In the Arena with the Eyre Sisters

Parenting adult kids is a whole new ballgame, folks! We talk about how our parents approached parenting us in our adulthood then Saren and Shawni share their experiences with adult kids as they've moved from parenting to coaching to cheerleading. Saydi chimes in with a lot of great questions she's been thinking about as her oldest is about to head off to college soon. Do you have adult kids? What works for you? Share your ideas and thoughts on Instagram @eyresisters.

Show Notes:

Grandparenting course by our parents

Shawni's post on parenting adult kids

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (book mentioned by Shawni)

Quote shared by Saydi about having a child is like having your heart walking around outside of your body

In this episode, we focus on a specific age group - little kids! In answer to listener questions, we share our experiences and tips on sleeping, eating, emotional disregulation (temper tantrums!), promoting cooperation, and the joys of little kids. These years can be exhausting, but they are also full of so much fun! Please share your favorite little kid ideas on our Instagram page @eyresisters.

Show Notes:

Joy School

Still face

Early Childhood Development Class

Don't Carpe Diem

Hand Brain Model

Lava Concept

Documentary on Babies

Zones of Regulation

Book on Cooperation

In this episode, we share our best tips for family travel. We talk about how to make time for travel, how to find the money to travel, how to feed your family inexpensively while traveling, how to involve your kids in the planning, how to travel with younger children, and more!

As with family life in general, traveling with your family can feel pretty un-glamorous when you're in the middle of it but when you look back, the experiences are cherished. We share some crazy stories and some beautiful memories alongside practical ideas for how you can make family travel happen if that's something you'd like to do with your family.

Our challenge for you to sit down with your spouse and make a plan for some sort of trip you'd like to take with your family.

Show Notes

Ian's post about traveling on credit card points

Saren blog post about making travel affordable

Food you can find and make in pretty much every country:

• Pasta and red sauce with cheese

• Fresh fruits and veggies (produce is typically more flavorful in other countries)

• Fresh crusty bread with cheese/salami

• No bake cookies (oatmeal, cocoa, butter, sugar (it's fine to leave out the vanilla)

• French toast (even for dinner) with honey instead of syrup

• Scrambled eggs

• Homemade pizzas (local bread topped by red sauce and cheese cooked in the oven)

• Rice and beans with garlic, onions, chili powder (with cheese on top)

• Frozen prepared meals are available in many places (especially frozen pizza)

Our brother Jonah marches to the beat of his own drum and has created a rich and beautiful life for his family while living very frugally. Join us as we interview Jonah and learn more about the unique approach to life and parenting that he and his wife, Aja, have chosen. We talk about everything from killing your own food for meat to moving to New Zealand after being inspired by Lord of the Rings to fixing up cars so they run on old vegetable oil. We hope you find Jonah as inspiring as we do! Join us on Instagram, @eyresisters, and let us know what out-of-the-norm things you've chosen for your family or what you'd like to do after listening to Jonah. We can't wait to hear from you!

Show Notes:

Wagon (Ana's award-winning film about driving cross-country in an old G-Wagon)

This week we decided to answer a bunch of questions from our listeners. We answer questions about our names, flops in our family growing up, how we take care of ourselves as mothers, etc. Go grab your favorite dessert and come join us for a fun chat!

Show Notes:

Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff

The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack

Here it is! The episode where we talk about what our parents told us was the most wonderful, beautiful thing in the world - sex! We discuss the talk our parents had with each of us at age 8, how they followed up on that initial discussion, and what we liked and didn't like about how they handled things. We also talk about the initial and ongoing talks we've had with our own kids. How do you talk with your kids about this super important topic? How do you keep things open? What resources have been most helpful to you? Please share over on Instagram @eyresisters!

Show Notes:

How to Talk to your Child about Sex - Linda and Richard Eyre

Shawni's blog post

Good Pictures, Bad Pictures

Protect Young Eyes

Instagram: @kristinbhodson

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we decided to discuss some of the joys and challenges of parenting alongside our Valentines. We discuss how to prioritize your spouse, how to handle the inevitable disagreements, differing ideas about parenting, and what works for us when it comes to division of labor. The challenge this week is to do something for your partner that will be really helpful for them. Hop on Instagram and let us know what you decide to do. Happy Valentine's Day!

Show Notes:

Gottman institute: The Four Horsemen

Brooke Romney Post: His Yin to My Yang

Shawni's Blog Post: Valentine's Edition

Love Languages

Little Dad painting by Brian Kershisnik

Dr. Becky, Good Inside

In this week's episode, we share some key aspects of the religious beliefs and attitudes we grew up with and how our parents' take on the gospel and our church affected the development of our faith and our desire to remain active members of our church. We discuss transactional religion vs. transformational religion and share what matters most to us about our faith. We also talk about how to nurture healthy spirituality so our children can have the capacity to really connect with God and Jesus. We would love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram. How do you nurture faith and spirituality in your home? What are the key ideas you hope your children are getting about religion and about Jesus?

Show Notes:

The Chosen Series

God's Many Voices (Michael Wilcox): Searching Foot Podcast

Richard Rohr Meditations

Patricia Holland, "A Quiet Heart"

Blog Post about Lucy

What Mother Teresa Teaches About Prayer

This week we talk about how much or how little we should try to control various aspects of our kids' lives. It can be tough! We want to protect and guide them but we also want to help them become confident and independent as they make their own decisions. Join us as we discuss our parents' approach to control in our family growing up examine the approach we each take in our mothering. Do you lean more towards helicopter or lawnmower parenting? Or do you tend to be more permissive? What tips do you have for striking the balance? Hop onto Instagram and let us know your thoughts!

References:

Country Bunny and the Golden Shoes

Destiny of the Republic - Candice Millard

Parents.com - Why the Best Parenting Style isn't one style at all, but many

Welcome back for Season 2! This week we talk with our parents about questions that came up during Season 1 - questions like, "Mom, how did you actually feel about Dad surprising you with the land at Bear Lake?!" We also ask them questions about how they came up with their parenting approaches and if they have any regrets. Join us for an entertaining, inspiring episode that will have you laughing at stories of living in the Eyre house, as well as feeling emotional at beautiful reminders like "each child is a seedling."

Don't forget to join us on Instagram @eyresisters!