Clutter Free Academy

When it comes to being a mom, have you ever felt like you wish someone would just tell you what to do? (Or at least talk you down after your kid has told you that he wishes Jake’s mom was his real mother?)

My dear friend Stephanie Shott joined us this week to discuss mentoring, a topic that is near and dear to her heart as she lacked a true mentor and community when she was a teenage/single/unsaved mom. She started the Mom Initiative specifically to help women be the mentors other moms need. And guess what, she shares the secrets with us today.

Some of the things we discuss:

When you are in the thick of it, knowing someone is there for you makes all the difference. We shouldn’t do this mothering things alone friends. Take this first step to learn how to find your tribe and your mentors.

My friend and speaker, Michele Cushatt hasn’t had the prettiest life. It has been down right hard and the things God have called her to haven’t always been pretty. Michele has handled the not so pretty with such grace that I wanted her to speak about her experiences because no matter how ugly, she always inspires me. I think she’ll inspire you too.

In this episode of So Here’s the Thing, we discuss how following God isn’t always easy. We deal with some of the tough questions like:

• Should I be a working mom or stay-at-home mom?
• If God has called me to this, shouldn’t it be easy?
• Why do some decisions have only comprises for answers?
• How can I even think of reinventing my life with all of the responsibilities I already have?
• How can/do I say NO to the wrong things so I can say YES to the right things?

After listening, tell me how you have reinvented a part of your life whether it be your work, the way you juggle the needs of your family, your ministry or the relationships with your extended family. Two people will win pack of books from me- The Cure for the Perfect Life (being released in August!) and Praying God’s Word for Your Life.

My friend and speaker, Michele Cushatt hasn’t had the prettiest life. It has been down right hard and the things God have called her to haven’t always been pretty. Michele has handled the not so pretty with such grace that I wanted her to speak about her experiences because no matter how ugly, she always inspires me. I think she’ll inspire you too.

In this episode of So Here’s the Thing, we discuss how following God isn’t always easy. We deal with some of the tough questions like:

After listening, tell me how you have reinvented a part of your life whether it be your work, the way you juggle the needs of your family, your ministry or the relationships with your extended family. Two people will win pack of books from me- The Cure for the Perfect Life (being released in August!) and Praying God’s Word for Your Life.

“You don’t get a pass on your faith because of a curve ball.” OUCH! Would your best friend be willing say the same to you if you needed to hear it?

My co-host this week is Gillian Marchenko, author of Sun Shine Down: A Memoir. Gillian’s life as a mom, wife of a pastor and missionary in Ukraine was completely rocked when their third child was born with down-syndrome. In this experience, Gillian learned what deep faith, true friendship and real appreciation for life was all about.

Through our discussion, Gillian shares how:

• it’s possible to feel two opposing emotions at the exact same time
• it’s ok to dislike the diagnosis and still love
• to react when your friend goes through a hard time

Join us for an inspiring discussion about how dealing with the curve ball isn’t always pretty but absolutely survivable.

What is the event in your life that you weren’t sure you would ever see the “sun shine again”? Share it with us for a chance to win a copy of Gillian’s memoir.

“You don’t get a pass on your faith because of a curve ball.” OUCH! Would your best friend be willing say the same to you if you needed to hear it?

My co-host this week is Gillian Marchenko, author of Sun Shine Down: A Memoir. Gillian’s life as a mom, wife of a pastor and missionary in Ukraine was completely rocked when their third child was born with down-syndrome. In this experience, Gillian learned what deep faith, true friendship and real appreciation for life was all about.

Through our discussion, Gillian shares how:

Join us for an inspiring discussion about how dealing with the curve ball isn’t always pretty but absolutely survivable.

What is the event in your life that you weren’t sure you would ever see the “sun shine again”? Share it with us for a chance to win a copy of Gillian’s memoir.

