Mom to Mom Podcast

With full fall schedules just around the corner, now's the best time to get into a good meal-planning rhythm. We've gathered up our best tricks and tips for putting dinner on the table with ease and have put them all in this jam-packed episode. By just putting a few systems in place, you can not only save your sanity, but also your time, your budget, and in some ways, your waistline and health because a plan will help you eliminate the need to eat out or eat easy.

This episode originally aired in Season 1 of our show. Be sure to head to https://momtomompodcast.com/12 for the show notes.

We all know a great and godly marriage takes work. And it’s also fair to say that motherhood is a full-time job of its own as well. It’s a delicate balance. How DO we find the time, the space, the energy, and the focus to keep both relationships healthy and strong?  Is it possible?

This episode originally aired in Season 1 of our show. Be sure to head to https://momtomompodcast.com/11 for the show notes.

Today we’re chatting about the overwhelm of motherhood. Between the three of us, we have 16 children and have experienced more than our share of overwhelm in our mothering journeys.

This episode originally aired in Season 1 of our show. Be sure to head to https://momtomompodcast.com/5 for the show notes.

We are mothers but we aren’t superwomen and we’re not supposed to be. When we are recharged, we're better able to cope with the issues that are bound to come up during the summer. In this episode, Kate, September, and Jamie share their best tips for using summer to refuel.

This episode originally aired in Season 1 of our show. Be sure to head to https://momtomompodcast.com/9-2/ for the show notes.

There are plenty of issues that can divide Christian moms, with well-meaning and Jesus loving women on both sides of any argument. Yet the debate runs deeper than the typical "mommy wars" because at the heart of the division is our commitment to God and His Word. Today, we’re going to be talking about the differences between personal convictions (sometimes called freedoms) and Biblical commands. As we chat, we’re not necessarily going to share our individual beliefs about specific issues, but rather how to put our convictions in their rightful place.

This episode will conclude season 5 of the Mom to Mom podcast. In the coming months, Kate, September, and Jamie will be taking a hiatus to enjoy some rest. They'll be back in September with new episodes, eager to join the conversation around the long and wide table of motherhood. In the meantime, we all hope you’ll still tune in as we rewind through some of the most popular episodes of the first four years.

Months after Jamie wrote her first book, Homeschool Bravely, she was being interviewed on a podcast. And while she doesn’t remember much about that particular show, she does remember one particular question the host lobbed her way. She was asked, do you still have fears when it comes to your mothering? The podcaster was specifically referring to fears about homeschooling, and so Jamie's answer took the conversation in a different direction than she was shooting for. Jamie answered, “Yep, I fear what will happen when everything I have poured into them over the years is now theirs to do with as they will. I pray they will hold fast to their faith and the truth of God’s Word. I pray 2 Timothy 3:14 for them, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.” But then we have to let those fears go, give them to the Holy Spirit and trust that in God’s great love for them, He’ll continue to chase after them even when our role in their lives shifts. That interview was nearly 4 years ago. Jamie now has a grown adult child, and yet she still nurses some of those same fears. 

Today, Jamie hopes that Kate and September, in their hard-won wisdom, can calm not just her fears about parenting adult children, but all of our fears.  We can use all the advice we can get! So, let's turn to our mentor moms and come expecting lots of answers!

There’s a spiritual battle going on in our culture today, Mama, and it’s a battle for our children’s hearts, minds, and bodies. Just turn on your TV and watch the news, or scroll through Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram. It’s everywhere your kids are and everywhere you don’t want them to be.  What can we, as moms, do to stem the tide of corruption targeting our kids?

In today's episode, September, Jamie and Kate chat about how they are raising Christian kids in an unstable world and how we can help our children to not only stay pure, but desire purity. 

