Raising the Jenkinses: Recent Episodes
Mike & Lindsay Jenkins
This is a podcast by Mike and Lindsay Jenkins, where we talk about all the adventures of being married for 23+ years, raising four kids into somewhat responsible adults, and maintaining our home and jobs and all that good stuff. We also talk about what it's been like navigating a marriage where one of us has depression and the other does not. We talk about ways to cope, ways to run the home smoothly, how we've implemented routines and rhythms, and everything else you can think of when it comes to marriage and family.
Mike hates the term minimalism, and that's completely obvious in this episode. But, is Lindsay's way of life minimalism, or is there a difference between decluttering and minimalism, and if so, how do both affect one's mental health? This is discussed along with other fun things in this episode.
In this episode, Lindsay and Mike discuss the mental health challenges that will be addressed in future episodes and the blog, Happier Mom Life. They discuss ways they've coped with mental health challenges over the years in their marriage and in raising kids.
In this episode, Lindsay and Kim outline 8 steps that will help as you attempt to follow through on your goals and find success. Here are the links for this episode:
The High Five Habit by Mel Robbins
The Two-Week Declutter Your Home Calendar from The Elusive Follow-Through
The First Domino Blog Post
In this episode, Kim and Lindsay talk about whether or not they set goals, the different ways to plan for them, and ways to be successful when setting your goals. Here are the links mentioned in this episode:
https://www.canva.com/login
https://www.picmonkey.com/
In this episode, Kim and Lindsay talk about favorite holidays and traditions. They talk more about how to simplify the expectations we place on ourselves to create "ideal" holidays and how to create memories that revolve around time spent together rather than things.
In this episode, Kim and Lindsay are talking about the pillars of wellness that will be covered every month going forward. They talk about why they chose these pillars, the benefits that can come from improving each one, and ways to help yourself manage life, grow, and become better.
Hey friends! It's been a while since you've heard from us here at The Elusive Follow-Through! Like all of us do, we've gone through some changes and we're happy to introduce a NEW podcast, Uncover the Happier You! If you've been listening for a while, you'll know that this podcast used to be Lindsay and Mike Jenkins talking about marriage, family, and all the fun that happens there.
But life has changed around a bit and we've revamped it to now be hosted by Lindsay Jenkins and her great friend, Kim Mortensen. Don't worry, Mike will still make an appearance every once in a while, but now you get to hear the experiences of two friends who leave all inhibition at the door and just share the nitty-gritty of mom life, and what it's like to navigate a crazy life as a woman!
We're excited for this first episode that will introduce Kim and let you know a little about our stories. In this episode, we're sharing what to expect from this new podcast and where you can find us on Instagram:
@minimal_mama_lindsay
@wakingdawnwellness
So, come along for the ride, friends! It's going to be REALLY fun!!
In this episode, Lindsay shares a nice conversation with a guest speaker, Lindsay's wonderful mama, Carolyn. She is a social worker, born in the baby boomer generation, and one of the most loving, gift-giving people Lindsay knows. In this episode, they discuss the issues that minimalist families sometimes run into at Christmas or birthdays with well-meaning relatives wanting to give many gifts to the families. It's hard when lifestyles conflict, so the conversation includes discussion about how to compromise, ways to communicate, and ideas for giving gifts of experiences rather than items. Hopefully, this episode will help minimalists and non-minimalists alike to understand each other and reach a compromise that everyone can be happy with.
Lindsay and Mike discuss meal prepping, the logistics of it and why it might or might not be a great idea for you. Whether you are on a special diet or just want the ease of having lots of grab and go meals, this episode will be both informative and enjoyable. They talk about the supplies you'll need, what kinds of foods you can make, whether you freeze or eat fresh, and many other topics.
Here are links to the dishes and the food scale they bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYGAHR8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K6KKWHW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And here is the link to Clean Simple Eats which they discussed on the podcast:
https://cleansimpleeats.com/
Mike and Lindsay discuss what the plans are for the revamped website and how Essentialism (and Minimalism) can change your life if you want it to. Essentialism is about making choices for yourself and being in charge of your decisions rather than letting others make those choices for you. Although it's very much like Minimalism, it's also different in regard to it being more about a mindset and applying to your schedule rather than applying to things and possessions like Minimalism. Both ways of life, though, contribute greatly to greater peace of mind and less overwhelm in your personal and business life.
Link to Essentialism book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Essentialism-Disciplined-Pursuit-Less/dp/B00IWYP5NI/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Essentialism&qid=1572824016&sr=8-2
In this episode, Lindsay and Mike discuss the importance of intimacy in a marriage, whether that is through sex, cuddling, love languages, or anything else. They also discuss a 30-day challenge to be initimate with your spouse and how it's not always easy to make time for each other, but so essential for a happy marriage.
Lindsay and Mike play a humorous round of "Would You Rather?" Enjoy listening to their fun exchange while they discuss things like farting and burping while kissing, JNCO jeans, bad haircuts, being royalty in another era and the joys of an excellent steak. Have fun, y'all!
In this episode, Mike and Lindsay talk about their moms and the lessons they've learned from them. They talk about how much they love them and how moms in general are wonderful and quite simply exactly the mother their kids need. Happy Mother's Day, Moms!
In this episode, Lindsay and Mike discuss a few tips they've learned over the years of how to make achieving your goals even easier. They discuss topics from four categories: health, relationships, finances, and home cleanliness. They also discuss the Follow-Through Journal that you can download for free here.
What's stopping you from achieving the life you've dreamed of? What's stopping you from finally getting healthy or finally being debt-free? Who's to say you can't go back to school or start your own business? The only one stopping you is you, so listen up and see if any of these tips help you!
