Just Ask Your Mom

We may tend to think kids will just absorb information about money and how to use it, but turns out parenst can teach some practical life skills parents from a suprisingly early age to help foster a positive and financially savvy approach to money. In this episode, we run through key concepts from saving to investing, allowances, generosity, and a whole range of topics for a good head start.

Sibs are the only ones with us for the whole ride. The relationship may define us & form us more powerfully than any other. But even if siblings are best friends, there's often a lot of conflict and irritation that come with the territory. From Cain & Abel to the Jonas Brothers, siblngs are as old as time. What can parents do to solidify the bonds and minimize the tattling and arguing?

They Whine, I Wine. It's Wine O'Clock. Mommy's Sippy Cup. You've probably seen the memes, merchandising, and movies associated with what's now known as the "mommy wine culture." Samantha Perkins, author of Alive AF, One Anxious Mom's Journey to Becoming Alcohol Free, gets honest and real about her nightly chardonnays while parenting her two children under 5. This is a brave conversation we shouldn't shy away from.

https://www.amazon.com/Alive-AF-Anxious-Journey-Becoming-ebook/dp/B08RF1LSMP

https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Luckiest-Surprising-Magic/dp/160868654X

Our special guest on this episode is Emma Goodwyn, who happens to be Renee's firstborn child. We chat about the arrival of Emma's own daughter and what it's like to watch your grown child have her own. In an honest and open conversation about being a new mom and a new grandparent, how their mother-daughter relationship changed, and how it's going so far, Renee & Emma keep it real.

What used to be noisy family chaos at dinnertime now becomes mom, dad, and the youngest blinking at each other over meatloaf. How do we navigate changing family dynamics as, one by one, the kids leave home? Is it ok to parent one child differently than their siblings? In this episode, we encourage moms to "finish strong," having perseverance in that home stretch toward the empty nest.

According to author Hope Edelman, when new mothers are grieving their own mothers, the physical and psychological stress can be overwhelming: You're suddenly in the role of the person you need most—who's no longer there. If you become a mother after your own mother dies, you're mourning what might have been. On this episode, we talk with Danielle Cunningham and co-host Bonnie Blaylock, who both lost their mothers before they had children of their own, and how that changed the way they parent.

School's back in session or soon will be for 2021, whatever that's going to look like. It can be hard to get back in the groove of schedules, homework, and bedtime. In this episode, we touch on some helpful areas where you can refocus to tackle that transition. Renee gives the homeschool perspective, and Bonnie looks at life when your kids are in public school.

The sleep-deprived mom is a common trope we can probably all relate to. On this episode, we speak with Dr. Tiffany Rogers, a PhD in behavioral neuroscience and mom of three. She walks us through what the brain does while we're asleep (hint: it's not just shut off!) and why sleep for us and our children should be a priority.

Instead of asking "what's wrong with you?" it may be more helpful to ask "what happened to you?" We take our childhoods with us, and carrying trauma and stress from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can actually affect our health way down the road into adulthood. What's an ACE test and what might the score mean? What can we do to help soften the blows? This episode affects us all in some way.

What kind of baby products are best? What's the best way to do tummy time? Does it make a difference how you position your child in a car seat, high chair, or exersaucer? Dr. Courtney Parsons (PT) and Gladys Harms (OT) have worked with children in various types of therapy for years. They join us on this episode to explain the types of issues they see, and how parents can help their children reach those all-important milestones. We learned a ton and we know you will, too!