trip with lots of amazing moments and some really hard ones, too. In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the reflection process that I did after this trip so that we can take in all the data, evaluate the wins, what we loved, and what we would do to make things a little bit better next time.

Some of the specific tips might be applicable to your family and travel situation, and some of them won’t, but either way, I hope that you will use this process after you have an adventure—big or small—with your family.

It takes a lot of effort to pull off family adventures, and reflection is the essential step that allows us to do it again as we figure out what worked and what didn’t.

Here are some things we reflected on that went well, didn’t go well, and what we would do differently next time:

1. Mindset: This is a grand experiment, and I’m just here to collect data about what is going well and what’s not going well so we can make changes. If I go in with expectations other than these, my hopes will usually be dashed.
2. Food: We stuck to our usual road trip staples on the way out (bagel sandwiches, fruits, veggies, something special - goldfish and veggie straws - and stopped for dinner at Chipotle). The rest of the trip was a little bit rocky. Hotel breakfast takes an hour, which means it is both an activity and a lot to manage, but that is just the new expectation. We packed lunches (sandwiches, fruits, and veggies) and grabbed dinner at a restaurant, but we were all just a little bit hungry. Next time we are going to be in a hotel for a long period of time, we think we’ll bring an Instapot so we can have more food that we are used to that is more filling.
3. Quiet Time: I got some activities at the dollar store (coloring book, sticker book, playdough, standup) as an experiment to see if having a little novelty could get me a short nap in the middle of the day. It worked about 50% of the time, but the activities were a big hit and did get me about 20 minutes of rest. It also gave the kids something to do while we were waiting around in the morning for everyone to get ready with one bathroom. This was something that went well, and I would add more intentional effort into it next time because it was a budding success.
4. Activities: I started by looking at the weather to get a general idea of what we were facing and saw some rainy days and clear days with generally cooler weather. My conclusion was we needed a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, leaning heavily on indoor options. We went to a few paid museums (National Civil Rights Museum, Cotton Museum, Flight Museum, and Children's Museum), and a few of those had groupons with huge discounts. We took advantage of local parks and found some awesome gems, and it also gave us outside time in spaces where the kids could just run and play and not be corrected by us. We also found things we would do things in our town anyway, like going to the public library.
5. Took me off guard: I had zero moments without the kids. In the past, when the kids were little I would be awake an hour or two before them and work in the bathroom in the morning, but this trip, we went to bed together, woke up together, and spent every waking moment together (except for my 20 minutes of quiet time when they were one bed away). On the last night, Andrew took the kids after he finished working so I could go on a walk by myself (and then I found something fun and invited them to join me because it was too good not to share), but even that 15 minutes really rejuvenated me and is something we will be more strategic about next time we join Andrew on a work trip.
6. Public Transportation was a huge hit: It saved a lot of hassle with parking. It was a fun activity that the kids enjoyed, and it helped them build some confidence in navigating a new place. We got a day pass for a few dollars each, so it was very economical.
7. Include your kids in the entire process. Instead of adventures being all on mom's shoulders, use trips to build family unity and help the kids learn from and own the effort and the joy of adventures. My oldest created the packing list a few days before the trip. Everyone helped clean out the car, gather activities, shop and prepare food, and pack clothes. We might have gone a little slower, but it kept everyone doing the same thing, and there were fewer messes in other spaces around the house. When I started to get a little frazzled at the end of the trip packing things up to go home and everyone running around, I remembered I could ask the kids for help, and they did - with joy. Involving the children in the process of family adventures is something I want to get better at with future trips.
8. Keep Similar Rhythms to What We Do At Home: Friday night was still pizza and movie night (with Papa Johns Pizza). At night, we had the same bedtime routine and morning routine. Every day, we came back to the hotel in the middle of the day for quiet time. We kept the basic anchors in our day and week so everyone knew what to expect and didn't start from scratch. We could have brought in a few more daily habits

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When I shared 3 Thriving Thoughts for Hard Days a few weeks ago, we were not at the end of the unexpected and hard around here. The reality is that my capacity and desire for doing things and running the household are shrinking as my energy is being diverted toward the emotional and physical realities and reactions to our circumstances.

I’ve also realized that my physical energy and health vary greatly every month, and I have some ongoing health challenges. I want to have a more realistic handle on what I’m committing to. When I created my vision at the beginning of the year, I had no clue what the first few months would throw at us, and I very excitedly jumped into lots of things, but now I’m finding myself stressed by these self-imposed expectations.

As I was pondering this situation earlier this week, I had the inspiration (in my usual place, the shower) to write a Yes List. What is a Yes List, you ask?

A yes list is a list of everything you’ve said yes to. Because I really don’t like not finishing things and seeing them through to the end, it was very helpful for me to put things on paper and look at them objectively. Then, I could sift through everything and simplify those “yeses” to the absolute essential. I used a Think and Process page in my Thriving in Motherhood Planner and carried it around with me during the day so I could add to it.

Here are five areas from my Yes List that I’m currently simplifying:

1. Books: I revisited my reading list and wrote down all the books I wanted to come back to in the future. For now, I’m focusing on reading this that builds my character and less on books that require me to take action.
2. Gardening: Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, I’m simplifying our gardening activities and making progress without making it too complicated.
3. Rooms: We are continuing our journey to simplify our living spaces, focusing on reducing clutter without getting too overwhelmed with perfection.
4. Programs/Commitments: I evaluated all the programs I’m a part of and sorted through what is time-sensitive and what can wait. I’ve also re-evaluated my commitments, saying no to some things I had previously said yes to.
5. Homeschooling: We are embracing our current homeschool and focusing on relationships over perfection. This approach fosters a deeper and more meaningful learning experience.

In a nutshell, I’m on a quest to get really clear on what really matters RIGHT NOW and redirecting my energy and focus where it counts the most. Writing in my Thriving in Motherhood Journal every day is really helping me find the guidance I’m seeking.

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If you’ve been stuck on Exploring on the 5 Step Path from Surviving to Thriving, this week’s episode is for you! Monica Packer shares how a Do Something List can be a powerful tool for exploring and discovering who you are and what you love. It’s a practical push to find fulfillment in your everyday life. It is separate from a goals or resolutions list. It’s more about exploration than competition.

Monica is also no stranger to struggles and survival seasons and you will hear how she has learned to navigate those seasons a little more gracefully and find peace with things looking differently when life gets hard.

For Monica, the biggest lesson from the Do Something List is that the transformation lies in the process, not the outcome. It’s not completing the list that brings fulfillment. It’s in the trying that you rediscover who you are, be more of yourself, and experience the trickle-down effect that comes from that.

Monica’s Tips for a Do Something List

1. Pick a timeframe that this list applies to (for example, the whole year or a season).
2. Start with a lot of reflection on different parts of yourself that you want to bring back and things you want to try or are curious about.
3. Finalize the list based on the things that are right for the season - not paying prices that are too high for the season you are in.
4. It is a push to find time, but not to break you.
5. Start small and in doable ways so you can gently stretch this part of yourself.
6. You can take things off or add things to the list.
7. Start with the funnest thing on your list that also seems doable or something that fits into what you are already doing (like trying new recipes).
8. You don’t need to complete your list! Monica never has in the last 8 years.

You can get a step-by-step through and more ideas in this week’s episode and dive deeper with Monica at: https://www.workinprogressacademy.co/dsl

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We’ve had an intense few months over at our house, and it has taken its toll. But the wonderful thing is that with breakdowns come breakthroughs. Today, I’m sharing three new Thriving Thoughts (what I call the new way of thinking I like to hold onto) I’ve had that are helping me in this season.

Whether these thoughts resonate with you or not, I hope that when you are struggling, you will follow this pattern that allows you to find more empowering and helpful thoughts.

Pattern for Creating Thriving Thoughts:

1. Notice when you are feeling negative emotions and uncover the thoughts you are thinking. This takes practice and may take some pondering.
2. Write down the unhelpful thought
3. Pray for a paradigm shift - how can you look at this situation differently? What is another way to think about it? For me, prayer is essential because only God truly understands my brain and how it would be helpful for me to approach my own struggles
4. Ponder better ways of thinking. Write down the new thriving thoughts.

Here are three new Thriving Thoughts that have come from this season:

1. Focus on who God is and what He can do instead of my circumstances.

I was caught in a loop of repeating our challenging circumstances. I noticed when reading scriptures that there are two groups of people: those who focus on the circumstances and those who focus on who God is and what God can do. (Moses and the Israelites are a great example of this). I’m now working on repeating who God is and what God can do - looking up instead of getting caught in the struggle.

1. I don’t have to feel good too…

One of the struggles I have about not feeling good physically or mentally is that it’s hard to be the mom I want to be. To be lighthearted, gentle, and patient is such a challenge when carrying stress, pain, and exhaustion (can you relate?) Then I feel guilty for not being those things and kind of mad that I’m dealing with pain, stress, and exhaustion (brains are fun). No, I’m even grumpier. But one day during this cycle, I had a wonderful Thriving Thought pop into my mind (inspiration, I’m sure): “I don’t have to feel good to smile.” And then I realized that applied to pretty much anything. I don’t have to feel good to be patient, lighthearted, make dinner, play a game - add your own. This was incredibly empowering. It would be easier if I felt good, but I don’t have to feel good to make the choice to behave the way I want to behave.

1. I can do one small thing that will make a difference today.

I find it incredibly easy to get overwhelmed when we are in hard seasons. Energy and time allotment for regular tasks get taken up by different things. The house gets out of hand, and I don’t have loads of capacity to deal with it. Multiply this by a few days or weeks, and running away can seem like a good idea. But you know what? One small thing makes a HUGE difference. I sat down with my daughter and sorted through a pile of papers and cleared a shelf and we both felt on top of the world. And it gets some momentum going in the right direction. And then I can do it again tomorrow. A five-minute effort multiples over days, and you can absolutely see progress.

What Thriving Thoughts carry you through hard seasons?

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If decorating your home feels overwhelming and you don’t know where to start, this conversation with Myquillyn Smith will bring clarity and hope. We discuss house rules (and how to break them), how to fix things when they don’t look right, how to decorate on a budget, and how to figure out what your next step is when it comes to creating a home that you love being in and feels good.

I have personally read and implemented what Myquillyn has taught in her books and community since 2018, and I’m so grateful to be able to introduce you to some whom I’ve learned a lot from when it comes to creating rooms in my home that I truly love.

One of the decorating principles that has made the biggest difference in my home is Myquillyn’s decorating trinity.

The Homey Trinity: Rugs, Drapes, and Lighting

As someone who doesn’t love a lot of trinkets to care of, understanding the impact of these three items has set me free and allowed me to to confidently create spaces I love to be in. If you are just getting started putting rooms together, an invaluable resource - and where I first learned about the power of rugs, drapes, and lighting is in Myquillyn’s book Cozy Minimalist Home.

A confident decorator is someone who, when the room doesn’t look right, knows what to do. No one is born knowing that. You learn from mentors, from trial and error, and by asking lots of questions. Decorating can be scary because other people see it. But your home should be your safe place to try things out.

Decorating is low stakes and is a great place to take a risk and learn from your attempts. It is a great thing to teach your kids that some risks are high stakes, some are low stakes, and decorating falls into the low-stakes and fun category. A fabulous starting space for learning what doesn’t look right and why is Myquillyn Smith’s fourth book, House Rules.

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I’ve been meal planning for years in pretty much the same way. I’ve put my process into seven steps for today’s episode.

As my 6-year-old said when she sat next to me while I edited this episode, “Mom, just because it works for you doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else.” She’s 100% right.

But I hope that seeing my exact process will give you some inspiration and a starting place to figure out a meal planning system that works for you.

My 7-Step Weekly Meal Planning System:

1. Determine what stores you shop for groceries at. What is the schedule for ads?
2. Look at the weekly ads. What is on sale that you can use in your meal plan?
3. If you have themed nights, pick that first (e.g., Pizza nights on Friday)
4. Look at your calendar and figure out what meals need to be fast/simple. What needs to be prepped ahead in a crockpot or Instapot? What nights do you have to cook more (maybe a bulk recipe to have leftovers for lunch)?
5. Fill in with your favorites. I pick maybe one or two new recipes each week, but no more than that. Have favorite sources where you go to look for new recipes. I use Faithful Plateful’s website and cookbooks the most frequently. I use Mealboard to collect recipes we like.
6. Currently, I’m creating a meal binder that has our favorites broken down into different categories: quick and easy breakfast, lunch, dinner, road trip food, and having people over for dinner. Then, topical rotations based on ingredients: lentil meals, quinoa meals, beans, tofu, etc. (Once I have this finished, I’ll give access to it to members of my Simplify to Soar Club)
7. Keep track of my meals in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner for the week. Sometimes, I treat it like a list of seven meals that we have ingredients for, and then I pick what sounds best each night. But at this point, I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out what type of day we are going to have and sticking to what I wrote.

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I’ve started this year by reading a lot from many different genres and areas of interest. Today, I’m sharing six of the books I read in January and my takeaways from each.

How To Grow Your Small Business

Awaking Wonder

Hidden Potential

Habits of the Household

The Psychology of Money

The Penderwicks on Gram Street

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I’ve had three challenging pregnancies with other kids at home. I was very intentional with the time in between pregnancies to prepare for the next one, figuring it would also be a challenge.

Today, I’m covering what I did, what worked, what didn’t, and tips to help you figure out where to put your time and energy. These are the same tips I’d give you even if you aren’t planning another pregnancy but in a season where things are going well. You can put your efforts to use in a challenging pregnancy or enjoy the increased capacity in other pursuits.

1 - Establish Strong Anchors In Your Day

Begin and end your day with consistency. Having set routines for mornings, quiet time, and bedtime creates a predictable routine for everyone.

2 - Create Family Systems

During non-pregnancy times, set up family systems. While they may not always run smoothly when you’re feeling sick during pregnancy, having these systems in place allows for a quicker return to order when you’re feeling better.

In My Made to Soar: Next 90 Days program, I delve deeper into this process but basically you identify one small problem, set up the environment to make it easy to do the thing you want to do, walk through the process yourself, and then teach your family how to do it and give everyone a role.

3 - Food

At first I cooked freezer meals and snacks ahead of time, thinking we could rely on those during morning sickness, but I never got the timing right. It always took longer than I hoped to get pregnant and that food would not be great by the time we needed it. I started creating meal plans with lots of different recipes in it for variety knowing I would probably only eat them once and then not want them again. What I discovered was we really just ate basic, simple meals during that time. Stock up on paper products to reduce the amount of dishes you need to do.

4 - Toys

I put all the toys away and just leave one or two favorites. I wish this was to keep the house cleaner, but I found that my cleaning up ideals were quickly dashed when I was so sick. But it did create options to pull out something “new” to occupy my young kids with.

5 - Activities

For homeschool, I’ve set up a daily rotation of activities for my younger kids and I think this could be an interesting option to carry through a pregnancy as well - as long as they are easy enough that you’re not too sick to manage it.

6 - Reduce Screen Time to Almost Nothing

This way everyone will be ready to enjoy it when you need it most. Come up with a curated collection of things that you are okay with everyone watching. We’ve always relied heavily on Sound of Music to get us through this season.

7 - Develop Audio Book Listening Skills

Listen to the guide I share in this video

8 - Physical Health

Invest in your physical well-being, starting with a foundation of good nutrition and regular exercise. I’ve always liked incorporating bar workouts for strength so I could build up muscle before the sickness begins.

9 - Read When Mommies Get Sick With Your Kids

This book helps show your kids how to make the most of it when their mother experiences illness or injury and can be helpful to prepare your kids for what’s to come.

10 - Create Comfortable Places for Sickness

Prepare a designated space for yourself and your children to rest during times of illness. In our case, an Ikea couch that transforms into a queen-sized bed provided a convenient gathering spot.

11 - Focus on Mental Preparation

This made the biggest difference. I went to therapy in between pregnancy three and four specifically with the goal to prepare and train for another pregnancy because I didn’t handle the third one all that well. Learning about cognitive distortions, specifically “should” statements, started to set my mind free from how things were “supposed to be” vs. what reality looked like.

I also created the Thriving in Motherhood Journal with Megan Dilworth and Pheobe Cook with the intention of using it to keep my mind going down helpful paths after doing so much research to learn where I went wrong and focus on who I want to be instead of what I want to do.

For more on this, you can watch the Soaring Mother’s Summit season: Thriving in a Difficult Preganancy with Jayne Anne Osborne. We have other pregnancy-related sessions in there as well.

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Our family has been using audiobooks for years and they have become an integral part of our routines. Today, I’m sharing why we love listening to audiobooks in our home, how we listen, how to develop the skill of listening to audiobooks, and our favorite audiobooks to listen to by age.

Why Audiobooks?

Audiobooks have been our trusty companions for years, adding a touch of magic to our quiet time and car rides. Here’s why we love them:

• A daily break for me.
• Empowers the kids to explore incredible stories independently.
• Encourages my kids to work on projects longer because they can listen while they work (or clean!).
• Introduces challenging books in an accessible way, fostering an excitement to read the actual book.

How We Listen:

Our audiobook journey started with a CD player from Goodwill. We burned CDs with our favorite MP3s or borrowed them from the library. Over time, we upgraded to basic Kindles snagged on a Black Friday deal. With a passcode in place, the kids can only use it to enjoy audiobooks. We use the Libby and Hoopla apps for library access, making audiobooks an affordable choice.

Developing the Skill:

We started with audiobooks during my pregnancy with our third child. Sick on the couch with a three and a one year old, we used the CD player to listen to stories while the kids played with playdoh or did quiet activities near me. This started to train the skill with me in the room.

Once the kids stopped napping, we rebranded the time to “Rest and Read Time.” Since none of our kids were actually able to read yet, we started with audiobooks.

Road trips and errands turned into shared listening sessions, which got the younger kids excited about audiobooks.

Our Favorite Picks By Age:

Ages 3-5 - Start with story telling adventures with music.

• Alexander’s Amazing Adventures
• Focus on the Family: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
• Scripture Scouts

Ages 4-6

• Mr. Poppers Penguin
• Little House in the Big Woods
• Little House on the Prairie
• Little House on the Banks of Plum Creek
• Winnie the Pooh
• Stuart Little
• Trumpet of the Swan
• Magic Tree House
• Boxcar Children
• Chronicals of Narnia
• All of a Kind Family
• A to Z Mysteries
• Calendar Mysteries
• Fairy Tales: Jim Weiss Collection

7-10 - Classics start

• Little Women
• Little Men
• The Penderwicks
• The Secret Garden
• 5 Little Peppers and How They Grew
• My Side of the Mountain
• The Far Side of the Mountain
• The Moffats Series
• Pinky Pie Series
• The Shakespseare Stealer
• The Birchbark House
• Story of the World
• Anne of Green Gables
• Harry Potter 1-3

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This is my seventh year creating a vision for my year. It is always a new experience, and I’m amazed at what comes out of this exercise. In today’s episode, I’m sharing what I’ve learned in 2023 and what I’m focusing on, changing, and working toward in 2024.

Here are a few areas from my 2024 vision:

Investing More Into What’s Working:

• Road trips
• Family adventures (beach, historical sites, new experience)
• Vegetable gardening
• Having friends over for dinner
• Hiking and time outdoors
• Relationships with our siblings and parents

Projects:

• Rock climbing wall
• Write and publish a book
• Plant fruit trees and berries
• Start a medicinal and culinary herb garden
• Fix our fence

Back to Basics

• Home management and our weekly rhythm
• Taking care of myself
• My relationship with God

Every year what my vision works like is a surprise. It is unique and fits for the season I am in. I continue to share what my vision looks like as an inspiration for you to see that there is no wrong way to create one. I don’t try to stick to a specific formula. I try to include God in the process and just see where I am for my learning and growth.

If self care and creating good habits are part of your vision for 2024, Mom Matters Too is the place for you. Learn more HERE.

And if you need help creating your vision, check out my Create Your Vision Mini-Course.

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When it comes to goal setting, moms need different strategies in different seasons of motherhood. In this week’s video, I’ll be sharing what works in setting goals for the pregnancy and baby phase, when you have children under six, when you have school-aged kids and a full schedule, and when your children leave home.

There are also principles that apply to all of us, no matter what stage we are in.

Tips for Goal Planning in Every Season of Motherhood:

1. Survival Seasons (pregnancy, postpartum, baby stage): Create goals around who you want to BE. There is plenty you are learning how to do in this phase of motherhood.
2. When You Have Children 6 and Under: This is an exploring phase to figure out what type of motherhood you want to create and what you like to do. Do projects, try new things, and start something that scares you. Keep two lists - things you can do when your kids are sleeping and things you can do when they are awake.
3. When You Have School-Aged Children: When schedules are full, and you feel like there isn’t room to add more, ask yourself, “Where do I want to see progress in my life this year?” and be intentional about improving and going deeper on what you’ve already committed to. This progress will create excitement and energy.
4. Empty Nesters: This phase can feel a lot like becoming a new mom - disorienting if you don’t know how to fill your days. This is a good time to set goals to explore and figure out what matters to you or do things you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t gotten to you.

It’s important to remember that as a mom, goals can include things you do with your kids, too.

For a long time, I thought that for a goal to count, it had to be something I did away from my kids during alone time. So not true!

I love to have a whole list of things I can work on when my kids are with me. Some things are more mindless activities that I can do next to them while they play, like wood carving or crocheting. Others are things we can work on together, like growing a garden.

As you are figuring out your goals this year, make sure at least one thing can be done with your children. It’s good for everyone to see mom working on goals!

If you’re ready to achieve your goals, tune in, grab a pen, take some notes, and get excited about the progress you’ll make in 2024!

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At the start of this new year, I realized I needed to make some changes to how I’m using my phone. In this week’s episode, I’m outlining the problems I was having with technology and how it impacted my daily life, the parameters I’ve set for myself with my phone, and how I’ve set myself up for success.

5 Reasons to Reduce Phone Usage:

1. Often, when things are out of balance, or we’re not in our usual routines and rhythms, it’s easy to fill the lack of structure and numb our feelings with screen time. This just makes things worse.
2. I find that when I have things I want to do on my phone - whether it’s an audiobook, podcast, course, project, etc. - then it is easy for me to come up with lots of excuses for the kids to keep playing, not involve them in helping out around the house, or for me to step away and finding ways to spend less time with them. These are great resources, but I want a break from the pull to step away.
3. When I did my yearly review, I was surprised by the stories I was telling myself vs. reality. I was shocked at how much we did with family experiences and relationship-building with our family and people close to home. I want to be more aware and let reality count.
4. I’ve been on my devices a lot more the last quarter with business and Christmas prep, which then turns to wasting time because our phones are masters at rabbit holes. I’ve gone down great rabbit holes I’ve learned a lot from, BUT it was still many hours on a screen and disengaged. I want to course correct and be more engaged at home.
5. I want to give more attention to intentional rhythms with my younger kids specifically, which means firmer boundaries around screens for all of us.

How I Set My Phone Up To Be…Just a Phone!

• I deleted all the apps off the home screen on my phone except for phone, text, calendar, and camera.
• I deleted and disabled Google Discover and Search, so I have zero ability to check email or look things up.
• I put my phone in greyscale mode. It looks horrible and makes it very unappealing to use for much besides phone calls.
• I got a flashlight to replace using my phone as a flashlight at night and in the early morning hours. I can’t get sidetracked with it if it isn't in my hand.
• I got a pocket-sized notebook to carry around with a pen. I’ve replaced grabbing my phone with grabbing a notebook to write down a note or to-do item.

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One of the skills in the structure pillar of the Three Pillars of Thriving is automation - making a decision once and having it happen over and over again. We can apply this principle to our weekly schedule.

When we sit down and create a template of when we do things every day throughout the week, we can refer back to it with many decisions already made.

Every quarter, I like to sketch out our current weekly rhythm or schedule. For years, I’ve done this on a piece of paper, but now we’ve added a two-page spread every quarter into the Thriving in Motherhood Planner for easy reference!

In this week’s video, I’m going to walk through my process for setting up our weekly schedule. This exercise is called an “Ideal Week” - which I really struggled with as a stay-at-home mom with lots of young children. It seemed like there was nothing ideal in my life, starting with the lack of sleep! I’ve adapted the concept in an empowering way for me as a mom, and it doesn’t require me to have it all figured out yet.

How To Set Up Your Weekly Schedule

Step 1: Write down your anchors. For me that’s our three meals during the day and quiet time. These happen no matter what.

Step 2: Write down what’s on the schedule. Church activities, music lessons, sports practices, library story time - what are your recurring appointments for the next few months?

Step 3: Write down your essentials (there can’t be a lot of them) for you and your family. Pair these essentials with an anchor. For us, that is scripture study at breakfast and my morning routine before everyone wakes up.

Step 4: Write down what your days currently look like. Write down things as they are (in pencil). This isn’t supposed to be ideal but reality.

Step 5: What is working well? What isn’t working? Use this to make 1-2 tweaks that involve your kids and another 1-2 that involve you.

Step 6: Write down the essential things in the “puzzle pieces” section you want to have happen every night, but maybe not at the same time. For me, this is a time to record a podcast episode, have a date night, or have someone over for dinner.

This is something that is going to develop over a period of YEARS, but making a few tweaks every quarter adds up to big things! I started with just figuring out what our mornings look like with young kids. Each day had a different activity: library, grocery shopping, nature walk in the woods, meeting friends at the park, and home projects.

As we started homeschooling, we built morning routines to get to everyone’s schoolwork. We made bedtime routines for the kids to get the next element figured out. Then, I focused on developing a good morning routine for myself and the kids (the 6 am - 9 am window). This included getting the kitchen cleaned up after breakfast as well as getting us ready for the day.

We then added some structure to our afternoon hours, getting dinner ready ahead of time and resetting the house. Finally, I added some structure to the household management and cleaning and assigned certain tasks to certain days. Now, I’m working on creating a bedtime routine that gets me set up and even ahead for the next day.

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In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the #1 thing moms need to do for 2024 - and I can’t think of any exceptions. In my 10.5 years of motherhood, this is the thing that has helped me in EVERY season, from hard pregnancies where days creep by to full schedules with lots going on in life and business.

Every mom needs to create a vision for the year.

There are an almost endless number of paths each day, but with your vision as a guide, you can walk in one direction and get to a destination you want to end up at. You can go to bed confident with how you spent your time and energy and wake up excited for the day ahead.

Here are three steps to start creating your vision for 2024:

1. Start a technology fast. Determine what you will and won’t do for the next 14-30 days. The goal is not to have outside influences present - even good ones! This will help you get mental clarity about what matters to you in this season of life. Make it so the only factors in your life are your own thoughts, your spouse and children, and inspiration from God.
2. Reflect on 2023. What went well? What didn’t go well? What did you learn? What are you most proud of? What do you regret?
3. Create your Vision for 2024. What do you want to do or experience? What projects do you want to work on? What habits do you want to develop? Who do you want to become? What household routines do you want to put in place? What matters for your family this year?

As you begin to create your vision, remember this important principle: you have to go slow to go fast.

This was a principle I learned as I recovered in the post-partum periods that if I wanted to get back to normal life as quickly as possible, I needed to do as little as possible to let myself heal.

When it comes to productivity, we need to slow way down and create space in our lives to think, dream, prioritize, and plan so that we are ready to hit the ground running in the RIGHT direction. The direction that matters to YOU.

If you want to learn more about creating a vision for your year, check out my Create Your Vision Mini Course.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• The steps to create your vision for the year
• The secret to making goals you are excited to accomplish
• How to eliminate stressing about time management and productivity - permanently!
• How to see the good you are already doing in your life to build momentum towards creating what’s next for you

You get IMMEDIATE access to the Create Your Vision Course when you purchase a Thriving in Motherhood Planner, or you can get the course on its own for just $15.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, bored, lost, or crazed by motherhood's demands, creating your vision will make all the difference. It has a compounding effect that will allow you to create a unique life that is better than you could have imagined.

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I have spent a lot of time inside with young kids who have loads of energy (even though we get out as much as we can). We’ve been in tiny grad student apartments and smaller houses without clear places to physically move their bodies for all 10.5 years of motherhood.

As we get into winter, I start to feel a sense of panic about what we will do for months with shorter daylight hours, colder temperatures, and lots of need to move our bodies.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing how we’ve set up our home (even when we lived in tiny apartments) so the kids have places to play hard inside, as well as activities I have to direct the energy when needed.

Setting Up Inside So Kids Can Play In The Winter:

1. Create a few intentional places for big movement. Even in our small apartment, we had a picker triangle and a small trampoline. We’ve added a pull-up bar in a doorway.
2. Have self-directed activities like yoga or calisthenics cards and teach your kids how to use them.
3. Have a list of activities you can refer to when things are going crazy (usually afternoons in our house).

Here are a few of our favorite activities from my list:

• Tape pennies on shoes for tap shoes
• Skate on the floor with socks - bonus with wash clothes and Force of Nature for a mopping party.
• Have an indoor snowball fight with rolled-up socks or indoor snowballs.
• Wheelbarrow walk - hold your child’s legs and have them walk around on their hands.

Get my personal likes of 25 activities HERE.

I don’t want to entertain my kids - I want to set up an environment where there are a lot of options for movement. Having these things in place allows us to stay active in the winter months and keep my kids happy and busy.

I’d love to hear your best inside activities with kids!

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If you had told me ten years ago that I could be a full-time stay-at-home mom, living 30 hours away from our family, homeschooling my four children, and running a business in small pockets of time, I wouldn’t have believed you.

In those early years, the days ran together in one big blur, our cinder block student housing had stuff strewn around the floor, and I felt horribly guilty if I put my baby down, let alone did something I was interested in.

In this week’s video, I’m sharing my brand new 5-step PEACE Method Planning system for your week that has transformed my life from surviving the days to waking up excited.

Many other productivity strategies work when you have uninterrupted blocks of time, but that is rarely the reality as a stay-at-home mom. This method is different because it takes thos interruptions into account and allows you to create a schedule that works.

5-Step PEACE Method Planning System:

P: Purpose - what matters most to you?

E: Energy - review the previous week for wins to build momentum and energy.

A: Appointments - Write scheduled items on the calendar.

C: Choose 3 - write down your big 3 for the week.

E: Everything else - Write other “have to-dos” in context-based to-do lists for the week.