• “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:24.
• “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.
• “He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king shall be his friend.” Proverbs 22:11
• “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked (worthless) think before my eyes.” Psalm 101: 2b-3a.
• “Finally brethren, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.” Philippians 3:8

Marriage is God-ordained.  It’s God’s gift to mankind, as He initiated the very first marriage in Genesis. Its purpose is to bring joy to us, bring glory to Him, and raise Godly families. He gave marriage to us to make our lives more fulfilling and richer, ultimately drawing us closer to God.

As soon as two become one through marriage, their relationship changes, and they are unified in a mysterious way, different from any other human relationship, with eternal significance. God’s design for marriage is companionship, purpose, and passion.

And although every marriage comes with pitfalls, there are steps we can take to strengthen our relationship with our spouse even after physical or emotional infidelity and model what Christ taught us about loving and forgiving others.

Everyone wants to feel at home in their home. For some of us, nothing can be further from the truth. Our homes are sterile, uninspiring, or on the flip side cluttered and overwhelming. The good news is, transformation can often happen with just a few tweaks here and there. Today, we're joined by Marian Parson, known online as Miss Mustard Seed.

Marian is a pastor's wife, mother of two boys, paint enthusiast, and lover of all things home. She’s recently released her fifth book, Feels Like Home: Transforming Your Space from Uninspiring to Uniquely Yours and she’s here to specifically give hope to those of us who are chronically hesitant decorators who might want to transform their spaces but aren’t sure where to start.

We realize that abortion is a very tender topic for some listeners, especially in light of the recent reversal of Roe vs. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. To be honest, it’s a very tender topic for each of us on the show. All three of us have been touched by the effects of abortion in some way or another. Our goal today is not to pass judgment or to point fingers. Instead, we hope to do two things: First, share our stories and the truth of Scripture to offer help, hope, and healing to anyone who might need it, and second: equip others to help their family, friends, and neighbors choose life.

We are joined by Abby Johnson, former clinic director for Planned Parenthood and now an outspoken advocate of the pro-life movement.

Life isn’t always as smooth and happy as a Hallmark commercial. For some of us, tragedy arrives out of the blue, shattering every truth about God we thought we knew. It can come through divorce, death of a loved one, the loss of a secure job, or the loss of a spouse.

How do you find your Rock in the midst of devastation? How do you find unshakeable peace? Danita Jenae has walked the road of deep loss after suddenly losing her husband Dan. In her new book, When Mountains Crumble, she shares a compelling message for the brokenhearted.

Summer is upon us and if you live in a place that is buried under snow for what feels like 95% of the year, you want to take full advantage of all three weeks of it. You welcome the sunburned noses, the skinned knees, and even the mosquito bites that are the required dress code of summer. Some moms, whether because of personality or daily responsibilities,  find summer easy–they become less structured, more breezy, and naturally more fun.

But for some of us, our expectations of summer fun fall far short of our realities. We want to be the fun summer mom, but we’re perhaps more Type A. Or maybe our schedules and responsibilities don’t shift or we just prefer the Great Indoors.

But here’s the thing, no matter our personalities or daily schedules, you and I  most likely only have 18 summers to spend with our kids without adulthood handing them adultish things–18 chances to squeeze in adventures and make lasting memories. Let’s not let this summer just slip by. Let’s grab a hold and make the best of it!

Mom anger is real, it is hidden, it is often something that takes the calmest and even the most loving and positive mother by surprise, and is one of the most shameful and embarrassing topics in mom circles because most mothers think they must be the only ones who get angry with their children.

From our children’s immaturity, our own personal struggles, our circumstances, and a child’s behavior, we all have moments where our children have not seen the best in us. And most of the time, it is directed or misdirected at them.  Which is the last thing any of us want for our motherhood or for our children.

Today, we  are chatting with Amber Lia, a native of California, married to her husband Guy and raising four boys. Amber is an author, speaker, life and health coach and this topic brought her book Triggers, to the top selling list, as it caught the attention of many desperate mamas, finding help and encouragement with our Mom Rage.

