As moms who are navigating this season of caring for little ones, I believe it is so important for us to have a source of support and voice of wisdom in our lives — and this is one of the reasons I love Moms on Call. I first discovered Moms on Call, an amazing ministry designed to encourage and equip moms of littles with helpful parenting resources, shortly after I had my firstborn, and I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Laura Hunter, one of its co-founders! I am not exaggerating when I say that she is FILLED with encouragement and wisdom for the mom who is in the thick of this season of motherhood. I am so excited for you to have a listen!

In today’s episode, Laura and I chat about:

- the backstory and mission behind Moms on Call

- encouragement for the anxious mama and what it looks like to parent out of truth instead of fear

- laying down the “foreverness” of the decisions and challenges we are facing in this season

- prioritizing and the myth of balance

- how she is being filled by God’s Word these days

- intentionally speaking truth into our children’s lives

Meet Laura:

Laura Hunter is a true testament of grace in the chaos! She is the mother of five, a pediatric nurse, a bestselling author, entrepreneur, international infant care specialist, and co-founder of Moms on Call. There is one common area for all of Laura’s life, and that is her desire to inspire and speak into the hearts of parents.

Resources Mentioned:

Moms on Call | Helping Moms with Kids from Birth to 4 Years Old: https://momsoncall.com/

Moms on Call Resources: https://momsoncall.com/shop/

Moms on Call on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momsoncall/

Learn more about my Mom Empowered coaching program and how I empower moms to gain the emotional wellness they need to confidently create the life they’ve always wanted: http://www.jessieereddia.com/coaching

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

Christi Straub is a mom of two and knows the challenges of these years of early parenting well. As a marriage and family coach, she also knows just how vital it is for wives and moms to pursue emotional awareness and safety — and how this has the power to completely transform a home! I just know you’re going to love Christi’s transparency and the wisdom she has to share as we go deep into some common, but painful struggles for moms and what it looks like to come out on the other side so that we are able to live, love, and lead well.

- how the challenges of the postpartum years led her to the coaching ministry she does today

- finding yourself again after having kids

- how one 15-minute practice changed her marriage

- the heart behind their new children’s book, What Am I Feeling?

- practical ways to cultivate emotional awareness and safety in our homes

- the 2/5 rule that can set moms free from fear and guilt

Meet Christi:

Christi Straub, M.A., M.B.A. is a native Canadian, wife to an American, and momma to two feisty kiddos. She is a marriage and family coach and leads The Straub Co., an organization where she and her husband Josh coach families to live, love, and lead well. Christi is a Fellow of the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling. She is also co-host of the In This Together podcast and is coauthor of the children’s book, What Am I Feeling? (2019), as well as a Bible study for families called Homegrown: Cultivating Kids in the Fruit of the Spirit (B&H, 2019). When she and Josh aren’t working together, they spend time on the lake in their 1974 Crestliner, train their disobedient puppy, and watch their kids crush karaoke on a stage built in their dining room.

Resources Mentioned:

What Am I Feeling? Children’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Feeling-Dr-Josh-Straub/dp/1535938188/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=what+am+i+feeling&qid=1576967789&s=books&sr=1-1

Homegrown Bible Study: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/homegrown-bible-study-book-P005813576

The Straub Co.: https://famousathome.com/

Famous at Home Podcast: https://www.joshuastraub.com/ourpodcast/

Follow Christi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christistraub/

Learn more about my Mom Empowered coaching program and how I empower moms to gain the emotional wellness they need to confidently create the life they’ve always wanted: http://www.jessieereddia.com/coaching

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

“I have fought battles this year. And I have a feeling that you have too. You may be in the middle of fighting one right now. Maybe it looks like some of what I’ve already described. Or maybe it looks like something different altogether. Unexpected news. Sickness. A job lay-off. Sexual temptation. Resentment. Shame and guilt. Apathy. Intrusive thoughts.