This method is easy to start doing and doesn’t need to be implemented all at once. Even doing one thing will increase your peace and confidence in how you use your time.

You are building a foundation here that will be an upward cycle, and who knows what you will create!

Let me know which one of these five steps you’re already doing well and which ONE you are going to try this week.

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How do you feel about chore charts? I like the idea of them, and I don’t mind creating them, but when it comes to having a marker or stickers handy to actually fill them out, we drop the ball pretty much every time.

This week, I’m sharing a new discovery I made that is simplifying our family cleaning routine: chore boards. This completely self-contained system allows me to clearly communicate each and every step that needs to be completed in a job, like cleaning the bathroom.

In business, there is a crucial principle of writing standard operating procedures so that someone besides you can do a task and you can scale over time as you systemize.

It’s the same in our families.

As my kids are getting a little bit older, I’m ready to delegate a bit more to them in things that it takes to run our household smoothly. We have lots of great habits in place (they all have jobs to keep the kitchen clean, they know their personal habits, and they each have a zone they know they have to pick up), but I need to have a better system to offload regular dusting, vacuuming, and bathroom cleaning.

I was thinking of making chore lanyards for them, and while doing some online research, I stumbled across something even better: chore boards.

I got so excited I purchased 10 of them so I could write the process for cleaning a bathroom, deep cleaning the family living space, as well as personal daily habits and weekly chores.

Now I can give a child a job and a board with a clear step-by-step plan to execute it and then have a clear checklist to inspect it with. Expectations communicated!

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Every month, I write down the books I read or listened to. Today, I’m sharing my 12 favorites that I read this year from a wide variety of topics and subjects.

Reading lots of books has allowed me to actively learn while being a stay-at-home mom. When designing a planner for my needs, keeping track of the books I read or listened to each month was an essential piece.

Why? Two reasons: it helped me to read more because I wanted to be able to write things down AND to remember all that I’ve read, learned, and enjoyed. A Books Read section is still in the official Thriving in Motherhood Planner in the monthly review.

You can get your 2024 planner today and have it arrive by Christmas!

Here are my 12 favorite books of 2023:

1. How to Break up with your phone: https://amzn.to/3sDNw8J
2. The Coddling of the American Mind: https://amzn.to/49L62g8
3. What Happened to You?: https://amzn.to/3unnc3b
4. Habits of a Household: https://amzn.to/3GchGmo
5. Love Life and See Good Days: https://amzn.to/3sy10Tv
6. Grace Where you Are: https://amzn.to/47Dwcj1
7. Good Inside: https://amzn.to/3uo8bOu
8. The Richest Man in Babylon: https://amzn.to/49BzWDk
9. My Side of the Mountain: https://amzn.to/3SPyXJR
10. On the Far Side of the Mountain: https://amzn.to/47m0zKX
11. The Anatomy of Peace: https://amzn.to/49InIZA
12. The Outward Mindset: https://amzn.to/3MRUxK5

I’d love to know your best book recommendations from this year to add to my 2024 reading list!

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In this week’s video, I’ll take you on a virtual tour of our homeschooling setup for this year. As a homeschooling mom of Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade kids, I’ve tested a variety of resources and materials over the years.

So, if you’re a fellow homeschooling parent looking for inspiration, you’re in the right place! We’ve made a few tweaks to how we are doing school this year. Now that I have three school-aged kids, we are shifting to more of a family school focus with a few individual subjects, instead of primarily individual studies.

Here is what we are focusing on this year:

Family Subject Resources

• Science: Science in the Beginning
• Picture Study
• Addition Facts That Stick
• Subtraction Facts that Stick
• Language Study
• History - Story of the World
• Picture books from the library on a variety of subjects

Individual Study

• Busy town Eye Found It Game
• Spot It
• All About Reading
• Rightstart Math
• Minimalist Math Curriculum Research Parent/ Right start
• Hoffman Academy (Get 10% off with code LEARN)
• Good and the Beautiful books/reading for 4th grade
• The Great Illustrated Classics

Organizational Resources

• Backpacks with pencil and planner
• Hooks for backpacks
• Notebooking pencils
• Pencil sharpener
• Kids watches
• How to stitch a notebook

I’m often asked what the secret is to being consistent with homeschooling. I’ve found that consistency in homeschooling is easier to achieve when you have a reset space that makes it easy to do the thing you want to do.

I want to do all the things in our homeschooling day - math, science, history, music practice, nature study, language study, etc. - so I often would pick just doing one more thing instead of cleaning up.

What I’ve discovered this semester is that if we just do a little less each day and leave time and energy to reset the space, it is SO MUCH EASIER to get into schoolwork the next day. So instead of doing lots of school a few days a week and getting frustrated and burned out by the amount of effort it took to keep going, we do a more measured amount each day and leave time to reset for tomorrow. It has made all the difference in our consistency.

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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!

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Do you struggle with manners in your family? Do you wonder if they are outdated and even worth teaching? In this week’s episode, Brooke Romney shares her simple system to effectively make manners part of our everyday lives with kids.

Brooke Romney is a writer, speaker and leader of an online community who helps moms of teens and tweens to create meaningful, healthy, and enjoyable relationships with their children through practical application, education, and community. Her goal is for every family to feel confident and connected.

The mother of four boys ages tween to adult, Brooke knows parenting perfection isn’t real and takes an honest and hopeful approach with her audience. Her best-selling book 52 Modern Manners for Today’s Teens (Volumes 1 and 2) provides weekly tips to help parents and teens navigate the complexities of today’s world. The follow-up 52 Modern Manners for Kids features tips for kids and tweens aged four through 12.

Brooke and her family live in Utah. You can find her on Instagram HERE.

You’ll love Brooke’s emphasis on manners that will allow our kids to be aware, kind, and connected. She also shares a glimpse into her own motherhood journey and how she went from being stuck in perfectionism and overwhelm to truly enjoying motherhood and being present and engaged in her own family.

In our conversation, Brooke outlines five ways to teach manners to kids:

1. Focus on one manner a week. You can talk about it directly or leave it out for kids to read so they have some autonomy in learning. Bonus tip - add your manner time to something you are already doing well, like Friday movie night or a weekly family night.
2. Teach the why. Kids are smart and understand.
3. Role Play! It is a way to practice at home and a fun way to prepare.
4. When you are reading books or watching movies together, talk about when the characters are using the manners you’ve learned about or when they don’t. What are the consequences? What’s the impact on those around them?
5. As a parent, look for when you are seeing the manners you’ve been talking about and reinforce them with a thank you or share around the dinner table when everyone used their manners.

Expect that kids won’t get it right away. That’s okay! Think of it as planting seeds that will start to grow when they are ready. This is a proactive approach in parenting to give our children the best chance of success in navigating relationships. When our children know what to do or how to act appropriately, it empowers them and builds their confidence over time.

A great resource to make this simple is Brooke Romney’s 52 Modern Manners for Kids book (and her two books for teens). She designed it to stand upright to easily sit on a counter so everyone can read it easily throughout the week. The manner and the why are on the front page, and role plays are included on the back. Talk about setting up the environment to make it easy to do the thing you want to do!

You can find Brooke’s books here:

52 Modern Manners for Kids

52 Modern Manners for Today’s Teens Volume 1

52 Modern Manners for Today’s Teens Volume 2

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This week on the podcast, I’m answering a fabulous question about how to use nap time well. Maybe you can relate to hitting the quiet moment of the day and feeling exhausted and wanting to take a nap yourself, but also wanting to be consistent in what you want to do.

It can be hard to figure out what to do when it feels like everything needs to be done while also lacking motivation because you are exhausted. In this week’s episode, I’ll be sharing strategies and tips so you can feel confident about using nap time in a way that is intentional and productive for you.

How to overcome lack of motivation:

• Keep the time frame short: I just need to make choices for TODAY. I can do anything for a short period of time.
• Write down what you want to be doing: A weekly or daily rhythm or an ideal week plan is a great way to ensure you know what you want to do and when. If you already know what you want to be doing, then it is easier to take the steps to do it than if you have to figure it out every day.
• Every night, write down your big wins for the day: Celebrating yourself builds motivation and makes it easier to keep going.
• Weed out “should” statements: Make it your mission only to do things that really matter to you, not just things you think you “should” be doing.
• Ask God for help: Pray for an increased capacity and for God to help you carry the load. I’m amazed and astounded by how much can happen in a day, even when I don’t feel like it, when I pray specifically for this and then act, expecting help to come.

Made to Soar: The Next 90 Days is a program I’ve created to help you build family systems and automate the essentials so you can enjoy what matters most to you. You need a strategy, and not typical time management and productivity tips either.

A strategy tailored specifically for the life of a mom with kids at home - full of interruptions, needs, bedtime stories, messes, traditions, silliness, and toddlers.

A strategy that is 100% customizable with inspiration from God for your unique family, circumstances, and dreams.

A strategy that is easily repeated because the reality of motherhood is that things are always changing.

A strategy that enables YOU to become a Soaring Mother

It’s these very systems and skills that have enabled me to homeschool my four kids, run a podcast and business, establish traditions for our family and adventure with them, nurture my marriage, have soul-filling friendships, enjoy many hobbies, and feel the joy of this wonderful life.

Made to Soar: Your Next 90 Days is the antidote to overwhelm. It is designed to help you get clarity on your vision and align your actions, current to-do list, and family systems so you can create a life you love to live.

Learn more and sign up for the waitlist HERE.

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This week’s question is about how we do Poetry Tea Time in our family. This is an idea I got several years ago from Julie Bogert @bravelearnerhome, and we’ve incorporated it into our weekly rhythm.

In this week’s episode, I’ll share how we set it up to make it easy to do at our house, when we hold our tea time, the books we use, and our favorite snacks that everyone looks forward to.

The What, How, and Where of Poetry Tea Time:

• Poetry Tea Time is basically eating food and reading poems together. Each child picks a poem and either reads it aloud or hands it to me to read.
• Getting set up is crucial. The easier you make it, the more likely it is to happen. I made a trip to Goodwill and got mugs and tea cups. You could also have a special tablecloth and candles. Often, for us, just sitting down with a snack and a clean table is victory enough.
• Keep the snacks simple and delicious. My oldest loves going out to gather lemon balm or mint leaves and steeping them in water for our tea. Other common tea-time snacks are green smoothies, popsicles, popcorn, banana ice cream, energy balls, and chickpea chocolate chip cookies. Recipes can be found here.
• We typically build this into our routine in the afternoons after quiet time. One of my favorite things is to pair this with cleaning up the house right after because everyone is fed. Then we can go outside for the rest of the afternoon until dinner (assuming I prepped an Instapot meal ahead of time). We go out and in of doing this. We just begin again when we top.

Books we use:

1. Ambleside Online Poetry Anthologies
2. Poetry for Young People Series (Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost are great starting points)
3. Children’s Book of Virtues
4. The Book of Virtures
5. Anderson’s Fairy Tales
6. When We Were Very Young
7. Now We Are Six
8. Children’s Anthology of Poetry Edited By Elizabeth Hauge Sword
9. A Family of Poems by Caroline Kennedy

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In this week’s episode, I’m answering a question from a mom in our Thriving in Motherhood Community about possible routines (besides sitting in bed together, playing with toys, and watching movies) that you can have with severe morning sickness during pregnancy when you have other little kids at home.

I’ve had four really challenging pregnancies, the last three with kids at home, and in this episode, I’ll share what worked for us during those hard months and principles you can apply to make the best of an honestly challenging situation and feel some joy along the way too.

Routines for Mom:

1. Monthly reviews in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner: These monthly reviews are ESSENTIAL. It helps you reality-check what is actually happening. I told myself, “All I do is lie on the couch, grow a baby, and hang out with the kids.” Not a helpful story. Once I started writing down what I learned and discovered, accomplished, places we went, significant things for our family, and books I read or listened to, I had a more accurate picture of my life, and it was much better than I thought.

2. Ask the questions in the Thriving in Motherhood Journal: These questions are so important for changing the focus of your days and what you think about them. Here are four to get you started:

   1. What am I grateful for?
   2. How have I seen the hand of God in my life today?
   3. What were my big wins today?
   4. What were my magic moments today?
   5. Have something you are excited about: It can be as simple as a story you like reading to your kids (I recommend Winnie the Pooh), a date with your husband, or getting together with friends.
   6. Have a simple, creative project that you can see progress on: I crochet a blanket for each of my kids - single crochet 10 up, 3 in the hole, 10 down, skip two, 10 up, etc.- in the evening. It keeps my mind focused on not thinking about how I don’t want to face the next day or even a rough night. And I get to make progress on something for the baby that connects me to why I’m sick and feel a little bit of excitement and love in this season of sacrifice.
   7. Use this slower season to be intentional with your input and get clear on your vision: I’ve never totally stopped making progress on the things that matter to me because I always knew my next little baby step and could keep moving forward. Making progress - even sllooowww progress - does wonders for the soul.
   8. Look and pray for ways to serve others: It might seem impossible when you are struggling yourself, but even a phone call can make someone’s day, and it will lift your spirits too.

Routines for your Family:

1. Listen to audiobooks/musical stories: We invested $5 in a CD player from Goodwill during my pregnancy with some audiobooks or musical stories for the kids to listen to. Each day, when I needed some space, they would set it up across the room with some play dough or coloring and listen. This gave me a bit of a breather. As my kids got older, we graduated to a Kindle, but the only thing they have access to is the library audiobook app, and it’s password-protected.
2. Go outside: During my pregnancies, we often lived outside at the playground by our house, or the kids spent a lot of time in our yard during my last pregnancy. I took a blanket to lay on and, if I was feeling a little better, a project (I carved wooden animals and made leather shoes - again coping with misery with creation). For two of my pregnancies, we had friends who would meet us outside or even help us get to the playground, and it was wonderful. Bring water and snacks for you and the kids to last for hours. I think that’s why my kids play outside so much because once we were out, I wasn’t mobile again for a long time. It wasn’t my most graceful season - I threw in every bush on the way to the park and surrounding areas by the end of pregnancy - but we survived!

3. Pray for help or to know who to ask for help: I had many miracles in this department. I’ll share three:

4. I was talking to a friend from college, and her roommate and mutual friend didn’t have to work for a week when Andrew was traveling. She flew out and took care of me and my kids. She made us food and cleaned my microwave. It was good for the soul as much as the body.

5. On a really rough night, I needed to go to the ER, and a friend who had just moved out to Indiana for school took me so Andrew could stay with the kids and get some sleep before a huge day with his graduate studies. It was after midnight before I got home, and Andrew was gone all day. We were both under a lot of stress, and things felt strained, and I was in the depths of despair. That was the day of angels. I had people unexpectedly show up at my door all day. First, a mom with six kids whose youngest was my oldest's age felt like she should just stop by on her way to preschool drop-off, and she sat with me for a bit and just listened. Then another knock on the door came, and a friend with older children came by, and power cleaned my house. Then a homeschooling mom stopped by, and she and her kids had gone to the grocery store and bought loads of snacks that were different for us to try. It just kept going like this all day. I was so grateful for everything they did individually and felt so seen by God.
6. With this last pregnancy during COVID, we rarely saw people, but a few times, we had new friends drop by with food, a quick sweep of the floor, and tidying of our main living space, and they listened to the many things my kids wanted to share. That was such a blessing.

Once I understood I needed help (I don't think I had that figured out yet), I started praying to know who to ask. We've had seasons where it's been so hard and uncomfortable, but it was essential, and I reached out for help. If you aren't sure what to ask for, consider:

• someone to come over and play with your kids at your house and engage with them
• someone who can have your kids go play for an afternoon
• meals or snacks
• help with bedtime if your spouse isn't there

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It's here!! The 2024 Thriving in Motherhood Planner is ready to make its way into your hands to empower you in creating a life that you are excited to wake up to each day.

In this week's episode, I'm sharing the story of the planner, the overview of how the whole system works, and all of the changes and updates that have been made for next year's planner. I am very excited about the details we've added and the revisions. It is the best version yet!

What makes the Thriving in Motherhood Planner unique?

• It’s not just about getting things done - it’s about getting the RIGHT things done. This is unique to every single one of us. Create your vision first to help you get clarity about what matters to you and then easily refer back to it all year long.
• Plan your weeks, not your days.
• Set a weekly Big 3.
• Monthly review to CELEBRATE.
• Quarterly reviews to check in with your vision - see what works, see what you need to let go of, and know what goals to focus on.
• Context-based to-dos instead of a long, running list.

Updates to the Thriving in Motherhood Planner:

• Tabs go all the way to the edge of the page! This included a full re-design of the entire Thriving in Motherhood Planner and multiple all-nighters from my husband, Andrew, the MVP of the 2024 Planner Launch.
• Page numbers and an index are in the back of the planner. If you write down the information you want to refer back to in your Think and Process Pages, there is now an easy way to note which page you wrote it on to find it again. This is my solution to not adding in all of the life-specific options of a budgeting page, meal planning page, kids measurements, etc., that you find in a lot of other mom planners. I personally find these stressful. You can customize what you want and need in your planner.
• Create your vision section overhaul, including more explanatory life domains, new vision exercises, rewriting your story pages, risk lists, and a new home management section.
• Weekly rhythm pages. Jot down recurring events and specify when you want to do repeated tasks. There is also a Puzzle Pieces box for those things you want to do each week, but that don’t happen at the same time.

Order your planner today!

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Do you get to the end of your day completely exhausted but weren’t able to do the things you wanted or wrote out in your time block? I got this very relatable question from a mother in our Thriving in Motherhood Community:

“I put in time blocks and write my routines, and it helps to schedule around meal times, but by the end of the day, I fill in what I did instead of actually doing what I wanted to do. I’m feeling so burned out, unable to rest, and feel like there is never any time to work on projects or time for myself. Any tips on how to plan effectively so you don’t get burned out?”

In this week’s episode, I talk about five steps to planning in a way that avoids burnout:

1. Plan your rest and exercise first: You are going to need energy to do the things you want to do and manage a household. We established a daily Rest and Read time in our home years ago. A daily 10-20 minute power nap can give you a recharge to have an effective second half of the day. As moms, we are facing our own challenges that we can manage better when we are taking care of ourselves. I have also found recently that 20-30 minutes of intense exercise in the morning is giving me WAY more energy during the day. Things that once felt hard are easier now that I have increased energy.
2. Put what you want to do at the top of the list: Write the three projects or tasks you want to get to this week. If you’ve created a vision, pull from that. If not, write a list and pick three things to do a little bit of each week. This can include things for you, your family, work, or service. A lot of time, we don’t get to do the things we want to simply because we haven’t clarified exactly what they are.
3. Establish a weekly planning meeting with your spouse: Every week, establish your top priorities with each other as scheduled items. Work together to figure out how to support each other in getting things done that are important to you. That’s interdependence - thanks, Stephen Covey!
4. Let housework take a backseat while you are getting your essentials figured out: So often, when we are overwhelmed and burned out, we make the house our #1 priority and decide once it’s in order, we can do other things. But then we get stuck because it’s hard to make the house perfect with people living in it, and it feels like everyone is working against you. Instead, focus on the basics like daily dishes, tidying up the house a few times a week (or even once), and deciding whether you will tackle laundry one day a week or one load every day. Bathrooms survive going every other or every three weeks if you are overwhelmed (ideal no, but survivable). Make daily rest, exercise, doing things in your vision, and weekly planning the priority until they are dialed in habits.
5. Build your time block slowly, in small steps: When you write out a time block schedule, you are often writing down a whole bunch of things you don’t have systems for. It is an uphill battle all day to get to those things because the environment isn’t designed to make them easy to do, so it takes a while to gather the materials and get set up, and then you have to think through every step so it is slow going. Instead, start with the thing that is on fire and create a time, place, and space for that thing. Set up the environment to do it. Slow it to make it stick. Time blocking evolves over time. Pay attention to when you do something and it works, and make a note to try it again at the same time the next week.

If you want help in making progress on your home while still doing the things you want to do, check out the Simplify to Soar Club.

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I got an excellent question from a mother in our Thriving in Motherhood community, Kate, about how to find activities you can enjoy with all your children. In this week’s episode, I’ll address how to manage the different personalities of your children and their own interests, as well as the resistance that comes when you try to get everyone to agree on what to do together.

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In this week’s episode, I’m answering a question from a member of our own Thriving in Motherhood community about how to handle negative attitudes with her child when it comes to certain things about homeschooling.

I’m no stranger to negative attitudes in our home (from myself and the kids), but we are very intentional with addressing those attitudes.

Here are seven questions we ask when one of our children has a negative attitude:

1. Have they moved their body today?
2. What is the reason for resistance?
3. How can I give them more autonomy?
4. Is the environment set up so it is easy to do the thing they need to do?
5. Am I ready with my part, or are they waiting for me and getting interrupted from what they started to do?
6. What skill am I trying to teach?
7. How can I partner with my child in this and mentor? What principles or truths do they need to understand to want to change the behavior themself?

These questions help me get to the root of the problem and are part of seeking to understand so we can come up with win-win solutions together. (Thank you, Stephen Covey, for the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that we continue to return to.)

When it comes to homeschooling and negative attitudes, I really love Julie Bogart’s book The Brave Learner. She has so many wonderful thoughts and ideas about what homeschooling can look like to bring the magic and whimsy back into our days instead of battling over worksheets. She helps make it clear what really matters and then suggests lots of different ways that we can reach our objectives that look really different from the public school model.

Listen to this week's episode for more tips on dealing with negative attitudes.

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A few weeks ago, I did an episode about my morning routine. I got a great follow-up question about how to do this when you have a baby or toddler that wakes up super early. I remember that season well.

A friend and I would meet up at 7:45 a.m. with our two toddlers and baby, each of whom woke up too early and went for a run and talked about how our kids wake up too early!

But I’ve learned a lot from that season, and here are my best tips for doing a morning routine in the early years to get the brainstorming started for what could work for you. This is such an essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to not just surviving motherhood and fits into the Soul Pillar of the Three Pillars of Thriving.

Here are a few things I’ve done that work for our family:

• Do your morning routine with your kids - I started doing my morning routine with my kids instead of jumping into kid things. I still do this with my youngest, who wakes up before the rest of my kids. The expectation is that I’m not available right now so she can play near me, but I will do my own routine. It didn’t take too long before we got in the rhythm of it. I realized I didn’t need to let my kids run the show. I’m the adult, and I can set priorities for myself in the morning that will bless us all.
• Implement a Big 5 for your kids - I started a Big 5 for my kids so they knew what they could be doing while I did my own morning routine. For a long time, I didn’t actually care if they did those things, but if they came to me during that time, I asked them how their Big 5 was going, and they would have something to do while I finished up. They make their bed, get dressed, brush their teeth, say their prayers, and read/look at books.
• Keep a realistic mindset - I changed my mindset about what was reasonable and expected my kids to stay in bed until 6:30 or 7. When they woke up before that, my husband didn’t mind putting them back to bed while I did my morning routine. Over time, they catch on and stay in bed until the time you have established.
• Use signals to let your kids know when it’s okay to get out of bed - With my 3rd and 4th child, we got a clock on Amazon that is red when they need to be in bed and turns green when they can get out of bed. It has made a HUGE difference because there is a clear expectation, and I’m not the middleman - the color of the clock is.

I’m sure you will find a solution of your own that works for you and your family. It will just take some time and trial and error.

Keep the vision of what you want your foundation to look like, write it down, and even if it takes you all day to get those things done, that's okay! You are still building habits and getting to the essential things. It doesn’t always look neat and tidy, and that is normal and to be expected.

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For the first time in 10 years, I recently traveled across the country and left all my kids and my husband for six days. It wasn’t as impossible as I had made it out to be in my mind. In fact, everything went great!

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing practical things I did to prepare everyone for a smooth week at home. Next time my husband travels, I’ll be using some of these tips to make things easier for myself too. 

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As we transition from summer to fall, I like to pause and reflect on how the last few months went as a way to close the tabs and move forward with confidence into the next season.

It can be easy to get to the end of the season and wish it went differently. But instead of sitting in a place of discouragement or looking at the things that didn’t go well, we can pause and look for the lessons learned to help us be intentional about the little changes we make in our lives that make a big difference over time.

You either get the results you want or the lesson you needed.

So, if you want to try to do your own summer review, here are a few questions to get you started:

1. What were you hoping summer would look like?
2. What went well this summer?
3. Was there something this summer that you stressed about that turned out not to be a big deal?
4. What were some of the things that didn’t go well? Look for the lessons and how to reframe.
5. What do you want to remember in your planning for next summer?

In this week’s episode, I’ll walk you through the process of reflecting on your summer and what you can learn from it so you can feel great about how things went, even if it was different than you hoped. Bring a pen and paper (or a Think and Process page from your Thriving in Motherhood Planner) to this actionable episode.

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After a summer of different activities and routines (or maybe no routines), I get excited about settling into a new rhythm as we transition into the school year and fall.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the process I’ve used for years to help our family get clarity about what matters to us right now and how to make sure we make time for it in our daily life.

I’m really great at thinking of the ideal in every area of life. But the reality is that things are going to change, balls are going to drop, and we let go of things as our enthusiasm and energy fade. So what matters most that you want to make a top priority and invest time and energy in? What is the thing that you can go big on this fall? This can be your vision for the fall to help you know what to say yes to, say no to and to structure your days and weeks around.

Here are some other tips to transition back into family routines:

1. Write down your schedule as it already is - not as you want it to be.
2. Decide the one thing you want to go big on for the next few months.
3. Pick an anchor you can pair that thing with.
4. Go slow; make it stick.

For example, when my kids were little, and we were just beginning this journey of establishing routines, I knew I wanted to go big on scripture study with my kids. We had one clear anchor at the time: breakfast. So I paired my one priority with my one anchor, and now we’ve been doing our scripture study with breakfast for almost eight years.

Once you have established your one anchor and one routine, you can pick another priority and another anchor. We now have each meal and rest and read time as an anchor in our day that we’ve paired with some of our daily priorities, and we have routines that go with our anchors. We’ve also attached routines to weekly and monthly anchors.

Start small and every few months, add on another thing as your family continues to learn, grow, and change together.

If you want to learn more about getting your family rhythms established, I would love to support you in my Made to Soar: Next 90 Days program.

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For years I’ve gotten up before the kids (or with the kids and let them play near me) while I do my morning routine to get myself in a good place. This is one of the ways I keep my Soul Pillar intact.

When I don’t do my morning routine, I find that it doesn’t take too long before I’m irritable, grumpy, and snappy at everyone around me. Now that I’m aware of that, this morning routine is one of the first things I put back in place when we are transitioning from the novelty and trips of summer back into our school year routines at home.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing exactly what I’ve done for my morning routine that sets me up for success.

My Morning Routine:

1. Free write about the last 24 hours: I write about anything that was meaningful and significant in the last 24 hours. This creates space in my brain.
2. Answer questions in the Thriving in Motherhood Journal: I ask myself key questions in the Thriving in Motherhood Journal - What’s one thing that could make me feel successful at the end of the day? What’s one thing I could do to make tomorrow easier? What is something that might challenge me today, and how would my best self handle it?
3. Scripture study: I read my scriptures and write down a few passages and my thoughts about them.
4. Exercise: I usually do a Physique 57 workout.
5. Pray + Shower: I shower, pray, and write down any last thoughts that I have when I’m completely by myself and can ponder.

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I’m so excited to finally be sharing the conversation I had with Dawn Madsen of Dawn the Minimal Mom. By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the concept of minimalism, but in this week's episode, we are talking about how Dawn’s faith has impacted her journey to having less things to manage.

We also talk about the legacy her parents left her that had nothing to do with managing stuff. For me, the biggest takeaway is hope that whatever our weaknesses and strengths are as moms, they can have a lasting impact on our children for the better.

Dawn often gets asked, “What’s the threshold?” when it comes to how much stuff to keep around. Her metric is that everyone should be able to manage their things - and for a two-year-old, that’s not going to be very much! 

If you’re just getting started and need a refresher, Dawn recommends starting in the kitchen and keeping just what you are currently using in this season of life. This will have the biggest impact on your days because it’s where families spend a lot of time every single day, and it makes life feel like it is under control when the kitchen is clean.

For more decluttering tips, check out the full episode.

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I’ve gotten lots of questions about our Zone system that we use to have the kids help clean up our main living spaces. In this week’s episode, I’m sharing all of the details of what it is, why we’ve set things up this way, what everyone is responsible for, how often we reset each zone, and how long it takes.

Zone cleaning is a long-term game plan. It takes time, and it will require a bit of extra effort on your part to set things up. 

We’ve divided our downstairs into four zones. Each kid had their own room with a large rug to vacuum.

At first, you are going to do every step of the cleaning with your kids. It takes time - even years - for the kids to get the hang of it. We also paid close attention to when someone is feeling overwhelmed by a space and simplify it so they are set up for success. The things they are responsible for match their age. 

The wonderful thing about this is that we are now able to reset our entire downstairs fairly quickly as we’ve continued to increase our kid’s skills, decrease the amount of things we have to manage, and foster a team spirit amongst ourselves.

Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about our Zone Cleaning System and how it’s working for our family and home.

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As we are nearing the end of the summer and getting ready for the new school year, I wanted to share some of my all-time favorite books that inspire me in my homeschooling.

10 Books To Get You Excited About Homeschooling:

1. Educating the Wholehearted Child
2. Life Giving Home
3. Home Education
4. For the Children's Sake
5. The Well-Trained Mind
6. Call of the Wild and Free
7. You Are Your Child's First Teacher
8. Awaking Wonder
9. The Brave Learner
10. Teaching From Rest

As I read these books, I’m searching for little bits and pieces that I can add to my vision of what our family and culture look like. This includes homeschooling, but it also goes deeper and more far-reaching than that.

Homeschooling is about home. And that is a personal quest I’m on - figuring out what home looks and feels like. I’ve had a very transient life, so home isn’t a place that I return to from my childhood. I’m still trying to figure out how to make a place feel like home, but I’m grateful for the little bits I’ve gleaned and incorporated into our family so far.

Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooler, in your first few years, or a mom with young kids too early for school, there is something here for you!

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We have been road tripping since we had just one little baby, and now we are on our third year of driving across the county and back as a family of six. 

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned to make our drive smoother to help set you up for success on your next adventure.