Moms, we are in a battle--a battle against the culture for the hearts and minds of our children. Today, Heidi St. John has joined us to help us prepare for it.  

Heidi has an uncanny ability to bypass our prejudices and preconceptions allowing her to speak directly to the heart of every mother as she offers wisdom, inspiration and grace to those who are all too often feeling overwhelmed by all that's on their plate. Heidi’s been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and several grandkids. The St. John children range in age from tweens to adults. They’ve homeschooled their kids all the way through high school, with 5 graduates now. In addition to all this, Heidi is running for Congress for the 3rd district of Washington state.

We don’t know what myths…or really lies you’ve believed about what it means to be a “good” mom, but we hope that our discussion today will dispel some of those misguided beliefs.

The truth is, we’re all in process–trying to be the best moms we can be to the children that God has specifically given to us to mother. We’re gonna get it right some times and we’re gonna mess it up at other times. But, let’s not get discouraged in doing well. Let’s remember Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” That’s not a myth. That’s a truth and a promise, not just for you but for your kids.

If you’re raising a strong-willed child, you’re well aware of it without having anyone tell you. Strong-willed kids aren’t bad but they can be incredibly frustrating. They’re often smart and confident, able to problem solve quickly, and are determined to achieve their goals. Although those are great traits, they’re probably not the first things that pop in your mind when you think about your child.

The defiance can be exhausting and the disrespect crushing. The weight of it all can exhaust you and become all-consuming.

Strong-willed children crave two things: respect and choice. So how do you find out what makes them behave the way they do? What do they need from you to help you both move forward and build on their strengths?

Motherhood can be overwhelming and quite honestly, as much as we organize, set up boundaries, and have a healthy view of our daily life, the peace and joy may be absent from our soul and our calm feels like chaos.  How can a mom be transformed from the inside out?

Today’s guest, Tricia Goyer, understands what it’s like to be pulled in a dozen different directions with the longing and intention to do all things well.

Perimenopause and menopause are God-designed. They are seasons that can and should be welcomed and celebrated. But unfortunately, they are often talked about with undertones of regret, embarrassment, or lament.

Today, we hope to change the narrative.

In Psalm 141:3, we read, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” This verse echos the theme of dozens and dozens of verses in Scripture. And it’s not by accident that God warns us more than once to watch what we say. Our tongues are powerful and as we’ve mentioned before on the show, they can give life. Today's guest, Ginger Hubbard, is here to give us some tips for taming our kids' tongues so that they too might speak life. 

It’s been said that lost time is never found again. You have but one life to live. So, how you use your time each day really counts. Today, we are looking back on all the promises we made to ourselves last month and doing a quick assessment of our goals. Hopefully our chat will be like a shot in the arm to you to keep pressing in to yours.

When we gossip, we’re sharing information about someone that’s not public knowledge…if they wanted you to know it, they’d share it themselves. Before you're tempted to share news about someone else, ask yourself this: "Would I say these words if the other person were standing right here in front of me?"

Gossip is extremely harmful and, if what you're sharing is not true, it’s slander. When you gossip, you’re telling only a partial truth about someone because you can’t possibly know the whole story. The hard truth is this: Gossip is sin and it can destroy a home, a church, and a friendship. It’s like a secret hunger that we try to avoid but when someone starts talking about someone else, we almost can’t resist it.

When left unchecked, the seasons of a woman’s body and her ever changing hormones can often lead to discouragement, spiraling emotional and physical crashes, and a shadow loneliness. Sadly, after decades of ignoring the natural response of our bodies and the intricate design and purpose we were created for, many of us struggle to respond to our beautiful womanhood in healthy ways.

Our husbands have volunteered to be in the hot seat and we’ll be turning the mics over to them to give us all a peek at what it means to be a husband and father with intention and hopefully help us all as moms know how best to love, support, and partner with them in helpful ways. This is obviously the Mom to  Mom Podcast, so the episode is for you. But, if you’re married,  we’d encourage you to grab your spouse and listen together.

