It can be tough (and time-consuming and expensive) to “be green.” Taking actions — or intentionally not taking actions — can be even more challenging as a parent.

Your brain is not always working correctly. All the sudden you have less time. Your priorities may have shifted.

In this episode of It Takes a Village to Raise a Parent, host DJ Waldow chats with Emily Silverstein, former gDiapers Community Manager and current founder of Urban Oreganics. Emily knows how to “be green” and be a parent (no quotes). Even better, she shares her experience, wisdom, and tips with you — the listener.

Oh, and she tells us HOW TO SAVE THE PLANET (kinda).

Some of the highlights of the show include:  

• How and why Emily launched an organic skincare product company
• How Emily grew up in an “environmentally aware” ... environment
• Emily explains how her passions — for eco-friendly — grew once she had children
• Emily talks about how to educate parents about being more green
• How small, simple actions and decisions can make a huge impact
• Emily’s suggestions to “start small” and to “not be so hard on yourself” <<-- a good tip for parenting in general
• REUSABLE TO-GO BOXES and PRODUCE BAGS?!?! (who knew?)
• Organic is better than NOT-organic!
• Watch out for the word “natural” ... it means NOTHING.

Links:

• Urban Oreganics — Emily’s company
• Emily on LinkedIn 

Today’s episode is about dads. The transition for fathers into parenthood is different from what many mothers experience. Today we are talking to Chris May, one of the founders of SMS4Dads, which is a project that sends dads text messages to encourage and inform them about various childcare and fathering topics. This show is great for not only dads, but also moms, because we’ll be discussing how dads can become more engaged with parenting.

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Why Chris thinks that dads have traditionally been the ones being left out of the parenting conversations and how this has been changing in both homes and in society.
• How trends on paternity leave have changed over the years, as well as thoughts on how to change cultural norms that discourage dads from taking their leave.
• Some of the ways that SMS4Dads is helping to literally put information into dads’ pockets.
• Why the texts help both parents to support each other, as well as why being on the same page is important.
• Why it’s important for dads to spend time alone with their child and to function as a co-parent rather than simply as a support person for the child’s mother.

Today’s guest, Mercedes Kwiatkowski, is a triple board-certified physician: She is a pediatrician, and most of what she does pertains to child psychiatry. In addition, she’s a blogger, a mom of two young children, and a wife. Today’s episode focuses on being a parent and also being a child psychiatrist.

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• Some ways that Mercedes relates her experience in child psychiatry to her parenting, and vice-versa.
• Mercedes’s thoughts on some of the differences between boys and girls and the stereotypes that pertain to each gender.
• How being a parent has changed the work-life balance for a family with two busy physicians.
• How Mercedes controls her stress and calms down after a tough day at work before she gets home.
• Thoughts on how parental stress lends to childhood stress and anxiety.
• How the overuse of technology lends to screen addiction and anxiety, as well as tips on how to curb this.
• The stigma of mental health issues and how talking about it and knowing what to do with kids and adults who are struggling can help. Also, thoughts on finding a balance between honesty and being strong when parents struggle with their own anxiety.

Today’s episode is unique because we are interviewing Jess and James, who decided five years ago to pack up and sail around the world. They’ve had quite the journey, and perhaps their biggest adventures have been having two children, Rocket and Indigo, along the way. Whether or not you’ve ever considered living on a boat, you're sure to find our conversation fascinating and thought-provoking.  

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Where Jess and James are now, what they did when they started, and what they are doing, and what their days are like. 
• How far in advance the family plans and when they plan on stopping their current lifestyle. 
• Some of the ways that the journey has changed from the time that it was just James and Jess to now. 
• What James and Jess miss about living in one place, as well as some of the benefits of living on a boat. 
• How James, Jess, and the kids make friends within the sailing community. 
• Some of the different milestones that children in the sailing community might reach before or after children who are raised traditionally. 

This is part two of The Impact of Pregnancy Loss. During part one, we talked to Jessica Daggett, who is the mom of three living children and who has also lost two babies during pregnancy. She told us the story of her daughter being born still and about a subsequent miscarriage. If you haven’t already listened to that, please do that first so that you can pick up where we left off.

If you have listened to part one already, sit back and listen to part two. We are continuing the conversation to help people who have experienced a loss as well as those who know people who have lost a baby. Some of the highlights of the show include:

• How Jessica’s oldest daughter dealt with the death of her first sister and how that experience has impacted her.
• The painful process of telling others about a miscarriage. Also, Jessica talks about why the miscarriage was, in some ways, more difficult than her stillbirth.
• How Jessica explains to strangers how many children she has.
• Ways to respond when hearing about a lost baby that would be helpful to the parents.
• How pregnancy loss has changed who Jessica is as a wife, a mother, and a human being.
• How Jessica celebrates and acknowledges the lives of her children that she lost.
• Advice for moms and dads who have experienced a loss, as well as tips for including grandparents and other relatives who are also affected by the loss.

Cute Alert!

Cute Alert!

Cute Alert! 

It started as a simple text to a few dozen dads:

---

So … working on a Mother’s Day “Special Edition" of the gDiapers podcast, It Takes a Village to Raise a Parent. I'm asking dads to help me record audio of their kid(dos) answering the following question:

What do you love about your mom?