We are covering everything from our favorite gear, how we pack and organize, car activities for kids, favorite audiobooks, what we prepare for meals and snacks, how we find hotels every night, our procedure for smooth rest stops, and what a typical day on the road looks like. 

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Do you have dreams and goals that you want to go after but haven’t made much progress yet? This week’s conversation with Gabe Cox (@gabecox_redhotmindset) will hopefully inspire you to start taking baby steps forward on your unique journey as we discuss the power of letting your kids see you win.

When Gabe Cox was a young mom, she had a mentor share with her that her kids had asked her, “What do you do, mom?” She had nothing to tell them except what she did for her children. Her entire life was about them.

Investing in and being intentional with our children and families is so important, but for Gabe, she also realized that she wanted her kids to see what going after a goal, trying, failing, and learning looked like. She wanted her kids to see what doing something hard looked like and give them permission to do the same.

For her, that looks like running races, qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and writing a book. Fast forward many years, and her oldest son is working to compete in the Olympics as a gymnast. As she has watched him try and fail and learn and improve, she is now inspired by him.

Here are three pillars to setting and crushing goals:

1. See it: Create your vision! What is something that is on your heart? Write it all down - big and small goals. What is something that you could do that is a little bit outside your comfort zone? That is where you will grow.
2. Plan it: The plan needs to fit your capacity and your season. Know that you will have to adjust and be flexible.
3. Do it: You have to be in motion. Gabe shares that there is a place to wait on God, but He can work more in our lives when we are doing something for Him to work with.

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I’ve been decluttering my house for years, working through all the layers of things we have. A few weeks ago, I opened a bin of extra bags, backpacks, and soft luggage and figured I could let these things go since it’s been a while since I’ve used them.

But then I remembered all the times we DID use them, how useful they were, and all the times in the future that they could come in handy. I put the lid back on the box and decided to deal with it later.

As I was mulling over the content of the box a few days later, I had an epiphany about the real reason I wasn’t ready to let these things go.

We hold onto extra stuff when we don’t have a system for how we will do things. Because I don’t have a clear system for all the aspects of how we travel as a family, I hold onto more bags and travel items, “just in case” or “grab and go,” without giving it lots of thought.

Is this okay? Yep! But it’s also a challenge for me that I’m excited to keep plugging away at. Developing more systems not only for traveling but for lots of areas of our home and life.

Once we know how we’ll do something - like the toiletries bags we will use when we make stops in hotels on our road trips - and what and where everything goes in it - then I can confidently get rid of the excess.

There are lots of possible systems you can develop in your family and home to make things run more smoothly, but I want to encourage you that you don’t need too many in place for you to be able to move forward and spend time on the things you love.

Here are five systems that I recommend starting with:

1. Laundry
2. Dishes
3. Meals
4. Wake-up
5. Bedtime

If you decide the who, what, where, and when in each of these areas, you are already on your way to having your days go a lot smoother. Once these are good enough - not perfect - it’s time to move on to exploring!

You can learn more about that on the 5-Step Path From Surviving to Thriving and where you are on it with my free checklist. And if you need help building family systems that are unique to you and your needs, check out my program, Made to Soar: Next 90 Days.

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Have you ever heard of a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset? It’s often come up in conversations I’ve had about parenting and helping our kids understand that “if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

In this week’s episode with Kate House of the Live By Design Podcast, she shares how this principle applies to our mindsets in motherhood.

Two Fixed Mindsets That You Might Experience As A Mom

1. I’m not worthy
2. I’m not a priority

Discovering the root of lack of worthiness comes by asking yourself “why” enough times until you discover the underlying thought for yourself personally. But once you discover the reason, you can replace it with an intentional thought like, “I’m worthy enough to feel joy.”

It’s also common in our culture for moms to share the idea that “I’m not a priority because I’m so busy taking care of everyone else.” But the reality is YOU are the only one that can actually take care of you, and if this is something you find yourself saying, you can change one baby step at a time.

If you are in a fixed mindset, it's the idea that you are born with the abilities that you have, and you can't grow and change. You might be thinking things like, "I could never," "I can't do this," I won't change."

In a growth mindset, you believe that you can learn, grow and change. You might be thinking things like: "I can grow and continue to learn," "I can ask for help," "I can find support", or "I can get creative." It's a continuum. We are always going to fall somewhere in between, which is incredibly liberating for any recovering perfectionist, so you never have to try to be 100% growth set all of the time.

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Do you have a hard time creating a vision of what you want for your motherhood to look like? Or do you feel united in goals with your spouse? A few weeks ago, Andrew and I brainstormed a list of things we could take a risk on.

We defined risk as anything that puts us out of our comfort zone - which conveniently puts us in our learning zone as well. It was a fascinating experience and uncovered a lot of things for us.

What you might uncover when you write a risk list:

1. Things that are stressing you out that you are avoiding or procrastinating on
2. Things that you feel like you should be doing but are not
3. Things you want to do but haven’t taken action on
4. Personal goals or dreams
5. family goals or dreams

My husband and I were really informal in our risk list discussion. We just started each sentence by saying, “We could take a risk and…”.

At first, we shared things that were top of mind and stressing us out. We progressed on to things we want to try with our family, personal goals we have, habits we want to develop, and things we’ve been talking about doing but haven’t taken any action on. Then it progressed into dreams and ideas that would be a few years in the making.

Once we called out these ideas as a risk, it made it seem less scary and impossible. It also gave us a chance to evaluate if we actually want to do these things or if they are just sneaky “shoulds” that we can let go of.

For me labeling things like creating a bathroom cleaning schedule as a risk adds an element of fun to the situation. It becomes a challenge, something I can approach with curiosity and experiment to find out what works. If it’s a risk, it’s okay to try and fail. It also gets me unstuck in waiting for everything to be perfect and helps me take baby steps forward.

Watch this week’s episode to find out more about what we discovered from this process and what you can learn by doing it for yourself.

If you feel like you don’t have the time or energy to even think about doing something new or different, check out my free workshop, 3 Secrets to Do More of What You Love Without Hiring a Babysitter.

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Our family recently had a week of me being out of commission for some medical things that we knew were coming. Andrew and I have been in this situation for good chunks or our marriage, so it felt like a familiar glove we slipped on for a few days.

In this survival season, we departed from some of our usual standards of ideals - we watched movies every day, ate food that we don’t normally eat, and let go of a lot of the routines or things the kids are supposed to do in the morning.

But you know what didn’t change? My mental health. I was in good spirits. I was the person I wanted to be with my husband and children. In the past, I sacrificed that all in the name of ideals. But when we can determine what our priorities are in a difficult season, we can embrace the difference and novelty of it all and focus on what matters most.

Here are five things I did to prepare for survival mode:

1. Plan for freezer meals. We like to get family-sized Stouffers or Voila to make things easy, but you could also prepare your own.
2. Plan something to be excited about. This could be painting, reading books together, or watching a fun movie.
3. Clean up the house. If possible, keep it picked up with short energy windows, or trust that you can reset it when you go through re-entry.
4. Talk back to the mom guilts when you aren’t doing what you normally do. Everyone’s fine. Be present.
5. Talk with your spouse. Communicate your needs and priorities and simplify.

In a season of survival, it’s so important to evaluate when you can’t do everything, what you are choosing to do. In the past, I’ve chosen the projects because it’s fun, and the piece of having something to look forward to was crucial to my mental health.

But this time, the priority wasn’t fun - and maybe that had a lot to do with it being short-term and a bit to do with us having a large family and needing to keep things a bit more stable. The true priority was just keeping things going smoothly - keeping food on the table, resetting our spaces, putting clothes in drawers, and reading lots of books with my kids.

When I had small bursts of energy, these are the things I focused on and I was amazed at how well our home kept functioning. This has taken me YEARS to figure out, so I hope that a peak into how we prepare can help smooth our your next - or current- season of survival mode.

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Over the last few weeks, I’ve shared principles about creating a summer that is positive for the whole family and how to teach kids about habits. This week, I’m sharing what our priorities are for the summer.

Here are our priorities for this summer:

• Improve writing with a daily journal habit
• Review math with Research Parent’s Minimalist Math curriculum
• Practice instruments every day and have a family concert every two weeks
• Go to the library and read lots of books
• Keep our home tidy with our daily zone cleaning
• Wok on family house projects
• Give kids lots of time to play outside and work on their own interests

When we clarify and narrow down our priorities, it becomes easier to allocate our time and energy effectively. This clear sense of focus also allows us to say no to activities that don’t align with our chosen priorities.

Tell me in the comments, what are your priorities for the summer?

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Recently, we talked about ten principles for creating a productive summer. Spoiler alert - a central part of a good summer rests on GOOD HABITS! So this week, I’m sharing how I teach my kids about habits.

We have these conversations in five-minute increments after we read scriptures at breakfast over the course of the week. It’s meant to be fun and silly while still teaching them important principles that we apply to their lives.

These concepts have changed my life as an adult, and if my kids can understand how their brains work and learn to work with them to create habits, then they are set up for success.

Here are five things I teach my kids about habits:

1. There are a lot of things we need to do to take care of our bodies, minds, hearts, and spaces.
2. It’s each of our responsibilities to take care of these things for ourselves.
3. Our brains are amazing! We can learn to do things automatically so we don’t think so much about it. That’s called a habit.
4. To make habits easy to do, you need to set things up to make it easy to do and decide when you are going to do it. This is called a trigger.
5. Just focus on creating one habit at a time.

We use this shared understanding in our family conversations to help us collaborate and solve problems together and figure out how to do the things we want to do more easily.

In the video version of this week’s episode, you can see how I draw everything out on the whiteboard, or you can check out the workbook I created so you can easily walk through this with your kids.

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One of our priorities since having kids has NOT been the car. My strategy has been to ignore it for six months and then pull out the shopvac and excavate. With our 70 hour road trip approaching this summer, I’ve been watching a bunch of sprinter van conversion videos (turning a van into a motor home), dreaming about the life of ease we would lead with a kitchen and beds in a vehicle as we drove across America.

On one build for a family of five, the mom mentioned that they gave a lot of attention to storage because what doesn’t have a home ends up on the floor.

This was a major lightbulb moment for me!Of course our car is a mess - there are literally zero places for things to go in there.

So I went on a quest, and in just a few days we transformed our van from messy to clean and organized with things I found on Amazon and the dollar store.

8 Simple Things For Car Organization on a Budget

1. Car Garbage Can
2. Headrest Hook
3. Expandable Cup Holders
4. Mini Vacuum
5. Cleaning Putty
6. Baskets
7. Dromedary
8. Cookie Sheet

First, we needed to decide where everything could go in the van in order to have a chance at having it be clean. When I looked at my van, there pretty quickly became clear categories of things covering the floor.

• Coats, shoes, clothes
• Trash
• Diapers and wipes
• Water bottles

As an antidote, I got a garbage can for the trash, hooks to go on the back of the headrests for coats, hats, etc; a cup holder extender for large water bottles so they aren’t flying around; baskets that slide under the seats for diapers and some empty ones to block garbage from going under the seats; a cookie sheet so our dromedary water bladder can slide in and out of the car easily (we use this for washing kids off before they get in the car, rinsing dishes, or a quick drink); and a mini vacuum and cleaning putty to make tidying up hassle-free.

With these tools, it’s become pretty effortless to keep the van picked up and tidy most of the time.

Tune into this week’s episode to hear more about how I transformed our car to a very functional around-town space!

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I recently got an email asking about how to create summer rhythms with kids -  especially for moms that don’t homeschool their kids, so their kids aren’t used to having rhythms

I brought this up in our Soaring Mothers Society meeting that we just had because all of these women have gone through the Made to Soar Program and understand the 3 Pillars of Thriving, are very intentional, and have all sorts of different situations with working out of the home, in the home, homeschool, and have their kids in public school.

After a good discussion and sharing of ideas, plus taking my own experience of homeschooling our four kids and having kids at home with me for nearly 10 years now, I picked 10 principles for creating a fun and productive summer schedule with kids that you can use to figure out a rhythm that works for you and your family.

If you’ve been wondering how you are going to have time to do the things that are important to you this summer with all of the kids at home, I’d love to invite you to a FREE workshop I’m hosting Wednesday, May 17 at 2 P.M. EST. 

You’ll learn to do more of what you love without hiring a babysitter. Save your free seat in the link in the bio (and yep, there’s a replay!)

https://thrivinginmotherhoodpodcast.com/workshop/

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As a mom, I knew if I could only get one thing into my children’s minds and hearts, it would be scripture. When my oldest was two years old, I decided we would start making up songs to add to our favorite verses because the scriptures I still had memorized from childhood were put to tunes.

But, after a few years, we had created a lot of songs and didn’t have any sense or organization to review them. That is when I came across Simply Charlotte Mason’s scripture memory box idea.

It only takes a few minutes each morning at breakfast for us to review our four songs, and by the end of the month, we’ve sung every song that we’ve memorized so far.

Some days, all of us are singing in unison with gusto and other times, I’m still plugging along myself when I can’t get all of my kids to focus at the same time. But either way, this is part of our daily rhythms that everyone has come to expect and look forward to.

I love that all day long, I hear scripture as my kids are singing our songs as they are playing, doing their jobs, or just hanging out. This was an unintended outcome of our scripture memory habit, but it brings us all so much joy. My kids also love when they recognize scriptures each week at church from the speakers.

If this is something you want to incorporate into your family, start small. We started small when my oldest was two - just a new scripture every few months. Almost eight years later, my kids now bring scriptures they love from their own reading for us to memorize as a family. I love that this practice has become collaborative over time.

Check out this week’s video to see how we’ve set up the system to work for us so that we stay on top of reviewing our scriptures.

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Welcome to the 5-Step Path from Surviving to Thriving for moms! I have been in survival mode so many times over the last ten years of motherhood and began to see a pattern emerge from fighting my way to thriving again and again. 

This is a framework that I created to help us all see clearly where we are in a hard season and know where to put out time and energy so we can navigate our days confidently.

The 5-Step Path From Surviving to Thriving:

1. Survival - circumstances are bigger than you
2. Re-entry - catching up on all the things that you let go of in survival mode
3. Normalizing - putting some basic systems in place
4. Exploring - discover what brings meaning and joy into your life
5. Thriving - establish the 3 Pillars of Thriving in your life so you can Soar!

If you’re wondering where you are on the path, check out this week’s episode for more details.

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Are you a busy mom struggling with burnout? It can be tough to find time to take a real break when your days are full with the good things of running a home and nurturing your family. That’s why I’m excited to share with you a simple, yet powerful tool that can help you end your day on a positive note and prioritize your well-being.

In this episode, I’ll be discussing four questions from the Thriving in Motherhood Journal that will help you end your day from a place of feeling accomplished and energized about your day so that you can be ready to get up and do it again tomorrow.

The four questions the journal asks are:

1. How have I seen the hand of the Lord in my life?
2. What were my big wins today?
3. What was a magic moment today?
4. What am I grateful for today?

Answering each of these questions leaves me feeling great about my day! I especially love considering how I’ve seen the hand of the Lord in my life that day.

As I’ve been reading the New Testament about the life of Jesus Christ, I’ve realized the end result of all his miracles, healings, and teachings is that he gave people hope. When I reflect each day on how God has helped me, I begin to see the endless tender mercies and miracles in my own life. This then leads me to having more peace and calm as I navigate my days in the moment.

If you’re looking for a way to incorporate the habit of journaling into your days and end your day on a positive note, tune into this episode to learn more about how the Thriving in Motherhood Journal can help you with all of that.

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In this week’s episode, we sit down with Autumn Kern, a homeschooling mother of three children, to explore the idea of bringing truth, goodness, and beauty into our homes and families. Autumn shares her philosophy behind a classical Charlotte Mason education and how it can help us cultivate these values in ourselves and our children. 

We also get to hear some of Autumn’s defining moments in her motherhood journey and the lessons she’s learned along the way. 

Whether you’re a homeschooling mom yourself or simply interested in the power of truth, goodness, and beauty, this interview is sure to inspire and uplift you.

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As a homeschooling mom of pre-K, 1st-grade, and 3rd-grade kids, I’ve tested out a variety of resources and materials over the years. So, if you’re a fellow homeschooling parent looking for inspiration, you’re in the right place!

Here’s a list of some of our tried and true homeschooling resources:

Rightstart Math

All About Reading

Story of the World books and activity books

Writing with Ease

First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind

Letter Stories

Ambleside Online

Kindle

In this week’s episode, I’ll be taking you on a virtual tour of our homeschooling setup for this year. During this walkthrough, I’ll show you the tried-and-true tools we’ll be using to teach a range of subjects, including math, reading, history, and more.

By the end of the video, you’ll have a clear understanding of our homeschooling curriculum for the year and, hopefully, some helpful insights that you can apply to your own homeschooling journey.

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In this week's episode, I'm sharing the story of how I went from waffling between feeling bored and overwhelmed to confidently navigating my days and enjoying motherhood by creating the Thriving in Motherhood Planner.

During my first two years of motherhood, I felt completely lost and bored and struggled to make it through each day as I felt guilty for all the things I should be doing but wasn’t. I had also reached the place of desperate determination to figure out who I was and what motherhood would look like for my family and me. I decided the next logical step was to get a planner.

In college, I lived in my Franklin Covey two-pages-a-day planner to manage my classes, the job that paid my way through, and our newlywed days of marriage. But when I became a mom, I hardly used it. Sometimes I would sit down and declare, “Today is the day I will get organized and start planning again!” But it was so discouraging to quickly see those plans derailed because of a baby’s nap going too long or short. Even worse were the days when I had nothing to write down, and I’d wonder what the point of planning was.

So then I tried writing to-do lists, but I would feel completely overwhelmed because it never ended, and I would run myself into the ground trying to get things checked off my ever-growing list. But as I lay in bed during my four-month recovery from an illness I contracted at the hospital when delivering my second child, I knew I needed a way to capture all the ideas I had of things I wanted to do for our family or with our kids. I needed a place that would help me discover who I was and what I wanted and actually make progress on those things in the small pockets of time I had through the day.

I knew that even with my young family, there WAS time, I just spent those precious moments of independent play or surprise naps wandering around the house or checking my phone, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and then the moment had passed.

And then there were all the household management things that did need to be organized. For example, what we were having for dinner each night, so I wasn’t panicking with the kids when we were all starving. Random phone numbers for returning calls about paying bills, making doctor's appointments, or talking with insurance companies. I was jotting down notes about whatever was filling my brain so I could stop thinking about it and be present with my kids.

I am grateful for the hours I spent listening to podcasts while doing laundry in those early years. A particular favorite was Michael Hyatt’s (now retired) show This is Your Life, where he taught business executives goal-setting and productivity principles.

With the well of research about how our brains actually manage ideas and get things done and not finding a single planner out there that was truly designed for the real life of motherhood - lots of interruptions, stopping and starting, and inconsistent schedules - I decided to grab a notebook and design one for myself.

First, I needed a home for my thoughts. A place for ideas and dreams I didn’t want to commit to, but I didn’t want to forget. A place to create a vision for my year. A place to write out my goals and projects that would make my vision for the year.

Then I needed a system that would allow me to easily revisit those ideas, visions, projects, and goals regularly and decide what was most important to focus on now and what to not think about for a while longer so that I could quiet the never-ending to-do lists and be present with my kids.

I needed a system that broke down those big ideas into realistic baby steps I could take each week to make things happen in small pockets of time that didn’t need to be rewritten or rescheduled because of the unpredictability of life with children so I wouldn’t get discouraged and give up.

I needed a system with built-in check-ins to help me evaluate what season of life I was in and what needed to have my attention so that I wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed by trying to do it all. I could trust that I could pick up wherever I left off if we ended up in survival circumstances.

I needed a system that built in celebrating and a way to see that I was making progress so that I could build energy and momentum to move my life forward.

I spent three years creating that perfect system in the quiet moments of my day, figuring out how to organize my budding vision for motherhood and make it a reality. And that system is now the Thriving in Motherhood Planner.

For all the details, check out this week's episode of the podcast - or watch the video version on youtube (and subscribe to get the video every week!)

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This week on the podcast, we are talking about how to design your homeschool room (well, really, any room in the house, but I'm using our homeschool space as the example).

Now, this is not going to be how to make it really beautiful - yet - I'm going to talk functional. If you remember, we talked a few weeks ago about the four phases of designing a home that supports you, and I'm in step 3 in our homeschool space.

3 Steps to Design A Functional [Homeschool] Space

1. Decide what you want to do for your homeschool and the best space in your home to do it.
2. Remove everything that doesn't belong - leave only necessary curriculum, books, and materials
3. Make what you do need easy to access and store items where you will use it

We do a classical Charlotte Mason education and school in a few places around the house: around the kitchen table, in the kids' bedrooms (for one on one work with mom), and in our school room.

I used to keep ALL of our homeschool materials in the school room (we are talking 6 years worth now), but I found that it was waaaay too hard to get to the things we needed each day. It was like having to decide over and over again what we wanted to do and when we wanted to do it.

Now in our school room, each child has a shelf on it with all of their materials they use in that room: a box with two pencils, an eraser, and a pencil sharpener so that they are always able to write; a basket with their handcraft materials (currently knitting); and a few binders to organize all of their subjects. We have a shelf with resources for family subjects (nature study, history, Spanish and French, drawing, and poetry) and a globe. A table and nugget couch complete that space where we read, narrate, and write. Upstairs I keep their math and reading in our linen closet (above the towels and medicine), so it is easy to access for their independent work.

Listen in as I pull back the curtains about what we're doing and how we got there to hopefully give you some ideas about how to set up any room in your house.

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I love making big goals - and you’ve seen me do some of them here with things like the Soaring Mothers Summit. But this year, I wanted to try something that I read about years ago in Atomic Habits: making 1% Better Changes.

Each month of the year, I’m picking one tiny thing to focus on, and so far, the impact has far exceeded my homes.

When I’m deciding on what to focus on each month, I start with this question that is found in the quarterly review pages of the Thriving in Motherhood Planner:

“What is the ONE thing that will make the biggest difference in all areas of my life?”

It allows me to get honest with myself about what my current habits are and where I would like to make things better for myself.

What I love about this question is that whatever season of motherhood you’re in - even the super hard ones - you can find things to make 1% better instead of staying stuck and feeling like a victim.

Here are the changes I’ve made so far in quarter one of 2023:

January: Charge my phone away from my bed at night.

February: Daily exercise (with a low bar of what counts)

March: Track our spending in a spreadsheet

The changes are simple, but by moving my phone away from my bed at night, I not only went to sleep earlier, but I also started off the day by doing all the things that matter to me before picking up my phone.

Daily exercise for me is crucial to decreasing pain, and I’ve made a lot of improvements in that area.

Tracking our spending turned into bigger conversations about how much we’ve saved and want to save for our kid’s college, retirement and how we can tackle our mortgage more quickly.

For more details of why I’m focusing on little things and the results I’m seeing, listen to this week’s episode of the podcast!

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For the last few weeks, I had the experience of feeling like I was running in circles without a clear direction - endlessly researching but not sure what to do next. I told myself that I had gotten to the end of the road on my vision.

In reality, things weren’t that dire - I just forgot what phase I was in and how to keep myself anchored.

There are three phases to creating and living out your vision for the year:

1. Caterpillar: exploring and building systems to support bringing more of what you want into your life.
2. Cocoon: simplifying and building systems to support bringing more of what you want into your life.
3. Butterfly: Doing more of what you want in your everyday life.

The research phase is supposed to be a fun season of exploring. I had lost my way a bit, NOT because I was spending hours learning without creating, but because I had pushed out the daily practices that anchor me to God and creating my life with Him.

Once I put my morning routine where I connect with God at the top of my list, it brought joy back into the caterpillar phase for me.

I use my morning routine to create my life with God, so I can be anchored in whatever phase of life I’m in.

For me, this looks like starting by writing the thoughts of the last 24 hours in a lined journal (this is the one I use). Next, I pull out my Thriving in Motherhood Journal and answer the questions in there. I also spend time reading my scriptures and writing down verses that stand out to me and praying.

When I keep this routine in place, I feel directed in the things I am doing each day and have ideas and inspiration about where to spend my time and energy. I better understand HOW to do the things I feel I need to do. I gain clarity and see things with truth.

If you’ve found yourself feeling a bit lost lately, tune into this week’s episode, where I’m sharing more about why I was experiencing the feeling of spinning in circles and more about what to do about it.

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I recently listened to a group of mothers share their feelings of overwhelm, and I absolutely identified with their thoughts.

The things that they found overwhelming fell into three levels of overwhelm:

1. Getting Things Done
2. Our Homes and Keeping People Alive
3. Our Thoughts

When we feel overwhelmed, it can be hard to slow down and identify what is really causing our stress. Over the years, as I’ve peeled back the layer, I’ve realized that there were lots of different skill sets that I needed to develop.

All three of these can come with a pretty steep learning curve (at least it was for me) when you have a child.

I’ve learned over the years that when I find myself struggling to slow down and look at how I’m doing with my foundation, the three pillars of thriving.

First, Vision. Do I have clarity about where I actually want to go next and what my next baby steps are? If not, I need to slow down and prayerfully consider what is next with God and then start moving in a clear direction.

Second, Structure. What can I do to simplify the things that are overwhelming me right now? What is one tiny system or habit we can put in place to make things a little bit better?

Third, Soul. What are my thoughts? Are they true or a cognitive distortion? Have I prayed for a paradigm shift to see things differently?

So often, when I am overwhelmed, it is easy to fall into feeling like a victim. What I love about focusing on the three pillars of thriving is that it puts me back in my circle of influence and gets me to the root of the problem.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing what we can do to address each of these areas of overwhelm and tips on how to strengthen your pillars.

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Have you had the experience of committing to a hard goal but found yourself miserable along the way?

Arielle shared with me that she had made it through her first semester of grad school as a mom with four young kids, but it was a miserable experience. Instead of seeing it as a failure, I shared the 5-Step Path From Curious To Committed.

5 Step Path From Curious To Committed:

1. Curious - Identify what you would like to try or start (like grad school or a podcast).
2. Consistent - Set a timeframe to try (podcast for one year or do a semester of grad school).
3. Clarity - Come back to the drawing board and see how this thing fits in your life. Look at the data (podcasting is great, and I have tons of ideas to keep going; grad school was incredibly hard on my family - how big is my why?).
4. Confidence - Now, you can either move forward or let go.
5. Committed - Your goals can now be more specific as you are committed to the long-term process and what really matters in that field (a certain number of downloads, focus on metrics that matter in grad school).

As I discussed this path with Arielle, we determined she was on step three. It is time for her to evaluate the date and decide if she wants to continue with grad school.

But just because something feels really hard doesn't mean it's not worth doing. As Andrew and I have reminded ourselves many times during difficult seasons for our family, hard doesn’t mean wrong. However, it has served as a signal for us to pause and take stock of what really matters to us AND how we are thinking about our circumstances.

So far, quitting in the middle of misery hasn’t been the right answer, but getting clear on what is in our circle of influence to make things better quickly becomes a top priority.

Listen to this week’s episode for more thoughts on this process and to find out what step you might be on with your goals.

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Today I’m sharing how I involve the kids in cleaning our home - how we do it, why we do it, and what we use. We are going beyond picking up or tidying and addressing things like scrubbing toilets and mopping floors.

(My kids are ages 9, 7, 5, and 2.5 for reference, but this is something I’ve done with them since they were babies)

Here are the four phases of getting kids to clean at home that we use:

1. Watch me do it.
2. Do it with me.
3. Do it with me watching you.
4. Do it yourself.

Working through the phases starts when my kids are crawling around on the floor and pulling themselves up on the dyer to “help” put wet clothes in. Doing it themselves emerges years later.

This process is a long game, but also about more than just making sure the house gets clean. We use the time to talk with each other, sing songs, and instill values of working together, putting our “big rocks” first (from 7 Habits of Highly effective people), and contributing to our family.

It’s important that my kids know that cleaning at home is just part of life - no matter what your family situation or job is.

But don’t think that things are going perfectly in my home. My kids are still kids and get lost on their way from their beds to the kitchen to do their jobs and end up fighting with their siblings before they have food in their stomachs.

Most mornings, I find myself saying, “If you are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing, you will avoid a lot of problems.”

This is a principle that applies to so many life scenarios, but one that I use throughout the day to remind the kids that instead of engaging in whatever the problem is, the problem literally goes away when they are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.

It’s also one I use to encourage myself when I feel like escaping or hiding instead of sticking to our family rhythms and routines - and then reward myself with more time outside.

Tune into this week's episode to hear more about what’s working in our home and some tips you can use today.

And, on a practical level, I have switched to using Force of Nature for the last 1.5 years for all cleaning - from washing toilets to mopping floors to wiping baseboards and door knobs - because it’s safe for my kids to use. You can get 40% off a starter bundle with the code LOVEFON here.

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If you worked through the Create Your Vision Challenge, one of the last exercises was choosing your word for the year. Your word of the year helps remind you of your vision for the year and what you hope to accomplish. But now that you have your word, what are you going to do with it?

There are three ways I’ve found that are really effective for using your word for the year.

1 - Remind you of who you are trying to become

You can do this in any season of motherhood, but it is especially powerful in the hard seasons when you don’t have much control over your circumstances. Write your word on the bathroom mirror, put a reminder in your phone, or end the day reflecting on how you lived up to your word throughout the day.

2 - Help you at a decision point

Use your word to guide the choices you make each day. For example, if your word was “generous,” it could help you decide to share your lunch with friends or be generous with your time and attention at bedtime.

3 - Guide your thoughts

Use your word to help boss your brain around. For example, “life-giving” encourages me to refrain from my victim thoughts around cooking or cleaning to ones where I see myself as doing nurturing, life-giving activities for our family.

When you use your word of the year to guide you in these areas (and any more that you think of that are helpful to you), you can stay in alignment with your yearly vision and the person you want to be. It’s an easy way to better stay on track to reach your goals.

If you need help figuring out your word, head to thrivinginmotherhood.com/vision for the 5-Day Create Your Vision Challenge.

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Have you ever had the feeling of excitedly buying a planner and using it with great enthusiasm in the beginning but after a few days, weeks, or maybe even months, it starts to collect dust and end up in the back of the closet?

Or, maybe it’s led to paralyzing planning guilt, and you’ve abandoned the exercise entirely and sworn off buying planners.

