Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 027. Taking a family vacation with eight children may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is worth every minute of effort and all the expense.  We believe getting away from home and your normal routine really strengthens family bonds and gives Mom and Dad a respite […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 026. A few weeks ago we drove Brett and Colter to North Carolina so they could go on a two week Outward Bound excursion in the mountains of North Carolina.  It was the first time either of them were away from home.  While it was not easy to let […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 025. We are protective of our children while they are still young and need us to protect them.  As they mature they are given the opportunity to test themselves and their beliefs while still under the protection of our household.  We try very hard to be protective, but not […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 024. Do you finish your “typical” day feeling like you accomplished nothing?  Or do you typically go to sleep feeling tired, but believing you had a good day?  For me, I enjoy wrapping up the day knowing that I worked hard, taught my children, enjoyed my family, and accomplished […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 023. Several months ago, Brett got her own room.  Since then we’ve been talking a lot about the subject of privacy because I don’t want her to over-value privacy at the expense of relationships.  After all, if she gets married some day, she’s going to have to give up […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 022. Have you ever heard the expression, “He is a born leader?”  While I do think there are people who are natural leaders, I also believe that leadership skills can be taught.  I focus a lot on teaching my children to be leaders because I want them to have […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 021. Our children desperately desire our attention.  We can choose to give it to them proactively on our terms.  Or we can wait until they misbehave and give them attention then in the form of discipline. Children are smart.  They realize that if they can’t get attention from Mom […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 020. How peaceful our homes are hinges on how effectively we discipline our children.  There are a lot of things you can do as a mom to improve the way you discipline and help your children to respond better.  But it starts with you and it takes a lot […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 019. One of my all-time favorite books is Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives* by Richard Swenson.   This is a concept that is really important to a well-balanced life and it is a book that I highly recommend.  If you have margin in your […]

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 018. I want to raise children that have a strong work ethic.  I think laziness is so destructive to our personal success, especially when it comes to our careers and our relationships.  It takes hard work to succeed in both those areas. I use chores to build a strong […]