It’s easy to get bogged down with commitments- us moms have a knack for it! But then we start feeling exhausted, over committed and frustrated that our parenting, our physical, emotional and spiritual lives aren’t exactly what we had in mind. Join host Kathi Lipp as she welcomes guest Kasey Johnson, author of a new book and bible study specifically for moms called Mom Essentials. They discuss:

• the differences between essentials and extras
• how to best identify what each are in your life
• and why getting back to the “essentials” can be key to an overall healthy mama.

“It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being smarter.” Kasey Johnson  

It’s easy to get bogged down with commitments- us moms have a knack for it! But then we start feeling exhausted, over committed and frustrated that our parenting, our physical, emotional and spiritual lives aren’t exactly what we had in mind. Join host Kathi Lipp as she welcomes guest Kasey Johnson, author of a new book and bible study specifically for moms called Mom Essentials. They discuss:

“It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being smarter.” Kasey Johnson  

Some parents are excited when summer comes. They get to be around their kids all day, everyday. This was SO not my experience. I loved the first day of school, not having to hear my kids whine that they were bored, or try to figure out what to do with them without breaking the bank.

So this episode of So Here’s the Thing is all about keeping the fun in Summer Fun. If you’re just starting to run out of tricks in your summer bag, you will want to hear this conversation with Kathi and her co-host Erin MacPherson.

Erin gave us some great ideas about creating a CAMP MOM and offers us her ideas from last years Pintasttic Summer.

Finally, I promised you a picture of what my brother in law made in less than 15 minutes: A life-size Jenga.

He took a bunch of 2x4s, cut them each to 10.5 inches long, until he had 48. Standard Jenga rules apply. (I promise you it took Randy all of 15 minutes to make the entire game.) I’ve seen directions for these floating around Pinterest. Some say you have to sand, but ours were unsanded and worked just fine.

Roger contends that the reason it’s so much fun is the real threat of bodily harm. (The blocks are light enough they wouldn’t hurt anyone, but you may want to keep small children and dogs at a fair distance…)

Some parents are excited when summer comes. They get to be around their kids all day, everyday. This was SO not my experience. I loved the first day of school, not having to hear my kids whine that they were bored, or try to figure out what to do with them without breaking the bank.

So this episode of So Here’s the Thing is all about keeping the fun in Summer Fun. If you’re just starting to run out of tricks in your summer bag, you will want to hear this conversation with Kathi and her co-host Erin MacPherson.

Erin gave us some great ideas about creating a CAMP MOM and offers us her ideas from last years Pintasttic Summer.

Finally, I promised you a picture of what my brother in law made in less than 15 minutes: A life-size Jenga.

He took a bunch of 2x4s, cut them each to 10.5 inches long, until he had 48. Standard Jenga rules apply. (I promise you it took Randy all of 15 minutes to make the entire game.) I’ve seen directions for these floating around Pinterest. Some say you have to sand, but ours were unsanded and worked just fine.

Roger contends that the reason it’s so much fun is the real threat of bodily harm. (The blocks are light enough they wouldn’t hurt anyone, but you may want to keep small children and dogs at a fair distance…)

Bonnie Gray wrote this amazing book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest, and after I read it, I had, had to, HAD TO, sit down and talk to her. In this world of go go go, do more, do it all well and don’t forget to look amazing doing it, this book is powerful reminder that finding rest is not a luxury but a necessity.

Bonnie and I discuss our typical coping mechanisms, our fear of not being valuable, of doing it all and doing it well or feeling like a failure, and ways to shift the paradigm not only in our own lives, but the lives of those around us.

If you wonder:

- what is my value – would anyone love me or like me if I stopped “doing” – how can I recharge when there is no end in sight – how much more can I give

then this podcast is absolutely for you. Give yourself permission to listen to our conversation, then move towards finding your inner whitespace.

Enter to win a copy for you and a friend of Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening your Soul to Rest, by commenting below. (Open to US and Canada only)

Is God calling you to find rest and whitespace in your life? What does that look like for you?