In this week’s episode, I talk about what it looks like to use a planner in different seasons of motherhood. Spoiler alert: sometimes there are a lot of blank pages, and that’s okay!

Your planner is meant to support you, not give you anxiety or guilt! Depending on where you are in your life and your motherhood journey, there are so many ways to approach planning that make your life better.

I’ve found there are four phases when it comes to planning. These work best when you’re using the Thriving in Motherhood Planner, but you can also implement them into your planning system.

4 Phases of Planning in Motherhood

1. Reality check - This is a great place to start if you’re out of the habit of planning or in an intense season of survival. This includes a monthly review to celebrate what you accomplished, learned, places you went, things you did with your family, and books you read. This helps you see all that you’ve accomplished and track the important milestones in your life.
2. Management - This is what we typically focus on when we think of planning. This would be writing down your appointments, context-based to-dos, meals, think and process pages, and brain dumps.
3. Momentum - This is a more proactive phase of planning and includes a monthly planning session at the beginning of each month and a weekly Big 3. This planning phase allows you to look ahead to where you want to go and plan to get there in small steps.
4. Alignment - This phase would include using all of the Thriving in Motherhood Planner systems and living your life in alignment with your vision and goals. In this phase, you are doing a quarterly review, setting your intentions for the day with a daily Big 3, deciding on a weekly focus, and tracking the habits you want to create.

When you have to pause and set your planner aside, don’t panic! You will be able to pick it back up and jump right back in when it’s time.

The goal is to have the support and resources you need in your planning. The Thriving in Motherhood Planner is designed to scale up and down to support you in every season of motherhood.

Are you surviving or so busy you just wake up and take things as they come? Perfect! Use the planner to Reality Check once a month and celebrate all that happened.

Are you ready to think one step ahead and know where you will be or what everyone will eat for dinner? Adding in Management will help you take care of that.

Do you have projects or goals you want to work toward? Then, you’re ready for Momentum and giving monthly planning and a weekly Big 3 a try.

Are you ready to intentionally align your time and energy with the things that matter most to you? In Alignment, it’s time to add quarterly reviews, daily big 3s, a weekly focus, and habit tracking.

You might switch from week to week or month to month with how you use your planner. That’s completely normal! The important thing is to know it’s normal and that your planner is a TOOL that is here to support you, not rule over you.

If you’re ready to start, it’s not too late to get your 2023 Thriving in Motherhood Planner today! Click here to learn more.

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Do you feel the pressure to set big goals and achieve them quickly?

In January, I feel bombarded by all the messaging about “doubling,” “accelerating,” and “2X faster/better” in all areas of life. Productivity, homeschooling, business, decluttering our homes, and the list goes on.

It’s enough to make me want to give up or not even start.

Early one morning, as I was praying about my discouragement, I ended up in The New Testament. In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel shared with Zacharias that his son, John, would be “great in the sight of the Lord…and many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.” (verses 12-16).

This prophecy would take decades to fulfill.

The same angel told Mary that her son, Jesus, “shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father, David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there shall be no end. (verses 30-33).

The fulfillment of that prophecy is taking millenniums.

As I read this, I had the thought that maybe God doesn’t care about speed and efficiency as much as we do (or the marketing experts). But, even though these prophecies took time, these weren’t decades spent in complacency and waiting for big things to happen. Of John, it is said that he “grew and waxed strong in spirit (verse 80); of Jesus, “he increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

So what does this mean for us moms? It’s okay to stick to the basics! To let the small things we do each day add up and compound over time into big things.

It may sound less exciting, but growth takes time. Becoming takes time. Doing the things God puts on your heart is as much about the journey as it is the destination.

If you haven’t taken the first step and created your vision for the year, you can sign up for the free mini-course here.

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All of my kids stopped napping around age two. When we went through the transition the first time with my oldest, I was reading one of Sally Clarkson’s books (I’ve read so many, I’m not sure which one mentioned this), and she said that every day they had quiet time to read and be in their own space to recharge.

From that day forward, we rebranded “nap time” to ‘rest and read time,” and we’ve had this as an anchor for our day ever since.

Read and rest time isn’t boring at our house. Sometimes there are creative messes, and sometimes, my 9-year-old has organized and deep-cleaned a kitchen cabinet. I never know what I’m going to find when I come back out of my room. Regardless, because of this routine, I will be recharged and ready for what’s next

On today’s episode, I’m sharing what is working now for the kids and me as a homeschooling family of six to be successful.

Have you created your vision for 2023 yet? Now is the perfect time to get clarity about what matters to you so you can spend your days on things you actually want to be doing instead of hiding in the bathroom or scrolling social media to escape.

Join the free 6-day challenge here.

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One of the questions that has emerged for me as a mother with less physical energy than I’d like is, “What really matters when it comes to parenting?”

For a long time, my tactic was don’t engage if I can’t be nice or I can’t enforce (which has been the case off and on with challenging pregnancies or recovering from surgeries). But, as my kids get older, I realize that isn’t an effective long-term plan.

I came across The Collapse of Parenting which provided a lot of clarity as to where to focus my time, energy, and attention in parenting.

One of my first big takeaways came in the very first chapter, “Our job as parents is to pass on culture to our children.” If we let our kids learn the culture of their peers, it is one Irampant of disrespect. As a parent, my job is to decide what culture I want to pass on to my children and lead by example.

Check out this week’s episode for more of my favorite takeaways from the book and how it is shaping my day-to-day interactions with my kids.

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This week’s episode is a peek into one of the incredible groups in Soaring Mothers Society. They were the first women to go through the Made To Soar: Next 90-Days program in 2020, and we’ve been meeting every month for the last two years to do monthly planning and reviews together.

The transformation and growth of these women is incredible, and it was a real treat to take a few minutes to celebrate their journeys and growth in household management, family relationships, strengthening community, completing projects, and growing businesses.

The secret has been consistently taking baby steps and having people to celebrate with along the way.

Here is the experience one of the members has had:

“Before I got the Thriving in Motherhood Planner and joined the Next 90-Days Course, I lacked clarity. The first time I went through the Create Your Vision Challenge, my word for the year was clarity. We had no structure in our days, no routines, no systems in our house, and my wheels were spinning. I wasn’t moving forward on anything.

The Thriving in Motherhood Planner, Next 90-Days Course, and Soaring Mothers Society have taught me how to get the clarity I needed and take action to figure all those things out. Now on my good days, I feel like I’m thinking about what God wants me to do with my life instead of what I want to do with my life.”

-Makenzie Schmitt

As we begin this new year, if you want support figuring out practical ways to organize your life and make progress on the things that matter to you, check out the Your Next 90-Days program here.

We’d love to support you in creating a life you are excited to wake up to!

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It’s amazing the impact looking back can have on how I feel about the year. In this week’s Thriving in Motherhood podcast episode, I am reviewing my 2022 with you and giving some tips for how you can look at your year as well.

Spoiler alert - I started this activity thinking things weren’t that great and ended feeling like I was on top of the world and could do anything). As a close friend recently said, “You are very good at not seeing all that you are not doing.”

Looking back tells the story of your growth and allows you to see what is real. It gives you a chance to celebrate your learning, growth, family adventures, progress, milestones, and important memories.

From this place, you can gather clues about what is important to you, what’s missing in your life, and how you want to grow and change during the next year. This also brings you to a place of momentum, energy, and enthusiasm for your life. That is a place that is fun to think about possibilities of the next year from.

Whatever season of motherhood you find yourself in, this essential practice of creating your vision for the year will bring purpose to your days and joy into your life. It allows you to pause and decide what matters to you and what type of life you want to live.

If you’re ready to start the new year off right, I invite you to join the 6-day Create Your Vision Challenge and create a life you are excited to wake up to each day.

And, if your brain is even remotely like mine, and you struggle to see all the amazing things you’re doing, check out this episode to jump-start your review process.

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Do you ever feel bored as a mom? Do you have full, busy days, but at the end of them, you don’t feel fulfilled? Are you bummed because you don’t feel like you’re able to make progress on the things you want to do?

I’ve been there, and in this week’s podcast episode, we talk about what to do when you find yourself in this place.

The very first step to getting out of this rut is getting more clarity about what matters to you by creating your vision for the year. Until you know who you want to be and what you want to do, it is going to be very challenging to change feeling bored, bummed, or busy.

This isn’t going to be a one-and-done thing, either. For me, it has become a yearly practice where I brain dump, reflect on the previous year and work through a process of uncovering where I need to focus my time and energy.

2023 is just around the corner and if you’re ready to have your best year ever, come join us for the Create Your Vision Challenge. This is designed specifically for mothers with children at home who want to soar!

This challenge is even more fun when you invite some friends to join you. This not only provides accountability but year-long support and deeper friendships as you work to make your visions a reality together.

I invite you to send this email or the podcast episode to a few friends and join us in creating a vision for your most purposeful year yet!

Sign up here!

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Does anyone else have moments where it feels overwhelming, no matter how much progress you've made with your home? I've been there the last few weeks, searching for a way through our upstairs bedrooms.

I've read dozens of books over the years about decluttering, organizing, and maintaining your home, but the reality is when I walk into a messy bedroom, I'm not sure what to do next and back away slowly.

Then I look through the Ikea website for organizational furniture, google how far away the closest Ikea is (it's 2 hours - every time!) and then realize it's time to make the next meal.

Well, after a breakdown (yep, it happened) follows a breakthrough, and in this week's episode, I'm sharing my recently developed framework that is empowering me to face these much-used rooms head-on!

This breakthrough led me to develop the four principles of creating a home that supports you:

1. Simplify - remove what doesn't belong in the room or isn't being used. You can throw it away, donate it, put it in a “time will tell” bin (thanks, Dawn @minimalmom), or put it in a different room of the house to deal with later. The point is only to have what you use in that room left.
2. Assign Spaces - everything in the room needs a home, but this probably won't happen overnight. This is a process of observing where things get left or piled up and creating homes right there or nearby that contains what might look like clutter.
3. Systematize - Establish when, how, and who will reset each aspect of your space. There will be dozens of little systems running inside your home, but as you build them slowly, they will become automated habits. Slow to stick!!
4. Personalize - if you are a natural decorator, obviously keep doing your thing when it works for you! But, for the rest of us, now is the time to make the space fit your style and reflect your values. You want there to be a payoff for walking to a clean space that feels inviting to you - not cold and sterile.

Each phase has a different focus and tactic to help you raise the standard of cleanliness in your home. If you keep trying to do phases 1 and 2 in hopes of having a house that stays clean, you might experience fight or flight mode like me whenever anyone takes anything out of a closet.

Moving through the phases takes time, and each room will probably be in a different phase - which is completely fine! The hope is that you will be able to identify where each space is at so you know what to do when you enter the room and also see the progress you are making more clearly.

In the last year, my values around home and parenting have changed. As a result, my time and energy are shifting to things that I didn’t put as much effort into in my 20s.

I’ve realized that my home can play an integral role in actively living out these ideals and reflects our most important values.

When I created the Simplify to Soar Club a few years ago, my hope was that it would support me in becoming a Soaring Mother. Now I have more clarity about the work my home actually needs to do for us.

Listen to this week's podcast episode for more tips and ideas for creating a home that supports you.

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Typically at the end of the year, when there is so much going on, I start to feel like I’m not seeing a lot of progress on my projects and goals.

This leads me to feel discouraged and want to give up - which is not an option when managing a household.

One thing I like to do when I notice this feeling creeping is to create a “Finish List” to create some momentum.

Dave Ramsey has a principle he calls the “debt snowball.” The idea is that if you have multiple lines of debt, you pay off the smallest amount of debt first to see some quick wins and stay committed to making progress.

This same principle can work with our projects!

Sit down and write a list of all the unfinished projects currently taking up brain space. Now evaluate that list and see if there are things you could knock out today or in a few hours.

Start to build momentum by seeing progress and watch how much you can accomplish in your small pockets of time before the end of the year (or not, if that stresses you out instead of motivating you).

The key ingredients to a long-term commitment to our goals are:

• Clarity about what matters
• Consistent action
• Recognizing your progress along the way.

When you do all three, you build energy and momentum. It becomes exciting as your time and energy are aligned with your heart-decided priorities.

The Thriving in Motherhood Planner takes these research-based principles and includes all of these elements to keep you moving forward in small pockets of time on the things that matter most to you and celebrates your progress along the way.

You can get yours today here!

For more tips like this, listen to this week’s episode as I share what I do to turn things around, end the year with a clean slate, and get ready to create in 2023.

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I read Tiago Fortne’s, Building Your Second Brain and immediately saw how the time I was wasting online was because it was too hard to do the things I really wanted to do on my phone or computer.

In this episode, I share the behind-the-scenes of how I organize my digital life as a mom so that I am not wasting time on social media and getting way more done by being effective when I’m on my computer.

I love my physical planner and journals to keep my day-to-day life organized and my brain working and emptied. However, a lot happens digitally that, for me, was a complete mess.

With my second brain system, I now have a place for everything - a place for things I want to read, a place for things I want to reference, a place for things I need to do on the computer, and easy systems to get everything where it needs to go.

I have great systems for knowing what I want to do and getting those things done (hint, hint, The Thriving In Motherhood Planner), but I needed a way to organize knowledge.

That was one of the huge epiphanies that hit me while reading Building Your Second Brain. A knowledge management system is different than a productivity system!

Things that I want to think about, read about, learn about, or want to reference in the future now have a place. Since setting up this system, I’ve wasted less time and become more productive when I sit at the computer or get on my phone.

Check out this week’s episode for a deep dive into:

• What I use
• When I use it
• How I manage incoming email (I have maintained an inbox-zero email for the first time in my life for the past few months!)
• Take notes on the books I’m reading
• Take action on online courses
• Keep what I’m learning organized
• Jumpstart my projects and keep all the pieces organized

I hope this will help you organize your digital life to increase your productivity and make your life easier!

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I read so many great books this year that I can’t wait to share with you! And since the year isn’t over, I’m not done reading yet and have even more favorites to add (How Not To Die and The Collapse of Parenting are a couple of recent favorites.)

I love to keep track of the books I read to prove to myself that I’m learning. There are loads of ways to track your books, but I like to keep it low-tech in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner monthly review page.

Keeping track helps me get a better picture of where my time and energy went as a whole, and it is part of my game plan for combatting the lie that “all I do is…”

Plus, what you focus on grows - and I want reading to be a foundational part of who I am because it makes life richer, deeper, and much more interesting.

So, without further ado, here are my 12 favorite books I read this year:

Forty Autumns

Building Your Second Brain

What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid

Mothering By The Book

How The Word Is Passed

Think Again

The Self-Driven Child

The Sleep Fix

Hunt, Gather, Parent

Heaven Is For Real

The Battle Plan For Prayer

Awaking Wonder

I hope you find some new favorites from this list! Tune in to hear in this week’s episode.

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We all have hard things in our life that we get to keep learning from again and again. Mine is physical pain and health challenges.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing some practical tips for parenting while in physical pain (which can be applied to mental and emotional health challenges, too), as well as some principles and lessons I’ve been learning over the last few months.

For me, one of the biggest things this challenge has taught me is to rely more fully on God. I’ve chosen to look at the pain as an opportunity to grow closer to Him.

Whenever the fear starts to creep in because of pain or the unknown underlying causes, I try to remember who does know. God is all-knowing, and He is the only one with all of the answers. I try to remain focused on the fact that I can trust Him to walk with me through all the ups and downs.

I’ve also discovered some helpful practices that make mothering easier when I have painful days:

• Play music to match the mood you want in your home.
• Instead of focusing on what is not going well, practice gratitude.
• Remember, in this moment, you are okay. Notice what doesn’t hurt right now.
• Instead of worrying about how you will survive this moment, look back and see all that you’ve endured and overcome.
• State your limitations calmly and thank children for their help.
• Ask, “What would I do to take care of myself if I didn’t have kids?” and then do that thing.
• End the day with the Thriving in Motherhood Journal to help keep your brain in helpful thought patterns.

While none of these practices or mindsets eliminate my physical discomfort, they do help me live my life with purpose and joy. They help me create the life I want my family to experience while setting an example for my children about dealing with challenges.

For more real-life examples and discussion about this topic, tune into this week’s podcast episode.

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Would you like more support from your husband with your projects and goals? This week on the podcast, I’m sharing the principles and practices that help Andrew and me be effective in communicating and supporting each other in making our priorities happen.

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As I’ve looked back over the last few years, I’ve been able to see the simple things that have really made a difference in making life joyful and meaningful in everyday life. 

The great news is that you don’t necessarily have to look outside of your current responsibilities and plans to increase fulfillment. 

Listen to this week’s episode for ideas on how to recognize and create more moments of joy and meaning in your life and ways that you can celebrate your everyday accomplishments more fully. 

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Emily is the creator and co-host of the Enlightening Motherhood Podcast and a life coach. As a mom of four, former foster mom of 27, and educator of all ages, she understands what it’s like to feel overwhelmed with your children’s intense behaviors and emotions. 

Her mission is simple yet strong: to empower moms to calmly and confidently handle their children’s big feelings and behaviors, so motherhood won’t seem so hard and so there can be more peace at home.

In this week’s episode, we talk about how to be the parent you want to be and how understanding the reasons behind your child’s behavior can help you handle big emotions more calmly and effectively.

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I was recently asked what our family scripture study looks like, and I realized that it has evolved a lot over the years. In this week's episode, I outline what our family does for scripture study as an example of how I’ve pulled from many different sources to create a vision for my family and how we slowly grow into that vision in time.

It’s the process I’ve built into the Thriving in Motherhood Planner, and it was good to reflect on how much growth we’ve had in this area of our lives using the planner as a tool to guide me.

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A few years ago, I saw this idea of a Big 5 from @farmhouseschoolhouse, and we adopted it immediately into our home with tiny children. I’ve mentioned it on the podcast before, but a friend reached out with some excellent questions about what the kids and I do for our Big 5, when we have to finish them by, and what we do if someone doesn’t complete their Big 5.

This week’s episode of the podcast answers all of these and more!

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There is a lot of focus on time management and being productive. As a mom, I find that managing time can be inconsistent, which for me, is incredibly demotivating. The great news is that there are other things we can focus on to accomplish what matters to us. 

For me, that is homeschooling, my kids, working on projects together around the house, having time each day to study scriptures, journal, and pray, adventuring as a family, and running Thriving in Motherhood.

In this episode, learn the secret to making space for what matters to you!

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Today I'm taking you behind the scenes of the Soaring Mothers Summit and sharing some of the miracles and the lessons I learned. This was an opportunity to strengthen my faith and trust in God in very real ways.

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This episode is a little about homeschooling but more about how God wants to be involved, not just in giving us things to do but actually doing them with us. This principle is part of the Soul Pillar in my Made To Soar: Next 90 Days course (opening again in January), but I wanted to share it with you now because it is life-changing. And I don’t say that lightly.

I’ve tried muscling through and solving problems on my own, but I fall into the “Exhausted Supermom Trap” and end up burned out. Listen to this week’s episode to find out what inviting God into your life, and problem-solving actually looks like in the life of a rather busy mom.

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I hear from moms all the time (and I’ve said it too!): I feel like I am surviving all the time, and I just want to thrive! If this rings remotely true to you, this week’s episode is for you. We will talk about what thriving really looks like and what you can do to get from surviving to thriving sooner than you think!

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Today’s episode is an inspiring conversation with Arielle, a mom of four children ages 2 to 9. Arielle discovered the Soaring Mothers Summit last year during a period of transition. The idea of creating a vision for her life took hold of her, and she decided to make a change. Instead of staying in place thinking, “All I do is clean, cook, and keep kids alive,” she would create a life she was excited to wake up to each day.

Her journey and lessons learned during the last few years of motherhood are sure to uplift and inspire you in your own motherhood journey.

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Life can be hard sometimes, and when it is, it can feel easier to throw in the towel and give up than to keep pressing forward. But, when you have a clear vision of what you want your life to be like (or even a hazy idea), you’ll be able to spend your time and energy focused on making things happen instead of scrolling on social media, even if it is all you feel like doing. 

For examples of what this looks like in my life, check out this week’s episode of the podcast.

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My quest for the first few years of motherhood was just trying to figure out why I felt like I was surviving all the time when I wanted to love being a mom so badly. As life marched on and I slowly gained more experience, I discovered there are four main reasons moms end up feeling like they are surviving. 

In this episode, I break down the four reasons for feeling like you’re in survival mode as a mom. Knowing what the problem was brought me so much peace and focus, especially since it meant nothing was wrong with me - I just had skills I needed to learn. I hope it will help you too!

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Summer is coming to a close, and I’ve taken some time to reflect. We had ups and downs, focused on building family relationships, and experienced the normal stressors that come with family life. Looking back, I learned a lot - and I'm betting you did too! In this week's episode, I'm sharing my lessons learned, and I would love to hear yours too. What’s a lesson you learned this summer?

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This week, I’m talking with Unymie Ogutuga @oliveandblisswellness about the three phases of rethinking motherhood. If you relate to feeling pressure to do and be more, this episode will give you a lot to think about.

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We just got back a few weeks ago from our cross-country road trip, spending 60 hours in the car. Roadtripping for 3-5 days is a huge undertaking! In this episode, I share my best tips and systems for going on long road trips with children. This is our second time making the drive, and we solved many pain points for a much smoother experience.

Knowing everything won’t go perfectly, and everything will still be okay takes the pressure off. A problem-solving mindset keeps hope alive and allows you to live in your circle of influence. I hope these tips help make your next road trip smoother!

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Today's conversation is with Kaeli Wood introduced me to many new ideas when it comes to ways to contribute financially as a stay at home mom. Kaeli and her husband have done two live in flips of their homes and have been an air bnb host for 5 years. She is also a mom of three young kids who is really committed to raising her kids and also very passionate about finances. She gives a real behind scenes look about what this lifestyle looks like - both the financial side and the day to day living impact.

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Audition Template: 1 Mono Host track (with Speech Volume Leveler), 1 Mono Interview track (with Speech Volume Leveler), 1 Stereo Sound FX with effects, 1 Stereo Music Bed track. 44.1k, 16 bit, Stereo Master.

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This weeks chat with Greta Eskridge of @maandpamodern is one that will inspire you to return to the basics - things like reading aloud and going on adventures outside. I've loved both of Greta's book so this was also a chance to ask questions ranging from what has made the biggest impact in her family's homeschooling journey to how to discuss pornography with our kids. What is your biggest take-away from the episode?

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Recently I was interviewed by the Minimalist Moms Meetup group about the story behind Thriving in Motherhood as well as the principles that carry us from surviving in motherhood to thriving.

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Does anyone else struggle with being good about exercising 1 or 2 days a week but then it's hard to get back to? In this weeks episode we are going to look at why this might be and what to do about it - or any other habit that you are having a hard time being consistent with!

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Summer is here or just around the corner and it's time to think about ways to cultivate family relationships. This year we are having a family summer camp that puts what the kids already love, their family responsibilities, their goals, learning options, and family adventures into a little structure. Check out this weeks episode for some inspiration to bring some fun into your summer season!

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This week's episode is sacred and I feel so grateful to be able to share it with you. Mandy Ashton tells her story of her first son, Levi, who died shortly after he was born. His life on earth was short, but the lessons and experiences Mandy and her family had with him will last forever - lessons that she shares with all of us today. I would love to hear your biggest take-away!

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When I'm in a hard season, it's hard to imagine ever getting out of it. And more importantly is the wondering and hoping and wishing to feel like me again - and I've talked with so many of you that can relate! This weeks episode is a very detailed look into how to get out of a hard season, what it's looked like for me and my family this time around, and practical tips you can start applying today!

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Have you struggled with dieting or an extreme focus on healthy eating? In this weeks episode with Victoria Yates, she shares practical ways you can start to build trust and develop a healthy relationship with food again for you and your family.

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This is a very personal episode that culminates in the lessons I've learned after being pushed past my limits the last six weeks. Between sick kids and adults, an emergency after hours dental visit and ER trip, big deadlines for my husband and work, and two work trips, I hit a wall of complete exhaustion and breakdown. Honestly, I spent a few days crying in a closet. But as the days went by I have learned so many lessons as I've reflected on our experiences. In this weeks episode I share those 7 hard earned lessons with all of you.

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We often hear that motherhood is a thankless job and it takes years to see if what you are doing bears any fruit. Not my favorite description of being a mom. In this weeks chat with Kimberly Amici @buildyourbestfamily we learn that it is also completely false. Kimberly will share a few practices you can start as family to get feedback from your kids right now in ways that will bring you closer together and create a beautiful family culture you can all enjoy while they are young.

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Do you dread your husband traveling? I know for me the full days and nights with four kids requires a bit of effort to make it a successful experience for everyone. In this weeks episode I'm sharing my tips from our recent weeks of just the kids and mom as well as ideas from the women in Soaring Mothers Society. I'd love to hear your biggest take away or own suggestions below!

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This week I'm chatting with Joslyn Hillam about how to create deeper connection in our marriages. Marriage is foundational to motherhood, and yet with the full schedules, exhaustion, and care-taking it can be easy to let our most important relationship take a back seat. This episode shares some practical, simple things you can do to remember your best friend.

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Sometimes life is just exhausting. That isn't how I want to live as a general rule, but the last bit of our lives has been intense. So what can be done about it? It seems like the world calls for a break - time away, childfree. But is when that isn't an immediate possibility, are we doomed? I just don't believe that is how God created motherhood to be. So what is to be done? My thoughts in this weeks episode.

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I was feeling a bit discouraged with how disconnected I was with my kids. Honestly, that probably isn't true (I am with them all day, every day...) but I needed a way to create a new story for myself. Then one Sunday night on a zoom call with my family, we started sharing stories about my dad's mom. He ended our remembering with, "She really knew how to make you feel loved."

And that is what I realized I was seeking - not so much connect, but that atmosphere of love in our home that starts with me.

This weeks episode is all about two simple ways to create an atmosphere of love in the home.

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During a hard season I felt like God suggested that I bring hymns more into my everyday life. I started small, propping up a hymn book where I did the dishes and learning the words while I washed. The impact of this small routine has helped not only me, but family too, and spread in other ways. The Soul Pillar (one of the three pillars of thriving) is absolutely strengthened by this practice. For more ideas of how to bring the power of hymns into your home in simple ways, check out this week's episode.

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As a homeschooling mom with four kids, there is a lot of activity and chatting during the day. I love using my spare moments working on online courses, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and chatting with friends on the phone. At the end of the day when I'm exhausted, it's easy to "rest" with a screen. I fill my social media page with uplifting and inspiring sources and love the intellectual learning that comes from podcasts, audiobooks and YouTube. But after hearing about Phoebe's experience doing a 30 day optional technology fast I knew I needed to give it a try. I had completely different results, but they were equally life changing. My favorite change? Being able to think again!

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Phoebe Cook did a 30 day optional technology fast with her husband during the month of January and it was life changing. In today's episode we talk about their why, what they said no to for 30 days, what they did instead, and the surprising and life-changing results for them and their family.

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This week on the podcast I'm answering this fabulous question I got from Carrie: "What if I can't think of a big 3 for the day or week? I'm not really a dreamer, so I have trouble coming up with goals to hit and end up still reacting to things around me. Some days, my one goal is to just get through our homeschool slog in one piece. Or I come up with goals for the week and end up transferring them to the next week… and again… so apparently I don't know how to follow through, either! Any guidance there?" What's your biggest take-away from the episode?

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To celebrate the 200th episode of the Thriving in Motherhood Podcast, I created a brand new free QUIZ to help mothers figure out their next step out of survival mode.  We each have unique challenges and life situations, which is why we need customized solutions to thrive.  I've spent the last five weeks creating this to be the most helpful tool for you to use again and again as seasons change in your life. PLUS you get a customized podcast playlist sent to you to encourage along your motherhood journey.  Please share it with your mom friends who are as determined as you to thrive in your everyday life!

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Do you ever feel overwhelmed by trying to make sure every child in your home has adequate one on one time with you? You are not alone!

This week I am chatting with Mindy @toptwotips about how to create meaningful connection and relationships with your kids. This isn't about scheduling 10 minutes of one-on-one time with each child - Mindy has 7 children and needed a more realistic and doable way to approach all of the important relationships with her family. I'd love to hear your biggest take-away in the comments!

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I love talking with other moms about their experiences - the victories, the rock bottoms, and the growth that comes from it all. This week on the podcast Mindy Van De Graaff @toptwotips is sharing her own journey as a mom of seven children about how she has been healing in the last year after living in survival mode from circumstances outside her control.

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A few weeks ago I had a friend reach out and ask what I did that helped with my difficult pregnancies because she has a close friend that is really struggling and would do anything to help. This episode is my very best experiences, tips, and tricks from surviving four very challenging pregnancies to encourage those of you that are in a hard pregnancy right now or to support a friend who is struggling right now.

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This week we are sharing YOUR visions (and mine too) for 2022! This is such a fun episode because of the variety of visions from you in this community of Soaring Mothers.

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Sometimes it seems impossible to think ahead more than a week at a time, let alone dream up a whole year worth of plans. If a yearly vision feels like too much right now, this episode is for you!

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Is this a season of survival mode for you? Anna Crabb is in a very intense season right now caring for her two young children, her youngest with CHARGE syndrome. She is sharing her story in real time, which is a true gift, because she is actively working in her circle of influence to navigate her reality and shares some of her wisdom and tools with us. This is the perfect episode to start the new year with!

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This is create your vision week at Thriving in Motherhood Podcast, and you might be starting to recognize some things on your heart that scare you a bit. Maybe it's scary because you don't know how these ideas will impact your family. Or maybe it's scary because you are already at maximum capacity and you have no clue how this will fit into your life circumstances. But this week on the podcast I want to remind you that with God, nothing is impossible.

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This week I have a simple but extremely powerful exercise for you to do while going about your normal day-to-day life (holiday version) to help you see all the good that you have created up to this point in your life. Why? Because we all struggle as moms with how we think about ourselves, and the high energy of this season seems to leave us all a little more susceptible to see all that we aren't doing well. Have a listen on this weeks episode of the podcast and then share with a friend.

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Anyone else feel like the missed the boat this year with all of the advent calendars and fun traditions that were planned back in November? Today I'm sharing 3 things you can still do to make this Christmas season meaningful for your family this year with no prep from you.

