Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Do you ever wonder why you respond the way you do to your kids? Do you feel like there are things to process from childhood but don’t have the words to explain those feelings? 

Today Charissa Lopez, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas joins me. She specializes in play therapy, EMDR, emotionally focused family therapy, and trauma-informed care. She is full of wisdom and the science to explain why we respond and parent in specific ways based on childhood patterns.  Join us as we talk about… 

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Welcome Don't Mom Alone Friends! - Charissa Lopez Counseling–helpful pdfs on loving parental behaviors and attachment styles. 

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Do you struggle with discontentment and comparison in motherhood and beyond? Do you constantly second guess the best way to raise your kids in regards to food, education, health, and even naptime?

Today, Laura Wifler, from Risen Motherhood is here to talk about her new book written with her sister-in-law Emily Jensen. We start by breaking down the framework they introduce in the Gospel Mom and how we are often looking for a formula to parent our kids but God has given us a framework in the metanarrative of the Bible. 

Next, we talk about the challenges of trying to live in a Christian mom community- we know God calls us to be with others but what do we do when friendship is hard or not life-giving? As moms, we feel like there is a right and wrong way to do every single little thing in motherhood- feeding, naptime, schooling, health and those often all lead to comparison. Laura gives us some truth and ideas regarding comparison, how to be content, and accept your actual life. God has so many lessons for us moms if we lean in and apply the gospel lens it helps give life and joy even in hardship. 

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Ever wonder how your mom friends with all boys or all girls handle parenting? Do you often wonder how in the world a “boy mom” or a “girl mom” views the opposite? 

Today my good friend Courtney DeFeo is here to have an in-depth conversation about her experiences as a “girl mom” and asks me tons of great questions about what life with four boys is like (spoiler alert- active and crazy). Courtney is an author, podcaster, and creative mom of two girls. We bring the conversations we have had many times over the lunch table to the podcast today. Often our worlds feel opposite, her girls used to sit and play with playdough for thirty minutes, and my boys sit for three minutes. Her girls love clothes, nails, and coloring while my boys were in a bouncy house, eating my decor, and moving their bodies constantly. 

We end by starting to break down the teen years and how the emotions show up differently for each gender. By discussing some of the gender stereotypes that come up we hope this conversation helps you support your mom friends better. And don’t forget to go over to Courtney’s podcast to finish the conversation later this week. 

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Art of Nurturing Boys :: David Thomas [Ep 119]  

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Do you often feel like what is the point of engaging politically or voting? Are you worried about the direction our nation is headed and what is next?

Today Sharon McMahon is here to teach us about how our government functions and encourages us that individuals make a difference. She began as a government, history, and law teacher and then took her passion for educating to Instagram. Her platform grew rapidly as she has a way of helping all of us understand the process and history of the United States. Her new book The Small and the Mighty reminds us that each person has a part to play in our sphere of influence and shows us how the United States was founded on the backs of small but mighty people. 

Sharon encourages with this truth that “we must not grow weary in doing good”. Our ancestors who have suffered much continued to fight for justice and invest in the communities around them and we have so much to learn from their stories. 

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Do you ever struggle to keep Christ at the center of Christmas? Do you feel many Christmas traditions take a ton of time and energy or are just busy work but don’t point to Jesus? 

Today Lillian Richey, my personal friend, is here to share her new project called Finding Jesus which helps families make Christmas meaningful and simple. Last year the Lord dropped into her heart the idea of a Jesus doll that tells the whole story of Christmas through scripture and helps kids see Jesus. Through the last few months, God has used this project to bring the gospel around the world, including China, and answered prayers. In less than a year this beautiful product has come to life. 

Finding Jesus points our kids to Christ and a connection to Him that goes deep into hearts and minds. This doll, puzzle, story, and song weaves together the Biblical truth with some fun. Lillian’s story shows us that when we listen to the voice of God His ideas are gospel minded and He has the resources to help us accomplish creative ideas. 

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Children's Jesse Tree Advent Cards 

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Do you feel like your teens have hidden struggles that you can’t talk to anyone about? How do you honor your kids while still finding safe people to process parenting with? How do you advise your kids on their friendships and relationships? 