The term helicopter parent was derived from some parents' literal and continuous hovering over their children's every move. It is a fitting term for moms and dads who choose to oversee every detail of their children's lives. Even when kids are more than capable of doing things independently, helicopter parents can't help but swoop in and take matters into their own hands.

In today’s episode, we are sifting through the pros and cons of micro-managing and parenting our children and the difference between being a protective parent or having a child-centered home.

Feelings of discontent sometimes feel unavoidable in this digital age, because unlike in the previous generations when the temptation to compare only came from face-to-face interaction or the occasional hand-written note in the mail, we have the blessing and burden of peering into the lives of others all the livelong day.

Today, we want to flip the narrative. Instead of focusing on what we lack, let’s start focusing on what we offer--what makes us unique--what makes us awesome. If that phrase makes you squirm a bit, that’s understandable. We’re all so used to feeling down about ourselves that it can feel slightly uncomfortable acknowledging the good that God is working in us.

Today we welcome Dr. Kathy Koch, founder of Celebrate Kids based in Fort Worth, Texas, popular national convention speaker, and author of several great books including 8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child’s Intelligences.

We know that motherhood makes high demands. Yet we know it’s worth it. Some days we may feel like no one sees us or wonder if our daily investments are even making a difference. Because let’s be honest; motherhood is not glamorous. Days and weeks can go by without an ounce of appreciation, without any special moments, without any “it’s all worth it!” epiphanies. Maybe you feel like some sort of defective woman who is selfish and like a fraud because you are feeling the weight and perhaps the disappointment of motherhood not being all that you expected it to be.

As moms, we are always on the lookout for ideas and shortcuts, tips, and tricks to make life easier. Today, we're sharing lots of fun and practical tips we think will help you and hopefully, make life a little bit easier for you. We have gathered loads of ideas, categories, some helpful links, and much more to inspire you.

Teaching our kids hospitality or generous living flows from our everyday lives and not just the singular stress-filled moments of hosting company or entertaining guests.

It begins in the heart and how and what we think of others--how we view our own possessions and our actions. The only art to hospitality and generous living we can teach our children is the act of selfless giving and a posture of humility with what we have been given.

Raising children who love to learn is a goal of just about every parent but not every parent believes they have the tools to do it properly. But, by learning how to identify your child’s innate smarts, parents will have a unique advantage and a leg up on helping their kids recognize that they really are smart, no matter what the circumstances say. How children view themselves is so important! And as parents, we can help them view themselves correctly.

On the one hand, we want our kids to know what is going on in the world in order to process history in the making through a Biblical lens, on the other hand, we want to protect them from being crushed by it all.

How do we prepare them today to be the leaders of tomorrow without overwhelming them with all devastation, corruption, and sorrow?

Well, today, we’re going to be talking about age-appropriate ways to navigate current events with our kids.

September has arrived and school has begun all around the country. Kids are back in school and whether you homeschool or send your kids to public or private school, you’ve likely run into some issues in the morning or evening dealing with attitudes and habits that may have developed over the summer months.

How do you get back into the rhythm of the school year without losing your cool and keeping your sanity at the same time?

Kids will fight. It’s simply the way of the world. But we can’t simply chalk it up to selfishness or “that’s just how kids are” and hope they grow out of it. Selfishness is something every single one of us battles. We each have to learn self-control and to put others' needs first. There are practical things parents can do to stop the squabbling and fighting, the yelling and constant bickering.

Our new normal after Covid 19 looks different and brings with it a new wave of disappointments, not just for us, but for our kids.

But what if instead of looking at all these setbacks and frustrations as something to “slog through,” what if we as moms could see them as an opportunity to help our kids learn to walk well through disappointments. How would that change the landscape of our homes moving forward--regardless of how long this Covid craziness lasts?

So today, we’d love for you to pull up a chair as we chat about how to help our kids walk through disappointment.