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I don't know if I've ever said "Every Mom Needs..." before, but I'm going to say it confidently now. Every mom needs to create a vision for the year. It is a practice that has compounding effects and will allow you to create a unique life for you that is better than you could have possibly imagined. If you are starting at the phase where you have no clue what you want to your days as a mom to look like, welcome, that is right where I started. If you already have some great things going, fantastic, this will be a powerful practice to add to your success. This weeks episode goes into the why.

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This week I'm sharing my 10 favorite books that I read in 2021. This list includes a bit of everything with novels, memoirs, and self-help in a variety of topics. Check out this weeks podcast for a bit of a summary and why each book made my list. And even more importantly, please add your favorite reads this year to the comments because I want to fill up my reading list for 2022!

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Motherhood seems to be a bumpy transition for most women, but Carlie's circumstances were particularly tumultuous with many moves and a stroke in the first few years of having her two young children. But Carlie did not let those circumstances define her or control her. She has put lots of time, energy, and focus on learning to care for her mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This weeks episode is one that has inspired me to take a closer look at what is in my circle of influence and be responsible for me. Carlie's story has so many lessons and I'm certain you will find something that will help you right now.

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When we get in those busy seasons it starts to feel like the house is out of control, we need a get-ahead-plan to catch up and be kind to ourselves without staying up past our bedtimes. In this weeks episode I outline my step by step action plan to be kind to myself and get ahead on all the household responsibilities.

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Ever find yourself in a hard season of motherhood where it is just physically stressful? I'm there right now with my fourth toddler. This weeks episode is all about how to navigate these seasons of stress a little more like a Soaring Mother and less like an Exhausted Supermom.

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Have you ever struggled to make mom friends? It seems to be a universal struggle to go from being friendly to having an actual friendship. How do you go from surface level play ground chats to having someone you would call any time of the day for advice, cheerleading, or help with dinner? In this weeks episode I'm sharing the secret to creating fast friendships - courtesy of my friend @phoebe.cook after a conversation we had last week talking about how all of our mom friendships have started.

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A few weeks ago after the summit wrapped up, we were driving as a family on a day trip and I immediately started going through all the house projects I could jump into next. After discussing a few with Andrew, I paused and just asked myself, "What would I spend my time doing if I wasn't doing a house or business project?" The quick answer came: I would develop a stronger seasonal rhythm in our home. In this weeks episode I share the little things we've started doing to enjoy and embrace all the the year brings.

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Ever catch yourself feeling grumpy about how your kids are behaving or the messy, lived in, house? I caught myself going through my days this way and I got to the underlying thought: things should not be like this. My house should be cleaner. My kids should behave better. This week on the podcast I'm outlining what I did to change these thoughts and how that has completely changed how I navigate my days for the better. I also shared my next project that you are welcome to join me on early next year.

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In our family, birthday season is upon us! We have four fall birthdays leading right up to Thanksgiving. Our life circumstances up to this point have made simple birthday celebrations a necessity, but we've created traditions to still make them meaningful.

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Today is the LAST DAY of the Soaring Mothers Summit - so make sure to grab your free ticket to listen to the incredible sessions. On the podcast this week I'm sharing some of the miracles behind the soaring mothers summit as well as my own experience behind the scenes. I hope it will inspire you to face your own big things with faith that God will be there with you and help.

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You might remember the conversation I had with @madelinecasey earlier this year about how to start something new.   Since then I've been experiencing a lot of new things and seeing some "new" things blossom into "committed to" things. But there are five steps from being curious about something to being committed to something.   Which is fabulous news for all of us because it gives us permission to get over our fears that worst case scenario will happen when we try something or that we will never get the results we want so we never begin.   Check out this weeks episode to figure out what stage you might be in on your own endeavors or how to finally start the thing you have been wanting to do - for you or your family!

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Last week I was feeling completely burned out and I dreamed of sneaking away for a few days to recharge my batteries. That wasn't a real possibility in the context of what we have going on in our family right now.   In the past I would have wallowed in self-pity and played the victim, staying miserable.   Instead I took a good hard look at what was in my circle of influence and got creative.   One week later and I'm living with a full bucket. What I did - and principles you can use to take a break without leaving your kids - on this weeks episode!

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One of the commonly talked about concepts in motherhood circles is being lost in motherhood. It can strike at any season - when you first have a baby and have no clue what life looks like; when you have many kids or a full schedule and no time for you and the things you enjoy slips through the cracks; when you're kids grow up and leave the home and you don't know who you are or what you will do with all of the time that you spent devoted to your home and family. Whether you currently feel lost in motherhood or are afraid of finding yourself there, this weeks episode will help you figure out what to do.

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Anyone else get overwhelmed at the thought of music lessons for your kids but don't want to give up on your dream of having a musical family? In this weeks episode of the the podcast @crystalboyackmusicstudio is sharing WHY music in our home is so important (there is a long list of options to choose from - what resonates with you?) as well as the how. You don't need to be an amazing musician or have loads of money to bring music into your family.

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Are you facing something really daunting in your life? Maybe it's something you chose, like a business goal or passion project that is time consuming or outside of your comfort zone. Or maybe it is just a circumstance that you are in with a challenging pregnancy, a family members illness, or a husband who is working long hours and not available to help at all. This week on the podcast we are talking about what to do when you are faced with something so hard you don't know how you'll get through it.

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Andrew and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary last week. We sat down and reflected on 10 lessons we've learned in the last 10 years and shared them on this weeks podcast episode. We've done a lot of growing! What are your best lessons learned in your marriage?

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Have you ever experienced something so hard that you didn't think any good could come out of it? This week on the podcast I'm sharing an amazing conversation with @jessicabowden about her experience living through hyperemesis in pregnancy, as well as her journey navigating post partum depression and finding herself again in motherhood. I was so encouraged by her story and I'm grateful to be able to share it with you!

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Who's ready for heading back to school? I know a lot of us are excited for when we are settled into new routines and have the kids engaged in learning new things, but there is also a bit of anxiety and bracing for a bumpy few weeks while everyone gets adjusted to all the new schedules and expectations. This week on the podcast I'm sharing what we do to smooth out a lot of the bumps so everyone can enjoy getting back into the rhythm of school. This applies to both homeschooling and public school! What are your best back to school tips?

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We just got back from a 70 hour road trip with our four young kids. We had an AMAZING time. In this weeks episode I'm sharing 21 things that made this huge undertaking successful. Whether you are going on a short weekend trip or a cross-country drive there is something for every driving situation. Add your best secrets for road tripping success in the comments!

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This week we are talking about choosing your word for the year and what my word is for 2021. If you are like most Exhausted Supermoms you are living a very full life and running in lots of directions. What we talk about in this week's episode will help you start living a bit more like a Soaring Mother as you decide on what matters to YOU in this season.

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Today I'm sharing my Overwhelm Toolbox on the podcast. 10 things you can do right now to help manage stressful situations and navigate challenging life circumstances. They all just take a few moments and don't require anything fancy. We've got this!

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For a long time now, I've been navigating through how to balance the responsibilities I have for my marriage, our children, our home, homeschooling, podcasting and business. Maybe some of you have been figuring that out too. It seems like there would be a simple productivity solution that will help us fit it all in (the Thriving in Motherhood Planner does help A LOT!) but the reality is each day is full of different circumstances, opportunities, and challenges that need to be navigated. Pair that with the endless uniqueness of ourselves and the individuals in our families and there is no one-size-fits all answer for balancing all we have going on in life. Our guest today is Kathryn Voetberg @nowthatimamother is the mother of four in four years, and is passionate about teaching women how to use systems and strategy to cultivate a life they love to live, one of the three Pillars of Thriving that we talk about so much on the podcast. In todays conversation Kathryn shares the why and how-to of making God and marriage her top priorities in life. We discuss being a wise steward of our pockets of time and how for her that has compounded into a number of successful businesses with her husband @nowthatimafather. We also discuss how we stay anchored and confident in navigating our day to day life with God.

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This week we are talking all things barefoot shoes - something that I've been deeply passionate about for years. For me, making the switch to shoes that have a wide toe box, zero drop heel (they are flat), thin soles (around 4mm thick), and super flexible (they roll up) has reduced my pain levels dramatically from all that happens to a body during pregnancy. We are covering the why to wear them, what to do to make the switch, where the kids and I have gotten our shoes and sandals, and my best tips for keeping it budget friendly.

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Have you ever struggled with getting dressed in the morning or knowing what to wear as a mom? In this weeks episode with Corina @frumpfighters we talk about getting rid of the overwhelm in our closets, knowing what to buy, and where to buy it.

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Whenever you find yourself in survival mode, there are some best practices to that help make the experience as good as it possibly can be. All of my old favorite principles as well as some new ones that we've learned this time around with my broken toe in this weeks episode. What are your best tips for being in survival mode?

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The 4th step on the path from Surviving to Thriving is Exploring - a step that can be easily missed as a mom. In today's episode I'm sharing 4 things that I'm exploring right now in my own life, just for FUN. What is something you are excited about right now?

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The pandemic changed many of our lives in big ways. Makenzie Schmitt @4msch shares her experience going from a full-time working mother with three children in daycare during the day to now a working-from-home homeschooling mother. She embraced learning so many new skills of home management, homeschooling, emotional regulation, self-awareness, and cooking, to name a few. I'd love to hear what inspires you from this conversation!

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Last year I shared what our homeschool looked like and while all of it is still true, we've been adding new layers to our days. This is a full update of all that we've added into our days and the systems that we've developed over the last year.

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This week on the podcast we are talking about something we've never talked about here: money. Whether you are looking for ideas about how to be more intentional about your own family finances or how to talk to your kids about money, we cover both in my chat with Chelsea Brennan @smartmoneymamas.

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So many things can be the catalyst for a bad day: not enough sleep, changing schedules or routines, grief, sickness, current events in the world. When I notice myself feeling grumpy or trying to hide from my kids (either behind a door or a screen), then I know it's time for an adventure. All the details for how we pull off a last minute adventure in this weeks episode.

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Going to the library has been an integral part of my life and it has continued into motherhood. But there is a bit of a learning curve to make it a positive experience for everyone involved. This week I'm sharing my best tips and tricks for navigating the library with young children and when we read all the books we bring home. What are your best tips for tackling the library as a family?

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This weeks chat with Emily McDermott @simplebyemmy covers how to simplify the choices we make, how to make progress in small pockets of time, and the power of energy mapping in helping you be confident in navigating your days.

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Postpartum depression and anxiety is something that many of us have battled in our own unique way. One thing that kept @Jacquie Erickson going is resilience to just face another day. For her this skill was born from an earlier season in her life serving a 18 month mission in Taiwan where she didn't speak the language. A theme that the missionaries shared was "If you have faith, there is a way", a message that still rings true today. So many more gold nuggets and wisdom in this chat - I'd love to hear your biggest take-away.

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A great question came in from Mary, a long time listener of the podcast: "I was thinking about the pillar of structure. What daily rhythms have you found to be effective for your kids? What tools do you use to figure those structures out?" This week we are diving deep into structure on the podcast and how to build systems that work for YOU and YOUR FAMILY and your individual personalities, situations, stories, strengths, and weaknesses. Let me know your biggest take-away!

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As more and more people are being vaccinated, the opportunities for leaving the house with our kids are increasing for many of us. If you are like our family we all felt a little bit rusty heading out out first. Fortunately it didn't take too long to remember old patterns for a successful shopping trip. All my secrets in this weeks episode. Let me know your biggest take-away!

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This weeks chat with Leila Mireskandari @kidsgrowingcity encouraged me to have hope that each of our struggles and challenges can lead to something good for our lives. Her own unique experiences of growing up during a war and knowing hunger and discovering her daughter's food allergies have culminated in a passion for helping kids become connected to nature and know how to grow their own food. I'd love to know your big take-aways!

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I've discovered that when I'm in a hard season I'm quick to try and compensate my perceived shortcomings by being "Fun Mom". Fun mom goes above and beyond her capacities and ends the day as grumpy mom - the very thing I was trying to get away from. But there is another way. Let me know you biggest take-away from today's episode.

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For so long my goal was to get out of surviving motherhood and start thriving. But I discovered something wonderful. Thriving - growing - isn't the end of the road. Once you've built your foundation with the three pillars of thriving, Soaring awaits you. This weeks episode shares the path and vision of what is possible.

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The daily big three is my secret sauce when it comes to weekly planning - you can absolutely get away without it but it adds extra power when you incorporate it into you planning routine.

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This weeks conversation with Rachel Miller @rachelmillermarketing is one that will get you looking back what you wrote about your gifts and talents when we were creating our visions together at the beginning of the year. Her story of how she was able to pivot her innate gifts from teaching into running businesses so she could be home with her children is sure to inspire. We chat about much more from mom guilt to adoption.

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In this weeks chat with Ashley Brown we talk about how to shift from thinking about routines as something we have to do to get the house clean to "routines help me live in alignment who I am and connect with who I am every day." That is a powerful Thriving Thought that has already made a huge impact on my life in the last few weeks since we recorded this episode and I'm excited to see what it does for you!

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Do you ever feel trapped in your home? I certainly did...until this one thing changed: a paradigm shift. All of a sudden I was back in my circle of influence. I was empowered to take action and make choices. I left my victim thinking behind and started actually creating a space where I love to be. What is a favorite space in your home that you just love being in?

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Today I'm chatting with @madelinecasey about how to start something new. This is a packed episode covering the practical realities, fears, things that hold us back as well as what we can do about them to move forward and explore.

How Can I Support You?

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We are nearing the end of our Essentialism book club discussion with covering the important idea of how do we, as moms, make space to figure out what is important to us. Life fills up so fast - especially when we consider the needs and wants of everyone in our household. But what is essential? Join Madeline Casey and I as we get to the root of making space for things that matter most to us in practical ways.

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Do you feel the drive to just squeeze one more thing into your day? One more load of laundry? One more phone call? One more store? I know I sure can fall into that trap, completely erasing all the margin into my day. Now I'm feeling rushed because I didn't budget for the diaper blow out or children wanting to help me make dinner. But after reading Essentialism I'm learning to say no to "just one more". The unexpected result is the ability to just live in the present, and that brings so much joy into my life. I'm able to just enjoy what is going on in front of me. 

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This weeks focus from my Essentialism book club discussion with Madeline Casey is to Choose Your Priorities or Someone Else Will. We tackle some tough realities in this chat and it left us with lots to think about. But it didn't stop there. The breakthroughs led to me figuring out what mattered to me and making changes in our home which in turn allowed me to have both a bigger impact and and be less frazzled by the end of the day. 

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Today Madeline Casey and I are kicking off a five part series discussing the book Essentialism by Greg Mckeown. To start off we are diving deep into the concept of Protecting the Asset - which means YOU. We recorded this series back in November which means I've been thinking about these chats for months and it's been changing me. I'm thrilled I can finally share them with you! 

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This week we are celebrating all of YOUR hard work in creating your vision for 2021! Listen in and be inspired by mothers in this community share their words and what it means to them. I learned so much from all of you and I'm excited to use your insights and epiphanies moving into 2021.

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This week we are talking all about how to use color to make planning as simple as possible. Adding color is not something I do well so I chatted with an expert, Pamela Moose (my mother!!!) about the why, what and how.

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I recently reflected on all the things that I chose to do. After writing out my list I was amazed to discover that it was my little, daily choices that built the life that I'm living right now. Not my external circumstances. Not the hard things that are just part of life. But my choices. This was an empowering realization that gives me hope and confidence that I can continue to create a life that I love - and you can too. Lots of encouragement and actionable steps in this weeks episode.

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This Christmas season I've been reflecting on how God wants to help me in my life. I share some of my thoughts and insights on this weeks podcast and I hope it gives you hope and something to ponder about in your own life.

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Did you know that novelty - new experiences and deviances from our normal routine - is actually a need to live a life with energy and enthusiasm? In this episode we talk about how to harness the power of novelty this holiday season and how to make it part of 2021.

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I LOVE habits and routines, but when my schedule is unpredictable and frequently interrupted it has been so hard to make anything stick. This week I'm sharing what I've finally figured out about creating habits when I'm in survival mode and what you can do to have success with your habits when you are in a hard season.

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This week I am sharing how to create a holiday season everyone enjoys - including you there! It is possible to have a rejuvenating holiday with your children by taking a few minutes to figure out what you want, what you don't want, and what your limitations are. All the details and our Thanksgiving last week as a case study are in this weeks episode.

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At the beginning of October I was waking up to the fact that I've been on autopilot for most of 2020. I've been doing things without much thought to try and keep up and meet needs in every aspect of my life. And I was weary. As I pondered what to do about my situation, the phrase "Simplify to Soar" came to mind. In this weeks episode I share all about what that phrase means to me and what I've done to create space in my life to be able to evaluate how I'm using my time and energy and make the switch from autopilot to intentional. I also have a special invitation in there for you to join me. I'd love to hear who's in it with me!

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When I asked the moms at the Create a Life You Love class last week what was the biggest barrier to making their goals happen the majority answered: Exhaustion! After a incredibly unusual year (plus all the other stuff in our personal lives that has nothing to do with the pandemic), we are all feeling a bit tired. But the reality is - I was tired before 2020 (you probably were too). In fact I've been exhausted most of the last seven years since becoming a mom. It's just reality with pregnancies, sleepless nights (either from feedings or nightmares or potty training or sickness). But I've still been able to make progress on my goals and make a life I dreamed up years ago what I live every day and love it. You absolutely can too. All my secrets in this weeks episode.

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This week I'm sharing our absolute favorite family dinner ritual that turns even the craziest night around. This is a zero prep, major fan favorite that gets everyone running to the table (win!). I started it out of desperation one night and it's stuck around and become something even more wonderful that I could have imagined. Listen to this *short episode and give it a try tonight!

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Have you ever felt like you were drowning in clutter and chaos at home? This weeks chat with Steph @the_secret_slob is sure to bring you both validation and encouragement. Steph shares how she was able to apply the @the_flylady system in her own life to develop habits and routines that keep her home clean. But as she points out - it was never about having a clean house. After you listen come share your biggest take-away here in the comments!

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This weeks chat with @elizabethjacox_ is a story of six years of internal struggle shifting from a life in academia researching stem cells to becoming a full time stay at home mom with four young children. It was a major pivot point in her life, and it wasn't until she decided to own that choice that she could let go of feelings of failure and embrace the beautiful life around her. This conversation is sure to both validate the life altering (and maybe slightly traumatic) experience of becoming a mother and inspire ownership of the incredible path.

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This weeks conversation with Angela Red Elk is inspiring and eye-opening. Angela shares her perspective as a Native American healing from intergenerational trauma, as well as the importance of knowing who you are and where you fit in the world, and how this has all impacted her motherhood.

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Are you a to-do list person? I know they are popular tool for getting things done, but I don't use them. Why? I go into all the reasons in this week's episode along with what I do instead. The result? Clarity, major progress in a small amount of time, ability enjoy spending time my kids instead of feeling interrupted, and I'm able to "get it all" done and have a break. Have a listen today for a simple alternative to the ever growing to-do list!

Key Points: Pros of a To-do List: get everything out of your brain into one place. Cons of a To-do list: * Tells your brain you need to do all of it right now (possible exception - when you have a major deadline like moving and there is a lot to do right now)

• Creates unhealthy precedent that checking everything off your list is most important

• Not an end in sight. Easy to end the day looking at all that isn't accomplished with hopes of being faster/more efficient tomorrow

• Recipe for exhaustion and feeling like you are on a treadmill.

• Looking at all those things every time you need to do something is making a ton of micro decisions which leads to decision fatigue. It is real and has a huge impact on the rest of your day - even your child asking you a question.

• You don't get a real break

What I do instead: * Plan My weeks, not my days

• Start by choosing my big 3 for the week

• Break down into context based todos

• It is a finite list I make on Sunday in my weekly planning. I choose what is most important this week and some nice tos, and let the rest go

• When I have a moment, look at the context - just a handful of things so only making a few choices

• make massive progress in a small amount of time

• End the week usually checking off most everything - if not everything. Get a break and rest in my brain. No treadmill.

• Pick priorities again next week.

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We all know "doing it all" is a myth. And yet how many of us still drive ourselves to exhaustion trying to check off all the to-dos on our lists? How many of us keep pushing ourselves further than our limits? Well in this episode I share some principles and practices that help me juggle all the needs of my family and many of our wants. And spoiler alert - I don't have it all figured out. BUT I have been around the block a few times of complete burn out and I'm learning to stop myself before I drive straight into survival mode.

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Do you ever have problems sleeping because your mind is racing? For me it is a sure sign I'm overwhelmed. In this episode I talk about the 5 steps I use to face the overwhelm head on and create space and calm in my brain.

Key Points from this Episode:

Steps I take when I'm feeling overwhelmed:

1. Recognize that I'm feeling overwhelmed. Usually this means I can't sleep because my mind is racing.
2. Brain dump everything in my head. Either mind map or just write it out in a list.
3. Categorize my brain dump into three areas: single tasks (quick wins!), projects (multiple steps to complete), to research (need to learn more before I know what my next step is).
4. Tackle a few quick wins to build momentum
5. Identify the one or two pressing projects causing my stress and focus on them

After a week or two of working on these pressing projects I'm ready for a long term planning session.

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This weeks chat with Annie Stoker @annielynnfavoritethings is one that literally had us both in tears. As a young mom with two children, Annie shares how she is proactively working to diminish the effect that anxiety has on her life and the specific things she has been learning. She also shares deeply personal moments where she knows that God has been there strengthening her through the hard time and growing pains of motherhood. This is a powerful conversation that you won't want to miss.

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Today I want to share some scripts that will help you advocate for yourself in a couple ways. We'll talk about when you are discovering things about yourself and you need to have discussions with someone you trust as well as how to ask for help.

Key Points from this Episode: * Step one to having a productive conversation is you learning to become aware of your own thoughts. * You don't need a quiet place to start to figure out your thoughts. It can be while you're making lunch or doing other things. * Try saying "the story I am telling myself is..." to start how you are feeling. * Try saying "I am feeling ___ because of ___." * Throughout a discussion with a loved one, listen to understand rather than respond. (Check out Episode 53 for more info) * Podcast Episodes on the Seven Habits of Effective People by Stephen R. Covey + The Emotional Bank Account with Madeline Casey [Episode 48] + Living Your Life in Quadrant 2 with Madeline Casey [Episode 49] + Seeking For Paradigm Shifts with Madeline Casey [Episode 50] + Expanding Your Circle of Influence with Madeline Casey [Episode 51] + Seeking to Understand and Thinking Win-Win with Madeline Casey [Episode 53] + Synergizing in Daily Life and with Major Decisions with Madeline Casey [Episode 54] + Create Your own Personal Mission Statement with Madeline Casey [Episode 55] * If you're feeling defensive, try responding with "thank you for telling me that hard thing." * Allow for responses of how the other is feeling. * If you know circumstances are adjusting and you don't have the same capacities, you can say "I can tell I'm not going to be able to do all the things I was doing because of XYZ, so what can we let go of or decrease our expectations of so we can choose where my effort goes?" * If you try to power through for too long, you'll likely crash and burnout and might even get sick. * Choose what you let go of and do it in a way that is not a surprise to everyone else in your household. * Practice with a friend so it's low-stakes.

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Today I’m talking with Mary Caplin, mother of two and a certified doula. She shares some incredible defining moments in her mothering journey. She talks about paradigm shifts and some sacred moments of grieving through a miscarriage.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Being a mother who is committed is more important than any "accomplishments."
• Thinking about your commitment to you kids helps you recognize the good that you are doing in your daily life.
• We can't be perfect 100% of the time, but we can be pretty good at commitment!
• Learning from other moms around you can help you relax into what you are doing.
• Letting go and giving our problems over to God will allow Him to carry you.
• Let go of the negative and it will make room for the hope to come in.
• You are a woman. You are strong. You are a mother. Just by virtue of being a mother, you are blessed with intuition. It's a real thing and you will be able to make the best decisions that are best for you and your family.
• Motherhood is vulnerability and strength together.
• Learning how to go through a grieving process with your spouse is unifying.
• Speak your feelings out loud in your car alone. Write it out. Talk to a spouse or other loved ones. Let the feelings out to be able to process them.

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Today I’m talking about what thriving is! What the definitions of it are, how it has evolved over time for me and what it can mean for you.

Key Points from this Episode: * Thriving used to be this desperate wish that I hoped was possible for me during motherhood. * Thriving is all about growing. Think about plants, if they are growing and doing well, we often call it thriving. * When things are going well, if you are thriving, you are preparing for future challenges. (Ex: building routines, making freezer meals) * Life is not split up into either you are thriving because things are going well or you're surviving and miserable because things aren't going well. * Having a solid base of the 3 pillars (See Episode 115) gives you the space to live your personal mission in this life. * Distraction and overwhelm can come easily without the base of the pillars. * The goal is to take the fear out of that time when you are not thriving. * Remember to have friends in motherhood! (See Episode 97 and Episode 98)

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Today I’m talking about why I don't stress about homeschooling and how I do that. There are some very practical tips and some thoughts that I have that help me not totally freak out.

Key Points from this Episode: * There are going to be interruptions, so plan for them! * Make food accessible to all your kids that they can reach and take care of those needs on their own. Keep carrots on the bottom shelf in the fridge. Make triple batches of muffins and keep them in the freezer. * Have special toys like play dough or animals from the dollar store that get pulled out for younger kids during the school hours so they can be happy while you work with the older kids. * If you're using manipulatives with older kids, have enough for the youngers to play with the same kind. If your older kids are using notebooks, have one for your youngers to color in and use during the same time. This lets them feel included in what you are already doing. * One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that it allows for the kids to be intentionally involved in the daily household life. I wanted them to have time to help with the dishes, laundry, food prep, etc. We work that into our day and it's part of school for us! * It's hard to take the time to teach them the household tasks, but it's an investment in the future for all of us. * Make a clipboard (see resources below) with the have-tos for your kids so you aren't the one always dictating what's happening next. Directing to the clipboard makes it one boundary to keep rather than needing to keep boundaries separately for math, and reading, and handwriting, and a chore, etc. * Find a system for your papers and notebooks and pencils and pens. I like having one bucket just for notebooking (century and nature in resources below) with the notebooks and writing utensils for that activity that stays out of reach until we are notebooking again. * We lock away a lot of our homeschool materials as a training tool to help kids understand that not everything is available all the time. * Homeschool is not about school. It's about a lifestyle. * Choose curriculum that fits the priorities you have for your kids! (see below for what I use with my kids) * Trust that the child is a whole person! They have everything they need to be able to become who they are. Our job is to help cultivate the room to grow. We can't choose the timing. Take a breath and know it'll be okay! * I don't feel responsible for creating all these activities that go with homeschooling or all of these amazing experiences. I create space that lets them play out and explore the things that really caught their attention. * Trust that time is a great teacher. Trust that space is a great teacher. * What do you love? Do more of that. What do you not love? Why? Do less of that. Problem solve! What can I do to make this easier on myself? * It's going to be messy and that's okay! * Build in some structure so the kids can help with the household stuff so you can have some time for things you want to do too.

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Today I'm sharing with you some lessons I learned from the last week of pregnancy and the first few weeks of postpartum. Our experiences may be different, but the process is what I want you to focus on with today's episode. That process can be applied to other circumstances in your life (even if it isn't pregnancy)!

Key Points from this Episode: * The Soul part of Pillars of Thriving (Soul, Scope, & Structure) makes or breaks if you are suffering in misery whether circumstances are great or difficult. * When I'm uncomfortable, my first thoughts are to wish that the circumstances will change. Ex: I'm so tired of being pregnant. I'm tired all the time. I wish this baby would just come already! * Write out what is in your circle of influence and your circle of concern. Try to let go of what is in your circle of concern. Make peace with what you can. * It's okay to feel sad about something that you wanted and you're not getting. * Being okay with being sad about it opened the door for me to actually be able to give my timing over to the Lord. * Bad days don't last as long as I think they do. There will be an end to the hard days, even if it's just for another day or two. Enjoy the good moments when you have them! * Be present with what you can do (even if it isn't much) and find peace with it because you can know it will change again before you know it. * Let yourself have a break from the bad days emotionally, because they will happen physically too! * I don't have to assign any meaning to how I'm feeling. At all. Neither do you. * Take a break and flip the dialogue in your head if you're stuck in a negative cycle. * If you can respond in the moment rather than being focused on what already happened or what will happen, it can allow you to find joy in the given moment.

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Today I’m talking about the power of actually writing down your morning and evening routines. Finally doing this one little thing has been hugely transformative for my life. Also, I'm sharing big announcements about the Thriving in Motherhood 2021 Planner and the Create a Life You Love founding members beta program experience.

Key Points from this Episode: * Having the morning routine and evening routine written down help move us along when our brains are not working as effectively as they can be. * Be an advocate for yourself (see Episode 115) and figure out what will prepare you to renew yourself. * Having the list helps me have a rejuvenating evening rather than mindlessly consume. * Write it down! Write down what you want to do before the kids wake up, what you want to do before lunch, what you want done before kids go to bed, and what you want to do before you go to bed that will restore you.

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Today I’m talking with Tiana Woodbury, mother of two boys. She shares her experiences with her first child having a club foot and what that process has been like for her. She talks about how to live with joy and make her own joy. She shares how she has learned to lower her expectations and love it!

Key Points from this Episode: * Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you have to adjust your plans quickly to make the most of the situation. * With the help of other moms and doctors you can learn what you need to in order to make the best decisions for your family. * Sometimes God gives us a gift of interest in things that we will one day need to know to help our children. * Wherever you are, you are in charge of your happiness. * Lower your expectations, but LOVE it. * As a mom, give yourself some grace period. * You are here to facilitate your children's experience, and sometimes we have different plans for our kids. Choosing your battles to let them explore their opinions can be freeing. * Kids just want to be involved in the little things. See if you can find little ways to involve your kids in what YOU like so your bucket can be filled throughout your day. * If you want to start with flowers, start with Zinnias or Sunflowers. * Having a plan for something small to do every day keeps things exciting and moving forward. * Warm toes are happy children. Invest in good shoes and outdoor time stays much more enjoyable for everyone. * Consider winter (or major inside times) as a good chance to research and prepare for the next time you can go outside and put your research to use. * Way exceeding your low expectations feels so much better than shooting SO high and being disappointed. * When you move to a new place (temporarily or permanently) try to become a local. Explore the town and find the things that make that new place unique. * Learn from your failures and don't give up!