Today, Amy Betters-Midtvedt is here to help us navigate the deep waters of parenting teens. Amy is a teacher with a master’s degree in leadership and is currently a literacy coach. She has five kids in all stages of life from college to kids still at home, some of her kids have had teen struggles that Amy has had to learn how to navigate. She shares her ideas in her new book, You’ll Make It. 

We cover how to handle changes in our teen’s friend groups, what to do if your teen’s friends are a bad influence, and having the humility as a parent to say “I messed up”. Amy shares some very personal stories about her teens and anxiety (with their permission) and how their family faced that challenge head-on to overcome and get back to the things they love to do. Parenting teens can be hard but there is so much joy in watching them become who God created them to be, Amy will teach us how to partner with the Lord as we navigate these formative years. 

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As a mom do you feel there is not enough time in the day? Are you constantly overwhelmed with your to-do list and mental load? Are you snapping at your kids because they cannot keep up with the pace? 

Today Kendra Adachi; the Lazy Genius, author, podcaster, and most of all mom, is here to help us focus on the most important tasks. Kendra and I are opposites, she has read all the time management books whereas I have read zero. Only 7% of books in this arena are written by women so her newest book, The PLAN, was much needed in this space. Most productivity books are written with the future in mind and while it’s good to think and plan for the future Kendra tells us that most moms are trying to run their household well every day in the small task. She helps us PLAN- prepare, live, adjust, and notice what is going on around us in our homes. 

This episode reminds us that being kind to our kids is more important than being on task, we are not robots, and helps us look at time differently which allows us to show up with compassion for others. There is so much Biblical truth when we structure our time well and keep the most important things at the center of our days. 

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Do you feel like a team with your spouse in parenting or do you often turn on each other? Do you have different ideas about what is right for your kids? Have the teen years brought more conflict than unity? 

Today Dr. Kim Kimberling, professional counselor and founder of Awesome Marriage, is here to share his years of wisdom on how to keep the marriage strong while parenting. Dr. Kim has been married to his wife for 53 years and the tips that flow from those years of experience are priceless. 

He shares how to build in some one-on-one time, stay on the same page in the teen years, and how praying together allows the Holy Spirit to breathe creativity into your parenting. Dr. Kim also comforts those whose spouse may not currently be walking with the Lord and how to navigate that hard season. He reminds us that you can’t put your marriage on the back burner for years and expect it to be the same when your kids are gone and gives us tools to make sure we are making our partner a priority. Be sure to check out his website that is full of resources. 

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Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find--and Keep--Love [BOOK on attachment]

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Does the word holiness feel stuffy and old-fashioned? Do you feel you have a personal and intimate relationship with the Lord? Does your Christian life look more like a performance than a practice? 

Today Jeannie Cunnion joins me to discuss her new book Closer to God. She is a best-selling author, bible teacher, and speaker who shares how the Holy Spirit can transform our family and motherhood. Her new book covers how to practically have an intimate relationship with the Lord in the middle of chaos and noise. 

As mom’s we often long for a deep meaningful relationship with Jesus but don’t know how to get there when kids are up early and there seems to be no space. Jeannie talks about cultivating a habit of conversing with the Lord in the mundane moments of our days and how Holy intimacy produces a Holy identity. 

If you feel far from God today we are reminded of Isaiah 30:15, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength”, we cannot perform our way to God. He is waiting in the quiet intimacy. 

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Closer to God: by Jeannie Cunnion (pre-order now)

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How do you know when it is the right time to leave a season? Do you know how to sit in silence with people? Would you consider yourself a good listener? 

Today Emily P. Freeman joins us to discuss her new book, How to Walk Into a Room. She is a New York Times bestselling author of six books with a masters degree in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Friends University. She has a true passion for teaching us how to listen well and hold grief and silence with those who need it most. Emily states that silence can teach us a lot about ourselves- it can uncover fears we need to deal with or be aware of. We have another cliffhanger today so stick around to find out where the rest of the episode is airing. 

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