In this episode, Lindsay and Mike have a guest on their podcast, their youngest daughter, Claire. She talks with her parents about some of the struggles she has with her relationships and what she learned from talking to a counselor. Mike and Lindsay also discuss how they deal with these situations as parents and what to do when the struggle is in the home between siblings.
In this episode, Mike and Lindsay discuss some of the mental roadblocks that come up when we are trying to do something difficult. Why do people think that if they mess up that's it? Why do they think, "Oh, I'll start this tomorrow, so I'd better have that 'Last Meal' tonight!" These are ways of self-sabotaging yourself and your goals. Mike and Lindsay discuss how to get over those things and they discuss their own goals and how to stay accountable for them. Finally they discuss how a promise to yourself needs to be just as important as a promise to someone else.
Mike and Lindsay talk about their ideal life and what their goals are for the future. They also talk a little about being happy with where they are and how even just a little bit of progress is still progress and is worth celebrating. Life doesn't always go exactly how you plan, but that's okay. You can still be proud of yourself for what you've accomplished already and look forward to what you're continuing to do.
Mike and Lindsay discuss the importance of not "losing yourself" when you are a stay-at-home-parent. They discuss creative ways to find time for yourself when your kids are young and how to receive help from others. It doesn't even have to be a spouse...it can be friends, neighbors, and family, too.
They discuss the benefits for both parents when each of you feels like you have time for yourself. They also discuss the importance of planning out the week and communicating with each other about what both of your expectations are.
In this episode, Mike tells his version of the night his house blew up and burnt down. Even after twenty-two years of hearing this story, I never get bored of it. You can also read it in more detail on our website here. Friends, miracles happen and in a moment your life can change. Your perspective can change in an instant, too, if you let it. Whether the catalyst is small or huge, your life will take the direction it needs to take. You just have to trust in the powers that be (I believe our Heavenly Father is in charge) and look for the beauty in EVERYTHING. Sometimes the most wonderful things come from the hardest circumstances.
In this episode, Lindsay and Mike discuss the tendency of mothers to make themselves feel guilty if they aren't living up to their own expectations, or those of others. They also discuss giving and receiving guilt trips from spouses and other people in our lives. What can we do to avoid this trap?
Mike and Lindsay share some funny stories from their childhood and traveling disasters their parents had to deal with. They also discuss things they've learned over the years that work the best for making road trips as enjoyable as possibly, whether short or long. They discuss a few tips for airline flight as well.
Mike and Lindsay discuss how to navigate marriage when one of you has depression and the other doesn't. What causes it? What can be done to help? They discuss a few things they've dealt with over the years, ways they've learned to understand each other and encourage others to do the same. Lindsay also wrote about this on her blog and you can read it here.
Mike and Lindsay discuss the importance of teaching your child about money and why earning it is important. We have a post on this topic as well that you can access here. We discuss our thoughts on giving our children an allowance vs. having them earn their money for the things they want.
What about you? Do you give your kids an allowance, and if so, why? We'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this topic! Go to our website and you can leave a comment on the blog post linked above, or you can leave a comment on our podcast page.
When you were young, who helped shape you into the person you are? Of course, your parents had a huge hand, but who else? Mike and Lindsay talk about who made an impact on them during their childhood and the effect they had on being the people they are now. However, not all people leave a positive impact, which also shapes us. Mike and Lindsay also talk about not assuming anyone is a lost cause. Never brush someone off as impossible to reach, because you never know what their future holds. This week's challenge is to think of someone who had a positive impact on you growing up, and reach out to them to express your gratitude and share with them the impact they had on you.
Are there days when you just can't take it anymore? Like you, Mike and Lindsay deal with this a lot! In this episode, they talk about five ways to deal with those feelings of stress and overwhelm. They talk about how to decide what's essential and what's not (with a little help from an amazing book, Essentialism, by Greg McKeown); how to use exercise and moving more to help destress; how to figure out what is stressing you out and how to make progress toward getting rid of it.
Everyone has times when life can feel like we aren't getting anywhere, but believe it or not, we are making progress, even if it's just a minimal amount. Even the smallest amount of progress is still progress! Hopefully some of the steps Mike and Lindsay talk about in this episode will help you in destressing in your life!
Lindsay and Mike discuss the lessons they've learned at 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, and 20 years of marriage. They discuss things like moving away from family, money spending, having adventures, and how fast time flies.
Mike and Lindsay share a little more about who they are with their audience. They answer some questions they didn't even know about each other! They also encourage their listeners to get to know their significant other a little more, no matter how long they've been together!
Mike and Lindsay discuss a few strategies when dealing with difficult in-laws, especially in regard to giving unwanted advice. Negative situations with in-laws have to be dealt with carefully because nobody wants that awkward silent anger at the next family barbecue. Feel free to leave a comment on our website podcast page about a time when you worked through a difficult in-law situation!
Mike and Lindsay talk about how our family works together to set goals and follow through on them. Getting your kids to be a part of the process is a big part of being successful in implementing change in the family. They also talk about breaking your goals into smaller pieces so you can feel success more often, thus helping you to stay mortivated to finish the process.
Do you ever find it hard to do things for your spouse? Do you wish your spouse would do more for you? After 20 years of marriage, Mike and Lindsay have learned that the best way to feel loved and to love your spouse is to serve each other. Here they discuss simple ways to show your spouse you care, and why you should expect the same in return.
Mike and Lindsay share a little about themselves and their website https://theelusivefollowthrough.com. In this episode, they discuss what they do to feed their family of six people (three of whom are teenagers) for around $600 a month. This is healthy food like meat, veggies, fruits, grains, and all the other good stuff. It's also an introduction of who they are and what they are hoping to accomplish with this podcast.