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Today I’m sharing with you the very specific steps that I took to prepare for a major life change. This can apply to a new baby, a move, or any other major life change.

Key Points from this Episode: 1. Notice your fears and anxieties. Write down thoughts. 2. Create a new road map to work from - have a paradigm shift so you can operate from your circle of influence. 3. Use your personal super powers to solve your problems and create a vision for how things can go. 4. Share that vision with your family and step into the leadership role, building in systems and communication to support you through the time of change. 5. Talk with your spouse or trusted friend when you get to stuck points in your thinking and aren't sure how to overcome certain fears or challenges 6. If you have had an experience like this in the past, answer the question: "What was really traumatic or didn't go well that I don't want to repeat this time? What went really well that I do want to repeat this time?" 7. Use what is hard now to intentionally practice and prepare for the challenges ahead. 8. Create a false (and immediate) deadline to see what your absolute necessities are. It should be a shorter list that you can then focus your time and energy on before returning to the nice-to-dos. 9. Think through what you need now and will need in the future. Make peace with the fact that taking care of yourself will allow you to keep taking care of others. Talk through specifics with your spouse so you can both be prepared for you to take that time.

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Today I’m talking with Jeni Awerkamp, who was also my first interview back on Episode 1! We talk about how things have changed over the past two years and how Jeni has changed her experiences by changing her thoughts.

Key Points from this Episode: * Give ourselves space and grace when we are in transitional times in our lives. Recognize that we will have more stable times to come. * Our thoughts have a huge role in us feeling well. Being able to shift the unhelpful thoughts can change our entire reality. * Make the decision to act, not be acted upon. * Tell yourself "you will no longer think negatively of yourself and your situations." * Things happen that genuinely make you feel overwhelmed, but you can still control your thoughts around this. Replace the "I can't do this" thoughts with "There is a lot do here, but I can do it one step at a time." * Replace "I'm all alone" with "I am never alone. Help is one phone call away." * We don't have to be good at making mistakes, but we can be good at apologizing. * Take things one day at a time, but in the realm of not worrying about something that happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. Enjoy the moment you are in. * Awareness of your thoughts is the first HUGE step to being able to change your thoughts. * Ask yourself "What can I do?" and "How can I get help to get this done?" as you catalog your anxieties or concerns to see how to make your concerns something more concrete.

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Today I’m talking about our family values. How I came up with them and how we implement them in our household. These help my family catch the vision and the values that help us get to where we want to go.

Key Points from this Episode:

• Core values are unifying and keep our families together heading in the same direction.
• Turn your values into a family cheer!
• We try to "catch" the kids living these values and talk about it at dinner together. What we look for, we see more often in our lives!
• Creating this unity and culture will give them a gift as they leave the home that they will know that they have a place they were part of something and belong no matter what.
• Craft the values together as a family, or decide ahead of time and present them to your kids.

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Today I’m talking with Jessica Ralston. She's a mother of six, homeschools, and she and her husband both run businesses out of their home. Today she shares her journey of going from a place of chaos and just surviving to taking some intentional steps to regain her personal power and take care of herself and, in turn, create a beautiful life for her family.

Key Points from this Episode: * The decision of being more intentional with physical health, can lead to being more intentional with other things. It builds momentum. * Being in a victim or comparison mindset makes things feel worse. * Be selfish. Take care of yourself. Everyone is going to be okay if you take a few minutes to take care of yourself. * Shift your mindset to abundance, and gratitude, and being proactive. * Our kids need to know that we are human people with needs and passions. * We are our only advocates for our own needs. We need to take that responsibility seriously for ourselves. * We don't have control over our kids, but we do have control over our own actions. * Looking at the big picture can help put the small challenges and imperfections in perspective. * When you're able to tackle your daily life with more joy and competence, then you're able to think more into the future about the bigger things that you can achieve too. * Shift from an Parents vs Children mindset, into a Team mindset within the family. It allows everyone to work together and play together better. * Try to decipher the big things from the little things. * Learn your children's love languages because when the kids feel loved, they are more willing to listen and have hard conversations. * Consider staggering bedtime to allow some individual time with each age group of your children.

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Today, I'm sharing with you something I've been working on for years, which is the Three Pillars of Thriving and the Three Identities associated with them. This episode explains how you can actually thrive in any season of motherhood.

Key Points from this Episode: * The struggle between knowing that we are made for motherhood and feeling like it is REALLY hard is where these pillars grew out of. * How we're think about life and ourselves is what influences our reality. * Take time to notice where you are on these three pillars. * The pillars take you from surviving to thriving. * Pillar 1 - Scope is having a purpose, or intention, for your life. * In the scriptures, we see examples of women with callings and purpose that have nothing to do with raising children. God has something else for them to do. God sees us as whole people. * When you have Scope, it helps you go from feeling lost or stuck in the mundane to feeling confident and fulfilled and living with meaning and purpose. * There are skills and systems involved in Scope to take you from one end of the spectrum to the other. * Pillar 2 - Structure gives you a pattern or organization for reducing the mental and physical chaos in your life. * This involves creating a strong family and recognizing that you are part of that family. Structure allows you to have the head space to think beyond the bare-bones essentials. * Pillar 3 - Soul is looking at your total self. Your spirit, body, mind, and connection with God. * This is where you can start to feel peace and joy and gratitude. This is where you are taken care of, where you have energy. Where we're filling our buckets so we can overflow into other people. This is where we are breaking down limiting beliefs. * When any one of these three is being neglected, then things don't feel right. * The model of Be, Do, Have teaches us that we need to focus on being one way before we do to then have the desired result. * Identity 1 - Visionary - Someone who does thinking and planning about the future with imagination, creativity, and wisdom. Able to have dreams or visions (literally or metaphorically). Someone who seeks personal revelation from God. * Identity 2 - Leader - Someone who has the art of motivating and connecting and empathizing with people to help them act towards achieving a common goal. Working towards putting people first while making your vision a reality. * Identity 3 - Advocate - Someone who calls to one's aide. One who pleads the cause of another. In this case, you need to be your own advocate to ask for and make the space for the things you need. Advocate to yourself, for yourself to become aware of your thoughts and how you're interacting in the world.

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Today, I'm talking with Annette Pimentel. She's a mother of six children and an author of children's non-fiction literature. Today we're talking about how she learned to embrace who she is to be an authentic mother and to use her strengths and talents to create a culture in her home that allows her to fully be her as well as to use her strengths to solve problems.

Key Points from this Episode: * Knowing the story of why you made a decision during a hard time helps form who you are. * Being a mom doesn't mean you can't be authentic to yourself. Sometimes the best solutions we come up with are the ones that come from our core of passions and talents. * The things we care about can be the center of your mothering. Those things can become your toolkit for being a mother. * It takes creativity to truly be who we are and still solve those parenting problems, but they are the most authentic. * Become friends with the librarians! They are an amazing resource and love seeing people who care about books. * Books and stories (and the conversations you have about them) can help you maintain closeness with your children as they grow older. * Check out books and read them before you read them to your kids if you think they might have a viewpoint that is uncomfortably different from your own so you can think through things you can talk about together. * Stories about everyday people who can change the world are amazing. You don't have to be a famous person, or even particularly smart. You don't have to be rich. You just have to feel passionately about something and you can change the world! * The family routines can allow your family to feel safe even when circumstances change. Your home becomes the safe haven when life around gets crazy. Resources This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

+ All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything
+ Girl Running
+ Mountain Chef: How One Man Lost His Groceries, Changed His Plans, and Helped Cook Up the National Park Service
+ Do you Really Want to Meet A Dinosaur

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It's taken me years to figure out the logistics of creating and maintaining a clean home. Today, I'm taking you through the very practical aspects of how to declutter and how to clean.

Key Points from this Episode: * Getting rid of things does not equate to having a tidy home space. * Creating a home for each thing (read: containers) helps the space feel neater. The Dollar Tree is a great option to find cheap containers. * Use containers to help support your habits and routines. * Find a routine for a pick up time at some point in your day. (We like 4pm) It lets me ignore a lot of the mess and enjoy the moments of the day knowing that there is a set time that things will be put in order again. * Find one small step at a time for keeping an area clean. Start with practicing having everyone clear their plates after breakfast. Then add it loading dishes in the dishwasher. Then add in unloading the dishwasher. Adjust locations of things so kids can complete tasks. Adjust the time you have your meals so you have energy to handle the set up and clean up of the meal. Etc. * Link a new habit to an existing one. If tooth brushing is well-established, add a "tooth brush tidy" and clean up their room when they finish brushing teeth. In our house, this includes (1) put away clothes that are out, (2) put away books, (3) put away toys, (4) put trash in the trash can. * Hannah Rust teaches all about homemade cleaners and store-bought cleaners and real time cleaning in her course (see resources). It took away my paralysis surrounding cleaning. * Having enough cleaning cloths makes it possible to have enough to last cleaning all week so you only have to wash towels once a week. * Wipe down spaces as you're using them. Keeping cleaning supplies in the bathroom makes those spare moments usable.

Resources This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Simple Green Cleaning Course Use Discount Code THRIVING15 for 15% off!

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Cotton Washcloths

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Today I'm talking with Hannah Rust. She's a mother of almost 3 children. We talk about when she realized that she can do things differently than the way she had always done them and differently than the way others have done thing around her. This lead to her decision to live very intentionally.

Key Points from this Episode: * Choosing an unmedicated and natural birth for her second pregnancy was one of turning point decisions that lead to intentionality. * Speak more kindly to yourself! * Recognize that we cannot define ourselves simply by what we get done in the day. * Just because you have done something one way does not mean you cannot change your mind! * Having a strategic plan for money prevents it from disappearing unknowingly. * Catching yourself when you start negative self-talk is the first step to changing it. Replacing it with a phrase like "I am enough" can combat it. * Understanding where you are on the path from Surviving to Thriving allows you to name where you are and understand that it's a season that can and will change. Changing seasons in the backwards direction does not mean you are slipping or failing. It's a cycle! * Being tidy is a skill, not a personality trait. * Clearing out the mess and opening up the time that you used to take to deal with your mess opens the door for you to ask the bigger questions about how you want to spend your time intentionally. * Getting rid of the clutter allows you to actually clean, not just spending all the time putting away the clutter. * Our kids are human beings. We are not better than them just because we are older and bigger and know more. They deserve respect just like another adult or friend does. * How we label our children is how they end up turning out. We see what we focus on.

Resources Simple Green Cleaning eCourse

Connect with Hannah Instagram: @daydancer

Website: daydancer.com

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Today, I'm talking with Britney Grover! She shares her story about the amazing change that has happened in her over the last year as she has learned some tools to help her with her mental health. She's learned how to take care of herself first so she can continue to pour into others.

Key Points from this Episode: * Major life changes, like having a baby or having a spouse come home for deployment can trigger major emotions. * Finding the right counselor who can teach the baby steps that you need are key to starting to heal. * Remember that "thoughts aren't real." It can help calm the anxiety about things that haven't happened. * Figure out what things are non-negotiable for your mental health. Examples: prayer, scripture study, exercise, and sleep. * Let go of "should." Maybe things "should be" exactly as they are. * If you need help, keep looking for the right counselor until you find somebody who clicks with you. * "The God that I've come to know is the God that's telling me to accept myself and telling me to love myself as I am, where I am, with what I'm doing, with what I'm accomplishing, exactly where I am." - Britney Grover

Resources Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Connect with Britney Website: ThisLifeofMind.com

Facebook: britneylynda

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We reached 100 episodes... TEN episodes ago! Today is all about celebrating what we've done and news about what is coming next to the Thriving in Motherhood Podcast!

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Subscribe (and rate and review – thank you!): Google Play | iTunes | Stitcher

Key Points from this Episode: * My word for the year is Connection and I want to help our community connect more. * Tag @thrivinginmotherhood.podcast on Instagram and join the Facebook Group while you share your wins in your life! * The Thriving in Motherhood Website has had a face-lift with the purpose to serve you better! * Find out where you are on the Surviving to Thriving pathway and get the new resource that applies to where you are! * Learn to work within your limitations and THRIVE! * Join the wait list for the course.

Resources Thriving in Motherhood Facebook Group

Surviving Guide

Re-Entry Guide

Normalizing Guide

Exploring Guide

Thriving Guide

Course Wait List

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Today I'm talking about what I do when I start to lose it! I'm mostly enjoying this time we have during the quarantine, but there are some times when I am not fine. These are some of the tools that I've developed over the years that I am getting lots of practice on during this crazy time.

Key Points from this Episode: * I used to think that if I was in a funk, that I was there to stay. It's not true! I've found ways to help myself reset and have a great rest of the day! * This works for me 98% of the time - take a nap or go to bed early! Usually I'm just tired. * I refer to my quarterly review where I wrote down projects and things I want to get done. I find a way to make even baby steps progress on a project. Feeling productive helps built positivity. * I find a way (if possible) to get some space. If my husband can watch the kids for me, I go for a half hour walk by myself. I listened to a podcast, called a friend, and called my mom on the walk. * Listen to an audiobook to give some perspective to your life. Get outside of your own circumstances to think about something bigger than yourself. * Phone a friend! Just talking to somebody else feels so nice to reconnect, even if it's just over the phone. * Journaling paired with scripture study and really connecting with God is huge to maintaining my mental state. It helps us in the moment, but it helps rewire your brain to look for positives in your life! I'm finding more good the more consistent I am with my journaling. * Recognize that some things are nobody's fault. Nobody around you deserves the anger and wrath you might feel. It might help you to let it go instead. * Sit down for 5 minutes when you need to! * Exercise! Even if it's just a little bit.

Resources Becoming by Michelle Obama

Thriving in Motherhood Journal

Generation Mindful

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Today we're talking about how to strengthen your marriage during hard times instead of letting those hard times pull you apart. I'm joined by my husband of almost 9 years, Andrew, for today's episode as we share some practical tips that have made all the difference for us as we've gone from bombing the hard times to having the hard times actually bring us together more.

Key Points from this Episode: * Everyone's challenging times are different, but we can apply some principles to keep on the same page with our spouse when we are feeling the challenge. * When big challenges are going on, remember that you can't always be "on." Give yourself and your spouse grace. Lower your expectations! * Paper plates, to us, means it's a hard season and dishes is something we can let slide. It's so much easier to get kids to dump their plates in the garbage than to handle all the cleanup of the kitchen after dealing with a meal. * Assume that your spouse is doing their best, even if it's nowhere close to their normal maximum capacity. * Check in and connect every night especially during hard times. * Ask "How are you? and Where are you at?" Figure out the stories you are telling yourself about your interpretations of the day. You'll often find that the same experience has impacted each of you completely differently. * Ask "If I could do one thing, what's the one thing that's the most meaningful or helpful to you today?" or "What deadlines do you have?" "What are your top priorities right now that need time and focus?" * Asking these types of questions help figure out the pain points everyone is dealing with and maximizes the little effort that can get done during the day. * We have weekly planning meetings as a couple. In that, we each share our top 3 priorities to accomplish that week. Planning helps us adjust our efforts to help both of us meet our goals. * Share some fun and happy things that happened each day during your evening check-in. * Friday night default is date night! Rarely do we leave the house, but we know we will spend the time together after kids are in bed. Planning on it makes it something to look forward to and help us grow closer together. * Serve your spouse a little, even if you feel maxed out. It will go such a long way!

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Today I'm talking about how I completely changed how I experience my life and motherhood. I'll share an experience that illustrates this point and then I'll talk about how. I'll talk about the actual things that I changed how I feel about life during really hard times, as well as when things are going well.

Key Points from this Episode: * My third and fourth pregnancies were super hard physically, but this time (my fourth pregnancy) I am doing so much better because of the things that I've learned and been able to apply to my thinking. I'm using my time well and being the type of person I want to be despite the struggles, where I cannot say that about my third pregnancy. * Becoming aware of my thoughts was the first step to being intentional with changing the thoughts. * Consistently identify and shifting my thinking to more helpful and less distorted thinking has slowly shifted my natural way of thinking into a much more helpful and positive natural state. * Recognize what phase of the Surviving to Thriving Framework you are in. Are you in Surviving, Re-Entry, Normalizing, Exploring, or Thriving? This will give you perspective on your current situation and where you get to go next. * Teach your brain NOT to scan for negative and hard, but instead to ask "What am I grateful for?" "What were my big wins today?" and "How have I seen the hand of the Lord today?" * Think through what your next steps on your projects are so you know what's next rather than wandering and twiddling your thumbs when you have a few spare minutes. That way, you are working consistently on moving your projects and goals forward. * Carving out time for a spiritual connection with God has been key to my change for the better perspective. * CONSISTENCY is key to retraining your brain. Ask the questions every day!

Resources * Thriving in Motherhood Journal

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Today, I'm taking your with me through a monthly planning session. I review the previous month and look into the next month. Today's focus is more on how to use a monthly review when things are going great!

Key Points from this Episode: * The planner helps so much when you are in time of pure survival and also when things are going well! * If you're on top of your game, add things to your monthly review page during each weekly planning, then you just have to finish off at the end of the month. * My focus for the month is either helping me get very clear on the one thing that really matters on a personal level or a study question I am trying to think about throughout the month. * We have an innate need to learn, so write down what you've learned and take some time to choose what you are learning. * Accomplishments are for anything you consider a win: projects, who you're becoming, progress in ANYTHING! * Places we went is a very short list during quarantine, but it's a reminder that it's healthy for us to experience new things and meet new people. * The Family category helps me plan things that are fun for our family, plan routines and systems for our family, and figure out what I need to intentionally teach my family. * Now, look ahead to next month! * It's so important for me to seek God's help in deciding what I need to focus on. My prayer has been to know what I need to do to be prepared for our future. * Make sure your projects is not a list of every project you ever want to do, but instead, is what you can reasonably do in the next 30 days. * Really think about your self-care. Think about where you are and what you really need right now. * To plan your days, consider energy mapping. Plan your toughest tasks for when you recognize you are at your best levels. Plan more mindless tasks for when you know you have a tough time focusing.

Resources * Thriving in Motherhood Planner * Quarterly Review Episode

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Today we're talking about how to add variety to your meal planning during this time when we are all at home with our families.

Key Points from this Episode: * I've always had the philosophy that I cook one meal. My kids have never experienced double-cooking where we have one food for the adults and another food for the kids. * We allow kids to say "this isn't my favorite" but not "eww! I hate this" and those kinds of negative talk. * We have the family rule that kids must take 2-3 "polite bites" of everything on their plate and after that, they don't have to eat any more if they don't want to. The kids can make themselves toast or a sandwich if they are still hungry, but I don't cook anything extra for them. * I cook to what I want to eat because I'm doing the work. * Watch some YouTube to get some inspiration for something different! * Add something like homemade croutons to an existing salad you like to change the whole feel. * Cook enough food that you have leftovers (at least for the adults) to take some of the work out of prepping food. * Consider organizing your fridge where leftovers are all together and easily accessible so they don't get lost in the fridge. * Take something you normally make and find ways to change up the flavor combinations and it will revitalize the food! * Make something (like sauerkraut, tortilla, or pita bread) from homemade that you usually buy and it will feel new again! * Make a triple batch of muffins and freeze whatever you can't finish. They are quick to heat up in the microwave and a great snack. * Blend ice cubes into snow cones and add orange juice! * Leftover smoothies or kefir ice cream can go in popsicle molds to save for another day. * Homemade granola can be added to smoothies or ice cream. * Mix in a pre-packaged oatmeal packet with regular oatmeal to spread out the sugar and flavor. * Subscribe to a produce box delivery! They add variety and excitement to your fruits and veggies. * Try something that sounds crazy like Chickpea Cookies! * Find some friends to share recipes with!

Resources This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

• Misfits Market Organic Fruits and Vegetables delivery - coupon code for 25% off your first box: COOKWME-LO0GPI
• Faithful Plateful
• Mel's Kitchen Cafe - Muffin Recipes
• Pinch of Yum
• Refurbished Blendtec Blender
• Silicon Mini Muffin Pan
• How to Make Sauerkraut
• Cultures for Health - Kefir Grains

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Today I'm sharing with you an experience I recently had with learning my family stories. They are deepening joy, resilience, and character for myself and for my children. I invite you to join me!

Key Points from this Episode: * Collect some of your family stories. You can read previously compiled stories, check out FamilySearch.org, or call a family member and learn from the source! * My great-great-grandmother lost her husband in the 1918 flu pandemic. Due to her pregnancy, she was too at-risk to say her goodbyes to her husband. It hurt, but she kept going. She got remarried and lost multiple children in infancy/youth. When faced with yet another death of a child, she punched herself in the stomach and told herself, "Buck up, old girl. You've done this before. You can do this again." * That phrase now comes to my mind when another tantrum, another spill, another mess comes my way. I can do this, and so can you! * They help remind me of who I came from and what they overcame and what they accomplished, even though things were hard. * They help in little ways to improve my character and choose to take on some of their traits, follow their example, and become more of the good that they were. * It helps connect the present to the past. It creates deeper, richer, more grateful experiences.

Resources FamilySearch.org

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This week we talk about getting out of survival mode on a practical level. What it looks like, what it feels like. Things to look for and be aware of as you go through re-entry to establish some routines and rhythms in your life.

Key Points from this Episode: * Try to get back into regular habits like getting dressed, taking showers regularly, brushing your teeth, feeding yourself, and feeding your families. * There is going to be a point where you do see things happening in your favor but it's going to take some time and that's okay. * Make sure your habits are working for you rather than against you. * Just try to be 1% better in an area each day. It can be in regards to your home or your habits. It will slowly dig you out of the survival mode feeling. Look for things that can have some lasting impact like making a cleaning caddy, buying another trash can, or decluttering an area. * Re-Entry feels like constantly putting out fires. Once you've put out enough fires, then your brain can start to figure out what the new normal will be. * Remember it's not just about your home, it's also about taking care of yourself. * Remember that it's going to feel hard for a while and you're not going to see much change or progress for a while, but that doesn't mean that change or that progress isn't being built up. Once you start to see the progress, it will be SO motivating!!

Resources This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

The FlyLady Website

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley

Atomic Habits by James Clear

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Today we're talking all about Quarterly Reviews! They are wonderful for when your brain feels so full that you don't know what the next step is. They can bring perspective to uncertain times and help focus the next stage of life.

Key Points from this Episode: * Quarterly Reviews are so great to help empty your brain and plan for the next chunk of time. * Start by reviewing anything you wrote down at the beginning of the year. Things like your vision, goals, habits (if you have them). * Review your last 30 days + Write down what you've discovered or learned. + Write down what you've accomplished. + Write some highlights that have happened to or with your family. + Write down what books or podcasts you've read or listened to. + Write down where you went (even if it's just on walks around the neighborhood). * Ask yourself what went well in the last 90 days. There is something that is going well, even in the toughest times. * Be honest (but not mean) about what didn't go well in the last 90 days. * What progress did you make on your goals? What goals are no longer relevant? What other goals emerged? What goals will I focus on this upcoming quarter? + Think about "becoming" goals like being patient, being kind, not yelling, etc. + If you're feeling more on top of things, take advantage of the new freedom in your schedule! Be creative with what's in front of you right now for the next 90 days. * Decide what's most important for you to be excited about and focus on in the next quarter. + Connecting with your kids every day, cleaning up your home, starting a creative project to keep your hands busy, scripture study etc. * Ask what do you want to stop doing and what do you want to start doing. + Set limits on apps or other electronics that you are spending more time on than you want to be. * Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 in the following areas. Ask yourself why and if there is anything you can do to bump yourself up the scale just a little bit. + Intellectual + Social + Emotional + Avocational + Physical + Vocational + Marital + Financial + Parental + Spiritual

Resources 2020 Planner

Thriving in Motherhood Journal

How I Go on Vacation Every Day

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Today we're talking about how to work from home with kids around. This applies to all types of work we might do from home, whether that's a side-gig, projects, or full-time (but now from home) work. We'll talk practical things about the when and how to work this into life while kids are around.

Key Points from this Episode: * When establishing a family routine, make sure to schedule in alone time for you. That can be before kids wake up, in the middle of the day while kids do "quiet time", or right after kids' bedtimes. * Consider having an earlier bedtime for kids. It's okay if they don't go to sleep right away, but they can have quiet, unwinding time before they fall asleep and you can get TONS done during that time frame. * Use Michael Hyatt's idea of "moving the needle forward." * Ask yourself what tasks you can delete or delegate to others and you'll be left with tasks that you are best fit for you and will allow you to be most effective with the time you have. * Plan! Choose 3-5 goals you want to accomplish in the next month (including work goals). Be honest with your situation and adjust as needed for your current situation. * Look at your week and choose your Big Three (see resources) from your project list. Make sure it's the next big chunk of the monthly goal, not the actual goal. * Add tasks in your context-based to-do list that allow you to move forward on your Big Three. * Ask yourself "What is one thing that would help me feel successful at the end of the day?" It will help you figure out what is most important, handle a nagging task, or set the bar REALLY low so you can find something to celebrate no matter what season you're in. * Ask yourself "What are the next actions for my 3 priorities for the week?" This is baby steps actions. This lets you take advantage of tiny amounts of unplanned time so you know how to best utilize it, rather than waste time figuring out what you can do when your kid naps longer than expected. * Ask yourself "What is one thing I can do today to make tomorrow easier?" This can help you identify what is stressing you out or think ahead to handle situations before they become urgent. * Be super open and communicating with the people around you with your goals and intentions for the week.

Resources 2020 Planner

Why and How to Choose a Big Three for the Week

Thriving in Motherhood Journal

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Today we're talking about practical tips to be able to enjoy yourself and your family during this crazy Coronavirus Quarantine time. As a homeschooling mom, I've figured out a few things along the way that can help as we all cope with the changes of being at home with our children all day, every day.

Key Points from this Episode: * Look to create a rhythm or routine for your household. Every day does not need to be the same, but general expectations help kids and adults alike to feel grounded. * Cleaning up after meals is our "ticket to play/project" because who wouldn't want to play, but the work needs to get done too! * We come together, eat together, we have some sort of intellectual stimulation/conversation/activity, then the kids have free play. Then it repeats. * Build a repeatable rhythm that are tied to anchors of things like eating meals together. * More time at home means more time for the kids to engage in things they love as well as being more engaged in the housework together. Have a conversation with your kids about what household work needs to get done and who can do what. Yes, there will be more work with everyone being home, but there are more people to share the load as well. * Have a family council to discuss screen time to prevent the need for constant decision-making in the moment. Set a reasonable expectation. * Embrace the time you have to let your kids cook with you, clean with you, etc. * Don't try to recreate the public school in your home. Doing a little bit of skill work that is on level with where they are is all they need to keep those brain muscles active. * Having a solid family read-aloud helps so much during a tough time. It brings everyone together and lets everyone escape into a world together. Consider having something that kids can do to have their hands busy while you read if they tend to get mischievous without guided movement. * Just be curious. Just keep trying. Try something new. Each day, find things to mix it up. Do what works for your family. * Remember - You probably already have a lot of these things going for you, so make sure you're doing them intentionally and consistently and it'll be great! * Play games! They always help with math skills. * Keep what you can do in perspective. Sometimes all you can do is keep a smile on your face and stay kind. Set the goal to be respond rather than react. * Identify what is in your circle of influence vs your circle of concern. * Ask yourself what unhelpful thoughts you had and prayerfully evaluate them to see how you can make adjustments in the future. * Remind yourself this is temporary. * Identify what you, as a parent, are looking forward to on a daily or weekly level. * Pay attention to the magic moments with your children. It will help change what you see to find more of the magic.

Resources This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Chronicles of Narnia

The Trumpet of the Swan

Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner

Milly-Molly-Mandy

Besty-Tacy

The Boxcar Children

My Father’s Dragon

Little House in the Big Woods - and all of the books in the Little House Series! The Long Winter is our favorite and maybe feels a bit relevant now.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

Thriving in Motherhood Journal

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Rosie is a mother of three girls (ages 7, 6, and 4) and author of Congratulations! It's Cancer A Memoir. Today we talk about her personal experience with cancer, homeschooling, and learning not to yell. She was born in Utah but raised in Kansas City, Missouri. She has her bachelor's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and met her husband while getting her Cosmetology License. She loves writing, chocolate, and collecting pretty books!

Key Points from this Episode: * Homeschooling can give kids a voice in their own education. It allows you to follow their natural motivation. * Listen to what you're kids are interested in, and then pull in curriculum that relates to what they love. They will learn so much more! * You don't have to teach everything yourself, even if you homeschool! There are so many resources you can turn to and be an example of how to learn something you don't know. * Rosie's molar pregnancy resisted all the regular treatments and at some point in the process of multiple D&Cs, light chemo, heavy chemo, surgery to remove 1/4 of her uterus was determined that the molar pregnancy was actually cancer. * Hearing from the doctor "this isn't going to be a normal pregnancy" lead Rosie to think it might be a baby with disabilities, but she never thought they could have meant cancer. * The strong marital support that came from her husband helped pull Rosie through the challenges she faced in dealing with the cancer. * Rosie felt through the cancer her lack of control over aspects of her life. It's helped her to focus more on the choices she can make, rather than the circumstances that she could control. * Teaching our kids to ask questions when they don't understand opens the door for teamwork in your family to face problems together. * Changing how we see our kids can affect how we parent. We can let them be full participants in the family. * We can control our behavior and the environment in our homes and can help teach expectations, but cannot control our children's behaviors. * Your child knows where they need to be independent and it's your job to foster that independence in ways that are healthy and appropriate.

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Today is Part 2 of my conversation with Madeline Casey, Phoebe Cook, Linsey Jensen, & Kristen Ruesch. from Indiana on the topic of friendship. Today's topics cover how to help our children deal with conflict and how to serve each other.