You can record on your phone, your laptop, whatever.

Oh, and this will be a surprise for the moms … so SHHHHH.

Here is what I need:

• Together (or separate), I need each kid to say their name, their mom's name, and then what they love about their mom.
• Like this: "Hi. I'm Van. My mom is Kristina Milan. I love my mom because she gives the best snuggles."
• Record the video then text or email me the video.

---

The results were, well, ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

From “she let’s me watch TV” to “she gives the best snuggles” … listen and watch as two dozen+ of the cutest kiddos share what they love about their mom.

Watch full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq5I6WVYC4w

P.S. It’s not too late to record your own video of your own kiddos and share it with mom! Do it. Now.

Have you ever considered becoming a foster parent or adopting a child through foster care? Whether or not you already have biological children, becoming a parent through foster care is a completely different experience, and you won’t want to miss this episode! 

Today we are talking to Gini Dietrich, the owner of two businesses and the author of two books. She is also a mother and a wife, and she will be discussing her journey of adopting her daughter through the foster care system. She has some great perspective on the trials and tribulations that go along with adopting through foster care, and she will be sharing her advice for anyone who wants to go through the process themselves.

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• Why Gini and her husband decided to adopt rather than pursue infertility treatment.
• How the foster-to-adopt process works, as well as the trials that the Dietrich family experienced during the early weeks and months of fostering their baby.
• How visitation worked with Gini’s daughter’s biological mother during the time that they were fostering.
• Why foster parents are not supposed to post information or photographs of their foster children, as well as why biological parents are given many chances to get their child back before the child is available for adoption.
• What life has been like since the adoption has been finalized.
• How Gini handles contact with her daughter’s biological mother now.
• How the bonding process with an adopted child can differ from the bonding process with a biological child.
• Gini’s best advice for people who would like to foster or adopt through the foster care system.

Pregnancy loss is a common occurrence, with about one in four pregnancies ending in miscarriage or infant loss. It’s a difficult topic to talk about, however, and sometimes women feel alone after experiencing such a loss. Today we are going to be talking to Jessica Daggett, a wife, mom, and doula. She has three children and has experienced pregnancy loss twice. She has so much to share that we decided to split the interview into two parts, with this being part one.  

Whether or not you have experienced a pregnancy loss, this is a show you won’t want to miss, since chances are good that someone close to you will be affected by the loss of a pregnancy. 

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• What Jessica and her husband had planned when it came to having children and what ended up happening in terms of spacing and pregnancy complications. 
• Jessica’s pregnancy loss of her daughter, Daphne, at 34 weeks -- how she found out, how she felt, and how she got through the days between finding out and delivering her baby. 
• Daphne’s birth story. 
• When and how Jessica and her husband decided to try again for another baby and the difficulties that they had. 
• Jessica’s feelings during her third pregnancy when she got to the last trimester, which was when she lost Daphne. 
• Jessica’s second loss, how it happened, and what caused her second-trimester miscarriage. 

Today’s world is filled with technology. In some ways it helps parents, and in other ways it hinders us. You can probably look at your use of devices and technology and agree with both of these takes. 

Carley Knobloch, a self-described digital lifestyle expert has been on the Today Show and is the Smart Home host on HGTV. She’s the mom of a teen and a preteen, and she has a lot of insight on technology and how it can be used as a parent. She’ll talk about some apps that have helped her and the way that she uses technology to organize her life so she can make more special moments with her kids. 

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Ways that technology has helped Carley be a better parent, as well as ways that it has impeded her good intentions. 
• How to model and encourage good behavior when it comes to technology when you don’t meet your ideal standards yourself. 
• Some specific technology that helps Carley with her parenting. 
• How Carley teaches her kids how to use technology, and why it’s important not to assume that teens know how to use all types of apps and technology despite knowing how to use their own social media platforms. 
• Types of technology that can make someone a less effective parent, as well as how Carley has learned to achieve some balance so she can get her work done while still being in the moment with her kids. 
• Carley’s best piece of advice for parents who want to focus on using the best technology for what they want to do. 

Many people find themselves in the often difficult position of being a single parent. My guest today, Jessica, has been raising her daughter as a single parent. Jessica talks about some of the challenges she has faced and she has some great advice to share on things she has learned along her journey as a single parent. Listen in as Jessica gives some great advice for not just single parents, but for all parents as well. 

 Highlights from this episode:

• Jessica’s decision to be a single parent
• How Jessica’s family and faith provide support to her
• The dynamics of dealing with a different set of rules between her home and her daughter’s father’s home
• Why is is so important for single parents to put aside pettiness and focus on what’s best for their child
• How Jessica’s daughter handles the split-time between her two homes
• The relationship Jessica has forged with her daughter
• The positive aspects of being a single parent
• Jessica shares her advice to other single parents

Quotes by Jessica:

 “The hardest thing single parents will have to do is get along with the other person (parent) when they don’t want to.”

 “Single parents should humble themselves, check the pettiness.”

 “You have a choice on how you’re going to make it a positive relationship.”