Whatever the case, there is one thing I am certain of: the enemy may think he’s winning, but the truth is that Jesus has already won. There is only one person who has the final say over our lives and it is Jesus Christ, who covers us with grace and has given us all that we need to be victorious. We are overcomers because HE has overcome…”

Press play to hear more.

Lyrics to “This is How I Fight My Battles + Surrounded”:

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you

It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you

It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you

It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you

Song: “This is How I Fight My Battles + Surrounded (Spontaneous)” by UPPERROOM

https://youtu.be/NoAqymNcBTk

Scripture Referenced:

Romans 8:31-32

Romans 8:37-39

Romans 8:26

2 Kings 6

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

"Have you ever had a morning where every fiber of your being begged you to stay in bed? No matter how much you knew you needed to start your day, you just couldn't bear the thought of putting your feet on the ground. If you're in the thick of motherhood, then odds are you haven't just had one morning like this, but have had many. Because sometimes being a mom feels like signing up to be in a war zone day after day, and there are just some days where you don't want to fight..."

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Scripture Referenced:

Matthew 11:28-30

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

"We somehow get it in our heads that we should be able to do this on our own, that we should be able to get through the day without needing God. We want things to go smoothly, to be perfect. We want to be the best possible mom or wife. And when we are faced with our humanity and all the weaknesses and flaws that come with it, we crumble apart rather than see it for the humbling reminder of our need for God that it truly is. Which is in his design for our relationship with him. It is good that we need him.

And so it turns out that the days of frustration and desperation are perfect training ground for us to learn how to lean into him as he calls us to do, running to the Lord with our needs to receive his love and peace and help..."

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Scripture Referenced:

Hebrews 12:1-3, 11-12

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

"There have been nights when I have felt alone while nursing in quiet in the dark. My husband is sound asleep, the dog is sound asleep, all of my friends and family are sound asleep, everyone on social media is asleep, and yet here I am. Awake and alone. Tending to my baby. These moments are hidden from the world. Its just her and I. And it can be tempting to feel isolated and unnoticed.

Maybe this sounds all too familiar to you right now. Maybe you're still in the thick of things with me, waking up far more often than you'd like, taking care of your little one while the rest of the world remains oblivious..."

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Scripture Referenced:

Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

“I’m lacking joy these days. I can feel it. Waves of irritation and frustration and sorrow even wash over me when I least expect it. When I’m in the car with a screaming baby for twenty straight minutes. When I’m watching my toddler deliberately disobey me. When my husband forgets something I asked him to do. When my to do list just keeps getting longer and longer.

There have been days where I’ve just felt lost. Even a little empty. Being a wife and mom requires so much of me. I’m always giving. Always serving. Always being poured out. And I reach a point where I just don’t want to give anymore. Do you ever feel this way?”

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Scripture Referenced:

James 1:2-3

Psalm 103:1-4

John 10:10

Hebrews 12:2

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

“I don’t know about you, but I tend to pile way more onto my to do list than is feasibly possible for me to do in any single day. When evening rolls around, my list usually still has so many items not checked off that I end up having to carry those things over into the next day, creating a never-ending problem of having too much on my plate. And that’s when the anxiety starts to kick in and I all of a sudden go from being Supermom to Super Angry Mom. Because all I see is what’s left to do and it leaves me feeling overwhelmed…”

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Scripture Referenced:

Luke 10:38-42

Matthew 6:31-33

Colossians 3:23

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered

“To tell you the truth, I was angry at the Lord — angry that this is my life now and sometimes it feels like he’s nowhere to be found. I didn’t have these kids just to make me happy. I had these kids because I thought that this was a calling he had put on my life that would be used to bring him glory. I thought that this was going to be a partnership between him and I, that every day spent loving these kids was going to be rewarding because I was doing it WITH him and FOR him.

But lately it doesn’t feel like that’s the way it is…”

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Scripture Referenced:

James 1:12

Colossians 3:23-24

Galatians 6:9

Matthew 16:27

Luke 6:35

1 Corinthians 15:58

Psalm 127:3

Connect with me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessieereddia

Join the Mom Empowered Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momempowered