Key Points from this Episode: * Food is a major way to serve each other. Make enough dinner to share, or have a potluck. Everyone wins that way! * Helping care for another person's kids is huge. * Be willing to be inconvenienced by each other. The friendship is totally worth the sacrifice. * The more you get to know someone, the more you notice what they need and can feel more comfortable expressing what you need help with. * The service relationships often start small and grow as times goes on. Do your best to reciprocate service when you can. * Help your kids understand what they can control in the friend settings. When all the moms and the kids talk through conflicts together, it helped everyone learn how to grow together. Allow the goal to be helping the kids solve the problem for themselves rather than just coming to the quickest solution to keep everyone quiet. * If you can, get together without your kids!! You can talk without interruptions and develop deeper relationships at an adult level. * Have a theme for your evening (like a favorite things night or music night) to help guide your conversations. * Go on a walk - with or without kids. The kids are typically happy in strollers and you also get to talk at an adult level more. * Treasure the spontaneous moments of friendship that happen. They can mean so much more than the staged/planned ones.

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Today is Part 1 of an amazing conversation with four of my great friends from Indiana on the topic of friendship. How to have meaningful conversations, how to serve each other, how to become friends with people who are different than you are all topics we discuss.

Key Points from this Episode: * Meaningful friendships can come from all age groups, not just people who are the same age as you! * Be on the lookout for new people moving in and be ready to welcome them and invite them into the fold of your friendship. * Sharing your heart with your friends allows you to get to know each other's souls and develop a deeper connection. * Recognize that your friends are different from you. That acceptance of each other's differences can allow you to be inspired without becoming overwhelmed with expectations. * Do things for yourself like reading books or listening to podcasts and that gives you material to bring up in discussions with others. * Sometimes it is easier to be vulnerable and develop deeper relationships in one-on-one situations rather than large groups. * A good question to ask is "What are you excited about?" It opens the door for them to tell you about anything that makes them happy at the time. * You don't have to spend money in order to spend time together! Try nature walks, potluck picnics, parks, in each others' homes, etc. * When you have somebody over, think through what toys you want available and what doors you want open and closed to set the boundaries and keep the cleanup from becoming overwhelming. * Stay to help clean up when you've played at someone else's house. Play together and clean together!

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Today we are talking about how to ask for help and some of the principles about why and assurance that it's okay to ask for help! We all need it.

Key Points from this Episode: * Asking for help can be hard, and that's okay! * Helping others feels wonderful, so remember it's okay to be on both sides of the helping. If we love helping others, it can be a huge blessing to others to let them help us. * The bar for getting help and asking for help is way, way, WAY lower than we think it is. * Interdependence helps lift everyone involved way farther than independence can. * Allowing the interdependent relationships to develop allows everyone to get help even when things aren't in pure survival, but even have help with the lesser, but still hard times. * We have to fight that lie that independence is the end-all be-all. Especially in motherhood. * Sometimes we have to be brave and ask for help so we can start cracking down our walls of independence and open the door for them to feel comfortable asking for help from you. * In some times of your life, there will be not be as much give and take and you will just need to be served. Know that in another season, you will get to serve when you are capable. * When you need A LOT of help, ask a lot of different people so you don't strain friendships. It's scary to ask more people, but spread it around when the help that is needed is ongoing. * Be specific with what you need help with. * Notice what lifts you up and practice doing that more in your daily life.

Resources Thriving in Motherhood Podcast Episode 5 with Chelsea Homer

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Theresa is a mother of two and owner of Montessori In Real Life blog and Instagram. Today we're talking about how to take principles of the Montessori philosophy and applying them into our home. There are a lot of practical ideas as well as Theresa's own story of growth.

Key Points from this Episode: * Montessori is providing an environment that allows children to be self-motivated, curious, and confident in their own abilities. They are respected for who they are individually, and, in return, learn to respect others. * Having an open floor plan can allow family members to be together without needing to be doing the exact same thing. * Having a kid-friendly house does not mean it cannot be beautiful and enjoyable for adults too. * Montessori and home can be quite different from Montessori in the classroom. * Foster the natural desire toddlers can have to want to clean up. * You can arrange a closet in your home similar to how a classroom would store their materials to make for easy rotation. * How we show up for our kids really affects how the kids show up for the day. * Making time to refresh ourselves away from our kids weekly makes a big difference in being able to give of ourselves to our children.

Connect with Theresa Instagram: @montessoriinreallife

Website: montessoriinreallife.com

Resources Montessori Home Tour

The Power of Showing Up by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (affl link)

The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (affl link)

Montessori From The Start by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen (affl link)

No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (affl link)

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Today we talk about how to embrace our kids having a normal, messy childhood and what we can do as parents to make things easier on us as parents. Don't forget to join our free Love Your Life Challenge!

Key Points from this Episode: * Being in nature and being messy is important to our kids' development. * Buying clothes from thrift stores or Walmart makes all clothes play clothes and takes the stress off keeping things stain-free. * Having a rain suit and rain boots keeps the kids from getting cold and wet while still enjoying the water play. They will play longer and happier and be able to just come in and strip off the top layer and be ready to keep playing inside without a total wardrobe change. * A waterproof art smock works wonders on art projects, but also daily needs like helping with dishes. It takes the stress out of letting your kids help!

Resources Tuffo Muddy Buddy Rain Suit

Waterproof Art Smock

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Rhonda Steed is a mother of five (ages 7-17) and a woman of many talents. We talk about setting up a craft room for your kids, how to make sourdough bread, and life as a mother as our children grow from the toddler to the teenage years.

Key Points from this Episode: * When you are going through a difficult circumstance like Medical School, find a mom friend in the same situation. They will get you and be able to understand the trials you are dealing with. * Learn to carry on with your family even if your busy spouse is unable to be home. Learn to be happy when they do get to come, but don't bemoan your situation when they can't. * Taking care of your body really matters. It allows us to mother better and do our best. * To parent different personality types, set a goal to pray and think about one thing you can do for each child each day. * Start with construction paper and water with a paintbrush if you are nervous about introducing art supplies to your kids. * To keep the clutter down with so many creative expressions of our children, you can keep a new project for about a week and see if your child brings it up. If they don't, it's okay to toss it! If you're worried about it, take a picture and then throw it away. * Baking bread can be a soothing activity, like yoga. * Making bread feels like an accomplishment that can't be undone. So much of motherhood is cyclical but this is a creation that can't be un-created. * Take a breath and pause before you react when you're in stressful situations with your teenagers (and others). You might find the magic in the intentions of an action you didn't understand.

Connect with Rhonda Instagram: @justrhondalee

Website: rhondasteed.com

Resources @sourdoughschool - Instagram for how to make bread

The Kitchn - sourdough basics

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Today I'm talking about how I taught my kids to play, which leads into why we homeschool. If you feel like you always needs to entertain your kids and are looking for how to build the independent play skills in your children, this episode is for you!

Key Points from this Episode: * There is no one right way to do anything, schooling included! * Even if you don't homeschool, you can take away ideas about how to run your household that can help your home life. * Enabling kids to have the space to play out real life things (like kitchen sets) gives them so much imagination and freedom!) * Recognizing kids' capabilities to feed themselves, wash themselves and dress themselves requires us to relinquish some control of our control, but opens the door to have the kids be able to be contributing members of our households. * Charlotte Mason teaches that children are born persons. They have their own personalities and ambitions. * Teach children to be a part of a family and a community.

Resources You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy (affiliate link)

A Delectable Education Podcast - The Early Years

Home Education by Charlotte Mason (affiliate link)

A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola (affiliate link)

The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies (affiliate link)

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Teru Clavel is a mother of three (ages 10-15), author, and comparative education expert. She talks about principles of education that can be applied in all of our lives. We talk about resiliency, failure, and confidence. We talk about what we can do in our own homes to support our children no matter where they go to school.

Key Points from this Episode: * Play-based preschool helped build children's independence and prepared them to make choices for themselves. * Some moments in parenthood when we realize our kids rely on us, so we have to "wake up" and meet their needs completely. We have to choose strength in that moment. * Failure is a critical part of the learning process. Most of the important lessons we learn in life come from failure. * Failure builds resiliency! * More technology is not the answer to teach our children. Having technology is not bad, but the learning process works better in a more tactile world. * Motherhood is a great learning ground for multitasking and prioritizing. We naturally measure everything against our children and their needs.

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In this episode I talk about setting appropriate expectations for ourselves in our new year and the difference between a vision and goals. I also share about my word for 2020: Connection.

Key Points from this Episode: * Setting goals or having a vision can keep us from drifting through our lives. * A vision can keep things in perspective for what you have in your circle of influence, even when it's a hard or the future is feeling unknown. * Think about the why behind your vision and goals. It needs to be realistic and compelling. * In seasons where you can't do,focus on who you can be. * If you are in a season where setting goals of doing is not realistic, have your vision focus on who you can be instead. * Keep moving on the baby steps even when you aren't feeling it so that when you have a "wake up" moment and see your life with fresh eyes, you can enjoy the life you have created. * Plan action steps for your vision (AKA goals) quarterly or even monthly if the whole year has too many moving parts to predict.

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In this episode, I do a Year in Review and discuss some major lessons learned this year. I also talk about some things you might want to consider as you reflect on your year as a whole.

Key Points from this Episode: * Review any place you keep track of your thoughts or memories for the year. * Relive the fun moments or experiences you had. * If you can't plan the whole year, that's totally okay! Just take it a quarter, or even a month, at a time. * When you focus on your circle of influence, it will have a positive effect on your family. That often means asking for more help! * Communicating with your spouse to help make sure you are pulling your loads together, rather than pulling each your hardest but not together, will bring you strength. * Recognize the successes you have had this year and find what motivates you to keep going on your goals from those experiences. * Figure out what is in your circle of influence that can guide you towards things you really want in your life.

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Merry Christmas!! Today, I talk about choosing to walk in the light rather than darkness during times of trial.

Key Points from this Episode: * Angels are helping us in our times of trial even if we don't notice them. * Our thought patterns are like waking through tall grass. Our typical patterns are well-worn paths and are easy to walk through. It takes effort to try a new path, but you can do it! * Read the questions to ask God. Open the scriptures and read a few verses. Then review and ponder the questions and see where the Spirit guides your thoughts. * Hone in on what is in your circle of influence. * Accept what phase of the Surviving to Thriving Framework you are in (Surviving, Re-Entry, Normalizing, Exploring, or Thriving). Own it and don't try to keep a foot in the door in phases you aren't really in right now! * Oftentimes when our circumstances get bigger than ourselves, contentment can be the first thing to go. Peace can go out the door right with it. * Accept the circumstances for what they are and remember they are temporary. It will help you find peace and contentment where you are. * I can find peace and contentment right now. I can feel satisfaction and successes with what I am doing right now. I can feel gratitude and joy right now. Even when things are so so so hard. And that absolutely comes from being taught how to walk in the light. * We have so much help. We have so much love. We have so much support from God and from Jesus Christ and so many others. * It takes work to choose to keep fighting to stay in your circle of influences, but you can do it!

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Today, I'm talking about a principle that has the ability to completely revolutionize your life. It's called the Big Three for the Week. It works wonderfully with the Thriving in Motherhood Planner, but can absolutely be applied with or without this particular planner.

Key Points from this Episode: * A Big Three for the Week helps add a lot of clarity, but you can optionally also have a Big Three for each Day if you have that kind of structure available to you. * The Big Three are three things that help you move the needle forward on the most important tasks. * Big Three should be highest priorities and we are intentionally giving space to them. * You can have one of your Big Three be for one of your personal goals. * You can have one of your Big Three be a goal for your family. This can be a great check to make sure things are in balance. * You can have one of your Big Three be beyond your family. Look for opportunities of service or church work. * It's okay to have just a Big One or Big Two if you know your top priority will take up every spare moment in your week.

Resources Free Training: How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles

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Sarah Molitor is a mother of five under the age of seven and today we talk about finding joy in the Lord in our every day moments and boundaries both within our families and our own lives. Sarah is a Registered Nurse who always had being a wife and mother as her goal. Her passions are raising children to be others-oriented and inspiring other mothers to find joy through her social media influence.

Key Points from this Episode: * It takes time to find your confidence as a mother and find your stride. * Focus on what things do look like, not what you expect them to look like. * In hindsight, we will get to see that what God has planned for us is way cooler than anything we could have planned. * Connect to the Lord any where, any time you can. It doesn't have to be at 6 am before the kids are awake. Allow the Lord to seep in all throughout our days. * Structure and boundaries can give us the freedom to have more fun because the kids know what to expect to some degree. * What we do at home should mimic what we do in public. Being respectful of property and boundaries within our homes sets us up to be enjoyable to others when we are our in public. * Take time to look at the good that comes from the challenges. Sharing rooms for kids can be hard, but there is a special bond that comes from sharing. * Remember that as you are raising children, you are actually raising adults. One day, that 7 year old boy is going to be in his 20s and fall in love and will need to know how to treat a girl respectfully. * Get to know your "Power Hours" and know how to cut them off. It's okay if you don't get up before the kids in the morning. Know when you can get stuff done and utilize that time frame. * Know who you are and who you want to be in order to qualify your yeses and nos.

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Today, we are talking about ways to create space in our lives. When we take the time to clear out mental space, we can make room to think ahead and prepare for the upcoming year!

Key Points from this Episode: * What is on your list to help you create space? * Consider: + Physical space + Process Paperwork + Setting Boundaries for Social Media Usage + Reading Books that have been on your List + Take a Break from Work + Focus on Your Relationship with God * Look for finding balance, not on a daily or weekly level, but zoom out and make sure your yearly priorities are reflected in your yearly accounting of your time. * If we don't take time to empty out, then we are more likely to want to escape. Instead, work to create a life that you don't want to escape from.

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Dr. Sherry Zhang is a mother and founder and CEO of Genopalate. We talk about equipping our children with tools to navigate challenges, successes, and failures. We also talk about learning and the importance of asking good questions.

Key Points from this Episode: * Motherhood is a learning experience from day one. * Every day is going to have some sort of fantastic uncertainty. It's up to us to make it better or worse. * Learning from our children, who we created, is an amazing experience. * Teaching our children principles and standards sets them up to interact well with the ever-changing environment around them. * Successes are a very personal thing. Your successes can look completely different than someone else's. * Your genetic code can give hints to what foods work best with your body. * Health is not just about weight loss. Overall health is so much more.

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Oakley is a mother of three, blogger & Instagrammer. She shares her family's stories about working with their son who has down-syndrome and discusses accepting imperfect mothering during the process.

Key Points from this Episode: * Keeping the home simple can help keep you from feeling like you are drowning. * It's okay to not be the exact mom we want to be at this exact moment in time. * Raising a family is a whole-family effort. Being a more open parent with our children about the process helps it become a team effort. * Parenting has become more of an open process with our children because of the transparency of the world we live in. * Navigate the needs of your children by knowing your children. Notice what the need is. It's okay that the needs of the children are different. * Take the time to be still with each child. * Be a listener and let your children feel heard in their own home. * Give your kids a few moments where you can let them feel like they are the center of your universe. * Some of the surprises can be the best blessings in our life. * Keeping the connection with God makes everything smoother. That makes the bumps in the road doable!

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Today we are talking about the Thriving in Motherhood Planner and three actionable steps for you to take (in our planner or another one) to help you change how you feel about your motherhood and your days and how you're using your time!

Key Points from this Episode: * This planner grew out of really wanting to have a place for myself to be able to bring to fruition what I wanted my motherhood to look like. * The planner solves two MAJOR problems: It's a place to empty out your brain so you can engage in real life. It's also a way to be intentional with your time without adding unnecessary pressure.

1. Change how you look at your time. Look at your time at a weekly level rather than a daily level.
2. In the next 24 hours, write down all the things you accomplished, the things you discovered, the places you went to, the books you read, what you have done with your family. You can celebrate your accomplishments and evaluate where you want your priorities to be better.

3. Ask yourself what you are curious about trying and use that to inform your vision for next year.

4. Separating out inflexible appointments from flexible to-do items gives you more wiggle room as life happens and feels less overwhelming.

5. Plan your weekly to-dos and do your very best not to add any more as the week goes on unless it HAS to get done. You'll see greater progress and accomplishment.

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In this episode, I introduce the Surviving  to Thriving Framework and interview Megan Dilworth about how this framework has impacted her life. Megan is a wife and mother of three kids (ages 2-7) who is a member of The Thriving Team. She is a photographer, graphic designer, and lover of DIY projects.

Key Points from this Episode: * Surviving to Thriving Framework: + All the steps are important. There is no time frame on this path. We all will repeat this path over and over throughout our lives. + 1. Surviving - circumstances, not mindset + 2. Re-entry - Uncomfortable transition between surviving and trying to get back into real life + 3. Normalizing - Basic routines + 4. Exploring - Establishing family culture and finding out what you love + 5. Thriving - Enjoy the beautiful moments. The seasons that feel like things are going well. * Believing things are temporary will help us be more optimistic. These are temporary stages in our lives! * Its okay to drop ideas that aren’t serving you. It’s okay to try new things, even if they don’t end up lasting. * The act of writing things down helps us remember.

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Sometimes it feels like our kids should be our number one priority all the time. In this episode, I talk about how I think building a strong family and creating healthy relationships is the focus we should be having instead.

Key Points from this Episode: * Our kids are wonderful, but our priority is building strong families. * We, as mothers, are part of the strong family that we need are building. Our family is only as strong as the weakest link, so we need to take care of ourselves too! * When we can shift the idea from being a fire to put out to being a teaching moment, it can help us handle the situations differently. * How we approach our days when we are thinking "My goal is to build a strong family. My goal is create healthy relationships" changes how we respond to our children. * Supporting our children's growth is different than focusing on the results (and a whole lot less stressful!) * Creating a strong family culture and atmosphere of growth is what is under our circle of influence, not our children's behavior, which often gets focused on when our kids are the priority. * When we focus on building strong families and healthy relationships, our capacity for joy and experience joy right now is so much greater. * Those little moments of the day of seeing glimpses of the strong family and healthy relationships happen. Recognizing them helps us find the motivation to keep going. * It's so much easier to "lose ourselves" when our kids are the focus all the time. * The power of friendship is so real in motherhood. It helps buoy us up! * "Sisters, oh how we need each other" - Marjorie Pay Hinckley

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Natalie Hixson is a wife, mother, and certified professional life coach. Her goal is helping burnt out and discouraged Christian mothers overcome destructive anger so they can enjoy being a wife and mom. She, her husband, and three girls (ages 9, 12, and 16) live in Bozeman, Montana.

Key Points from this Episode: * We can break the fear and yelling cycle in our lives. * Remember that our children have developmentally-appropriate tantrums. We need to work on things to be able to, in turn, help our children with their struggles rather than throw our own, grown-up tantrums. * Recognizing that you have destructive anger and are facing burnout is the first step to overcoming it. It's not a mindset you have to stay in. * Reach out for help if you recognize you have destructive anger! * What we say to ourselves becomes our beliefs. It's the story we are telling ourselves and we believe it and what we believe, we support with our actions and our thoughts. * Our minds look to support our thoughts. If we focus on positive thoughts, our minds will look for supporting evidence. * Circumstances do not trigger our actions. Circumstances trigger thoughts and feelings. Then we decide on our own actions. * Look for what needs are not being met to diffuse situations more quickly. * Work through the tough situations and MOVE ON. The current moment does not define our next moment. * We can choose to highlight the good parts of motherhood to connect with others rather than the negative. * Recognize the moment for what it is (positive or negative) and be grateful we are here to experience it. * When you start to feel an emotion, take three deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Longer exhale than inhale. Physical reset to the nervous system. Send a prayer to God for help. I am statements: I am love. I am grateful. * Write a list of things that are okay for your kids to do (even eating M&Ms or watching a show on an iPad) to give yourself the time you need to calm down. Then you can come back and work through the problem when you are no longer angry.

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Jeanette Tapley, host of It's Time for Coffee Podcast all about friendship, wife, and mother of three children. We talk about her adoption journey and things she's learned from that. We also talk about tips on starting your own podcast and the art of the apology.

Key Points from this Episode: * Jeanette heard the whisperings of God saying, "I called you to be a mom. What are you going to do about the [children] that don't have one?" * "I will always be the mom they need, but I will never be a perfect mom." * Our kids learn how to be humble and apologize primarily by our example. * "We are showing them how to love recklessly and, in turn, that will show us how Jesus has loved us." * "Love well, love often, and love first." * Checking in with our kids consistently can help let them know that open communication is there. * Being honest with the people close to you about where things stands on your work or personal projects can help keep resentment from growing. * If you want to start a podcast, figure out first who you want to talk to and why you want to talk to them. Then ask how you are going to execute this. Then, JUMP! Commit to a year and then figure out what you need to tweak after that. * Waking up 15-20 minutes can set up your day for success. * A weekly phone date with a friend can be so rejuvenating! * Own your actions in your apologies. Don't say "I'm sorry I made you feel..." Instead, say "I'm sorry that I hurt you because I..." * "I can't control everything, but I can surrender [my children] to the Lord" * God has greater things in store for in our children than we can even imagine.

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In this episode, I discuss the concept that the work of motherhood includes rest. Real rest is so important to the work of motherhood, especially as we gear up for the upcoming holiday season. If you take time to take care of yourself, then you will have the freedom to expand your influence in a way that is healthy to you and those around you.

Key Points from this Episode: * You are where it starts. You are smack-dab in the middle of your circle of influence. If you don't nourish yourself, you won't be able to nourish those around you. * The more you focus on bringing the best for yourself, the more power and influence you will have for others. * None of us can go full speed all the time. We weren't designed to go go go without taking time to rest. * Sometimes we become numb to the amount of work we are doing in our daily lives. It's okay that we feel tired! * Laziness is a deception of the adversary to keep us exhausted. * Beware of being distracted to the point of not getting real rest. * It's not laziness to go to bed early, take a nap, read a book, write in your journal, exercise, play a game, work on a project. It's not laziness to do things that fill your heart with joy. * Plan in time for real rest for yourself as we approach the upcoming busy holiday season.

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You have climbed mountains! In this episode, I talk about the dialog in our own minds that can adjust our thinking to be able to shift from "I am being beat up" to "I have climbed mountains!" The skill of having a Thriving Mindset is something that we can develop with the right tools.

Key Points from this Episode: * Every time we reach a mountain peak, we find a beautiful view and can stop to recognize the strength we have displayed to get as far as we have. * Sometimes faith alone isn't enough to keep us positive. It's one piece of the puzzle. * Gratitude is one piece of the puzzle. * Identifying our cognitive patterns and distortions is a piece of the puzzle. * Connect with people. * Celebrating our milestones and progress helps us having a Thriving Mindset. * Planning for the struggles that we know will be coming our way makes the struggles easier. When we decide who we want to be ahead of time, it makes a major difference. * Ask God what He wants you to do that day. * Pick the section that you are struggling with the most and start with that if answering all the questions is overwhelming to you.

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Today, I talk about Going on Vacation every single day. Time-blocking my day to allow for Vacation Hours has changed how I think about my days and has revolutionized my relationship with my children.

Key Points from this Episode: * + Telling ourselves "I am being present" with our kids while our minds are swirling with all the things we want to get done does not work. + Prep for vacation: - Have a place to write down all your thoughts - Buy a watch - do not check your phone to check the time - Choose a chunk of hours to be your Vacation Time. It should be the time your children need connection the most. For us, that's the mid-morning hours when we are doing homeschool. For others, it might be between when kids get home from school and dinner or bedtime. + During your vacation: - Keep your phone away. In your room. Take a vacation from worrying about anything that happens with your phone. - Don't worry about your own projects or to do lists - Be there with your kids 100% like you would be when you're on vacation - When you are on vacation, there are no "shoulds." None at all. + After your vacation: - Work on your projects! - Don't feel guilty! - Know that you've put in good, quality face-time with your kids (and not the video chat kind) + Being mentally there does not mean playing with them every minute of the day. It means taking a break from our devices and tuning in to our children and their needs.

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Jessica is a military mother of three boys and podcast host of the Extraordinary Moms Podcast. She talks about finding who she wants to be as a person and the joy in the moments where you can see progress in yourself.

Key Points from this Episode: * Night before prepping makes the next day so much smoother. * When our kids lose it, we can make the choice not to lose it ourselves. We don't have to join the tantrum. * We have to recognize that our children are each unique children of God and we are too. If we focus on staying calm and staying safe for our children, we can allow them to explore and figure themselves out while we adjust our parenting to each child's specific needs. * Listen to our kids' feelings and let them be okay. We can coach our children to help them come up with plans for the hard times so they can do things as independently as they can. It can give them confidence to be able to work through their challenges they are faced with. * We have to let our children see us problem solve our own struggles (on an age-appropriate level) or they won't know that it's normal to need to struggle. * Are you cleaning the house to give you the right to complain when it gets messed up again, or cleaning because you love the feeling of a clean house. Pay attention to your motivations and evaluate what is working for you. * Most of the time, it's not about what you're doing, but why you're doing it. * Exhausted is not the same as depleted. Paying attention to how we are spending our energy can help keep us feeling good even as we are tired. * It's okay to adjust the tasks to accomplish the value you are looking for. Look at the whys behind the activities you are doing. If the task is no longer adding the desired value to your life, make adjustments! * Just because it's not working yet, doesn't mean it's not working. Play the long game. * Taking the time to reflect and acknowledge our growth helps up recognize our own extraordinary lives. We are extraordinary, but a lot of times, we just don't take the time to notice. * You are doing so much better than you think you are. You have grown so much more than you think you have. * It is a skill to recognize that nothing lasts forever. We can live our lives more hopeful if we can remember that our challenges will be just for a moment. * Close the background apps of your mind and see what's zapping your energy without your knowledge. Come back to them when you are in a better mental space and see how you can adjust your thinking for the future.

Resources * Extraordinary Moms Podcast Episode 26: Dealing with Childhood Anxiety with Austin

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In this episode, I talk about where to start to get the house back on track after a Survival Mode season. I share my rhythms and systems that have helped me and my kids know what to expect when we are transitioning from full-blown Survival Mode back into "normal" life.

Key Points from this Episode: * It's OK to make intentional choices to let things like housework go when we are in survival mode, but we need to pick up the pieces when we are able to. * Start with prayer. Then listen to the promptings of where to start. * "Home Blessing Hour" every week for concentrated time to take care of the house. * Go room by room. Garbage to the trash bag. Clothes to the laundry basket. Everything that doesn't belong into a basket. Put those items away. Sweep/vacuum the floor. * Set timers for short increments to get bursts of cleaning focus from our children. * Consider having some major incentives for after the house gets put back together. * Talk with your children while you clean. Use it as a chance to bond as a family.

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Valerie is a mother of two girls and creator of a Prompt and Prayer Journal and author of a book, Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday. We talk about God's will, fighting the lies about motherhood that the world gives, and how to start adjusting our thinking during our days.

Key Points from this Episode: * Dance to shake out the grumpiness in the mornings. * We are stronger than we think we are with the help of God. * “When ours [our plans] are interrupted, His are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) ‘toward the goal of true maturity’ (Rom 12:2).” - Elisabeth Elliot * Trust that worthy things we want to do will get done, even if it's not in the time frame we expect, or we will learn it isn't what God wants us to be doing. * We don't need to add extra drama to our lives. We need to be real about motherhood. We cannot do motherhood for the praise. * Our challenging moments in our days are just that - moments. Rehashing the hard times just forces our minds to dwell on those negative things rather than embracing and focusing on the positive that has happened. * We can give our children a safe place to grow up and don't need to share every mistake they make. Think about how that must make our children feel. * The world wants to distract us from the amazing gift that motherhood is. God wants us to recognize the gift that it truly is! * There is space a between stimulus and response. We can adjust our auto-pilot thinking to change how we feel about the same situations. Start by taking the time to notice your thoughts. * We can take responsibility and have integrity in our lives by accepting that things are not just happening to us, but we can choose how to act.

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In this episode, I talk about where to start when you feel overwhelmed with getting your physical health where you want it to be. We all go through times where we have to have our physical bodies take a backseat and this is my process that I go through every time I re-start my exercise routine.

Key Points from this Episode: * There are so many reasons (physical & mental) that take us back to square one with our fitness. That's OK! * My big why for exercise is the endorphins. I feel better when I exercise. * You don't need to do the whole workout that is designed! Start with 10 minutes, then go to 15 minutes until you find the right duration for you. * Start with gently building strength (Physique 57), then add cardio (Marcy Upright Exercise Bike). * I replaced my standard transportation with a cardio bucket bike. * Find what you love to do to work moving into your day. Mow the lawn, swim, longboard, dance in the kitchen. Do what works for you! * I gain energy from exercising, not lose it. * It feels good to feel strong! * Focusing on getting my green smoothie in every day helps teach my body to crave fruits and vegetables again. It helps me get out of the survival-eating mode. * Whatever your body needs, feed it that!

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Amy is a mother of two and co-founder of Give Her Courage, a company focused on helping young girls develop courage and confidence. We talk about the how and why and modeling that courage for our children.

Key Points from this episode: * Celebrate the nice things siblings do for each other to encourage the positive behaviors. * The things that are worthwhile are going to be hard and challenging, but we shouldn't let that discourage us! * Nothing is perfect. Just be in the moment. Try to focus on whatever you are doing in that moment and just be in it. * Sitting down for (a distraction-free) dinner as a family every night opens the door for bonding and communication. * Embrace your imperfections and let your children see that. Let them see you comfortable in your own skin. That will give them permission to do the same. * Risk-taking is doing something where you are stepping outside your comfort zone. It is as individual as we are. * Let your children know when you are feeling outside your comfort zone and are choosing to do it anyways. * Guilt is just in our nature because we are trying so hard. Confidence is reminding ourselves that we are great and we are doing the best that we can do.

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In this episode, I get into some of the logistics of survival mode. A few things to do during survival mode and a few things to do when you're not in survival mode to make survival mode easier.

Key Points from this Episode: * When we can't get off the couch, we have to adjust our expectations of parenting. We may not be able to control what or when or where the kids eat, but we can focus on the fact that the kids are eating and that is good. * We can focus on keeping our one-on-one relationship with our children in a good place rather than worrying about the nitty-gritty of discipline when we can't follow through. * When things are good, work hard on routines and rhythms. Then, when things go to survival mode, they take longer to fall apart. * If people are fed, a lot of our behavior problems are curbed. So find ways for food to be really easy for you and the kids. * Use the tough seasons to teach our children compassion and forgiveness. * Survival mode part of this life's journey. Accept and embrace it. * Work to over-communicate with your spouse during the hard times. It helps you equally-yolk yourselves. * Have hope. * Ask your questions in the morning and evening! (See resources)

Resources Key Questions to Ask in the Morning - Episode 60

Key Questions to Ask in the Evening - Episode 66

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Brandi is a mother of four (ages 4 - 17) who has worked with her husband to build a slow, intentional life with her family. She lives in the hills of central Texas. She shares how God's love for her and her family has guided her in her life and her parenting.

Key Points from this episode: * It takes different intentional actions to stay connected with our children and hold their hearts who are different ages. * Changing our emphasis from behavior to relationships with our children will allow us to maintain that relationship through the teen years and beyond. * Try to have eyes to see. Notice when our children are withdrawn and remember that sometimes that is when they need us to press in the most. (Adding food makes the heart-sharing easier for the kids, too!) * Schedule in one-on-one time with your kids. Put some to bed early if you need to in order to make it happen. * Find time to have time with God. If you can't wake up before the kids, try having 15-20 minutes for all your family to go their separate ways to have their connecting time with God. Have older kids take turns watching younger ones to help make it happen. * Pause and think about what you say "yes" to and what you say "no" to in order to grow your intentionality. Then take it to the Lord and follow the direction from Him. * Journaling the things you learn from books or hear that inspire you help you absorb the information and also give you something to refer back to when you need a boost. * We can make the choice whether we miss the things that happen on social media, or we can miss things that are happening under our own roofs. * Saying out loud what we are thankful for can help us find joy in our current moment.

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Lauresa is a mother of twin preschoolers and a toddler living in Northwest Arkansas with her husband and two dogs. She grew up in a family of 11 kids and is now a registered dietitian growing her own private practice, a teacher, and an enthusiastic gardener. She is the co-founder of the blog Black Thumb Garden Club and co-author of the Black Thumb Garden Club Workbook.

Key Points from this episode: * Writing is one of the most important things someone can do to make progress in anything. It helps us find clarity and move forward toward goals. * Finding time for creativity in small, consistent ways is a powerful way to make progress. Using projects and Next Actions help you stay focused and make the most of your time. * Setting rules for yourself during nap time (like no chores, be physically comfy) can open the doorway for you to utilize that time for creative means, but still feel rejuvenated at the end of nap time. * Having or being an example of having skills or contributions outside of motherhood helps others know that it's OK! * Committing to a career-focused education does not stop you from also choosing to have a family. Having a family is your choice, but you can look back in the hard times and remember that you chose it! * Gardening Tips:
1. Manage your Expectations - recognize that all things have times and seasons
2. Plant it Again - as soon as possible!
3. Prevent Total Devastation - use proactive measures to stop potential issues before they start * Best starting point for beginner gardeners: Tomato in a 5 gallon pot * Stop and remember God to help maintain balance. Ask "What do you need me to do right now?" even if you're really excited about a new idea. The answer is almost always "people, people, people!"

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In this episode, I talk about Key Questions to Ask Yourself in the Evening as a bookend to the questions from Episode 60 where we talked about Key Questions to Ask in the Morning. These questions help me reflect on my day and stay connected to God. They come from top productivity, mindfulness, and spiritual leaders.

I invite you to join me on Patreon with these questions and make a habit of this with me!

These questions help me feel more in control of my emotions and find hope and joy to live my life more positively. 

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Erin is a mother of three and one of the world's most sought-after sopranos. She talks about melding these two worlds of motherhood and personal success. Erin believes parenthood is the secret to life bringing a balance to life and an opportunity to care for another. She knows that being a singer is important, but being a parent is even more important than that. She takes her motherhood as a serious responsibility and career in itself. She hopes her children will have more positive memories than negative ones when they look back at their childhoods. She wants them to know and feel how much she cares for them. 

Erin tries to prioritize family time together despite continuing to travel to perform. One of her goals is to zero in on her children's specific needs and meet those needs as a mother. She talks about how amazing music is in enriching her children's lives and helps her create loving memories singing around the piano. She found it natural to sing to help reach and calm her babies in a way that speaking or physically holding them couldn't. This helped her to realize how much singing should always be part of her life and she shouldn't give it up simply because she became a mother.

She talks about mindfulness and not wanting to wish away the negative because then we would need to wish away the good also. It's better to experience both and be aware of the differences so we can enjoy the good moments. Erin is trying to find contentment with living in the moment rather than always looking ahead and wishing our children were in the next phase. Mindfulness is like a code for gratitude; they can't live without one another. 

Erin describes the different types of sacrifices mothers make for their children, including physical and emotional. Comparing the physical wounds a mother suffers after childbirth to the scars of Christ helped her find meaning in the physical trials of pregnancy and child-bearing. 

Erin finds the moments when her children are most willing to talk and connect and tries to utilize those moments. She practices a "Sweet, Sour, Service" routine where each member of the family shares something sweet from the day, something sour from the day, and something they did to serve someone that day.

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In this episode, I talk about Survival Mode and how that does not need to stop us from thriving even while we are in the midst of it. I share some of my personal life in the middle of full blown survival mode (surgery and recovery, moving, home-buying, etc.) and how the things I've discovered over the past five years adjusted my thinking and got me ready for the things I could prepare for.

During this round of struggles, I tried to step away from the worry. I instead asked myself "What is in my circle of influence?" and "What is the next step?" to myself and to God in order to find focus to prep while I was able. I used friends as sounding-boards and got to work on my next actions that were within my circle of influence. I learned to walk away from a project when there was no Next Action and move on to another task - and feel totally fine about that.

Recognizing our growth in the moment of struggle disarms fear, frustration, and anger. We instead can celebrate "Look how much we're learning!" Having a little bit of heads up for survival circumstances before we were in the midst of it allowed me to take some responsibility and ask for help when I knew I would need it.

Gratitude has provided the power to pull myself out of any pity feelings I might feel for myself in these rough circumstances. Choosing to practice gratitude lets me offer a smile to those around me. Even when I'm "sick mom," I can still help lift spirits and find moments of joy. I'm deciding to be proud of what we have done rather than feeling guilty that I'm not at full functioning levels. Remembering that God's opinion of me is all that really matters has helped me keep perspective on the things that really matter most. Keeping prayer central to my recovery has allowed me to see God in the details of my life.

We've already been through a whole lot of hard. We've already learned from a whole lot of hard. We can take the knowledge that we've gained from doing the hard to help us know that we can make it through the next hard.

We don't have it all figured out. Hard is still hard. But that's okay. Hard is not wrong. That doesn't mean it's not worth it.

If you are not currently in Survival Mode, great! That gives you the chance to look outward and understand how you can better serve others who might be. Prayers and paper products can lift others in ways you cannot imagine. We are all in this trying world together, and together we can help each other thrive!

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Kristin is a mother of twin toddlers (1 boy and 1 girl) and host of The Progress Project Podcast. She loves reading, yoga, and baking. She talks about her struggles with infertility which guided her to be the mother she wants to be in finding the balance between being a present mother and doing some work too. Kristin speaks to trusting herself and finding momentum in her successes.

Kristin felt a lot of resistance as she dealt with her infertility for five years. As she did that, she was able to come to terms with and really explore what her role could be if she wasn't meant to be a mother yet. Resistance turned into acceptance for her as she journaled and wrote her way through her thought processes. She found herself as she discovered her gifts and desires. She took time to think about the woman she sees herself as in 50 years and used that to help find her purpose.

She finds the balance between motherhood and having a career as an ongoing challenge. She wants to be a present mother, but uses her work as a creative outlet and to help her be a person outside of being a mother. Kristin believes balance is the constant readjustment in the pursuit of wholeness. Something that help Kristin stay present in motherhood is not resisting what is. 

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Emily is a mother of two who seeks for intentional and simple living. She talks about a thought exercise to help her find her legacy and live it now. She talks about getting rid of the mental, emotional, and physical clutter in her life.

She talks about the morning routine she has recently implemented (since getting to sleep through the night!) and how that has opened her mind to be able to focus. She asks herself "Am I present? Am I joyful? Am I calm?" and uses that mantra as a check for herself throughout her day. She journals in her 5 Minute Journal to focus herself on gratitude and a low-tech start to the day. Emily also uses her "Hello Emily Morning Routine" to help set her tone for the entire day.

Emily's struggles with Unexplained Infertility started to define her motherhood journey by helping her to realize that she was not in control of everything no matter how hard she worked. She learned that what she can control was how she reacts to difficulties and that simplifying her life was an absolute essential part to keep her mentally and emotionally healthy.

She talks about the ongoing process of finding peace with struggles and accepting that "God is God and I am not." Emily explains about how we don't like to act different than our identity, which sometimes requires us to adjust the concept of our own identity to what God has in store for us. Reminding ourselves of the identity we have (or want to have) can help us to remain present, joyful, and calm.

Emily embraces minimalist in the definition that involved removing the things that distract from your purpose. She analyzes her physical items, calendar items, and mental self-talk to try to weed out what isn't serving her goals. She teaches the importance of detaching from our own thoughts and observing them from a kind bystander perspective.

Emily explains her experience with beginning to meditate, just focused on breathing. She uses breathing as a reset and transition between activities and emotions and anchoring practice in her day.

Success, to Emily, is knowing what she wants to accomplish in her day that are truly important (not to-dos) that allows her to be present and involved with her children. She is trying to take a step back and not worry about documenting every moment, but experience it instead. She also considers success modeling the behaviors she wants her children to value. When she focuses on what her "why" is, it brings everything else greater clarity.

Emily imagines talking with her son about him asking "What did you do with your time when you weren't taking care of us?" She uses that question to help create her legacy that she wants to leave to her children, not of tangible things, but the results of her daily actions. She wants to leave more than the memory of scrolling through social media and doesn't want the excuse of being too tired to stop her from achieving her goals and dreams. Emily teaches that her legacy also reflects back to her identity and values.

Emily has mastered being "Mamadexterous" which is the the ability to do a lot of things with your non-dominate hand while holding a baby on your hip. She is working on approaching new phases and skills of her children with wonder and excitement rather than dread.

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Jennifer is the homeschooling mother of seven in the foothills of California. She is the founder of The Peaceful Press, a company that is dedicated to creating wholehearted homeschooling curriculum and a podcast host for Wild + Free.

She talks about the development of being able to have conversations with her older children and emotionally investing rather than feeling so physically drained in the years of early parenting. She talks about the diminished need for "mommy friends" as her children have slowly become some of her best friends. She talks about finding the time to get her alone, rejuvenating time in bits and pieces rather than the bulk of nap time or after kids go to bed. She loves to read or listen to a podcast to recharge herself.

Jennifer has always felt drawn to motherhood. She had her abilities feel challenged when one of her children had a personal crisis and Jennifer took the responsibility upon herself for her child's trials. She had her awakening moment about her lack of total control of motherhood which opened the door to a greater joy as she was able to let go of her desire to control the results of her parenting efforts. She recognized the relief that comes from building relationships with the children and watching them work through problems on their own while not being solely focused on the outcomes.

She talks about the importance of grieving a reality that isn't going to be or missed expectations and then welcoming in the unconditional love of God to help take the pressure off Jennifer's parenting. Jennifer talks about the grieving process helping herself to stay soft and not become a sharp or tough type of mother. She discusses realizing she did not need to perform for love, but she was loved no matter what. She was then able to extend that love to her children along their own growth journey. Jennifer covers how the scriptures and the book Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning ingrained in her the feeling of love unattached from performance.

Jennifer talks about realistic expectations for our children. To recognize that they are, in fact, children. She addresses the need to find balance between offering our children grace and still maintaining solid leadership with reasonable expectations in our homes. Jennifer talks about rejecting fear and making sure you have a vision in your family and basing your decisions on that vision. She explains that make decisions or signing up for activities that do not align with our vision are a huge factor in misplaced expectations and anxiety levels growing in the home, which lead to behavioral issues with our children. She emphasizes taking time to slow down and just be at home and observe the feeling and interactions as a way to reset your own expectations for motherhood.

She explains how margin plays a big role in her life. Intentional margins in finances and time help her focus her efforts and keep everyone on track. She references Gordon Neufeld's Hold on to Your Kids. Jennifer talks about the importance of taking time to forgive others around you and creating your vision for your life.

Jennifer recounts her family's adventure in finding their focus on a family car trip and encourages others to find the skills and things that bring them joy to follow as a guide rather than jumping on every bandwagon that passes through to help bring the variety and color to the world around us. She talks about how her family's vision has morphed and changed as her children have grown older and developed their own interests and passions.

She talks about mastering the ability to understand the need of God in her life and the guidance from God in all her decisions. Jennifer also discusses the balance between being present with your kids and maintaining the household. She talks about helping instill in them the life skills they'll need to be functioning adults.

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In this episode, I talk about key questions I ask God and myself to start every day. I talk about how they help focus my mind to be the person I want to be and develop the relationship I want with God. I invite you to join me on Patreon with these questions and make a habit of this with me! I talk about my desire to handle life better during the challenging times and how these questions help me do this by taking into account what is on my "Essential List" for my life. They are questions that help us have more energy, more enthusiasm, happier, more present, and be more engaged in our lives. 

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April is a mother of four and founder of Power of Moms and LearnDoBecome. She lives very intentionally and helps other mothers do the same. She shares her journey of recognizing that working together is a tool to build relationships in our home and create a feeling for everyone in the family to grow. She talks about learning to love ourselves so we can love others.

She shares the importance of being open and honest in every step of your motherhood journey in order to find your "person" behind the word "mother." April talks about clearing the clutter out of our homes, but also out of our minds and our hearts to then be able to love. She speaks to the feeling in the home being the focus of our efforts. She goes against culture to get our housework done so we can be a mom, but rather teaches the importance of doing the housework side-by-side with our children and finding the beauty in that housework.

April talks about the impact that Scream Free Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel has affected the way she looks at loving herself and loving her children. She prioritizes self-care with bedtime for herself, exercise, taking a shower, drinking water, and eating for herself.

She talks about the importance of really talking with your kids (even if it's a topic that you don't want to necessarily get into with your kids) and building true relationships with them. She encourages us to spend more time looking in our children's eyes rather than our phones. She believes that is possible by involving them in our lives and letting them help us with what we need to do. April emphasizes the need to value the moments we have, even if they don't seem Facebook-worthy.

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Ashley is an intentional, homeschooling mother of four. She shares about finding inspiration and motivation to build her home life how she envisions it. She talks about making some of the major, life-changing decisions to live intentionally and really choose the joy in her motherhood journey. She owns her desire to for her children to feel seen, loved, known, and filled with wonder for the world and strives to teach that through example.

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In this episode, I talk about something we all deal with: Laundry. I walk you through how to find the right system for YOUR family to make sure this necessity is as automated as possible in order to save your decision-making stamina for ones that matter.

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Alissa Hankin is a curly-haired mother of a three-year-old boy living in South Hampton, England. She shares her experiences with stress, tragedy, change, and growth and how God plays a role in her life. She teaches about taking care of her body and mind and using Faith Journaling to take care of her soul.

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This is our final discussion of principles from 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. We talk about the why, what, and how of creating your own personal mission statement. Join us at patreon.com/jessica_jackson for worksheets to help walk you through creating your own.

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Synergizing is the culmination of all the previously discussed principles: seeking to understand, thinking win-win, being aware of and having paradigm shifts, and making deposits in the emotional bank account.  We talk about what synergizing looks like in life-altering decision making as well as in every day life.  We also invite you start having family councils to create an environment where you family can synergize on a consistent basis.

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This week Madeline Casey and I talk about the what, the why, and then how of seeking to understand and thinking win-win.  Learning to slow down and listen first and truly understand what another person is thinking, feeling, and experiencing takes a little more time up front, but it pays dividends in the long run.  It builds trust and is an emotional deposit for both people when then they seek a win-win solution together.

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Today we celebrate the first year of the podcast and announce what is next for the podcast!  The biggest news is the launching of the membership site over at Patreon. 

Patreon is the place where we can come together as mothers and intentionally cultivate growth together. Each month you can gain access to printable worksheets that go along with topics in the podcast to help us slow down and make lasting change - not just be inspired for a few days and then move on. These worksheets are what I'm personally working on and talking about with my closest friends - and I want YOU to join us!

At the top tier you willbecome part of our "motherhood mastermind"- a place where share our big wins and talk about what we are still working on.  This will happen on community posts as well as a monthly video chat with me and other mastermind members.

http://patreon.com/jessica_jackson

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Today we discuss being proactive, living in our circle of influence instead of our circle of concern, and how to test yourself to see how you are currently doing on these habits.

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Today we discuss the power of paradigm shifts - changing how we think - and the power they can have in our relationships and how we approach life.

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Today Madeline Casey and Jessica Jackson continue their conversation on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, focusing on the principle of the four quadrants.  They discuss what they are and ways to move towards living in quadrant two where things are important, but not urgent to decrease the stress in our life and improve our thinking.  Join in the challenge to find one thing that is causing you the greatest frustration and figure out how to make it a quadrant two activity.

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This is the first conversation with Madeline Casey in a series about the principles from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  We talk about the emotional bank account and how it applies to our relationships with our children, spouses, and ourselves.  Madeline shares her self care schedule to keep her own balance high so she can keep filling others.  At the end of this episode you will have ideas to apply in your life today as well as to teach to your children. 

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Alisa is the mother of many children.  She and her husband began early in the  marriage as foster parents and were able to adopt a few of the many children they fostered.  They also have biological children of their own.  Alisa share some of the greatest joys and sorrows that come with being a foster parent.  She also talks about how she is using her talents to cultivate her own growth as well as bless her family through homeschooling.  She share her realistic perspective about what being a foster parent entails.

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Alisha Miller is a homeschooling mother of four girls.  She shares about when her dreams and life plan were changed abruptly and the period of mourning that followed and how she healed and moved forward.  This change provided an opportunity to create an unexpected and beautiful family culture, develop new skills, and have incredible opportunities.  She also talks about their homeschooling philosophy, how she creates a peaceful home, and she is surrendering control. 

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Heather Boersma is a mother of three children, author, and life coach.  She shares how she changed from enduring motherhood to actually enjoying her days with her young family.  She talks about not allowing her emotions to take the driver seat, learning to lead the emotional atmosphere in her home, and fostering a life giving relationship with her husband.  

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Chanelle Neilson is the mother of five children, podcast host, author, and yoga instructor.  She shares how she learned to embrace the chaos and enjoy her family, started recognizing how much she was changing during her early motherhood years with four young children, and how facilities a culture of creativity in her home.  She has continued her growth by slowly developing habits to support a simple and full life with her family.

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Danielle Carriere is the mother of two children, professor, author, and book publisher.  During a stressful time trying to fulfill many responsibilities reached out and ask God, "What am I doing well?".  The answer she received is what she continues to intentionally develop and it has far reaching effects in her family.

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Meal planning helps us keep a reasonable food budget, reduce dinner-time stress, and store up a few extra meals to bail us out on a busy night.  I plan a few different types of meals each week to help keep a realistic schedule and feed our family with good, nourishing meals. I also include my tips for when I make meals and how I keep stocked up on homemade snacks.

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Jennie Brown is the mother of three young children. She has brought her love and need for creativity in her life to her family and she shares how she makes that happen for her and her family.  Jennie has a refreshing perspective on living a balanced life.

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Alison Jones is a mother of two children who has learned to make self care a priority in its truest form - sleep and eating well.  She is currently living with her family in Amsterdam and they have embraced traveling with children and focusing on the experiences and not activities.  She has made fun and play a priority in their home and makes every day life an adventure.

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Clutter has a way of taking over our minds and our lives with its presence.  In this episode I talk about our journey with getting rid of the mess and freeing up space to be able to grow in our fullest capacity and experience joy.

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In this episode I share five novels that I read this year that I picked up to find rest and escape that filled me with wisdom and inspiration to continue on.

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In this weeks episode I talk about taking the what and why of your vision and moving into the how.  I also discuss the importance of letting go of all or nothing thinking when creating your vision and executing goals.  I hope that as you listen today you will feel inspired to start taking small steps to grow slow, as well as have practical tools and resources for scheduling out your goals and planning projects.

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After her third child was born, Monica Packer realized that she had become someone that wasn't true to herself or the mom she wanted to be. This led to a period of much change and growth, starting with making list of things she wanted to do before she turned 30.  She talks about the transformation that took place from that pivotal moment as well as how she reinforces that kindness is the most important thing for their family and how each person is responsible for their own happiness.

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Darla Trendler is the mother of four teenagers who has come to be confident in who she is as a mother.  She believes that she is equipped to give her children what they need from her and acts (and prays!) accordingly.  Darla shares some powerful moments in her motherhood journey where she learned to be true to herself, realized she needed to act if she wanted her circumstances to change, and decided that she was going to be a priority as a person again.

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Juanita Denninghoff is the mother of six children ages 11 years to 7 months old.  She has experienced many seasons of motherhood from her husband being gone for six months at a time with the military to earning her masters degree and now nearly completing her PhD.  Through these and many other experiences she has grown closer to God and learned to rely on him as well as be totally honest with him.

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This week we discuss another aspect of living your vision for the year: identifying and overcoming distractions that prevent you from being your best self.

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This is part two in a series about creating and living your vision for the next year. In this episode I outline the tools and spreads I use in my planner to help me be intentional about making my vision happen. Check out the show notes at thrivinginmotherhood.com for a description of all the elements and links mentioned in the episode.

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In this episode I share how I create my vision for the upcoming year. Having a vision is an important element to thriving and recognizing your growth in every season of motherhood.  It is an powerful exercise and tool to help guide you intentionally through the next year no matter what your circumstances are.

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This week I talk about a revolutionary break-through I've had with letting go of should statements. Should statements gave me a false sense of improvement and a whole lot of guilt, not to mentioned narrowed my choices down to two.  By changing "I should" to "I would like to", I uncover my priorities and then make a decision.

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Sherilyn Rasmussen is the mother of six children ages 13 to 25.  She learned as a young mother to work with her children's God-given personalities and not try to change them to be something they weren't.  Although being a young mom didn't come naturally to her, it is something that she worked hard at and now her family is truly her greatest joy.  This past year she led her family with faith after her teenage daughter was in a car accident and had injuries that required surgery as well as a traumatic brain injury. 

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Meagan Wilson is the owner and founder of Whole Family Rhythms, the place to come to for support, resources and information about conscious, connected parenting inspired by the earth and seasons and above all else your own core family values.  In this interview she shares her own experiences in motherhood, from defining moments of how they chose Waldorf education as part of their family culture to sharing how she copes with messes that come from having a screen-free family.  Meagan's growth is happening slowly over time as she has been raising four children, the oldest who is now ten and the youngest three and a half.

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This episode shares stories of growth from three mothers, Andrea Ware, Aimee Spencer, and Andrea Tate. Their stories of growth range from improving relationships with children who are very different from them to learning to be silly with their kids. 

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Faith Ralphs has experienced the greatest pain that a mother experiences with the death of her first two sons shortly after they were born.  She now experiences the great joy that comes with being able to raise her daughter and share their lives together.  Today Faith shares her journey through these defining moments in her life and some of the things she has learned along the way.  She also shares a few tidbits of her knowledge about eating healthy and a basic step we can all take in the right direction to improving what we eat.

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Kayla Rasmussen is the mother of two little boys who knows what it's like to live a life of transience.  She and her husband have lived in Texas, Africa, Illinois, and now Washington D.C. in just a few short years.  Through this experience she has learned a lot about herself and her need for different relationships in her life.  She is learning how to make friendships quickly and shares some ideas for how to do that (easier said than done!).  Because of her honesty with herself and seeking resources and tools, Kayla is truly thriving - growing! - in motherhood with the challenges and circumstances of her life.

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Cammie Smith is the mother of three little boys and a licensed marriage and family therapist.  She shares research-based principles and practices that lend to a healthy marriage as well as most common reasons for marital tension and how to improve marriage.  Cammie's motherhood journey is intertwined with her area of expertise and she shares her experience and tools that she uses to actively improve herself while facing the realities of motherhood.

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Brinn Bagely Chipman grew up in a mountain valley and has since made her home in 6 different countries, with travel to and around many more in between. Something in her comes alive facing the unfamiliar and unknown, trying to understand the earth and all her people. While grieving through the loss of two babies during pregnancy, she and her husband decided to recommit to living a life of adventure with their two young girls, which now looks like adventure schooling. Today's episode delves into Brinn's empowering story of growth.

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Suzanne Cook is the mother of eleven children.  She shares her journey of faith and how her trust in God developed over time.  She talks through her growth during financial difficulties, pregnancies, and the death of her mother and brother while she had young children.  Suzanne's message is one of hope.

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Katie Larsen is a mother to three little children and she shares her growth and transformation through the different seasons of motherhood.  She describes the period of humble surrender that occurred after a challenging pregnancy and parenting in a way that she knew wasn't what it should be.  This episode is full of incredible paradigm shifts that had me taking notes throughout the entire interview.  

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Linsey shares her experiences in motherhood going from being a masters student with one child, to a full time stay-at-home mom with two children, to a business owner and developer of games with three children.  She believes in teaching her children to be independent as well as creating a strong family culture.  These two priorities have helped her navigate these different seasons of life confidently without guilt.

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Kristen Shaeffer is the mother of five very different children - from each other and her.  She shares how she has learned to parent, love, and enjoy the different personalities in her home.  She also talks about how some of her interests and passions have developed while she has been a mother.

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Korea Tabor is the mother of four children, including almost two year old twins.  She was a teen mom who not only graduated from from high school but also earned her bachelors and masters degree.  She shares some pivotal moments in her motherhood journey and how she learned to let people in and not "block her own blessings" from God.

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This week's episode is all about taking a few moments to reflect on your own recent growth as a mother.  I share a few of my own recent epiphanies of growth relating to how I view my day, getting stronger in the physical work required, how I deal with sleep, and doing more of what I love with my kids - all with the hope that you will recognize your own growth.  Next week we'll be back to another interview with an amazing mother!

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Elise Powell is a mother to three children who always has a entrepreneurial project in the works. Today she shares part of her journey to becoming content with her role as a mother as well as discovering her need find a new way to measure her growth and accomplishments.  This interview is full of wisdom about investing in your kids now and experiencing joy in the moment as well as looking to the future and seeing the potential for their family.

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Caitlin Spencer spent years closely observing and learning from other mothers before becoming a mother to her sweet little girl. She shares the wisdom and priorities that she is working to establish in her own home from ending the day listing all the qualities she sees in her daughter to how she is teaching her that other people matter. 

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Phoebe Cook married young with plans of continuing her education with graduate school. Instead she followed God's plan for her family and had her first child while finishing her bachelors degree.  Now as a mother to three young children, Phoebe shares her journey of how she has slowly changed her dreams to match God's plan and embrace her role as a mother and make it her own.

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Meri Schuhmacher-Jackson is the mother of four boys, three of which have type 1 diabetes.   In September of 2012 her husband died after being diagnosed with Metastatic Melanoma in February of that year.  In June 2015 she remarried and moved her boys across the country to create a new life, now with nine children.  Today she shares so much wisdom about living in the present moment, making memories instead of being anxious about ramifications, and connecting with God throughout the day to help carry the burdens of life.

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Rachel Garrett is an incredible mom to two little boys who also has a photography business and a company, Nutrikids, that she runs with her husband.  Today she shares how all of things developed slowly in a long timeframe and that they are a result of following little promptings and moments of inspiration.  Rachel is navigating balancing full time motherhood with entrepreneurial ventures she feels like she is supposed to be doing right now and are part of her personal mission.

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This week Jessica Jackson discusses how she is trying to make home a place where she feels "at home" and nurtured, as well as her children.  She also talks about a few key moments and resources that have shaped her priorities and vision of motherhood, including incorporating principles of positives psychology into their days and helping her children develop a relationship with God.

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Six years ago Brittany Fisher had an accident that left her a T12 paraplegic.  Since that time she has graduated from college, taught school, married, and now has a little boy.  She sees the magic of motherhood despite her physical limitations. Brittany shares so much wisdom in this episode from being content with her circumstances to being a little kinder to everyone around us. 

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Madeline has made it her life's mission to make everywhere she is her own happiest place on earth. She developed this mission statement while teaching 4th grade and being trained in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Leader in Me program. She saw her students' lives transformed at the Title 1 school as they developed these habits. She shares how the 7 Habits have shaped her as a mother and parent and helps her fulfill her mission of creating a happy life.

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Kim Routsong is the mother of seven children, all with unique personalities.  At the heart of this episode is the theme of unconditional love, woven through stories of living with a son with aspergers and enforcing boundaries with teenagers.   She also shares how she has made teaching sufficiency a priority in their home with systems that have worked for years.  Kim is confident and committed to her role as a mother and relies on God for his guidance and power.

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Leslie Johnson is the mother of six children ranging in ages from 27 down to 16.  She shares the little things she has done over the years that has had a huge impact on creating a strong family culture.  She also talks about how she was shaped during her time living internationally with young children, raising a son with disabilities, and her experience with the death of her infant daughter.  Leslie chooses to look on the bright side, enjoys her children, and embraces the journey of motherhood.

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Sarah Machado has been living with postpartum depression or bipolar disorder for the duration of her motherhood experience.  As an incredible mother of three young children, she shares how she manages each day as well as wisdom for working with her spouse to face the challenges that come with chronic mental illness and being clear about her priorities and personal abilities and limitations.   

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Chelsea and her husband began their marriage committed in the same faith.  Six months into marriage her husband had a shift in his beliefs that started a new phase of life for them in a mixed faith marriage.  Chelsea shares her story of learning and growth as they navigate marriage and parenting from different places of belief.  She also talks about her motherhood journey starting with infertility, then morning sickness, and then postpartum depression.  Her message is one of hope and love. 

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Catherine Picon needed major abdominal surgery during her third pregnancy and brain surgery at the end of her fifth pregnancy. In this episode she shares those experiences and her journey of growth.

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Mikayla Thatcher developed at chronic migraine that she has lived with since the birth of her daughter. She has learned how to mother with a disability and embrace what she can do instead of look at her limitations.

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Robin Kay is a preschool teacher with a special interest in Waldorf education. Robin let's us peak into the rhythms that help her home to run smoothly. She shares ideas for weekly, cleaning, and meal routines.

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Jeni Awerkamp is a mother of three wonderful little girls. After a particularly stressful period of life for her family, Jeni had a health scare that caused her reevaluate and make self care a priority. Join me in this inspiring conversation about how to reduce stress and increase joy in your life.

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This episode is an introduction to the Thriving in Motherhood podcast.